AOW referal?

[love2fishfork]

I will be in Cozumel in February and would like to complete my Advance Open Water training through SSI. Is it possible to complete my classroom training in the states and bring a referal like I did with my Open Water or would it be easier to just do it all in Coz?

I already have SSI Nitrox, will this count toward my training?

Can anyone recommend a dive op who does SSI?

 

[judydivescoz]

Rita at Albatros Charters is a SSI instructor. Check her web site www.albatroscharters.com.

 

[charlesml3]

I go down to Coz about every six months and there's almost always a referral in my group. I heartily recommend doing your pool and coursework at home. Finish your open water certification there in Cozumel. Warm, clear, tropical water.

We always dive with Roberta's Eco Dive Cozumel. Their instructor has proven again and again that he can handle any diver. Once we took him two at once. One was nervous because he was not a great swimmer and the other was vocally afraid of fish. The look on hs face was priceless.

Anyway, he worked with both of them and they're now accomplished divers. Highly recommended.

Charles

 

[love2fishfork]

Charles,
I think you mis-understood me. I already have my open water cert. I'm wanting to get my Advance Open Water.

I go down to Coz about every six months and there's almost always a referral in my group. I heartily recommend doing your pool and coursework at home. Finish your open water certification there in Cozumel. Warm, clear, tropical water.

We always dive with Roberta's Eco Dive Cozumel. Their instructor has proven again and again that he can handle any diver. Once we took him two at once. One was nervous because he was not a great swimmer and the other was vocally afraid of fish. The look on hs face was priceless.

Anyway, he worked with both of them and they're now accomplished divers. Highly recommended.

Charles

 

[MMM]

I did a quick scan of the ops I've used and can't find SSI on their list of orgs they do certs for. I didn't check ops I haven't dived with as I couldn't very well recommend them, could I? It might be easier if you were to contact SSI, ask them for a list of ops in Cozumel that certify for them and then ask for comments relative to those specific ops.

 

[inked_diver]

howdy,
I am an instructor, and I have never heard of an AOW referral....doesnt mean that it doesnt exist, but its not something that I am aware of. With the PADI system of training you are required to complete a series of dives, they can be done all together over two days, or at any pace you desire....the certifying instructor would be the one the completes the final dive. The course work component for AOW is substantially less than that for OW, so I would just suggest doing it all down in Coz.

 

[Christi]

With the AOW, there is no pool work or formal classroom sessions, so a referral is really unnecessary unless you've already been signed off on some of the required dives.

Rita at Albatross is an SSI Instructor www.albatroscharters.com , so check with her. If she cannot accommodate you any shop can offer the course, it just may be a PADI or NAUI course. You don't have to stay with one agency for all of your recreational dive training. In otherwords, just because yuor OW is with SSI, doesn't mean you have to do SSI for your AOW.

Hope that helps!

 

[MMM]

I assumed from your post that you wanted to stick with SSI. FWIW, I did my OW (in Aruba) with PDIC - not a really popular/well-known certifying agency but it turned out the op I did my cert with hated PADI (and was probably on the "outs" with them). I started to worry that I had done a cert with a "dog" as it took a very long time for my card to arrive. As was explained to me, consider the various certifying agencies as universities. You can do your baccaulaurate, masters or doctorate at all one university, or you can do them at different universities. They recognize your education at different levels, some being more prestigious than others. I ended up doing my AOW (in St. Lucia) with a PADI agency who (with some reluctance) accepted the PDIC cert. I don't think SSI has quite the same "recognition" issues. I'm not sure how well all of this "university concept" is understood among "new" divers. If you want to stay with SSI, like I said earlier, it would be good for you to get in touch with them and find out who is certified in Coz to do certs with them and then ask for comments about those ops. But if you don't care about whether or not to stay with SSI, then there are hundreds to choose from.

You don't have to stay with one agency for all of your recreational dive training. In otherwords, just because yuor OW is with SSI, doesn't mean you have to do SSI for your AOW.

 

[Jarrett]

My GF and I did our PADI AOW with Christi recently and it was outstanding. We originally thought about doing a little here and a little there, but once we weighed it all out it was nice to knock the whole thing out over a weekend down there. As always Christi and her crew are tops.

 

[love2fishfork]

The only reason I wanted to do SSI is because I already have Nitrox which is one of the four specialties needed for AOW. I suppose I could do PADI though.