AOW Course materials/agency

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sapphire

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After being certified for more than 10 years, I decided it might be nice to "officially" get my AOW. I actually took the course a long time ago, but never took the written test (fall out with my LDS) so no card... And the agency was NASDS which is no longer. My goal is to take a rescue diver class after this, which is what I really want to learn.

I am going to Cozumel in July and have seen very reasonable prices for AOW certification. My "replacement" LDS wants $600 for an AOW course, which seems extremely high compared to the Cozumel prices. I doubt they would just sell me the books, but I could ask.

My diving experience is well above what is required for the AOW as far as deep, night, boat dives, etc. The only thing I really need to work on is navigation (math never being my best subject this was the most challenging set of dives for me when I first took the class) and I plan to really work on it in Cozumel.

Since we only have 3 days of diving in Cozumel, I would like to be prepared and study here before going. The operator we will probably be diving with teaches SSI or PADI.

OK - here are my questions:

1 - Can I buy the Advance OW course materials here, read them on my own and then be ready for Cozumel? I do not have time to take a class or do any open water dives here before I go, so that would be my preference. Neither the PADI nor SSI websites sells training materials directly. I saw PADI AOW on LeisurePro, but out of stock. If anyone has any ideas where I could purchase the PADI or the SSI materials for AOW I would appreciate the information.

2 - Having the choice, should I do SSI or PADI? My NASDS OW will be replaced by an SSI card since they merged, but I don't think it matters where your basic card was from when you select an advanced class. Does it?

Thanks for any information! :)

sapphire
 
I've heard SSI requires over 20 dives for advanced, I don't know if this is true. If it's true and if academics are a part of the class, it sounds excellent to me.

PADI's and YMCA's AOW are both a waste of time - 5 dives with no academics,

NAUI has an AOW with academics and 6 dives - a better choice.

YMCA has Silver Advanced with academics and 10 dives. You can learn quite a bit with this approach.
 
Walter once bubbled...
I've heard SSI requires over 20 dives for advanced, I don't know if this is true. If it's true and if academics are a part of the class, it sounds excellent to me.

PADI's and YMCA's AOW are both a waste of time - 5 dives with no academics,

NAUI has an AOW with academics and 6 dives - a better choice.

YMCA has Silver Advanced with academics and 10 dives. You can learn quite a bit with this approach.

I looked at SSI's website. I think what it is, is that you have to take 4 specialty courses and have at least 24 dives logged to equal an AOW. I could be misreading it. But the dive operator in Cozumel says they can do SSI AOW in 3 days, so I don't think it's 24 dives for the class...

I figured the PADI might be like you said, but I really only want a stepping stone to Rescue class.

I was very interested in the NAUI, but its not offered by the op we are diving with. I still might consider it, and just maybe not take the class this trip.

I didn't know about the YMCA silver advanced. I will check into that.

Thanks!!

sapphire
 
I just got my SSI AOW last September. Inclusive of materials the course may have cost me $300.00. That was for a Search and Recovery, Drysuit, Night and Limited Vis, AND Navigation specialty plus my AOW card. I received my card immediately after the course but then again I had 26 dives at the end of it. My friend took it and needed three more dives and wasn't given the card until he got them.

For the information of others, the requirement for SSI Advanced Open Water diver is 24 dives AND four specialties. The four specialties can be taken in one course as I did it or separately over time.

I mention these requirements as I don't know another agencies requirements verbatim and will not quote them. I really can't/ won't open myself up to agency bashing here by saying that any one agency has a better program than the other. That is for each diver to decide on their own.
 
Brian,

I'm accused of bashing even when I say good things about PADI, so I ignore it.

sapphire,

Neither NAUI nor YMCA require Advanced certification for SCUBA Rescue Diver (NAUI) or SLAM (SCUBA Lifesaving and Accident Management (YMCA). For SLAM, you need either Advanced or 10 logged dives after OW certification.
 
sapphire once bubbled...
After being certified for more than 10 years, I decided it might be nice to "officially" get my AOW. ...... My goal is to take a rescue diver class after this, which is what I really want to learn.

My diving experience is well above what is required for the AOW as far as deep, night, boat dives, etc. The only thing I really need to work on is navigation (math never being my best subject this was the most challenging set of dives for me when I first took the class) and I plan to really work on it in Cozumel.

Maybe some PADI instructors will jump in to help here, but I'm pretty sure that you should be able to take the Rescue course without having the AOW card --- the prerequisites say AOW "or equivalent", IIRC.

I found the Rescue course really great, but AOW would be a waste for an experienced diver.

In your circumstances, I'd just buy the PADI book at your LDS, study it, and do any exercises you need, such as some nav practice. In the few cases where somebody (usually a Florida Keys operator running a wreck trip) wants to see an AOW card, they have accepted a Rescue one instead.
 
and save the money towards a rescue diver course. Maybe I will just take a navigation specialty on my vacation to refresh.

Charlie, thanks for the information on the acceptance of Rescue Diver card instead of AOW. That was my only other concern, that someone somewhere might let me dive. Not that I am into wrecks, but I wouldn't want someone limiting my depth on a really nice dive.

Walter, maybe I will just come to Florida and take the YMCA course from you -- the YMCA instructors near me seem to be few and far between. :D

sapphire
 
Simply Scuba (http://www.simplyscuba.com/) sells PADI materials over the Internet.

According to PADI's Web site, "To qualify [for Rescue], you must have certification beyond entry level and show proof of 20 or more logged dives documenting experience in deep diving and underwater navigation." If navigation is a weakness for you, you might want to think about taking the Underwater Navigation and/or Search & Recovery speciality courses.

Z
 
Walter once bubbled...

PADI's and YMCA's AOW are both a waste of time - 5 dives with no academics,

Then, do tell us, what exactly is the PADI Adventures in Diving Manual for? :rolleyes:

The academic requirements for the PADI AOW course are not as extensive as for Open Water, but you must read, study, and answer questions. The instructor must review the material with you prior to diving to ensure that you understand the material and can plan the dives.

As always, getting the most out of your AOW course is largely dependent upon the instructor you choose. It can be an excellent learning opportunity with a good instructor.

FWIW, the PADI AOW course has two required topics: deep and navigation. The other three topics can be chosen from a rather long list, some of which may not be feasible in certain locales such as drift diving in a quarry with no current.
 
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