Am I ready?

[SARmedic]

I recommend that EVERYBODY should take the AOW as soon as possible after the OW cert is done. Why you ask?

1. It gives you more supervised instruction diving without the "skills" that were done in OW class. (mask clearing, etc.)
2. You gain confidence with your own skills with the extra dives.
3. Fun diving in other environments but with an instructor present to answer questions.
4. Teaches you how to deal with situations you may end up in as an OW diver by mistake. (like navigation problems, going too deep by mistake, and even diving at sunset finding yourself in a night dive situation)

Long story short, it builds confidence and increases your knowledge.

Those are only a few reasons I recommend the class. If it were up to me that would be included in OW class.

 

[Walter]

Another course immediately after OW also tends to strengthen the apron strings right at the time they need to be cut.

OTOH, most OW classes don't adequately prepare the graduates to dive, so their apron strings aren't really ready to be cut anyway. One problem with AOW is it never goes back to fill in the gaps missed in the OW class. Another is it does little to increase a diver's knowledge base.

 

[jbd]

suggestion that you do several dives with an experienced local diver. There is no need to rush into another class. Get some diving experience and then maybe in July or August take the advanced course. By doing the dives on those Sundays you will meet more divers and develope some buddies who may share your interests or who may introduce you to an area of diving you hadn't known about. Relax and enjoy the journey, IMHO.

 

[MASS-Diver]

You'll have fun and get some more experience, but, you won't get that much out it because you simply aren't that used to your gear, heck just setting up your gear can be a pain right after you get your c-card.

And as mentioned, don't think you are ready to do 100' dives after 1 or 2 PADI deep dives.

My instrucotor said no AOW untill I had 40 dives......when we did the first deep dive on an offshore wreck at night, I was glad I didn't have to worry about locating my inflator hose in a pinch, some skills had become second nature.

And, as SARmedic seems not to realize, 100' diving is not for everyone. Tons of people are perfectly happy diving in 60' or less. There no reason you have to progress to deeper diving.

 

[SARmedic]

MASS-Diver once bubbled...
And, as SARmedic seems not to realize, 100' diving is not for everyone. Tons of people are perfectly happy diving in 60' or less. There no reason you have to progress to deeper diving.

I do agree with that, in fact most of my great dives are in about 40ft of water. I am saying that you may find yourself in deeper water than you planned, so it's a good idea to do it with an instructor first, that's all.

 

[ktarlecky]

Why is it that with SCUBA you can literally get up from your last class in basic OW and enroll in AOW? Translation....in about 10 open water dives you go from zero experience to "advanced"? SCUBA is an extreme sport that demands responsibility and proper training/expereince. Why is it that leading certification agencies refuse to acknowledge the danger in certifing newbies to an advanced level by not creating prerequisites other than OW for AOW? And if it is ultimatly about the money, where does the diver and the diver's safety come into play? My open water class with the YMCA was 10 weeks. 15 hours of pool time, 15 hours of classroom time and 4 check out dives. I know a diver who took a weekend OW course and then immediatly enrolled in AOW, completed 5 more dives and was deemed "Advanced". Whats the sense in that? In my opinion it is not about the certification anyway....it is about experience and how you use your training.

 

[hydroslyder]

Whats up,
I personally have wanted to take the AOW class ever since I got certified, but I decided it was best if I waited, and now with just 12 dives under my belt I am going for it this weekend. I figured I should wait and get more confortable in the water, but I have realized that I have learned a couple new techniques, but nothing that will really help me out with my AOW class, so I'd say go for it when you feel you are comfortable enough to go down to a hundred feet, or being on a dive at night(I say this because a night dive is a requirement where I live) you may not do this night dive but I would probably recomend it because it will leave you more comfortable in conditions where you cant see anything. So if you think you are ready for the conditions of the AOW class definitely go for it, it will probably help you in the long run, I know I am doing it so I can improve on my minimal navigation skills.

Well thats what I think, its all up to you, but anyway Have fun diving!

 

[steeldiver]

In the make believe world after a dive course the Instucter say's
training complete go out and practice your newlly aquired skills.
In the real world somthing like 80% of those novices will dive
once a year on dive vacation 2-5 dives in total.
Iwould love all my students to go out do 25 dives and then return for their advanced.
Alas i settle for at least getting the candidate in the water for another 6 dives,no matter how few dives his done since OW1.
Howard.