PADI AOW vs. Adventure Diver Certification

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Welcome to Scubaboard! I am in the Asheboro area. I agree that PADI AOW will be your best choice and as many here will tell you, research the instructor and choose the one right for you. Make sure you pick night dive as one of your specialities. I recommend wreck too if that is an option.

And go ahead and get your nitrox certification, no dives needed.

Sounds like you have some really exciting dives planed. Don't forget that there is great warm water diving just a car drive away in Florida. That's where we do most of our dives and where we did AOW.

And of course there is incredible diving in North Carolina too!
 
I'm going to do the PADI Advanced Open Water plus lots of dives with a dive master and then go about becoming further certified before doing anything without a DM!
I would be interested in a bit more background on this statement. Being on a dive where there was a tragic event is not necessarily an explanation. The best reason for a certified diver to dive with a DM is to get a good orientation to a particular dive or dive site, as needed. It should not be for safety. If you are a certified diver, and still do not feel comfortable diving without 'supervision', I am not sure why you would necessarily feel comfortable simply because there is a DM in the water.
 
This is sad, in a way. In theory, when you finished your open water class, you were certified as being able to plan and conduct dives similar to the ones you did to get certified, and to do those dives ON YOUR OWN. I don't know where you got certified (lake, quarry or ocean) but I would hope that there are some beginner-suitable dives available to you that you could do by yourselves. Following a divemaster will give you more time in the water, but it won't develop you as an independent diver. You have to practice things like navigation, and learn how to get information about a site and plan a dive -- things a DM will have done for you.

I don't discourage more training, because I think education is a good thing. But to become a good diver, you have to become competent in a number of areas, and that doesn't happen if you don't have to take ownership of those skills for yourself.

OP This is so true. I happen to have a friend that is also an instructor. The first time he said to me, you are diving with him today I almost freeked, what not my instructor? So here we are in a good current (fresh water river), and my dive partner that I had agreed with to start on the ledge at 20 feet went off the ledge and kept going down. I knew the bottom was only 70' so I followed him down (vis was only about 20' at best). I get down with him and get in front of him. He is really bug eyed. An when I ask him (gestures) what is wrong I find out he has lost his BCD compensator. Never Velcro it down. I calm him down reach behind him and put it in place. An I get him to follow me, its a drift dive on a cliff. Current takes us. We are using 110lbs tanks with cave fills. and Nitrox. About 20 mins into the dive he gets spooky and wants to go up. An I mean fast. I actually get in his face explain yes up but slow.

When we get to the surface my buddy picks us up, and man he saw the anger in my face and starts laughing at me. He knew I knew the area, he knew my capabilities, and he damn well new I had to stop relying on others.

I always had these much better divers around me. Had all this training, but did not have to use it. The other diver was OW and I was Advanced. An I found out after his buddy (a dive master) was watching us. What he did? Made me stretch my wings.

I would be interested in a bit more background on this statement. Being on a dive where there was a tragic event is not necessarily an explanation. The best reason for a certified diver to dive with a DM is to get a good orientation to a particular dive or dive site, as needed. It should not be for safety. If you are a certified diver, and still do not feel comfortable diving without 'supervision', I am not sure why you would necessarily feel comfortable simply because there is a DM in the water.

As explained above, lazy factor, and I agree I want a dive master in unknown waters. Not as a bail out. My dive buddy better be there for me. As I will be for them.
 
kbpeterc, we've got lots of great diving here in NC right off the coast! If you guys ever want to head out to do some wreck diving here at home, and you want someone to guide you, let me know! I love diving in NC and am always open for finding new people to dive with!
 
Thank you all for the thought-provoking comments. This is what I love about communities like this: people with different experiences and thoughts that respectfully share their ideas on a topic. Ya'll are great! Here is my final response:
I will be getting my AOW and Nitrox certifications. I want to continue to get further certified after that, too, probably getting my rescue diver certification and, who knows, maybe more!
When this 18 YO boy died when my husband and I were diving off of Charleston it was our first dives in the ocean. Our instructors we had were nothing short of AMAZING. They instilled in us so much confidence; we knew what we were doing and how to handle many different situations should they arise. The captain and his wife had been diving for decades and were certified with the Coast Guard to respond to situations if they were in the area. As they were getting ready for the recovery mission that we suddenly found ourselves on, I realized that I was helpless in that situation. Not my fault as I just began diving this year, but it lit in me a fire to become a great diver. I want to dive with people, know people, learn from people. I don't want to be helpless when there is a life or death situation. I want to know exactly what to do to assist and I want to be able to do it. This comes from further certifications, more dives, and more experience.
I didn't mean that I want my buddy to be a DM. I want to make sure that there is a guide that has the certifications and experience to be able to handle any situation that arises, just like Tom and Sally did that day by the Charleston 60. I'm not at a point in my diving career that I am going to go off with just my buddy and dive somewhere that I've done my research on alone. I want somewhere there that will help me gain more confidence, skills, and expertise on my journey to being a diver that can do it on my own. You were all new to diving at one point and you probably didn't get your OW and just go planning your 3rd ocean dive without a reputable guide/DM there. If you did, kudos to you as you've got bigger cojones than I do. I'm just not there yet and it isn't because I couldn't, it's just because I don't want to yet.
JDG, I love your post and I hope that someone one day does that to me, just not yet. I don't rely on those diving with me, but at the same time I do. You rely on them to be trustworthy, to not leave you, to be cognizant of you...that's what good dive buddies do. You've got to be there for each other. My husband was my dive buddy on our 2nd dive that day and I had to remind him of a few things while we were underwater. He was making a few rookie moves that could have ended up having a negative result. I stopped him, fixed it and by then our DM had come over, we signaled what was going on, what I had done to remedy the situation, and we just hung out where we were for a few minutes to be safe. I'm a natural leader, which is probably another reason why I want to get more dives under my belt; so that I can be there for the people that dive with me no matter what the situation is. But for now, I want to make sure that there's someone like that for my husband and I until we can become those divers for others.

Again, thank you all for your insight! It's been very helpful. To ya'll that are local, don't be a stranger! Let's go diving someplace warm!!
 
Quite frankly it amazes me that one deep dive in the AOW certification course prepares one for doing advanced dives. Back in the 1960s when I got my OW certification under the Los Angeles County program, I was certified to dive to 130 fsw. For the first 40 years of diving, I don't think I went below 100 fsw.

I disagree to a small degree on what Lynne said. I think doing a number of DM guided dives is a good way to gain more experience, then mix them with diving with your husband... perhaps in a group such as a dive club. Gain your ability to dive as an independent team through that. When I am traveling and diving areas I'm totally unfamiliar with, I often like an experienced guide to help with navigation and critter location.
 
+1 with Dr Bill.

Just one precision. I think that "rescue diver" will bring you a lot after AOW. PROVIDED that you do it with a REALLY GOOD instructor. This will give you a real sense of self reliance.:wink:. And , as others have said, dive dive and dive............................
 
Thank you all for the thought-provoking comments. This is what I love about communities like this: people with different experiences and thoughts that respectfully share their ideas on a topic. Ya'll are great! Here is my final response:
I will be getting my AOW and Nitrox certifications. I want to continue to get further certified after that, too, probably getting my rescue diver certification and, who knows, maybe more!
When this 18 YO boy died when my husband and I were diving off of Charleston it was our first dives in the ocean. Our instructors we had were nothing short of AMAZING. They instilled in us so much confidence; we knew what we were doing and how to handle many different situations should they arise. The captain and his wife had been diving for decades and were certified with the Coast Guard to respond to situations if they were in the area. As they were getting ready for the recovery mission that we suddenly found ourselves on, I realized that I was helpless in that situation. Not my fault as I just began diving this year, but it lit in me a fire to become a great diver. I want to dive with people, know people, learn from people. I don't want to be helpless when there is a life or death situation. I want to know exactly what to do to assist and I want to be able to do it. This comes from further certifications, more dives, and more experience.
I didn't mean that I want my buddy to be a DM. I want to make sure that there is a guide that has the certifications and experience to be able to handle any situation that arises, just like Tom and Sally did that day by the Charleston 60. I'm not at a point in my diving career that I am going to go off with just my buddy and dive somewhere that I've done my research on alone. I want somewhere there that will help me gain more confidence, skills, and expertise on my journey to being a diver that can do it on my own. You were all new to diving at one point and you probably didn't get your OW and just go planning your 3rd ocean dive without a reputable guide/DM there. If you did, kudos to you as you've got bigger cojones than I do. I'm just not there yet and it isn't because I couldn't, it's just because I don't want to yet.
JDG, I love your post and I hope that someone one day does that to me, just not yet. I don't rely on those diving with me, but at the same time I do. You rely on them to be trustworthy, to not leave you, to be cognizant of you...that's what good dive buddies do. You've got to be there for each other. My husband was my dive buddy on our 2nd dive that day and I had to remind him of a few things while we were underwater. He was making a few rookie moves that could have ended up having a negative result. I stopped him, fixed it and by then our DM had come over, we signaled what was going on, what I had done to remedy the situation, and we just hung out where we were for a few minutes to be safe. I'm a natural leader, which is probably another reason why I want to get more dives under my belt; so that I can be there for the people that dive with me no matter what the situation is. But for now, I want to make sure that there's someone like that for my husband and I until we can become those divers for others.

Again, thank you all for your insight! It's been very helpful. To ya'll that are local, don't be a stranger! Let's go diving someplace warm!!

A boy died on one of your first ocean dives? I am so sorry, and that certainly explains your reluctance. In reading your comments, I also see a plenty of indications of you being a good diver - helping your dive biddies calm dawn and sort out situations. I suggest you keep doing what you are doing, doing dives with a DM. I'd also so AOW. Then when you are comfortable, take Rescue. Rescue is a lot of fun, and it directly trains you to be the kind of diver you admired during the rescue of that boy.
 
A boy died on one of your first ocean dives? I am so sorry, and that certainly explains your reluctance. In reading your comments, I also see a plenty of indications of you being a good diver - helping your dive biddies calm dawn and sort out situations. I suggest you keep doing what you are doing, doing dives with a DM. I'd also so AOW. Then when you are comfortable, take Rescue. Rescue is a lot of fun, and it directly trains you to be the kind of diver you admired during the rescue of that boy.

Thank you! It was very tragic and I'm nervous that I will be anxious when we dive again this month, but I'm going to focus on my training and what I know and not put myself in any situation that I'm not comfortable. Your words are very nice and I appreciate it. Happy diving!
 

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