OW vs AOW

Quick question. As an OW diver, I'm theoretically not supposed to dive below 60'. My question is, what magically happens in AOW classes that makes it now ok for you to go deeper? Is there anything special that you are taught to do below 60'?

Nothing "magic" about learning the increased hazards, and understanding a bit about gas planning to make sure you have enough breathing gas to make it back up safely. No magic - just education.

You may hear folks say "you don't know what you don't know" (you don't realize certain factors come into play, because no one has taught you about it).

Your not allowed to go beyond 60 ft. until you have achieved the rating of Master Diver. So, pay up!

You theoritically SHOULD be taught in an "Advanced" class, actual dive planning, how to calculate your gas consumption, and how to incorporate that information into that dive plan. There are other things as well.

Sadly, these things are not taught by some (many?) instructors.....and I guess "Advanced" doesn't really mean advanced.

Some "Advanced" divers aren't really taught by their instructors the things they should be to dive deeper than 60 ft.

How do I know this?
It get's sold on this forum regularly......remember...less is more.
The OW diver is many, many, many specialty classes away from being able to dive deeper than 60 ft.:shocked2:



-Mitch

Minor derail -

Mitch - How is Iwakuni after all the tsunami/nuclear stuff? I know you are quite a ways away - is life returning to normal? Gas and other supplies getting available again?

End minor derail

There are no Scuba Police so the limitations on OW divers are there to help you remain safe as you gain experience and knowledge. No one is watching you, so you should be cautious - as SC_Hoaty stated above, you don't know what you don't know.

Some people get AOW right away, others wait. I did my AOW after I had more than 100 dives, probably too long, but I would not rush into it. When you have the basics down pat, find a good instructor and go for it.

Most of the good stuff is above 60' anyway.

SC_Hoaty:

Nothing "magic" about learning the increased hazards, and understanding a bit about gas planning to make sure you have enough breathing gas to make it back up safely. No magic - just education.

You may hear folks say "you don't know what you don't know" (you don't realize certain factors come into play, because no one has taught you about it).

Click to expand...

That's it

at 100ft, seeing your pressure gage drop with (almost) every breath on a AL80 will also instill in you a respect for breathing at depth, the need to have an idea of what your doing there, and the rule of thumb of not diving deeper than the CF of your tank when your a new/novice diver

I think what you mostly get out of the AOW class that permits you to go below 60 feet is that you will do a deep dive (>60 feet) with an instructor that will be watching you closely and be able to handle any problems that may come up.

Having never been below 60 feet, you don't know how narcosis will affect you (if at all) and you will probably be surprised how long your air lasts. I would recommend taking the AOW class before going below 60 feet, and then if in your AOW class you go to say 80 feet, and don't have problems, slowly start increasing your maximum depth on subsequent dives.

The real problem is that ANY certification is possible without being taught what is considered 'advanced'. These intro certifications should not exist. The only reason they do exist is financial, making it easy for people to get certified so they can become customers. Basic certification should be what is generally regarded as advanced type certification. This will never happen, though. Imagine what would happen to the economy if new drivers had to demonstrate a reasonable level of competence on the road.

Scuba diving took off in popularity when it became possible to get a C card after a few hours of lightweight 'training'. An astonishing number of casual sport divers I've encountered at resorts are actually frightened to some extent. They should be. That's one reason so many of them burn through air so fast. From what I've read on this board, some can't really swim. Incredible.

I like the current system of training, where it is easy to get OW and then progress through other classes. One thing I disagree with is that after OW, students should not be told that they can dive on their own, I think OW certification should require a DM or Instructor to be on every dive. Then AOW would qualify divers to dive on their own (with an AOW buddy of course).

The short answer is that nothing magical happens in AOW, that makes it safe for you to go to 100 feet. But in theory, you have at least five more dives under your belt, and have had a chance to see what narcosis feels like and how much it affects you at that depth, and you've had a chance to talk a bit more about how fast your gas disappears on deeper dives. You've done a little more navigating, and perhaps a dive in the dark (since it's often dark at those depths).

Sadly, those five dives and the learning that comes with them are often not enough to make it safe for divers to go to those depths. I've read too many reports (and know of at least one local case) where someone just out of AOW does a deep dive and runs out of gas. An AOW cert does not relieve the diver of the need to pay close attention to his pressure gauge, and since the class is often taught shortly after OW, the graduates are often still new enough to have VERY high gas consumption rates. Deep dives, high consumption, and often small tanks are a recipe for urgent ascents and OOA scenarios.