Taking AOW immediately after taking OW course?

[cindye]

Do what you are comfortable with. I took OW in a five week course and turned around, on advise from my course instructor,and took the same course at a local college, 10 wk course. This gave me the confidence and pool time to get comfortable with my new gear before our vacation in Hawaii. After returning back home I signed up for the AOW, I needed more. The information and experience was just the thing I was wanting to make my next dive, in Cozumel. Some people maybe more comfortable in the water then what I was. During my discover diving, in the pool with all the equipment, I actually hung on to the side of the pool when we went under for the first time(we were in the shallow end) I now enjoy diving with my husband instead of going for a boat ride. PS. He enjoys me being his buddy also. Good Luck!

 

[Daryl Morse]

I just finished my AOW a couple of days ago after having finished OW in April. I didn't have time to log any dives in between the courses, except for one pool dive last week to check out the equipment. I did the wreck and navigation dives on Saturday, the deep and peak performance buoyancy dives on Sunday and the night dive on Tuesday. Since I started diving, all of my dives have been in cold water wearing a drysuit. I switched from a neoprene suit for my OW to a shell suit for my AOW.

I took the AOW course for several reasons: I wanted to log more dives with an instructor so I'd have an opportunity to polish what I learned in OW as well as learn more about various things such as buoyancy control and drysuits. I also wanted to pick up some additional skills that would make it possible for me to participate in more local dives, such as wreck dives, night dives, and dives deeper than 60 fsw.

Just for the record, I don't consider myself to be an "advanced" diver, but rather someone at the very beginning of a long journey of learning. I have no idea why the industry insists on using "advanced" in the name. I think the AOW course is a logical and practical extension of the OW course. I feel better equipped to develop and practise my skills now after having taken the AOW course than I was after taking the OW course. Contrary to what some people seem to think about AOW divers, I have a much better understanding of how little I know now than I had before I took the course.

I really enjoyed the AOW course and I'm glad I didn't wait to take it. If you want to take the course, go for it. You'll get as much out it as you're willing to put in.

 

[narcT]

I took the AOW shortly after OW because I wanted to use Nitrox. So I took the AOW and Nitrox classes together almost immediately after the OW cert.

Can't hurt, it actually helps prevent you from developing bad habits. With a good instructor you can learn alot After getting the AOW/Nitrox certs I would do at least 30 dives then go for the SRD cert. It made me and my wife very comfortable in the water, excellant class. Now it doesn't matter were we dive, high waves, strong currents, whatever, the SRD training helped us big time!

Have fun

 

[penguin64]

I'm a new diver who recently got certified with my wife. We both decided to move on and get our Advanced cert right away. We recently did our night dive. I am glad that we did this with an instructer. Low vis and waves made for a good learning dive. We are both glad that we learned properly how to do things as oposed to just doing things how one might think and develop bad habits.

 

[Deep Blue]

As a PADI instructor, I had always read the PADI way was to encourage students to take the AOW course immediately after the OW course... but I never understood why? So one day I asked a visiting Course Director what the rational was ... and he said quite simply that statistically, they magic number is 10. Statistically the number of incidences that occur with new divers drops dramatically after they have logged 10 dives... so the reasoning he gave was that taking the AOW right after OW essentially enabled the new diver to log 8 - 10 dives under the guidence of an instructor.

Anyway, that's what the proverbial horse said.

 

[cindye]

Thanks for the input, that does make sense. Plus after 10 dives, the diver is pretty well hooked, might as well learn more and keep that energy going.



As a PADI instructor, I had always read the PADI way was to encourage students to take the AOW course immediately after the OW course... but I never understood why? So one day I asked a visiting Course Director what the rational was ... and he said quite simply that statistically, they magic number is 10. Statistically the number of incidences that occur with new divers drops dramatically after they have logged 10 dives... so the reasoning he gave was that taking the AOW right after OW essentially enabled the new diver to log 8 - 10 dives under the guidence of an instructor.

Anyway, that's what the proverbial horse said.[/QUOTE]

 

[cindye]

Welcome to both of you. My husband was a diver for 4 years before I took the plunge(I was always afraid of the water) but we have had some great vacations and it has brought us closer. Enjoy the experience.

I'm a new diver who recently got certified with my wife. We both decided to move on and get our Advanced cert right away. We recently did our night dive. I am glad that we did this with an instructer. Low vis and waves made for a good learning dive. We are both glad that we learned properly how to do things as oposed to just doing things how one might think and develop bad habits.

 

[nauidiver2004]

I just finished my open water and now am taking the advanced class. My instructor and I have discussed this and I really like his philisophy. Move right into Advanced but don't rush thru it. By taking the advanced class I can improve my skills with an instructor but there is no need to complete all six dives in one weekend and not every dive has to be done 'just for the class'. I should learn a new skill ie. navigation, then practice that skill for a few dives. Then proceed to another skill such as wreck survey. He thinks I should take the rest of the summer to complete the class. I don't know why but I like the way he thinks. He seems to want me to learn how to dive, not just rush me thru a class.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

I just finished my open water and now am taking the advanced class. My instructor and I have discussed this and I really like his philisophy. Move right into Advanced but don't rush thru it. By taking the advanced class I can improve my skills with an instructor but there is no need to complete all six dives in one weekend and not every dive has to be done 'just for the class'. I should learn a new skill ie. navigation, then practice that skill for a few dives. Then proceed to another skill such as wreck survey. He thinks I should take the rest of the summer to complete the class. I don't know why but I like the way he thinks. He seems to want me to learn how to dive, not just rush me thru a class.

I'm excited thinking about your summer. I wish more instuctors would adopt that philosphy. A whole summer to get the AOW down. Man thats a blast! Actually STUDYING
TECHNIQUE & PROCEDURE ON EVERY DIVE!

Hold me!

 

[H2Andy]

we need a clean up on aisle 5... clean up on aisle 5