Advanced Open Water

[Firefyter]

19 years in Paris, Texas. Engineer, which in our dept./rank structure doubles as Lt., EMT-B. I'm also an instructor in the Texas A&M Fire Academy system.

IAFF Local 576

 

[mempilot]

All of these are recommended limits only, there are NO laws stating limits. it depends on the Dive Op as to whether they will take you to deeper sites or not. Some won't, but it's been my experience that if you will sign the waiver, most will take you anywhere you feel qualified to go. The key is what you are QUALIFIED to dive, NOT what card you are carrying. And FWIW, you don't necessarily have to have AOW to take rescue. It's not a bad idea, since more time in the water is usually a good thing, but it's not mandatory, at least not in all agencies. Just my 2psi.

From the Rescue manual:

"To enroll in the PADI Rescue Diver course, you must be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water or Advanced Plus Diver, or the equivalent. 'Equivalent' means that you must demonstrate proof of certification beyond the entry level and be able to document 20 dives with experience in deep and navigation diving."

So 'yes and no'.

Though there are no laws governing depth, and you do sign a waiver of responsibility, but almost all dive charters will not let you dive beyond your certs. A waiver won't hold up in court if you are killed because you boat captain and DM took you to a location that was beyond your ability. There is no way to prove you had consent or knowledge of the dangers beyond your cert level. The one exception is 'documented proof' of experience beyond your cert level. For instance, charters in the in Keys will take an OW diver to the Spiegle Grove with proof of deep dives over 100' in the last 6 months. This experience could have come from training dives, or from diving outside of commercial operation.

If a DM/operator allows you to dive beyond your certs without documentation, they become liable. Same for the common practice of buddying up divers and allowing someone to solo dive. I have over 100 dives logged as solo, so if I'm not buddied up and I get killed, the courts look at my logbook and would probably relieve the DM of any liability since I have documented proof of experience diving solo. Take a 20 dive OW and let them dive solo and the result would be bad for the DM.

So, the AOW is a 'documented' proof of experience, all be it fairly week. It can open up a new world of dive locations and be the prerequisit for more advanced certifications.

 

[margorah]

All of these are recommended limits only, there are NO laws stating limits. it depends on the Dive Op as to whether they will take you to deeper sites or not. Some won't, but it's been my experience that if you will sign the waiver, most will take you anywhere you feel qualified to go. The key is what you are QUALIFIED to dive, NOT what card you are carrying. And FWIW, you don't necessarily have to have AOW to take rescue. It's not a bad idea, since more time in the water is usually a good thing, but it's not mandatory, at least not in all agencies. Just my 2psi.

One additional thing to add to this is regarding insurance. Some insurance companies will only insure you up to your qualifiaction level. So although there are no laws, if the worst should happen and you are deeper than your qualification level, you may not be covered.

 

[Firefyter]

One additional thing to add to this is regarding insurance. Some insurance companies will only insure you up to your qualifiaction level. So although there are no laws, if the worst should happen and you are deeper than your qualification level, you may not be covered.

I would venture to say that the majority of divers carrying Divers Insurance use DAN, as I do, and even their cheapest plan covers you to 130 ft., with no mention of cert. levels. Their other plans have no depth restrictions at all. If you have a plan with other restrictions, I would think about changing plans.

From the Rescue manual:

"To enroll in the PADI Rescue Diver course, you must be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water or Advanced Plus Diver, or the equivalent. 'Equivalent' means that you must demonstrate proof of certification beyond the entry level and be able to document 20 dives with experience in deep and navigation diving."

So 'yes and no'.

I said that it depends on the agency. Padi is not the only one out there, and even by their own rules, it's NOT mandatory. "Yes and no" was my point exactly. However, with all that said, I do agree that it is a good idea, since more time in a "good" learning environment, combined with more time in the water, can only make you a better diver. I would never discourage anyone from taking more classes, and learning all they can learn. Again, just my 2psi.

 

[dbeedle]

As others have pointed out, 60' is a recommended limit. Likewise, 130' is a recommended limit. The real recommendation is to dive within YOUR limits and zone of comfort. I, personally, would recommend gaining some experience before attempting deeper and/or more challenging dives even if you are with someone with that experience. Gaining at least some of that experience is what the AOW course is all about. It also exposes you to other faucets of diving that you may be interested in (photography, navigation, etc).

There are limits imposed on the instructor according to their agency and depending on the course and, in some cases, the age of the student (I'm PADI and don't have details for others, you're agency may have different details). However, once certified it's up to you. I recommend these guidelines and believe that there are some good reasons for them.

 

[wedivebc]

Now, correct me if I am wrong, but isnt the 60 feet only limited to the training dives (as stated in NAUI's course description) but the OW certification recreational limit is 130'?

PADI says open water divers are certified to a depth of 60ft.
SDI says graduates are certified to "conduct open water dives in conditions similar to their training" which is limited to 60ft during training but does not imply any restriction beyond that.

So I guess it depends on the training agency.
I guess for an AOW C card, the main value is to be able to demonstrate experience beyond basic open water training.

cheers,

 

[Yeoh Chee Weng]

I found that the AOWD expands your experience to deeper dives, night dives and drift dives. Under controlled supervision its safer than doing these kind of dives with your buddy, unless your buddy is already at divemaster level. I would recommend the Peak Performance Buoyancy if you haven't done many dives after your OWD and you still haven't mastered the art of neutral buoyancy. The AOWD isn't so much as giving you 'advanced' skills, more like continuing your diving experience in diverse situations. Having the AOWD certification would then prepare you to opt for advancing your skills in such specialties as Search & Recovery, U/W Photography & Videography and Wreck diving.