AOW right after OWD

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

"Must be Adv Open Water with a minimum of 20 logged dives". It's printed on all the dive charters that look interesting, so I'm doing mine next month.

 

[spectrum]

I agree and propose a name change. Padi Open Water 1 and Open Water 2.

I don't think that adresses the real gap.

There is a real need for some practice between basic open water certification and being taken into the deep, the night, the limited visibility, near a wreck, rope, lift bag or being expected to reasonably navigate. Any diver that can't go make those dives with peers or better yet a mentor needs to get remedial OW, not more challenges.

AOW is not "4 or 5 more dives with an instructor". It is a collection of new skills. If you are still preocupied with the basics then it's a mutual waste and folly.

Pete

 

[mbitton]

I'll soon be a OW to AOW diver. I'm going in July. The #1 reason behind it is I don't feel comfortable enough with what I've learned in OW. With AOW I'll have a 2 to 1 student to instructor ratio.

In my OW class there were 12 students. My girlfriend and I were able to pick it up quickly as were a few other students but there were a few students that had troubles with some of the tasks. Now being a student that repeated the task flawlessly (or so I think) I was cast aside so the instructor could focus on the few students that were struggling.

Of course I have questions and I would have liked to repeat the tasks multiple times so the instructor can show me what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Maybe show me some tips and tricks. We spent 2 days in a pool and did 4 dives and I'm expected to jump into an ocean by myself?

AOW will give me the opportunity to experience a little more "advanced" diving that OW doesn't touch on. Navigation was rushed thorough and I can admit I remember nothing from the 5 minutes the teacher demonstrated it. Even when I was doing it I remember thinking I have no clue what I'm doing! Of course since then I've read enough on ScubaBoard to understand what he was trying to teach me.

The opportunity to experience the 5 different dives (3 of which I select based on my interests) with an instructor who will spend the time and not rush me through a weekend is something I feel I must do before I feel comfortable to dive on my own. Add the fact my girlfriend is my dive buddy…I need to feel even more confident in myself before she puts her life in my hands.

I think uncfnp is right. PADI needs to change the name. The word "Advanced" is deceiving. A diver that went OW straight into AOW is not Advanced.

 

[dfx]

I think uncfnp is right. PADI needs to change the name. The word "Advanced" is deceiving. A diver that went OW straight into AOW is not Advanced.

But they're supposed to be. It's why I started this thread. An AOW diver is supposed to have a certain set of skills. It's the whole point behind the AOW cert. It's not supposed to make up for whatever OWD was lacking. At least that's how I understand it.

 

[uncfnp]

But they're supposed to be. It's why I started this thread. An AOW diver is supposed to have a certain set of skills. It's the whole point behind the AOW cert. It's not supposed to make up for whatever OWD was lacking. At least that's how I understand it.

From what I have read on SB, OW and AOW use to be one course, along with Rescue. Please correct me if this is wrong. So calling them OW 1 and 2 is not far off target. And I doubt that many experienced SBers believe that the navigation, wreck, night, etc as they are covered in AOW are truly " advanced" but rather additional "basic" skills that are not included in most Padi OW classes. I think of advanced as going beyond the basics skills that, let's face it, all divers should have some concept of. I see advanced as improving on a set of skills; advanced navigation, advanced wreck, advanced gas management, advanced...well, you get the picture.

 

[billt4sf]

New divers, newly certified OWD, finish their OWD cert and head right into the AOW course, sometimes without even doing a single dive on their own in between.

What's the idea behind doing this?

We did this. Met a guy who was doing it in his like 10th dive, we had like 25 dives, and we just wanted more instruction, figured we would get better by doing it. We did get a little better, but there's nothing "advanced" about our diving, really.

You might say we had inadequate OWD instruction. but we didn't feel inadequate, we just wanted to learn more.

 

[cephasiii]

I think uncfnp is right. PADI needs to change the name. The word "Advanced" is deceiving. A diver that went OW straight into AOW is not Advanced.

Please, by all means contact PADI and recommend they change the name. Write a point paper on the reasons it is "deceiving".

 

[uncfnp]

The real question is not the semantics of the name but rather should it really be two separate classes. Can you really be a competent diver with just OW?

Are there any statics on how many active divers of more than a year that are still only OW certified?

Regarding the original question, I see no problem going from one directly to the other, assuming you actually did learn the skills taught during OW, since I see one as a continuation of the other.

 

[billt4sf]

There is a real need for some practice between basic open water certification and being taken into the deep, the night, the limited visibility, near a wreck, rope, lift bag or being expected to reasonably navigate. Any diver that can't go make those dives with peers or better yet a mentor needs to get remedial OW, not more challenges.

We are going through this learning process right now. We can dive well in tropical waters in the daytime on our own. But we are trying to become good buddy divers, to become more cognizant of our equipment, to have the right safety equipment and know how to use it, to practice our OW skills, and to get decent at cold water, limited visibility diving in a dry suit. I think of it that we are on our way to becoming to be "independent, self-sufficient divers". Not advanced, but we are adding a few skills as we go, and above all trying to be enough aware of our limitations that we don't get in "over our heads", lol.

But deep, night, wrecks, and navigation are challenges for the future. [What does it mean "rope"? Something I don't know that I don't know?] Are you saying that we ought to know how to do those things BEFORE taking AOW? That doesn't make sense to me.

- Bill

---------- Post added April 29th, 2013 at 07:58 PM ----------

The real question is not the semantics of the name but rather should it really be two separate classes. Can you really be a competent diver with just OW?

No. No matter how long the course or good the instructor.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

The real question is not the semantics of the name but rather should it really be two separate classes. Can you really be a competent diver with just OW?

Are there any statics on how many active divers of more than a year that are still only OW certified?

Regarding the original question, I see no problem going from one directly to the other, assuming you actually did learn the skills taught during OW, since I see one as a continuation of the other.

Yes. You can. My wife, our very dear friend and myself are going to Oahu tomorrow. One of us is OW. One is AOW. One is Rescue. I seriously doubt you could tell which is which by watching us dive. Any of us plan a dive. Any of us can lead the other two.