Advanced Open Water

[idratherbedivin]

What are the age requirements for the Advanced Open Water class? I'm going to visit Key Largo and my mom is too scared to take the class (she just doesn't understand why anyone would want to go deeper then 60 feet) so I was wondering if my sister would be able to take the class with me. She is 14 and fell in love with diving almost as much as i have.

 

[garyfotodiver]

What are the age requirements for the Advanced Open Water class? I'm going to visit Key Largo and my mom is too scared to take the class (she just doesn't understand why anyone would want to go deeper then 60 feet) so I was wondering if my sister would be able to take the class with me. She is 14 and fell in love with diving almost as much as i have.

1. Age requirements are on the various agency websites.
2. In most places, you do not need AOW to go somewhat deeper than 60 ft. You do need common sense and responsibility.
3. You do need AOW to do certain dives in the Key Largo area.
4. Why DO you want to dive deeper?

 

[idratherbedivin]

I want to dive deeper because I am interested in getting into wreck diving and there are many interesting wrecks below 60 feet. And I also like to push myself to become the best I can be at the activities I do.

 

[StSomewhere]

3. You do need AOW to do certain dives in the Key Largo area.

Totally ridiculous, but true.

 

[Storm]

And I also like to push myself to become the best I can be at the activities I do.

Ask yourself these questions:

1) Have I developed my safety skills to the pint where they are instinctive or do I still have to thinnk abut them.
2) Is my bouyancy control mastered
3) Have I learned and mastered all the additinal skills and techniques necessary to enter the new dive environment I'm about to enter.


If you answered ''No" to any of the above questions, then you're like most of us new divers, with some work in front of you if you want to become the best diver that you can be. BTW you'll notice that depth doesn't appear ion any of those questions.

Pushing yourself to be the best is admirable, but becoming the best diver possible, has little to do with depth, and more to do with skill development. Take your time and develop your skills. From my limited experience, a well skilled diver is better suited to perfrom deep dives, than someone who pushes to fast and attempts to move beyond their skills level.-- I once did this and it ended in an undesirable outcome.

Safe diving.

 

[Amberjack]

3. You do need AOW to do certain dives in the Key Largo area.

Wow! I had no idea. I'm thinking of taking a trip down there in the spring, with only OW. Will I be limited in my diving?

 

[TheRedHead]

Wow! I had no idea. I'm thinking of taking a trip down there in the spring, with only OW. Will I be limited in my diving?

Yes...to about 35 feet in the Keys.

Go to Cozumel instead. Cheaper and much better diving with an OW card. I also think it is a better education than AOW.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

For most it's age 15 for advanced open water, 12-14 for junior advanced open water.

 

[Adobo]

Totally ridiculous, but true.

What happens when all those GUE trained divers show up with not one AOW card between all of them?

I can hear it now... "Gee sir, if you want to go deeper than 60 feet, you need to go back and get some more training."

 

[scubamickey]

You do not NEED AOW for Key Largo. You can go with operations like Ocean Divers. Here is what they state right on their website:

"For deep wrecks (Bibb, Duane, Grove)

Advanced Open Water or equivalent certification
OR have at least two logged dives to 80 feet or
greater within the past 12 months"

Having AOW makes things easier, but it isn't the only way to dive the wrecks in the Keys. That said, however, they are considered more advanced dives.