Difference between OW and AOW

[live_2_dive]

Advanced Open Water is really just a few additional guided dives. It's probably a worthwhile program if you are still a little unsure about the sport or do not have any local mentors to keep you on track.

I just wish PADI would change the name...you are NOT an advanced diver after taking this program. You are still a very inexperienced diver with another C-Card in your wallet. However there are quite a few charters who insist you have your Advanced Open Water to dive with them no matter how many dives in your log book.

In all fairness, PADI never said/published having an AOW card makes you an advanced diver. They simply acknowledge that it makes you a more experienced diver (as is the case since you dive more in order to be certified as an AOW diver).

I agree that it kind of sucks that some charters let on the AOW diver with 20 dives and not the OW diver with 200 dives. However, there are times when a business/organization/etc have to draw a line in the sand as far as standards go. Some make it the OW/AOW line. Sure they can make an exception for you, but then what good are standards? It's just the way it is sometimes (right or wrong).


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PADI Rescue/DM 09100Z7445
Dr Dive/Wet Dream/Sea Cobra/Y-Knot/H2OBelow

Diving is my passion...I live to dive!

 

[spc751]

This is what the PADI shop I deal with has to say about their AOW course.

We have customized the Advanced program to include actual instruction in various areas of diving so students will actually develop their skill level as they gain experience. Ultimately, this gives the students more confidence and makes diving more enjoyable for diver in the program as well as after. The actual dives we will compete in the program are: Peak Performance Buoyancy, Wreck, Deep, Navigation and Night.

The Advanced course is designed for newer divers to assist them in gaining more diving experience with an expert instructor. You instructor will take you on your first dive below 60 ft (usually close to 100 ft.), show you the wonders of night diving and teach you how to have a better idea of where you are underwater with tips on underwater navigation. This will allow you to build confidence in your diving and ultimately will allow you to have more fun!

The PADI Open Water program is packed with all sorts of skills – Reg Recovery, Mask Clearing, Out of Air emergencies…these are all important skills to learn, however, as you progress as a diver, you will find that there are some core skills you will want to continue to practice. In the Advanced program we will focus on these core skills to help you improve your diving abilities.

These core skills involve buoyancy control, trim (your body position as you float in the water) and propulsion (how you move underwater). As these skills will give you more control, they ultimately become the foundation for any type of diving you will choose to pursue such as, underwater photography and videography, wall diving, deep diving, wreck diving, technical diving, etc. You will also notice other benefits such as improved air consumption rates and an increase in your underwater awareness (as you will be less preoccupied).

Don’t expect to leave the program as an “Advanced Diver”. Taking a course is only one part of becoming a confident diver, you have to gain experience by diving. By successfully completing the program, you will have expanded your abilities, learned new techniques and received feedback from an instructor on how to get the most out of diving!

 

[Paulmal]

A couple years Back PADI HQ started putting pressure on their shops and boat operators that were letting OW divers do dives beyond 60'. It came down to insurance, the ops were able to do whatever they wanted but it was PADI's position that if you had an Accident and you were not in compliance you were violating standards and therefore they you violated your insurance agreement. So most ops complied because they could not afford the liability.

 

[drbill]

Given the nature of OW courses these days, moving forward with AOW and Rescue Diver seems almost essential. Back in the 60s the "OW" cert I took (Los Angeles County) essentially covered these three cert levels in one long course. Today, a course like that would probably prohibit many from learning SCUBA due to cost so it is broken down into several incremental classes that you can take in succession.

The depth limitation for most OW certs would preclude deep diving (assuming you follow those guidelines) and an AOW cert is often required by dive boat operators and other dive ops for certain dives.

 

[Bob DBF]

AOW, Advanced Open Water, who would assume you would be an advanced diver instead of a ticket puncher?

For any credibility at all, their should be an entrance requirement, say 10 or 20 OW dives and pool test of OW skills. Then instruction on how to be an advanced diver, completion of all of the AOW book, and dives for 5 or more of the specialties under instruction, preferably done in the 60' range.

From Paulmal's post, it sounds like more like an insurance problem than a skills issue.

Placing Rescue before AOW might also be a good idea.


Bob
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I may be old, but I'm not dead yet

 

[Karloss]

My wife and I got certified OW on a liveaboard trip and during the trip we actually did all our advanced dives. We were told this after the fact. We did eventually do an AOW class.

 

[Darth Bangkok]

I hope I don't get flamed for this post, one of my first (and on New Year's eve too, haha). I have 23 dives under my belt, including the dives on the OW certification. My first trip after certification was to the Cayman Islands and among a few other dives, I did a night dive, a dive with no DM, just a buddy I met on the boat (I didn't know this until I was on the boat and actually, now that I think of it, the night dive was the same, we all went down together after a briefing of the terrain and the route, then stayed with our buddies in the same general area. I have no idea why the DM didn't just go with us instead of staying on the boat), and a 100' dive which began at 100' by going through a hole in the coral and then along a crevice before coming out into a wall dive. That dive had a DM with us. It was all very relaxed and I had no problems at all. I even had my camera set-up with me and took photos/videos.

My second trip was to Barbados and did the same with a DM: a night dive and a 100' foot dive around a wreck.

I think for the OW course, the recommended limit is 60' but its not a requirement, right? The two places I went to didn't think it was a problem because it never came up (although in Barbados my wife who was certified with me was out of sorts for most of the trip so the DM suggested she didn't go on the 100' dive, so maybe I seemed capable and that's why he let me go). I know I haven't dived in any conditions that were too much more than benign and I don't have that much experience, but I don't plan on going for the AOW just yet.

I think my next course will be the nitrox course, if I eventually take one ( I will probably wait for my wife to be ready and as she doesn't speak english too well, she might take a little longer until she is ready). The dives in the AOW course do seem really interesting , but as I do not right now live where I can dive often and for the forseeable future I will be diving once or twice a year on vacation, I don't think I will take it. One day, if I want to start getting into some specialty diving and have the opportunity to do it, I would take the course. And at that point, when I have some sort of goal attached, I think I would get the most out of it. So its not in my plans for now.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Makes me wonder what ever happened to dbarkle.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[divewench1]

Placing Rescue before AOW might also be a good idea.

This is how the SSI system runs, a student can become Rescue diver directly after their O/W dives.

Personally, I think the AOW should be renamed ''Open water level 2''

SSI also have ''Level of experience'' recognition cards for o/w divers with no further training required, for example level 5 is 100 or more logged open water dives, level 6 = 200 dives, etc etc, level 9 = Gold diver with 500 logged dives, level 10 = Platinum diver with 1000 logged dives, and 5000 logged dives is Pro Level experience with admittance to the SSI hall of Fame!

Gold, Platinum and Pro have recognition cards too.

 

[EFX]

This is how the SSI system runs ....
SSI also have ''Level of experience'' recognition cards for o/w divers with no further training required, for example level 5 is 100 or more logged open water dives, level 6 = 200 dives, etc etc, level 9 = Gold diver with 500 logged dives, level 10 = Platinum diver with 1000 logged dives, and 5000 logged dives is Pro Level experience with admittance to the SSI hall of Fame! Gold, Platinum and Pro have recognition cards too.

Under PADI it's possible to be an AOW certified diver with 9 dives (4 for OW cert + 5 specialty intro dives). I don't care how skilled you are, 9 dives does not make you an advanced open water diver. SSI, however, adds experience as an additional requirement. In the SSI system you need to be OW certified, complete 4 specialty courses (not just the intro dives), and have 24 logged open water dives. If you plan on diving charters I would get the AOW (with the deep specialty) since some charters require this for deep dives beyond 20m. But, the most important specialty you can take that will improve your diving is the bouyancy specialty. Every dive you make whether it's deep, wreck, night, underwater photography should be a peak performance bouyancy dive. I took the intro dive on my way to getting AOW and worked on getting my weight dialed in, which I did by the time I completed 25 dives. When I took the course I discovered that my trim was way off. I floated head down. I never realized I was this far off and was unconsciously compensating in order to stay level. When we got my trim fixed I added 500 psi more air to the same profile dive! Having PPB will make your a dives more enjoyable and relaxing. So, I would start with bouyancy and include deep as two of your four (SSI) or five (PADI) specialties. Finally, practice, practice, practice.