Beyond Open Water...

[paradicio]

So as my wife and I are approaching our OW certifications, we are starting to look forward to other classes that we might benefit from. Primarily I feel we should focus on our skills as divers first, and then switch to the more fun courses. That said, this is the selection of courses (in the order we would take them after completing OW) that I had planned:

1)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Peak performance buoyancy
2)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Underwater navigation
3)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Emergency first response
4)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Advanced open water

I figure by the time we complete those courses we should feel fairly comfortable with our skills and could then move on to wreck or cave diving or underwater photography, or any of the other fun stuff.

I’ve discussed this with the wife, and she agrees that (on paper at least) it makes sense. Does anyone with the practical experience think differently? If you had it all to learn again, which classes would you take first and why?

 

[H2Andy]

yeah, you basically nailed it

i would move on to AOW and, as part of AOW, take PPB and Nav.

then move on to Rescue. that is a class you MUST have. you'll take the emergency first response for Rescue, and it will make you a much safer diver (the Rescue class, that is)

once you have done the OW-AOW-Rescue trilogy (roughly by the time you have 50 dives), dive for a while and see where your interests lie

(btw, don't be too disapointed with AOW. it's really just a stepping stone to Rescue)

 

[marcienko]

I would just say;


1. Wait after OW and get some more dives (30-50)
2. Take AOW and that include: Peak performance buoyancy, Underwater navigation
3. Take Rescue Diver Class

You can also consider NITROX class

Regards


Marcin

 

[spectrum]

If you exit open water able to make conservative local dives (and you should) then go diving. It can be with the gang from the shop or any of the divers you will meet along the way or just the 2 of you. After all you are going to be certified divers. Just stay within your abilities. Wander around your yard with your compass for 15 minutes and I bet you can figure out most of what you need to know to go out and return to a friendly beach or cove. You text should have the fundamentals of navigation.

If you truly don't feel prepared to dive without and instructor first of all find another one because the first one failed. In any case find someone that will get you across the finish line.

Try to make 1-2 dozen dives before returning to class. Except for PPB the AOW or adventure dives are exposing you to new stuff. Making some initial dives will let you firm up your operating system so to speak. By getting the basics down a bit you will have better attention to absorb the new adventures.

It's like when our kids were young we said that up to age 3 they were learning DOS. After that they were mastering application's. Did I date myself by saying DOS?

A good AOW program will include Navigation, Deep diving and a few more dives that may be of your choosing. I suggest you include night diving, a favorite.

EFR & O2 can be taken along the way in preparation for your rescue class as long as you don't let them expire. We did them in the winter during slack time. As mentioned above Rescue ties it up in a nice neat bow. It's not just about making rescues, a lot of it about avoiding those nasty situations and it's a comprehensive program.

If you see that knock your socks off dive night and day trip in your future be sure to bag the Nitrox Course. Sometimes you can bundle that into AOW for a nice price.

Have a great time, frequent diving with a spirit of continuous improvement is your best teacher.

Pete

 

[paradicio]

Thanks everyone! My instructor is actually very good, and I'm confident I'll be comfortable diving with my wife after we complete the OW course.

I guess my problem is I enjoy learning and researching my interests WAY too much (you should see the mountain of research I did on my fish tanks, and am doing on diving)...

I figured the classes listed above would help me fine tune the skills I'm learning in OW to help me prepare for some of the more fun stuff (wreck diving and underwater photograpy and videography really interest me...). But, your advice to get some more dives under my belt before I jump back into another class does make sense...

 

[del_mo]

Some people are naturals at buoyancy. If you turn out to be one I would then skip it.

 

[RoyN]

I would add nitrox to the list.

 

[SkullDeformity]

Some people are naturals at buoyancy . If you turn out to be one I would then skip it.

You forgot the smiley.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Nitrox for sure. I did AOW shortly after my Open Water ( I did Deep/Nav/PPB/NightWreck). Some wait longer. I decided 5 more dives with an instructor was a good thing and am glad I did it when I did. You'll get a wide variety of opinions on this topic, btw.

You could always just jump to rebreather training.....

Just kidding - go diving and have fun....

Michael

(I'll jump to the rarified air of the 25-49 dives group after my trip to St. Maartin next week - doing my wreck course:14: )

 

[spectrum]

I figured the classes listed above would help me fine tune the skills I'm learning in OW to help me prepare for some of the more fun stuff (wreck diving and underwater photography and videography really interest me...). But, your advice to get some more dives under my belt before I jump back into another class does make sense...

The classes will surely be of help but diving is your best friend here. Just go for a healthy mix. The last thing you want to be is a professional dive student. Diving on your own is MUCH more fun. In classes you will be exposed to what to do. While diving you will master things and discover more.

Do yourself, your camera and the dive site a favor and leave the UW camera at home until you feel your have buoyancy control and the fundamentals down pat. A camera represents significant task loading and an intense distraction factor that does not mix well with novice diving.

Pete