Difference between OW and AOW

[BDSC]

An 11 year old thread rises from the grave!

 

[spc751]

AOW is a very weak course iMO.

It can be a weak course if you let it. If you seek out a good instructor and insist on learning good new skills then it can be a very good course. It all depends on the effort you put in.

 

[Dive the World]

I just got done reading that post. It was really good.

I don't want to get in this just for a certification. I want to learn all about diving and I want to be good at it. So I guess what I am asking is should I get my OW, get some dives under my belt and then go for the AOW Cert.

I would like to know how other people went about it.

You have a great attitude, "I don't want to get in this just for a certification" stay that way.

Depends on your local diving... if you can get diving done within 20meters by all means stick to OW until you feel you want to move forward.

If however, sticking to only 20meters seriously limits the number of dives you will be able to do - get AOW.

In my case, most of the dive site are below 20 meters, so I ended up getting AOW within a couple of months (as soon as I had the cash and the LDS had a deal)

 

[frogkick]

Honestly... I went through AOW because I was denied a dive because I didn't have it. Granted, I was (and still am) pretty green at the time but I was pretty jaded about "having" to take this class. I knew that I wanted to complete it at some point but I felt cheated that I had to go through it just to get a boat ride from a charter on JAX beach.

From my perspective this class was truly what you make of it and of course your instructor plays a major role in this. It really is a starting point for more complex dives but I would say it's been the least challenging course I've taken thus far.

Figure out what you like about diving first and choose your electives based on your discoveries and you'll have a blast.

 

[spectrum]

I did my AOW straight after my OW. I have heard many say this is wrong but I disagree. What it meant for me was my first nine dives were all under the supervision of an instructor. A lot of the PADI specialities are utter b*ll*cks and perfectly within the capabilities of OW divers. There is little point in leaving it for ages between courses as the only thing you really learn is the deep part. Drysuit can be a useful adventure dive but all my OW dives were in a drysuit anyway. AOW is a very weak course iMO.

Your position would be plausible if most divers were followig up with full specialties in topics like navigation, buopyancy and the subjects of worthwhile AOW dives. The sad truth is AOW is usually the sole oprtunity divers make for true instruction in these subjects.

Yes as taught by some AOW is a sequence of "trust me dives" and "stupid diver tricks" but it need not be that way with a little instuctor research.

Taken right out of OW a diver simply does not have the bandwidth to really absorb what is being presented, however meager. It's all a blur of new sensations and eye candy.

I don't think anyone esposes leaving it for ages but 1-2 dozen dives lets a diver settle into the basics and more effectively manage the task loading and other nuances of AOW dives. If a diver exits OW feeling they need more instruction to execute novice dives they then need remedial OW, not AOW.

If it worked for you then all the more power to you.

Pete

 

[Mustard Dave]

An 11 year old thread rises from the grave!

I'm not sure what happened there - the thread was on page 1 so I didn't look at dates. Perhaps the thread was bumped and then the post deleted?

It can be a weak course if you let it. If you seek out a good instructor and insist on learning good new skills then it can be a very good course. It all depends on the effort you put in.

I agree, but whether it is a good course is dependent on how the instructor presents it. I think a proper course rather than a series of 'dive experiences' would be better. I also think PPB and DSMB should be mandatory, along with a taster of the rescue diver course.

Your position would be plausible if most divers were followig up with full specialties in topics like navigation, buopyancy and the subjects of worthwhile AOW dives. The sad truth is AOW is usually the sole oprtunity divers make for true instruction in these subjects.

Yes as taught by some AOW is a sequence of "trust me dives" and "stupid diver tricks" but it need not be that way with a little instuctor research.

Taken right out of OW a diver simply does not have the bandwidth to really absorb what is being presented, however meager. It's all a blur of new sensations and eye candy.

I don't think anyone esposes leaving it for ages but 1-2 dozen dives lets a diver settle into the basics and more effectively manage the task loading and other nuances of AOW dives. If a diver exits OW feeling they need more instruction to execute novice dives they then need remedial OW, not AOW.

If it worked for you then all the more power to you.

Pete

I see where you're coming from but I don't really think it is too much to absorb. Perhaps doing the lot over a series of days could be a bit intense but I did it over a series of weekends so I had breaks from diving in between. I know it doesn't always happen like this in the real world (I have seen DMs that shouldn't have a bloody Seal Team ticket!) but all OW divers should be comfortable in the skills they have learnt on the course.

When I did the OW course, the instructor asked me if I wanted to do the AOW. I was surprised at the time as I thought they would not take divers until they were more experienced.

There are a couple of UK forums I'm a member of and I notice there are loads of people starting threads such as "I've done 80 dives - am I ready for AOW?'. It seems pointless to leave the AOW too long. After 80 dives, you should have picked up the skills taught on the AOW rendering it little more than getting your 30m ticket signed off.

 

[buland]

i just come to learn lots of thing from this post. i am preparing myself for first time dive.so, i want to know about the necessary for training

 

[Simon-]

PPB & DSMB mandatory dives? Why?

Personally I have never taught a PPB course. I work with students during their OW courses so that by the time they have finished and been signed off, their buoyancy is pretty sorted. I am not arrogant enough to say they are perfect, but they don't need another course on it, let alone an adventure dive.

DSMB as a course? Not sure I even agree with it being a distinctive. Here's an idea, cover it during a drift, or deep, or wreck or any dive.

 

[FM1520]

I recommend waiting after your OW and getting some dives under your belt before taking an advanced course. You may find you don't even want/need to take an advanced course. There are also other agencies that you may want to consider such as UTD (Unified Team Diving) that have a somewhat different approach.

 

[Paulmal]

Personally I wold look at GUE before ever considering UTD. But that's just me.

Advanced is worth taking with the right instructor. If you take it through someone that is just taking you on 5 more dives, then it's not all that meaningful a course. GUE fundies is going to really refine how you dive, UTD intro course will do the same. I just dislike some of UTD advance philosophies, no longer following the Kiss principals. But you might so go for it.