MyronGanes
Contributor
Are we required to have a certain number of dives before joining an advanced course? How do they know if we have dived and haven't cheated a log book? Thanks
Prerequisites for advanced class.
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gcarter
Contributor
Prerequisites are usually stated with the course.
Fudge your logbook all you want, if you don't know what you are doing it will quickly become apparent to anyone watching you set up you gear or watching you in the water.
Why are you looking for shortcuts?
Fudge your logbook all you want, if you don't know what you are doing it will quickly become apparent to anyone watching you set up you gear or watching you in the water.
Why are you looking for shortcuts?
No requirement that I know of in terms of number of dives. Simply be comfortable with most stuff (having good buoyancy etc etc).
As for the log book, they don't know. They won't be liable if you lied to them, why would they care? You're the one paying and potentially not getting certified (and/or in trouble because you'll have failed to handle a very easy situation, eg ascending on breath hold because of a reg failure at 20m or so)
As for the log book, they don't know. They won't be liable if you lied to them, why would they care? You're the one paying and potentially not getting certified (and/or in trouble because you'll have failed to handle a very easy situation, eg ascending on breath hold because of a reg failure at 20m or so)
OP
MyronGanes
Contributor
I didn't say I was looking for shortcuts. I just wanted to know how they knew people had genuine dives logged because it takes 2 seconds to write it in a log book and say you did it. The one shop I asked said they couldn't tell so I was wondering if other courses even had it as a requirement.
gcarter
Contributor
Fair 'nuff.
Assuming you mean "Advanced Open Water" there are som subtle differences in the courses depending on the agency.
Most agencies have no dive count requirement, and you can roll right into their AOW class the same day you finish OW. This is because AOW is not "an advanced class" but rather "an advanced Open Water class." Think of AOW as the second semester of "Open Water." (Perhaps "sophmore year" for some of the agencies where you actually earn multiple specialties to get the AOW card.)
PADI, NAUI, and NASE require nothing more than completion of OW. Pretty sure SSI and SDI are the same. I'm not familiar at all with the rest of the alphabet soup.
Again... these all represent "an advancement from Open Water" but none of them are particularly "advanced" in and of themselves.
Which one are you interested in?
Most agencies have no dive count requirement, and you can roll right into their AOW class the same day you finish OW. This is because AOW is not "an advanced class" but rather "an advanced Open Water class." Think of AOW as the second semester of "Open Water." (Perhaps "sophmore year" for some of the agencies where you actually earn multiple specialties to get the AOW card.)
PADI, NAUI, and NASE require nothing more than completion of OW. Pretty sure SSI and SDI are the same. I'm not familiar at all with the rest of the alphabet soup.
Again... these all represent "an advancement from Open Water" but none of them are particularly "advanced" in and of themselves.
Which one are you interested in?
As far as most agencies are concerned there are no minimum dive requirements but some shops require a number of dives to begin the course. We require 20 dives post ow cert just so hopefully the student will enjoy the experience of AOW little more than being fresh out of an ow class. The only course I've ever actually had my log book checked was by my instructor trainer. As others have said, there is no way someone can 100% tell if it's legitimate but your skills will tell the tale. Best of luck with your course and enjoy it!
I completed AOW after my tenth ocean dive and I highly recommend taking the course sooner rather than later, especial if the AOW class includes dive conditions not encountered in your OW course; boats, currents, drift, surge, etc.
As stated, other "advanced courses" often do require a certain number of dives but I have never had my log book requested.
If a dive shop is requiring post OW certification dive experience, I would hope that means their course may be a little more "advanced" rather then a remedial or minimial requirement course.
As stated, other "advanced courses" often do require a certain number of dives but I have never had my log book requested.
If a dive shop is requiring post OW certification dive experience, I would hope that means their course may be a little more "advanced" rather then a remedial or minimial requirement course.
I require a minimum of ten dives post OW. If you were not my OW student I also require an interview and pool session to evaluate your basic skills before accepting an advanced level student. At my expense that is. If your skills are not up to my entry requirements I may require a workshop to remediate them followed by some practice dives. Then again my Advanced Level course (AOW) is a bit different than others.
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I usually ask my students to complete at least 20 post OW dives prior to taking my advanced class. If they were not my OW student ... and most over the past 11 years were not ... I would also want to go do a dive with them prior to the class in order to evaluate where they're at in terms of basic skills. The reason is because I don't teach an "experience" class like most AOW classes are patterned after. My class is designed to train divers to dive in local waters ... which can be challenging at times, and where there are no dive guides to help you plan and conduct your dive. In order to achieve the class objectives you need to begin with a basic level of comfort with the skills you learned in OW class.
I have made exceptions in some cases for people with fewer dives ... but that's rare, and those exceptions were based not on the number of dives but on the skill level of the individual diver.
Log books are worthless for evaluating a student's abilities ... you really need to see them in the water.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I have made exceptions in some cases for people with fewer dives ... but that's rare, and those exceptions were based not on the number of dives but on the skill level of the individual diver.
Log books are worthless for evaluating a student's abilities ... you really need to see them in the water.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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