How long should I wait?
- Thread starter xsbeech
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Most of the Agencies allow you to do Advance almost immediatly after OWD. i was intending to do so as well but one of my friends and an experienced diver told me to wait and first start diving. Following his advice I did AOWD when I had something like 40 dives. And honestly - I learnt much more that I would doing the advance immediatly after OWD.
So I'll give you the same advice I was given - first go diving then do Advance. In many countries AOWD are allowed to do more difficult dives. Are you sure you would be able to dive Thistlegorm ( a wreck in Egypt) where there are extremly strong currents, you have to have a very good buoyancy to be able to go through passeges and most of the time these are decompression dives... Having an AOW certificate you would be allow to do this dive but do you think you have enough expierience?
Mania
So I'll give you the same advice I was given - first go diving then do Advance. In many countries AOWD are allowed to do more difficult dives. Are you sure you would be able to dive Thistlegorm ( a wreck in Egypt) where there are extremly strong currents, you have to have a very good buoyancy to be able to go through passeges and most of the time these are decompression dives... Having an AOW certificate you would be allow to do this dive but do you think you have enough expierience?
Mania
Ontario Diver
Guest
A respectful disenting opinion.....
First throw away the concept of AOW being "Advanced". It does not make you an "Advanced" diver, it merely gives you five more supervised dives in slightly more challanging conditions than your Basic. The key word is "supervised". I think that a few more dives under supervison is very good for new divers.
I think that somewhere between 5 and 10 dives after your Basic is a good time to take AOW - assuming that you have a good instructor. This gives you a chance to get more comfortable in the water, but not enough time to really develop and maintain bad skills.
And remember, AOW does not make you an "advanced" diver. Always dive within the limits of your experience, equipment, skill, and comfort zone.
First throw away the concept of AOW being "Advanced". It does not make you an "Advanced" diver, it merely gives you five more supervised dives in slightly more challanging conditions than your Basic. The key word is "supervised". I think that a few more dives under supervison is very good for new divers.
I think that somewhere between 5 and 10 dives after your Basic is a good time to take AOW - assuming that you have a good instructor. This gives you a chance to get more comfortable in the water, but not enough time to really develop and maintain bad skills.
And remember, AOW does not make you an "advanced" diver. Always dive within the limits of your experience, equipment, skill, and comfort zone.
- Messages
- 93,167
- Reaction score
- 91,017
- Location
- On the Fun Side of Trump's Wall
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
I agree with Mania. Wait until you have some experience ... you'll get much more out of your AOW class. While on vacation, choose dives that are suitable for your experience level ... you'll have a better time than you would if you chose sites that were beyond your comfort zone. Use the trip as an opportunity to rack up some bottom time and work on getting comfortable with the skills you've already learned.
FWIW - there is plenty of great entry-level diving in places like the Bahamas. Most of the really cool stuff to see is in relatively shallow water.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
FWIW - there is plenty of great entry-level diving in places like the Bahamas. Most of the really cool stuff to see is in relatively shallow water.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Some agencies won't allow you to get the AOW card right after OWD. SSI is one of them as they have a minimum dive requirement.
Take the course regardless. It can only help.
Take the course regardless. It can only help.
Got my rescue diver card last april, so I could go down to 32 meters (IDD-standards) but most of the time I don't get below 18 meters.
Take your time, go diving first. AOW can wait. Diving with a good buddy will allow you to get more experience to appreciate AOW better.
Take your time, go diving first. AOW can wait. Diving with a good buddy will allow you to get more experience to appreciate AOW better.
Al,
SSI doesn't have an advanced course. SSI issues an advanced card much in the same manner PADI issues its master diver card. You're talking apples & oranges.
It's true AOW is not a true advanced course, but there are some advanced courses that truly merit the name. LA county's Advanced Diver program and YMCA's Silver Advanced come immediately to mind. Wait 25 or so dives after certification before taking a true advanced class.
SSI doesn't have an advanced course. SSI issues an advanced card much in the same manner PADI issues its master diver card. You're talking apples & oranges.
It's true AOW is not a true advanced course, but there are some advanced courses that truly merit the name. LA county's Advanced Diver program and YMCA's Silver Advanced come immediately to mind. Wait 25 or so dives after certification before taking a true advanced class.
Similar threads
