100' before AOW?

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ideally i would like to stay as shallow as possible... however in NE FL there is nothing worthwhile to spear in less than 80'... and while i can freedive 80'... i dont really want to get into a tug of war at that depth... also i will have a spare air system and a experienced dive buddy nearby to help...

Then that answers the questions. :) I have done the Advanced class and it was a great experience on learning how to shoot a bag, run a reel with a blacked out mask, navigate using my compass, and diving deep at 90 feet. The biggest gain I got from it is that it provided me training on how to rig/deploy a pony and an AL40 (AL 40 I sling). This gave me confidence and the experience for deeper diving than 60'. In my recent dives I have been going deeper past 90 feet for reasons of cavern exploration and reefs :)
 
do what you want... no police and all... your experienced friends won't save you when you bolt for sunshine and seagulls.
 
do what you want... no police and all....

Says you :D

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would/did any of you dive to 100' before AOW? and if so... about how many dives did it take to work up to that?
I understand the need to be comfortable but assuming you are comfortably and are with an experienced diver would you have any hesitation about diving to 100' within your first 10 dives?

Knowing what I know now, I would have hesitation and would not have done it. As it turned out, I was hesitant but did it anyhow. I think in my case it was my first dive out of OW. Or maybe it was the third. Like I said, not something I'd recommend. Even now, I think about it more the deeper I go, as I'm sure everyone who's gotten a bit more experience does.
 
I'm curious, with all the great advice and many anecdotes in this thread, an Open Water certification still technically allows divers to dive to the recreational limit of 130 feet, correct?

Clearly there are MANY contingencies to consider before making a dive to recreational limits and I agree with a large part of what everyone has contributed here in regards to safety and planning, but since I got my c-card, I just can't tell if the depths are just recommendations or the limits have changed (ie OW-60 ft, AOW-100 ft, Deep Specialty-130 ft ?). :idk: I know some operators impose their own preferences as well.
 
I'm curious, with all the great advice and many anecdotes in this thread, an Open Water certification still technically allows divers to dive to the recreational limit of 130 feet, correct?

NAUI and PADI Open Water Certifications allow diving limits down to 60 feet (18m).

I took NAUI AOW and that is limited down to 130ft (w/ deep diving specialty).


PADI references "Limits" and NAUI references Maximums (per their web sites).
 
That was then. Experience changes things (or should). I'm comfortable with my/our level of situational awarenss now, seven years and many dives later.
Yes, hopefully, we all learn from things. I wasn't meaning that I worry for you now, but I would worry that as a newb you were beyond your limits at the time.

It's just one of those examples that you were perhaps in over your head, unknowingly at the time, but you lived to tell about it. One more statistic that says the big issue about depth is perhaps a bit overblown, whether rightfully or not.

I think this particular thread has been a good example of encouraging people to pursue things at their own pace, but with caution. Like I said, the depths offered for OW and AOW are not limits they are recommendations (that are probably well founded). We have to each make the choice for ourselves whether we follow the recommendations or not.

For me, there is no desire to go deep for the sake of going deep. If there's something I want to see though, I'm going to see it. I won't likely go past 100 fsw for any reason, but then I didn't think I'd dive in cold water either and I seem to be doing that more than anything. When the time comes that there is something driving me to go deeper I will, but for now, there's plenty for me to see shallower-- in fact oceans worth of stuff for me to see.
 
would/did any of you dive to 100' before AOW? and if so... about how many dives did it take to work up to that?
I understand the need to be comfortable but assuming you are comfortably and are with an experienced diver would you have any hesitation about diving to 100' within your first 10 dives?

Yes, I did deep dives before AOW. Including planned deco dives, but this was back in the 1970's and 80's, basic OW at that time was more like OW + AOW + Rescue is today... and I had good mentors. I did AOW in 2007 just in case I ever dove off a charter that required it (I mostly shore dive, or dive off private boats).

Today? It would entirely depend on the diver, the mentor, and the dive being planned... but I'd hesitate to say it is "ok". In fact, my answer would be please wait until you've done a bit of diving, have all the basics firmly under control, and have seen everything there is to see in water 60' deep or less. When you get "bored" shallow, then get trained for deeper dives.

I just dove three hours ago (on a long lunch break). I spent the majority of the dive at 25', enjoying the reef fish and turtles, and listening to the whales "sing" in the distance (it is humpback season here). The site I dove goes much deeper, but there was so much to see in the shallows....

Best wishes.
 
I just dove three hours ago (on a long lunch break). I spent the majority of the dive at 25', enjoying the reef fish and turtles, and listening to the whales "sing" in the distance ....

Sure, sure ... go ahead, rub it in! :wink:
 

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