How do you choose your Advanced Open Water speciality

[wetb4igetinthewater]

AOW is a weird beast. The only thing the certification really gets you is the theoretical ability to go to 90 feet, but it wanders through a bunch of disconnected training to get there. The dive operators, who we have largely deputized as the SCUBA police seem to have accepted it as the de facto indicator of skill, but really they have no idea what skills you go in the course, or even if it was a course.

100 feet.

 

[tursiops]

Do 3 specialties before Deep and you qualify as adventure diver.

You also have to do the Thinking Like a Diver material from the AOW manual to become an Adventure Diver; three specialties alone are not sufficient.

 

[ROUS]

It may depend on your training outfit, but it may be best to just chat with your instructor. I had a 5 minute discussion with my instructor and we jointly picked three. Not every class can be taught at any time and there's value in all of them. Some flexibility often helps.

 

[TMHeimer]

It may depend on your training outfit, but it may be best to just chat with your instructor. I had a 5 minute discussion with my instructor and we jointly picked three. Not every class can be taught at any time and there's value in all of them. Some flexibility often helps.

Right. I found that out at a couple of shops. What you want may not be happening for a while-- such as not enough students for a course, weather, etc.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

You also have to do the Thinking Like a Diver material from the AOW manual to become an Adventure Diver; three specialties alone are not sufficient.

That's a trivial academic exercise. In reality, the content belongs in open water.

 

[brsnow]

Sure, maybe they just gave the card away? Seriously?
And they DO know you got some training in at least Navigation and Deep.
Do you really only have 0-24 dives?

I took padi AOW in June and yes they gave the card away. Obviously paid for it, so not free.

 

[tursiops]

I took padi AOW in June and yes they gave the card away. Obviously paid for it, so not free.

Please help me understand: you took PADI AOW and did no dives and no course work? Or, what did you mean?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That's a trivial academic exercise. In reality, the content belongs in open water.

Ok, trivial relative to this:

 

[brsnow]

Please help me understand: you took PADI AOW and did no dives and no course work? Or, what did you mean?

I didn’t learn anything. Our check out dives the instructor was also doing a PADI rescue class, so he told use what to do and asked if we had. At the end end of the day I had over a hundred dives and my classmates had 5 or 6. It was fun to get some dives in. If I had been with people with similar skills, it might have been different. How can people with less than 10 dives actually navigate for example?

 

[tursiops]

I didn’t learn anything. Our check out dives the instructor was also doing a PADI rescue class, so he told use what to do and asked if we had. At the end end of the day I had over a hundred dives and my classmates had 5 or 6. It was fun to get some dives in. If I had been with people with similar skills, it might have been different. How can people with less than 10 dives actually navigate for example?

Was there a DM or anybody with you?