I never stated that they way I was trained was standard across the community. I referred to the point that doing a deeper dive, as done in AOW was not necessarily nonsense as argued, but training above the minimum standard was generally acceptable. Take a poll from those certified during this time and you will find that the majority covered aspects that are now considered AOW in there basic OW class. I would argue that classes now follow a strict checklist and anything that falls outside of that list are directed to take another class. I spent decades screening prospective divers for various dive teams and I see the difference over the years. In contemporary diving, failing candidates doesn’t pay the bills so many get certified that probably shouldn’t just to secure that money.
The instructor for my OW was a old retired military diver/airborne type who was a no BS kind of guy. I don’t recall how many folks were dropped out of the class but it was a few of them and that was during basic pool skills and OOA drills. I have attended several courses through SSI, NAUI, PADI, DRI, and IANTD. They all evolve and change to what is currently expected of training. As noted, it doesn’t really matter how one was trained at one time, what matters is what is required now in order to participate in a specific dive. Their operation, their rules. If they require AOW, either get the cert or go diving someplace else. There are still some older folks that view ourselves as divers. Not AOW, not MD, not tech, just a diver. While there are several OW divers that have the experience and training and may have done the required types of dives for years, without the plastic card, you are not allowed so folks get ruffled a bit.
