AOW Sign-Off Question

[disccop75]

I signed up for the online AOW through PADI and local LDS. I am going to the keys and plan on doing two, two tank dives (Both off of boats obv.). One is at Pennekamp and the other is a wreck/reef. We paid $75.00 extra for a guide/instructor. Would these dives count towards my AOW? Maybe a wreck and a Fish ID or boat adventure dive? Thanks in advance!!

[DevonDiver]

Obviously this depends on the instructor concerned...

However, you would also need to complete and review the knowledge developments appropriate to the AOW dives you wished to complete....and complete the requisite skills for those dives under the appropriate supervision.

Of the 4 dives you have planned, only 3 could count towards AOW - as there is a maximum of 3 training dives allowed per day with PADI.

For an AOW wreck dive - you have to be directly supervised by a PADI instructor.

For AOW boat, fish ID etc, you could be in the water with a PADI DM, and under indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor.

[jviehe]

Right, in order to check off an Adventure Dive, an instructor has to supervise your dive and verify that the in water and academic requirements have been met. Be sure to let the dive op know that you want an instructor to check off adventure dives.

[azchipka]

Instructors have the option of conducting adventures dives for students and also accepting adventure dives signed off by others.

If you completed the PADI AOW eLearning make sure to bring your completion form with you when you come to the keys the instructor will need it. Depending on the shop you are diving with will depend on the adventure dives they offer. Many shops do not offer the fish ID course.

If you are paying for someone to be in the water with you make sure you are getting your moneys worth. Hiring a Instructor and being given a DM who is indirectly supervised by an instructor is not hiring an instructor, and your experiance may be completely different as a result.

Check out Silent World Dive Center in Key Largo during your visit 305-451-3252

[Damselfish]

AOW is as much or more about the dives than the book stuff. And you can't just hire a guide (of whatever rating) and then expect to apply the dives to AOW without prior arrangement. You need to talk to the shop and tell them what you want to do and get things worked out, and make sure they can do the dives you want.

Another thing about prior arrangement, it's possible to do 4 dives in the keys and have none of them deep enough to do the deep dive, which is required. Probably the wreck would be deep, but maybe not, depends which one. And I don't think you can have the same dive count for deep and wreck, so if the wreck site is the only deep enough one you wouldn't be able to do wreck.

I would suggest trying to get in meatier dives for your AOW than FishID or Boat - which IMO opinion are just a way to check of a couple of the 5 dives without doing much to improve your actual diving. (If you're on a boat in the Keys, there should be a boat briefing and you'll learn most things just from that and reading the book, so why waste an AOW dive on it?) Take advantage of the instruction - take stuff like PPB, Search, Night (see if you can get in a night dive) - things that improve your diving skills.

[TheScubaBOB]

I would suggest trying to get in meatier dives for your AOW than FishID or Boat - which IMO opinion are just a way to check of a couple of the 5 dives without doing much to improve your actual diving.

While in the Philippines on my honeymoon I did my AOW. What was my last "Adventure Dive", Boat of course! Every dive except my navigation dive was off the frick'n boat so I figured I'd take an easy one.

I also did Wreck & Night which were great. Knowing what I know today I would have done PPB instead of boat...

Of course I later did the full PPB Specialty and would recommend it to everyone who dives.

[Pinto]

Disccop- Thanks for posting this question as I have been puzzled by the AOW sign off process. Don't want to high jack your post but, maybe someone can comment.

If you complete the AOW on-line course, then find variuos instructors at different times/places to work with you on the knowlege review and (5) dives, does the last instructor sign off for your AOW. How does it work, i.e. last instructor checks signoff on previuos (4) dives then files paper work with PADI on students behalf? Or does the student present directly PADI with (5) invidual records?

BTW- Most reef dives on the Keys are shallow but there are the wrecks of the Thunderbolt and Hoyt Vandeberg which may be deep enough for your deep and wreck AOW dives.

[TheScubaBOB]

How does it work, i.e. last instructor checks signoff on previuos (4) dives then files paper work with PADI on students behalf? Or does the student present directly PADI with (5) invidual records?

BTW- Most reef dives on the Keys are shallow but there are the wrecks of the Thunderbolt and Hoyt Vandeberg which may be deep enough for your deep and wreck AOW dives.

The Instructor who completes your 5th dive with you will be the issuing Instructor for the AOW Cert. They will complete the PIC and submit it to PADI. Just be sure that the previous instructors properly sign-off on the Adventure Dives.

Regarding the Wreck & Deep dives:

There is no depth requirement for the wreck dive.

The Deep Dive only requires you are below 60 ft [I agree it's better to go as close to the 100 ft limit as you're comfortable with but...].

While I have not dived either of the wrecks you mentioned, a couple of points...

The Thunderbolt is reported to sit at 120 ft with the wreck starting at about 80 ft, she might not be the best choice for a first wreck dive and a waste if you're diving her just for the deep requirement.

I dove the USS New York (75 - 100 ft) in Subic Bay, Philippines, for my AOW Deep Dive and while it was a nice experience I would have preferred to dive her as a fun dive and get more time to explore the wreck.

The Vandenberg is reported to have respectable currents. If you are not familiar with ocean diving in currents then I would recommend against this site for either dive. My first dive in any real current was a surprise to me.

Now I'm not saying you should only do the bare minimum to get the dives done, just cautioning that you should know & understand the sites you choose for each and minimize and unnecessary task loading for the instructional dives. You can always dive these sites later when you're more experienced & properly prepared.

Heck, I'd love to drive down to Florida and dive the Oriskany but I know that it would be a stressful dive for me today so I prefer to wait until I'm fully ready for it and can get the most enjoyment out of it.

[Road Guy]

I think the answer (as stated above) will depend on your final certifying instructor.

We went with a dive shop to the keys last January as a group caravan, the wife and I just wanted to dive and not do AOW at the time but since there was an instructor their we did the skills for deep and then also did a night dive with the instructor, who signed our books, etc.

Later that year we met up with the same dive shop to finish our AOW while they had a group in key west, even though it was the same dive shop, the instructor preffered we re-do the previous dives with him. since we were fortunate enough to be in the keys for 7 days it wasnt that big of a deal so we re-did the ones we had already done. My wife was happy to re-do the deep dive with an instructor (it was on the duanne and one thing is that you dont get to spend much time on the wreck when your doing skills, especially if your waiting "your turn")

as also mentioned above some of the wrecks in the keys can have strong current, our first time on the spiegal about 1/3 of the boat couldnt make it from the boat to the down line, it was a fairly chaotic scene with people trying to turn back on the line, and others trying to go forward. we returned 2 days later and the current was so minimal the captain was able to "stern anchor" to the mouring ball and it was a breeze..

The benwood is a great shallow wreck you can do without having AOW or paying a DM / guide to go with you.