Continuing education after OW?

[TSandM]

When to take the AOW class depends a lot on the AOW class you are contemplating taking. Most mainstream classes are designed to be a close follow-on to OW (like an OW Part II) and give you some more dives under the supervision of an instructor. The class Bob (NW Grateful Diver) teaches is different, and much more challenging, and not suitable for someone straight out of OW.

I took AOW immediately, because I simply didn't feel safe in the water without professional supervision. I learned very little in the class, but I did get five more dives with an instructor. Honestly, I could probably have learned as much from five dives with a patient and experienced buddy, but I didn't know any of those people. It can be difficult to figure out how to do that, if you are feeling a bit shy as a beginner, and your shop doesn't have a big, inclusive diving community. Local dive clubs can be great for this, but the downside is that there is no guarantee that even people with a lot of dives know what they are doing.

There is a LOT of good information on the web on how to improve your diving. Reading it won't give you the skills, but it will show you the bar you're trying to reach, and give you tips on how to get there. This is one of my absolute favorite websites, with a whole set of great articles on theory and practical exercises: divedir.com. Another is Bob's website, nwgratefuldiver.com. Look for the 5thD-X videos on YouTube for great visual models of excellent diving. Think about those articles and videos when you go diving, and try to emulate the stability and quietness of those divers. You'll get it if you keep working at it.

 

[freewillie]

When I finished certification i was very nervous about my first dive without my instructor. It wasn't because I didn't think I had poor training or that didn't have the skills. In fact I felt very comfortable with my diving skills at the end of my OW class. It's just that I had never gone on a dive without my instructor. To add to my anxiety I was with a group of complete strangers with a dive club I had just joined. But once I got under the water and relied on my training everything was fine.

It seems like you already have a dive buddy in your boyfriend. I would recommend going back to the same site you did your check out dives since you should be familiar with the site. Ask at your LDS which sites are good for beginners. If in doubt get a guide. A great place to start is Casino Point at Avalon, Catalina Island. Very easy entry, lots of things to see underwater, and very easy to navigate. Just watch your depth.

As for jumping in and getting AOW training you can, but you might get more out of the classes if you have a few more "basic" dives in under your belt before you take the course. If you don't really feel comfortable doing a deep dive to 100 ft tomorrow even with an instructor I'd wait until you get better buoyancy control and familiar with the gear as well. If you still have to think which button is the inflate button and which one is the deflate then you would do well to practice a little before doing AOW.

 

[cmrangel]

Lots of good suggestions here but I also wanted to add a slightly different route. I am doing my AOW now at about 10 dives after my OW. I was not 100% comfortable with diving after my OW and do not have a buddy (Wife does not dive). So .. I hired a DM for a set of dives, I was surprised how reasonable the price was. The goal of hiring the DM was for me to get more experience at local dive sites and to gain experience diving in general. After that, I followed up with some meetup / group dives that folks from my LDS (and other local groups) setup. I am also in So California and there are a lot of groups here (most on meetup.com).

So, one path could be OW>Dives with local DM>Group dives> AOW ,,,,,,,,, For me, this was a very good experience and I feel the time/$$ spent with the local divemaster was well worth it.

 

[divin'dog]

I'm definitely in the "work on your skills first" camp ... I advise my students to consider another class only after they've become comfortable with the skills they were introduced to in the one they just finished taking. People who go from class directly into another class usually don't get what they paid for. They're so busy concentrating on performing skills they learned in the last class that they have little mental and physical bandwidth left over for the ones they're supposed to be learning in this class.

My advice is to spend your money on equipment, and go diving for a while. Limit yourself to relatively easy dives, keeping your depth limits and dive profile conservative. Focus on the things you were taught in OW class, and take some time on each dive to practice basic safety skills (like air sharing) with your dive buddy ... those skills can be done while you're doing your safety stop. If you're having difficulty finding someone to dive with, shop around for a dive club or see if your LDS does regularly scheduled shop dives. Both of those often prove to be good ways to meet compatible dive buddies.

Scuba classes don't really teach you how to dive ... they show you how to learn diving in the right way. The actual learning comes from practice ... just like every other recreational skill you've ever done. Nobody learns a skill by doing it once ... or even three or four times. You have to practice. And you learn best by building on what you already know. So practice your OW skills till you really know them ... then you'll be in a better position to get the most from that next class you decide to take.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Excellent advice above... Get some equipment so you will be using the same gear for each dive. It helps with consistency/familiarity with gear. That starts to make it easier to set your buoyancy/trim each time and it's easier to just go diving if you have most of the gear.

When you first get in the water, take some time to play "in the shallow end" about 10'-15'. Spend about 15mins just hovering and adjusting/playing/practicing with the equipment, doing skills, getting comfortable with your new environment. Basically, get settled. Then when you start to get bored, head out for a dive (following your dive plan).

As said above, get comfortable with the new skills you've just learned. Later, you will know when it's time for your AOW.

Remember to have fun! Scuba is definitely a journey so enjoy yourself along the way... And be safe!

 

[RustyFalcon]

I'm a believer in getting more dives in before AOW. I finished my PADI OW in September. Joined my instructor for a 4 dive weekend in Panama City Beach the following weekend. Easy, warm dives helped build confidence and review skills. Took another 4 dive trip last weekend, same place, again with my instructor as my buddy. I plan to dive a few more weekends maybe another 12-16 dives before learning any new classes. So yes thumbs up to practice over more classes!