Advanced Open Water Certification

[redacted]

The last time I was in Santa Rosa (two weeks ago), I spent the first few days at the Blue Hole, and one of the students I taught finished his AOW class. I spent the next two days at Rock Lake. Even though the AOW student had completed that certification, the owner would not let him dive at Rock Lake. She was too nervous about allowing anyone to dive there only one day after getting AOW.

The owner's fears are her fears, rational or not. It is her business and she clearly has the right to add such restrictions. So, how many weeks would you have to wait to bring that newly certified AOW diver back to dive Rock Lake? Does she place any additional experience requirements on newly certified AOW divers or does she really believe divers are like wine?

Seems to me she might have CLS (Chicken Little Syndrome).

 

[Bob DBF]

Seems to me she might have CLS (Chicken Little Syndrome).

Better that than closing the site and ending all liability issues IMHO.



Bob
-----------------------------------------
Sometimes paranoia's just having all the facts.
William S. Burroughs

 

[boulderjohn]

Her pond, her rules. If she closes it, we have nothing like it in the Rocky Mountain region to replace it. Where am I going to teach technical diving if I can't go there? I can go to Turquoise Lake in Leadville, Colorado in the summer after the ice breaks up, but I really don't like to do technical diving at 10,000 feet altitude.

She almost closed it a couple years ago when one of the instructors had someone join the group at the last minute. The instructor neglected to get a waiver from that diver. That turned out to be a mistake when that diver got DCS so badly a helicopter evacuation was needed. Fortunately, there was no lawsuit, the owner relented, and we could dive there again.

I don't care what her rules are. I follow them.

---------- Post added May 9th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ----------

Here is a post in another thread from this morning. The poster just had a Florida dive canceled. It was supposed to be to a wreck at about 100 feet. The boat canceled the trip because it turned out some of the people who had originally scheduled did not have the required AOW certification.

 

[redacted]

Here is a post in another thread from this morning. The poster just had a Florida dive canceled. It was supposed to be to a wreck at about 100 feet. The boat canceled the trip because it turned out some of the people who had originally scheduled did not have the required AOW certification.

Yes, this is the kind of thing you can run into. In this case, it does not appear that Scubatyme has a hard requirement for AOW (I did call and talk to them) but does look for more advanced experience from OW divers before they will be taken to deeper sites. Since they only have the one boat, I suspect it was simply to their advantage to change the planned dive site so they could accommodate a group of OW divers that was unable or unwilling to do the Capt Dan.

 

[jonhall]

Here is a post in another thread from this morning. The poster just had a Florida dive canceled. It was supposed to be to a wreck at about 100 feet. The boat canceled the trip because it turned out some of the people who had originally scheduled did not have the required AOW certification.

Let’s say the dive shop in Florida decides to dive the deep wreck, a site not meant for recreational divers. For the sake of this situation, I showed them my AOW but they didn’t ask if I felt comfortable or what my specialties were. Do AOW c-cards show the specialties you’ve taken or could the dive shop just look to see I have AOW and give me the okay to dive the site even though maybe I didn’t do a wreck dive specialty?

 

[KevinNM]

If it's not a recreational dive they better be looking for more than an AOW card. Plus I suspect you will get the feeling something is terribly wrong when you look at what everyone else is carrying onto the boat.

 

[Badge353]

You don't need AOW but in order to take what I consider one of the best classes and most needed skills to learn in Rescue Diver you have to have AOW prior.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Let’s say the dive shop in Florida decides to dive the deep wreck, a site not meant for recreational divers.

A better question is would you be willing to dive far beyond your abilities. What I mean is deeper than 130 feet - a decompression dive - or pinnacle dive that you know you have not trained for?
If the answer is no - then you are safe - Dive ops are not in the habit of getting customers hurt. They are not going to accept AOW for technical dives. You may however be nervous on a dive that you have not done within the recreational limits but you could rent a guide. Currents could be stronger than you are used to or the viz could be less than you are used to - but a dive OP is not going to last by putting customers in harms way. That said - you need to know your limitations and when to say no.

*** No your AOW card only says AOW - specialties are not listed - hence many folks that say AOW is a check the box c-card...

 

[jonhall]

If it's not a recreational dive they better be looking for more than an AOW card. Plus I suspect you will get the feeling something is terribly wrong when you look at what everyone else is carrying onto the boat.

Sorry, by recreational, I really meant OW.

 

[KeithG]

Sorry, by recreational, I really meant OW.

As a "vacation diver" I am continually amazed at America's fixation on OW vs AOW.

I have OW cert and have have never been prevented from doing any dive on offer at any location I have been. Never been asked for AOW. There is no need for AOW in many parts of the world. You dive as a buddy team and manage your own profile. They consider you a responsible adult.

Simple possession of an AOW card would not make me any better equipt than I am today if I obtained it at a "vacation diver" destination. Buying an AOW card on my next Belize liveaboard trip would be meaningless as it would not involve any training.

It is very disappointing that it would make some florida lawyer happy. The US has been reduced to a tick box society unable to make rational decisions. (did I say that out loud?)