Aow
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USFishin
Contributor
I did my OW and AOW certifications in college. My scholarship paid for the classes but I was responsible for paying for the actual certification card and any certification dives/trips that we did. I think the certification was around $30. Taking it in a college course is nice because it's like 2 months of training. So by the time you're done with the course you're very comfortable in the water. Not like a weekend course. I wish I had looked into the course before I did though. I did the courses my senior year and couldn't go any further because I graduated. I wish I did it sooner so I could've done my safety and nitrox courses in college too.
USFishin
Contributor
I could take the courses as a non-degree seeking student. Unfortunately, as soon as I graduated, so did my scholarship 
So the financial advantage of taking the classes at school isn't there anymore. Also, the school is about 45 mins from my house so I ended up just taking my safety class at a local dive shop.
So the financial advantage of taking the classes at school isn't there anymore. Also, the school is about 45 mins from my house so I ended up just taking my safety class at a local dive shop.well i COULD, but i figure i need to get a BC sooner or later. Right now my friend (whose a master chief) is letting me borrow one of his BC's. its an older Seatec. its nice, and it gets the job done. i figure towards the end of the year ill be buying a BC.
first day of class we did a "baseline" 900 yard kick. we used fins, mask, and snorkel. we had to kick with our hands out in front for 18 laps (900 yards). my "baseline" was 18 minutes. and that was at a easy pace. his goal for us at the end of the class was to be doing it at 18 minutes, so i guess im there already. lol. the closest person behind me was 25 minutes. oh, and i did the 900 yards with rocket fins. ya, my calves were burning at the end...
cloudswinger
Contributor
I did both OW and AOW in one semester in college. The AOW was additional, if you did the spring break trip, you'd be able to get the dives in for it. Otherwise you really had done all the classwork for it already. And I did love the training, we had weekly pool sessions and a weekly class session over a full 12 week semester, so it was very good. We did have to do a written report, though. There is a dive club and an academic diving program, so if you spent the time, you could go all the way to instructor level, basically free. Plus all the gear was included, and part of leadership training was gear maintenance. And after finishing the basic class you were basically able to participate in scientific dives. There was another class that was even more intense(also more credit hours!) that gave you certs in about 5-7 more specialties, and the spring break trip was a full week of underwater archeology in some murky underwater pit. I had a friend do that, but since I wasn't certified yet, I did the basics class. I had another friend who was doing the leadership training, and apparently it was a lot of fun. And there was also a summer boat class, where you'd spend a few weeks on a boat diving every day and counting fish or something scientific like that. I too found it at the end of my schooling, otherwise I probably would have done some of the leadership training. And that summer boat class. Definitely! And maybe the underwater archaeology class, although that murky spring break trip was mandatory. And it was NAUI, which I think has all the academic programs locked up, at least in Florida.
USFishin
Contributor
That's how my class was. OW and AOW were in the same semester. The OW class ended about a month early from the end of the semester. If you wanted to stay you could do the AOW coursework and pool training and then there was a trip to Key Largo at the end of the semester. They had all the gear to use, you just had to bring mask/snorkel and fins. I am not sure about a group of specialty courses. Since I did my cert my last semester I didn't get the chance to look into other courses. I do know they have the Safety course and I am pretty sure Divemaster too. Nitrox is also available. So anyone out there in college now, or headed to college... go get your certifications early so you can take all of the classes after OW/AOW certification.
cloudswinger
Contributor
The class with all the specialties was not labeled anything you'd think, nothing with scuba in the name, so most people didn't know about it unless you were in the right major or knew someone taking it. And they didn't exactly let anyone take the class either, since I think it was a senior level class only offered once a year. Although since the class was such a big commitment I don't think a lot of people outside of the major would have taken it.
The diving program is taught in the context of other majors, like marine biology, underwater archaeology or film, so other than the beginner class, you would not know what advanced material was being taught. They don't offer the advanced scuba classes as standalone classes like some of the other colleges do.
The diving program is taught in the context of other majors, like marine biology, underwater archaeology or film, so other than the beginner class, you would not know what advanced material was being taught. They don't offer the advanced scuba classes as standalone classes like some of the other colleges do.
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