Do I Need AOW to Travel?

[denniscloutier]

On a recent trip to the Philippines we had one of the dive shop managers ask us for our AOW c card. When he found out that we only had OW he seemed concerned and wanted to limit our diving. Fortunately the tour organizer had a word with him and we were able to dive with the rest of the group. I am now wondering if I might run into this again.

My wife and I got our OW certification in 1989, and over the next few years we put in about 50 dives in the cold water around Vancouver, BC. We then stopped diving for about 15 years until we decided that we had enough money to try tropical diving. Since then we have put in about 200 dives in Roatan, Cozumel, Bonaire, Chuuk, Palau, Yap, La Paz (Mexico) and the Philippines. We also picked up our PADI drysuit, wreck, and nitrox certs along the way. The last is interesting because officially I think that we should have had adventure diver at least before they allowed us to do wreck, but we have the cards.

So, I have two questions:

1. Are we likely to run across operations that won't let us do certain dives because we don't have AOW, and if so, where?

2. Did AOW even exist back in the dark ages (1989), because I don't even recall it being discussed as an option.

Thanks,


And another question:

3. Is having a logbook likely to help?

 

[Dr Dog]

Bump...

I would like to know this too.. I am currently enrolled in AOW but my wife is not

 

[rogersab1223]

I picked up my OW and AOW in Key West back-to-back in July. You undoubtedly have more experience than I do but it might just be a "proof of experience" thing. I, for one, think calling it "Advanced" is a misnomer because I'm certainly not an "advanced" (using my definition of the word) diver. I'd be much happier calling it "Open Water 2" or something to that effect.

A log book would certainly put a dive shop owner's mind at rest. Do you have the dives recorded?

Option 2 would be to pick up your AOW while you're down there. It's five dives and, since you're diving anyway, might be a good way to get some dives in with an instructor and see stuff you otherwise might not see.

Just my (very inexperienced) $0.02.

Andy

 

[DevonDiver]

1. Are we likely to run across operations that won't let us do certain dives because we don't have AOW, and if so, where?

Yes, there may well be operations that have a policy to limit dives according to a misinterpretation of the PADI (and other agency) recommended guidelines for establishing a personal diving depth.

If you encounter such a problem, reference the following:



2. Did AOW even exist back in the dark ages (1989), because I don't even recall it being discussed as an option.

Sorry, can't help you with that.

3. Is having a logbook likely to help?

Yes, it should. There are a number of factors that should be taken into account when deciding whether a site is suitable for a diver. Certification/training is one of them. Number and frequency of dives are others. Experience of the specific conditions to be encountered is yet another...

 

[Insta-Gator]

Fact of the matter is, you can have a great vacation above 60'.

But AOW will open more opportunities for you.

 

[HowardE]

To reinforce what Andy said...

The PADI 60' "limit" is a recommendation for personal limits.

Divers with an open water certification are certified to dive within the recreational dive limits of 130 FSW (40 Meters).

So a requirement of AOW is a bit zealous for an operation, but some do it.

 

[So-Tx-Rich]

I was originally certified in 1983, and yes, AOW existed in those "dark" ages, but I never got it. I dove as a basic diver until 2004 when I was working out of town, and having nothing to do with myself in the evenings, I decided to go AOW, then Divecon, then ultimately instructor....in the 21 years I dove before making that decision I never had anyone try to limit my diving because of the lack of advanced certification. Honestly, I do suggest advanced for a new diver because of the experience and knowledge that it adds, but the truth is, its the diving experience that makes you a diver. Think about this: You can be AOW with a grand total of 7 dives. Are you really "advanced" in your skills at that point? I think not. You can, however, be certified as a basic open water diver and be extremely advanced in your skill through experience.

 

[denniscloutier]

My memory of my OW training, dim though it may be, was that without a deep certification we were certified to go to 100'. The 60' limit thing was something I only remember running into after we returned to diving. I may be off base here because it was a while ago. So my recollection more or less agrees with the video posted by DevonDiver. Does anyone know where there is an official looking PADI policy that I can print out and bring with me. Having a piece of paper that says that an experienced diver with OW can go to 100' would probably help.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Damselfish]

1. Are we likely to run across operations that won't let us do certain dives because we don't have AOW, and if so, where?

Well you just did, and might not have been able to convince them if not for your tour operator. Hard to predict when you might run into someplace that does this, but it could happen anywhere really. You just never know.

Interestingly, I was in the Philippines earlier this year on a LDS trip and the same thing happened - a member of our group did not have AOW and was going to have a hard time, until the person running our trip stepped in. The guy running this op had just started and was a clueless twit in general. He was making everything up as he went along, as far as I could tell with no idea what they had been doing before - so checking ahead probably wouldn't have even helped. Would be funny if it was the same place.

2. Did AOW even exist back in the dark ages (1989), because I don't even recall it being discussed as an option.

I got AOW in 1990.

3. Is having a logbook likely to help?

Maybe, some places even say something like "AOW or equivalent experience." Or they may just say it's easy to fake a logbook, which is true. Maybe showing them something published by PADI that says it's ok may help. Or maybe not, I suspect it's rather like TSA and airline agents that do all sorts of different things no matter what they have in writing. The 60' thing seems pretty entrenched.

I think if you are going to travel and will be using a variety of unknown shops, there's much to be said for getting the card and being done with it. Even if it seems stupid.

 

[denniscloutier]

Interestingly, I was in the Philippines earlier this year on a LDS trip and the same thing happened - a member of our group did not have AOW and was going to have a hard time, until the person running our trip stepped in. The guy running this op had just started and was a clueless twit in general. He was making everything up as he went along, as far as I could tell with no idea what they had been doing before - so checking ahead probably wouldn't have even helped. Would be funny if it was the same place.

Hmmm, sounds like the same place.