PADI AOW Book -- what so bad?

[fast5frog]

IMHO I think that's just the plain ole jist of it. Pay the money get some cards and get the formalities out of the way, if you plan on going the advanced route. Then get the experience and do alot of repetitive stuff to build up your confidence levels and comfort levels. I haven't been diving long and I hope it doesn't sound ignorant (really, I try to absorb every bit of info available) but as far as having to get this card and that card and pay for this and that....I don't know. As a former Marine, in boot camp they made us do alot of stuff we didn't see the point of until later down the road...maybe this is the same?? But I have been to Dutch Springs a few times and have been to submerged boats, planes, etc. Can I just send in $99 and get a Wreck divers card? According to requirements I've seen all you do in the course is go down look at the wreck, observe without getting tangled in anything and not disturbing it. It just seems like alot of politics, when we should just be diving and having safe fun! Regardless, I plan on taking all of the required courses and advancing myself for the love of the sport, and the safety of my buddies. Just some of my thoughts out loud...thanks for reading.

 

[boomer68]

I found the Adventures in Diving Book actually pretty informative for a good knowledge base. As stated above, the premise behind AOW is to expose a diver to several different types of diving and you build on the basics. I hope I don't get hammered, but I got a lot out of my PADI AOW class. Seems to me attitude is everything in most things you do.

 

[fast5frog]

If thats in any way pointed towards me, I just hope I'm not taken the wrong way. I get alot out of all of my courses and have a very open positive attitude towards any type of dive I do. I will probably wind up taking every course available just for my own satisfaction, I was just stating that alot of it seems very, ummm, money driven.

 

[nineeightysix]

Thanks all for replying.

I think the reason I didn't get much out of the AOW book is because I have been diving for a little over a year and have been on this great board for around 6 months -- absorbing everything. The PADI book lightly went over stuff I already knew or have done. I guess my expectation was in fact set too high. My abilities haven't caught up with the PADI AOW or NOAA manual, but the deep technical knowledge is what I'm after -- not to practice much of it but so that I understand as much as possible about diving. In fact, I have no intention at present of going further than rec diving -- it's plenty for me.

This "place" is a great resource for us all.


Cheers

 

[MikeFerrara]

Thanks all for replying.

I think the reason I didn't get much out of the AOW book is because I have been diving for a little over a year and have been on this great board for around 6 months -- absorbing everything. The PADI book lightly went over stuff I already knew or have done. I guess my expectation was in fact set too high. My abilities haven't caught up with the PADI AOW or NOAA manual, but the deep technical knowledge is what I'm after -- not to practice much of it but so that I understand as much as possible about diving. In fact, I have no intention at present of going further than rec diving -- it's plenty for me.

This "place" is a great resource for us all.


Cheers

There's nothing wrong with wanting more technical diving knowledge. As you've noticed, you're not going to find the indepth math or science in most agency texts.

I understand that they can't require scuba instructors to have a scientific or engineering background but those of us who want more of the "why's" have to go someplace else. I think it would be good if they added a little more but they need 10 or 12 year olds to be able get through.

Unfortunately there is some of the real "meat and potatoes" of diving that's left out of the texts and that, IMO, is a real shame.

 

[mikerault]

Go out on the net and google for the Navy Dive Manual, there are several sites with it all in PDF and downloadable...if you want some meat to dig into...

Mike

 

[Tafflad]

I did the PADI night dive speciality - that is the worst dive book I have come acrosss - must be aimed at 6 yr olds, and is serioulsy out of date with current kit.

 

[TheScubaLady]

I like to comparing learning to dive with learning to fly. If when I first sat in the left seat of an airplane I had been told that I could not finish my course until I reached an ATP ratinng I would have walked away from that first lesson and never completed my flight check for all of the ratings I gathered since then.

When we first started teaching diving (back in the stone age) we approached the subject with the attitude that every student needed to know everything about diving before we could certify them. The original text that I used was "The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving" and if the first three chapters did not scare my students away we continued with the course.

The unfortunate fact is that we did scare away a lot of students (some instructors even bragged that they failed half their class). The result was that there were thousands of recreational-minded divers (the ones who just wanted to look at the pretty fish on their vacation) who were turned off on the sport forever. Then we realized that if we spoon fed this information on a need-to-know basis we would attract more people to the sport. This worked very well. We broke the programs down into basic, intermediate and advanced and we gained more divers.

If you wonder why getting more people involved in the sport is necessary. The reason is that it is indeed a numbers/money game. Someone else aready recognized this, but the reality is the advances in diving equipment, instrumentation, dive boat service, etc. all came about because there was more money being spent on diving and thus more manufacturers, resort owners, etc were willing to get involved.

Does some of the entry level material seem simple - YES. Is is supposed to be that way - YES. For the technical person it might be boring but for the young people we are hoping to attract to diving it is just about right - and I think it fills a real need.

As with all other areas if a person wants to know more there are lots and lots of other resources available to him or her.

 

[dl348]

I've taken classes from quite a few agencies, and the PADI/DSAT materials are clearly the best. They're very well written, organized, and present the information in a way that most people can understand. As a matter of fact, I know of 2 active NAUI Course Directors in my area that prefer to use the PADI student manuals/materials over the NAUI ones because they believe that they're that much better. Speaks volumes to me.

 

[LowVizWiz]

If you wonder why getting more people involved in the sport is necessary. The reason is that it is indeed a numbers/money game. Someone else aready recognized this, but the reality is the advances in diving equipment, instrumentation, dive boat service, etc. all came about because there was more money being spent on diving and thus more manufacturers, resort owners, etc were willing to get involved.

Does some of the entry level material seem simple - YES. Is is supposed to be that way - YES. For the technical person it might be boring but for the young people we are hoping to attract to diving it is just about right - and I think it fills a real need.

Great perspective... And absolutely true.
From Wikipedia:

The AOWD is the second level qualification, following the Open Water Diver qualification (OWD). At the OWD level divers gain basic knowledge of skills, equipment and theory to safely explore the underwater realm. The AOWD focuses on refining these skills allowing the diver to further explore a broader variety of diving.

I believe the word advanced in AOW means advenced exposure to the sport in comparison to what one is exposed in OW class NOT advanced experience. One can only obtain experience by diving. Can somone obtain this advanced level w/o the AOW class? Absolutely, that's why you log your dives and read scubaboard and go outside the box that is PADI/NAUI etc...

That said, I have taken the PADI AOW class right after OW. Am I a better diver for it? I believe so... I wouldn't have benefited as much had I waited longer to take the class.

As far as the material goes, it's intended to intorduce the diver to new experiences.
The intro to the book says:

Adventure in Diving offers different experience and training options that range from simple introductions to underwater activities to more challenging experiences...

I would say it hits the mark of its' intended traget.

Wys.