Basic OW cert questions

Sorry if these are FAQ; I couldnt' find what I was looking for going through he forums or even searching on google.

I've been given conflicting answers to these questions from different people so I thought I'd see if anyone here can clear it up.

1) After OW certification; how deep a dive am I 'certified' for?

My instructor said 60ft, yet a tour group told me PADI OW certification covered depths of a 100ft.

Don't worry - I'm happy with the 60ft the instructor is advising for us and I have a feeling he was telling us 60ft as a recommended limit for new divers rather than the 'law' of PADI certification. But curiosity will bug me


2) Also, how long does it take to get the actual OW certification card after the last dive - assuming success. We travel shortly after we complete the course and it'd really blow if we didnt' get cards in time.. 8(

Thanks
Ian

I got my card 3 weeks to the day after mailing the forms. As for depth our instructor said 60 ft also. Your instructor will give you a temp card after the last ow cert dive.

Well here's the scoop.....

Question #1
You are "trained" to the depth of 60ft, but there's not going to be a scuba police officer at 61ft making sure you've not exceeded the limit!

Advanced Open Water will "train" you to a depth of 100ft and the Deep specialty will 'train" you to the depth of 130ft, but that's dependant on conditions and experience, which you won't read in the PADI curriculum. I'm sure other posters will elaborate for you.

Question #2
Once your "pic" envelope is received at PADI America's in California, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks this time of year for your card to arrive. In the meantime, provided you have passed your classroom and open water portions of your course, your instructor wlll issue you a temporary card.

Lori

Aha!, Thanks guys. it sounds like Pelican were thinking I had meant AOW not OW when I enquired about dives.

regards
Ian

Looks like we'll be taking temporary cards with us - no problem

Worst case is that we don't dive and just snorkel about and enjoy the sunshine instead

There is no depth limit to the certification. 60 ft is the recommended limit for novice divers. That recommendation is of course based on conditions.

A better way to look at it is that you are, in theory, qualified to dive in conditions simliar to or better than those in which you were trained.

During an OW class the deepest we can take you is 60 ft. During an AOW class the deepest we can take you is 100 ft.

No sense in going to 60ft or 100 ft until you learn to dive well at 30 ft, IMO