Is AOW necessary?

[Diver0001]

I feel as though AOW should be able to be surpassed by a diver if he/she can prove sufficient experience with the specific skills and techniques taught in the AOW course.

The problem with this is trying to separate the ones who actually have the experience from the log-book-liars

You ever have to read people's resumés for your work? Sometimes you'd think every person you ever met was some kind of super-hero.

I don't know if it should be required for Rescue or for DM. For Rescue if you could convince me that you had the navigation skills, enough diving experience and raw diving ability (buoyancy control etc) going in then I don't see anything in the course that really requires the cert. AOW is largely experiential anyway....

For DM I would like to see a whole different approach. AOW and Rescue are, by themselves, not good enough starting points for becoming a DM. The job a DM has to do (usually) can be much more involved and may require skills and personality traits totally unrelated to diving. In terms of diving, Rescue should obviously be required but so would 250 *real* dives in a variety of different conditions and the skills from about 6 specialties. DM's are often vastly under-trained and far too inexperienced coming in and that leads to vastly under-trained and far too inexperienced instructors too.

But that's probably worth a poll of its own

R..

 

[drrich2]

If skill level is important for a particular type of diving and an operator wants to assure that the diver is adequately prepared, I don't see the AOW card as giving the operator the necessary info. I would think a detailed conversation about experience and knowledge, and possibly a checkout dive, would be far more informative.

If assessing the diver's ability were really the point. From what I understand, in addition to screening a few extreme novices from deeper dives, an AOW requirement (where the diver is supposedly diving within recommendations up to 100 feet deep) could 'look good' if a diver drowned at 80 feet on a charter boat dive, whereas taking OW divers on that dive and one drowning there would look bad. Doesn't mean AOW makes the op. invulnerable to lawsuits, but it could be a beneficial factor.

Also, a lot of boat trips are 2 tank boat dives, and some are fairly crowded. Do the Dive Masters have the time, and want to take on the responsibility, to 'judge' peoples' diving ability on some sort of 'added in' check-out dive, or make a call based on how good a game they talk, and does that Dive Master want to get into arguments/power struggles with paying customers who percieve unfairness?

In a real work business setting on a 2 tank charter boat trip, it's far more practical to require an AOW card for some dives.

Richard.

 

[Red Pony]

2cents from a newly OW cert.

I checked "Other" because...

I'm newly certified OW, very newly certified with no additional dives yet. And I know that I'm not ready for AOW. I need better buoyancy control, I need to figure out how to descend and stop without landing on a platform. I need to be more comfortable in the low vis quarry (6ft) that is in my area for check out dives.

Other OW should better prepare a diver to go out and dive by themselves. Maybe it should cost more money, because I felt I received fair value but didn't come out of the class ready to dive on my own.


For me, I plan to hire a DM/Instructor and receive some additional private training and *then* I'll consider AOW. AOW means I'm gaining additional specialized experience in specific areas. You shouldn't/can't do that until you're experienced in the basics.

 

[blackvans1234]

So for the record, can someone take through padi, or through NAUI, rescue, without having AOW?
I read a few posts that hinted at it, just want clarification

 

[Bob DBF]

An Adventure Diver can take Rescue. From what I read on their website it is an abrieviated AOW. If I were the Instructor I would require Navigation and Deep and a number of logged dives before the Rescue class. From what I saw in my rescue class the divers with more experience did better than the ones fresh out of the OW AOW pipeline.

Bob
---------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

So for the record, can someone take through padi, or through NAUI, rescue, without having AOW?
I read a few posts that hinted at it, just want clarification

A NAUI certified diver can take Rescue at any time after OW certification ... Advanced Scuba Diver is not required as a prerequisite ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[blackvans1234]

A NAUI certified diver can take Rescue at any time after OW certification ... Advanced Scuba Diver is not required as a prerequisite ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Does that mean a PADI OW diver can take a NAUI Rescue course? I think they're exchangeable like that, but then again, I don't really know

 

[rhwestfall]

It depends on a few factors:

(1) the level of training you received in OW
(2) the type of diving you will be doing

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Does that mean a PADI OW diver can take a NAUI Rescue course? I think they're exchangeable like that, but then again, I don't really know

Yes, it does mean that ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[--tom--]

First, let's be clear. AOW is not required for rescue in the PADI format, A three dive class (Adventure Diver) that includes navigation is the prerequisite.
With a rescue course, the students need to be able to handle their buoyancy along with an incapacitated diver, needs to know how to use a compass well enough to run a search pattern, and knows the basic first aid/CPR.

So if you want to test out of AOW or Adventure Diver (or whatever) how would you do it? A few written tests/quizzes and some checkout dives? What does that sound like to you?

What is the going rate for a DM for a guided dive? $65 or $70 a dive? Do the math on the cost of a class.

After that, pay attention to who your instructor will be. Remember ½ of all of the instructors are below average