- Messages
- 93,378
- Reaction score
- 91,611
- Location
- On the Fun Side of Trump's Wall
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
Redesigning AOW
- Thread starter fisherdvm
- 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
Lets face facts. AOW is designed to make money and to provide Dive operations a way to limit their liability. I’m sure the insurance carriers mandate certain sites as AOW only.
There is absolutely nothing stopping any one of us from getting the additional training we need to make us better divers. The AOW C-Card just makes it easier to get to the good sites when diving on a charter.
We all know divers that have great skills, hundreds of dives but only holds an AOW card, just as we all have seen divers with a fistful of cards that have no business diving, much less leading or instructing.
Additional training is up to you, not PADI, NAUI, SSI or anyone else.
There is absolutely nothing stopping any one of us from getting the additional training we need to make us better divers. The AOW C-Card just makes it easier to get to the good sites when diving on a charter.
We all know divers that have great skills, hundreds of dives but only holds an AOW card, just as we all have seen divers with a fistful of cards that have no business diving, much less leading or instructing.
Additional training is up to you, not PADI, NAUI, SSI or anyone else.
That tasted a little like hateraide. 
That said, I agree. Certification is a paramid scheme. Those on the bottom pay in so those on the top can make money. You can learn anything taught in in advanced course from experience. HOWEVER, experience can often be a very expensive (not in dollars) teacher...
That said, I agree. Certification is a paramid scheme. Those on the bottom pay in so those on the top can make money. You can learn anything taught in in advanced course from experience. HOWEVER, experience can often be a very expensive (not in dollars) teacher...
ucfdiver
Contributor
I think what you're trying to say.....That tasted a little like hateraide.
There's no reason to gain your own experience re-enacting a mistake that's already been made.
shoupart
Contributor
I'd say:
Beach Diving
Night Diving
Deep Diving
Navigation Skills
Buoyancy Skills
And something about gauging a site, whether on a boat or on shore, to determine what the conditions of the dive site will be.
I think that would be a good core, and maybe one or two "fun" topics like photography or naturalist on top of that.
Beach Diving
Night Diving
Deep Diving
Navigation Skills
Buoyancy Skills
And something about gauging a site, whether on a boat or on shore, to determine what the conditions of the dive site will be.
I think that would be a good core, and maybe one or two "fun" topics like photography or naturalist on top of that.
When I did my AOW (1987) it was the core basics: deep, night, wreck, navigation and S&R. I'd go back to that, but add peak performance bouyancy to that and call it a day. Way too many "soft" courses now for anyone who fances picking up the "advanced" title on vacation without breaking stride.
shoupart
Contributor
I agree, I think the deep dive is an important thing to include. It's good for a new diver to know what a deep dive is like, so they can experience it, how fast gas can be used at depth (compared to surface), how nitrogen narcosis may affect them, and to do a safety stop.
they should get an experience of how it's done and how it differs from shallow stuff, while under the eye of an instructor who is there in case of problems.... as opposed to just jumping in solo, untrained, unexperienced, and unaware of any special requirements that deep diving may impose.
they should get an experience of how it's done and how it differs from shallow stuff, while under the eye of an instructor who is there in case of problems.... as opposed to just jumping in solo, untrained, unexperienced, and unaware of any special requirements that deep diving may impose.
I like the idea of beach diving. It might be a little logistically challeging. However, that is a special skill entering the surf and what not.... hummmm
Do you guys have any ideas for navigation drills on the nav dive/dives(part of most dives)?
Do you guys have any ideas for navigation drills on the nav dive/dives(part of most dives)?
The student's do some form of navigation, in varying difficulties, on all dives in the class. It may be taking us back to shore from some random point in the dive, to leading us to a specific spot, or getting us home on the night dive.
The navigation specific dive, however, is a mid-water navigation dive, done in the water column, with no visual reference. This was Bob's idea that I adopted simply because it's a challenge on so many different levels.
The navigation specific dive, however, is a mid-water navigation dive, done in the water column, with no visual reference. This was Bob's idea that I adopted simply because it's a challenge on so many different levels.
I bet that is a challege! You just tell them to maintain a certain depth?
Similar threads
