As a new diver, here is my take on raising the bar and continuing with diver education. I currently have my basic OW certification, and am planning on doing my AOW in the near future. I had the opportunity to do my AOW after my basic OW cert., but I chose not to. Yes, I had the bare minimum qualifications to take the AOW, but, I was breathing my tank down to 700 psi in less than 35 minutes on dives to 80 feet (where maybe 5-7 minutes was spent at that depth. The average depth was 40-60 ft). Five months and 18 dives later (not a whole lot I know), I have my buoyancy in check and under control, as well as my breathing. I surface from 45-50 minute dive, with considerably more time spent at depths below 60 ft, with 1000-1200 psi remaining in my tank. And I can spend a good hour+ on shallower dives and return to the surface with the same amount of air. Now, I feel I am at a point where I could safely make a dive to 100+ feet and not run low or out of air, as well as get my nitrox cert. in order to extend my bottom time. With each dive I make, my SAC rates improve, and I feel as I gain more experience as a diver, they will continue to improve. But, at the same time, I don't want to be rushing to get one certification after the other, when I haven't improved upon the skill set that I have already developed. So now, five months after receiving my cert., I am considering doing my AOW. Unfortunately, for me, I will be heading away from ship life and the Caribbean for a few months, and returning home to New England just in time for winter. This leaves me with 2 choices, do I start my AOW when I'm home, or wait until March/April when I'm back on a ship, back to the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. Seeing as I have never even swam in the Atlantic, maybe I'll just wait until spring and tune up my snowboard instead...
