When is it appropriate to take AOW Classes?

Sham_ba_la · Nov 5, 2003

Hi Ya'll,

This coming weekend I will be completing my OW certification and have been considering the idea of signing up for AOW Classes right away. I won't be getting much pratical diving experience after my class since the weather is getting much cooler at the local spots around here so with that I won't dive much until Spring time unless of course I go somewhere warm for a few days..

So either way I wanted to ask and see what others thoughts were on this.

Thanks,
D

Karl_in_Calif · Nov 5, 2003

An AOW class will give you 5 to 10 more dives under the supervision of an instructor. That is the best thing in the world in terms of gaining scuba diving experience.

The college OW courses usually have about a dozen scuba dives associated with them in order to train a new diver. Over the past 30 years this has been carved down by numerous training agencies to only 4 or 5 dives for the public training courses offered by stores.

The AOW course fills in the gap in training that has arisen over the past 30 years.

In AOW, you will probably learn the following topics, depending on where you take the course:

Advanced navigation

Deeper diving

Night diving

Boat diving (versus quarry or beach)

Equipment care (sometimes)

EANx (sometimes)

Search & recovery (sometimes)

Photography (sometimes)

Clutchcargo · Nov 5, 2003

I would do about 20 dives to get comfortable with your equipment and comfortable being in the water. If you wait much longer the class will be not as valuable. I took the AOW course after about 15 yrs of diving and I really didn't learn anything new. I needed to get my AOW as a prerequisite for the Rescue Diver course and to get on the boat to do deeper dives here in the Northeast.
GL
cjh

MechDiver · Nov 5, 2003

Sham_ba_la once bubbled...
Hi Ya'll,
I won't dive much until Spring time unless of course I go somewhere warm for a few days..

Although I see no reason for you not to dive, if indeed you won't be diving again until spring, I would suggest you wait to take the AOW then and use it as a refresher, which you would most likely need by that time anyway.
Being certified, then not diving for a number of months is a very dangerous thing to do. The few dives you would get in an AOW now won't make any real difference to that.

MD

ScoobyPat · Nov 5, 2003

I just got OW certified last weekend and my plan is to complete the drysuit cert next weekend (just because I want to keep diving in the winter), dive whenever I can to build up my confidence and experience level and add AOW dives whenever I feel comfortable with it. I think the combination of both unsupervised buddy dives and AOW dives is a good combination. Noone says that you have to complete all AOW dives in sequence.

Hope this helps!

Sham_ba_la · Nov 5, 2003

Thanks everyone for the encouragement so far on this, I'm getting closer to thinking this is the right way to go after this weekend.

Mechdiver, I'm not real sure about whether it will be months before diving and finishing my current class mostly speculation and seeing what the weather does... I do of course have plans to take a trip in Feb, but also hope to get a few other places before hand.. it really depends upon how things pan out.

Thanks again everyone!

D

diverlady · Nov 5, 2003

I would recommend doing at least 20 dives before the AOW. You need to be more comfortable with your gear and buoyancy before getting the most out of dealing with say, a camera as well.

When I did my AOW, I had about 40 dives done. One diver in my class really hadn't done any and had trouble with doing the nav while controlling buoyancy in a slight current. She ended up being paired up with a DMC while the rest of us with more experience breezed through and could really enjoy ourselves on the photography and fish id sections.

Diverlady

jbd · Nov 5, 2003

is to do 20 to 25 dives as an OW diver before taking the AOW class. For these dives try to get someone with quite a bit of experience to go with you and maybe pass along some hints and tips to improve your diving.

Its my opinion that you will get more out of your AOW course this way.

If you can not dive between now and when you plan to go diving in Feb then please consider at least a pool refresher shortly before you go on the trip.

diverlady and Mechdiver raise some good points.

drbill · Nov 5, 2003

I also recommend 20-25 dive after OW certification, but this holds true in an area where one can dive with some regularity like southern California, Florida or Hawaii. I don't recommend waiting the 32 years that I did between OW and AOW!

However some of my instructor friends think it is good to do the AOW soon after the OW. The reasoning from the one I most respect is that certifications these days are somewhat watered down, with a number of skills covered in OW courses like mine (LAC) 34 years ago are not even covered by some instructors in AOW today.

The suggestion to wait until just before your next dive experience to get the AOW (as a refresher) is a good one. Personally I feel uncomfortable with people who receive their certification, but only dive a few times a year. Of course there are exceptions.

Dr. Bill

Hallmac · Nov 5, 2003

You could always break it up and take individual classes over the span of next three or four months. Then do your open water check out on your tropical vacation.

This would allow you to get in a pool at least once a month to practice and refine your skills, keep everything fresh, and give you a chance to blow bubbles in a more forgiving location.

As a new diver (welcome! by the way) if you take a lay off for several months your chances of retaining the newly learned skills are lower. Just taking a class that lasts a week at best will not give you the opportunity to keep up those skills over the winter.

Hallmac

When is it appropriate to take AOW Classes?

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