Getting AOW in cozumel

[BigDaddyGlad]

I'm just back from Cozumel. We stayed at the Iberostar, and dove with Dressel. There was no charge for the AOW course, but the PADI online materials (and the card!) were $140 USD. We also did our Nitrox certs, for which Dressel charged $230, but they did not charge extra for 15L Nitrox tanks, so we dove Nitrox all week.

IMO, it was a no-brainer for really only $140 to get the AOW certification. If you're in Cozumel for a week, you're going to naturally do most of the dives required for the cert, so why not get it? The divemasters at Dressel were excellent -- I was particularly impressed with Eva, when she noticed my buddy and I waiting at the bottom for our DM who was challenged with a couple novices, she just picked us up and ran us through the Navigation and Peak Buoyancy skills.

There are some really great dives in Cozumel at around 20-26m!

 

[jonhall]

but the PADI online materials (and the card!) were $140 USD.

Curious as to what the online materials were? Don't remember anything online when I took course with Dressel. Got a packet of materials (book, inflatable tube, whistle) and card, but it didn't cost anything close to $140.

 

[rick00001967]

We stayed at the Iberostar, and dove with Dressel. There was no charge for the AOW course, but the PADI online materials (and the card!) were $140 USD.

so for 140 bucks you got access to all the materials, went over all the materials and info with your instructor, and had 5 dives included ? i find this hard to believe but if you got all that for 140 then good on ya.

 

[jonhall]

Update to previous post:

With Dressel in PDC, I paid $633 for 11 dives (5 of which were the AOW dives) and included cost of materials I mentioned earlier, card, and transportation to/from our resort and to all dive sites away from their resort. Those sites included cenote dives, night dive, and the day trip to Cozumel - which included an all-inclusive day pass at the Iberostar. Thought for all of that, it was pretty cheap.

My dive buddy since 2008, was finally caught (he wasn't trying to hide) using his "Scuba Diver" card to dive. Although we had been lots of places in the Caribbean and in Hawaii. Dressel let him know he didn't have his OW - wouldn't let him take the AOW until he had OW. They allowed him to pay only for the materials (book/card), do a little pool work, and complete his 4 OW checkout dives as part of his 11 dive package before he could complete any AOW dives, also in the 11 dive package. They were very accommodating although I gave him a hard time.

went over all the materials and info with your instructor,

For me, this part was just reviewing the questions at the end of a adventure dive section. No instruction.

 

[rick00001967]

For me, this part was just reviewing the questions at the end of a adventure dive section. No instruction.

just curious....then what type of "instruction" did you receive ?

 

[mattspiral8]

Update to previous post:

With Dressel in PDC, I paid $633 for 11 dives (5 of which were the AOW dives) and included cost of materials I mentioned earlier, card, and transportation to/from our resort and to all dive sites away from their resort. Those sites included cenote dives, night dive, and the day trip to Cozumel - which included an all-inclusive day pass at the Iberostar. Thought for all of that, it was pretty cheap.

My dive buddy since 2008, was finally caught (he wasn't trying to hide) using his "Scuba Diver" card to dive. Although we had been lots of places in the Caribbean and in Hawaii. Dressel let him know he didn't have his OW - wouldn't let him take the AOW until he had OW. They allowed him to pay only for the materials (book/card), do a little pool work, and complete his 4 OW checkout dives as part of his 11 dive package before he could complete any AOW dives, also in the 11 dive package. They were very accommodating although I gave him a hard time.



For me, this part was just reviewing the questions at the end of a adventure dive section. No instruction.

Yeah I read that too but wasn't too sure.
did the separate you from other divers while you were doing your AOW dives? I am really debating if I should do the AOW and nitrox all together with them.
Did you stay at a different hotel?

 

[jonhall]

just curious....then what type of "instruction" did you receive ?

No instruction really. That's coming from a retired teacher. The PPB dive went something like this: Skimmed through the book section to find answers to the end-of-section questions and wrote them down in book (maybe some self-instruction.) Day of dive, spent maybe 10 minutes reviewing those questions with an instructor who may have explained a few things in a classroom. Dive requirements were to maintain neutral buoyancy in a sitting position a couple of feet above the bottom for a minute and to knock a weight, sitting on the bottom, over with your nose using no hands. Although I had no problem, the instructor had to help my buddy who took several tries to get the hovering above the bottom down. That may have been considered instruction.

As I stated in post #9, I was looking for this type of course, but don't recommend it for the person who really wants to get something out it and become a better diver. I could have taken the course at home and done dives in a quarry and most likely have become a "better" diver, but that's not my type of diving.

did the separate you from other divers while you were doing your AOW dives? I am really debating if I should do the AOW and nitrox all together with them.
Did you stay at a different hotel?

Dressel had several instructors. Most dives, several instructors were on board, so we went separate ways. On the day we did the PPB there was only one instructor for the 2 of us doing the PPB and the 6 divers who were there for a fun dive. I felt bad for them. On another dive where my buddy had to do a controlled ascent, I chose to stay with him while others went with other instructors. Bad choice as I had to stay on the surface while he made several attempts on the ascent, and there were some waves.

Remember we did ours in PDC - Dressel picked us up from our resort and took us to the Iberostar which was the next resort over. They do the same in Coz.

I did my nitrox in Grand Cayman. Ocean Frontiers had a $99 special. I got a code from the op and did the online course in about 2-3 days while we were there. Took the written test at the op. Had my card a few days after we got home. For me this was more challenging than the AOW, because it was info I wasn't familiar with. The only requirements after the written test were to analyze the air from a tank and an instructor watched me to make sure I could set my computer up properly.

Think it just depends on how much time/money you want to spend while on your trip.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

I accompanied my wife on her “free” AOW course thru dressel @ Cozumel. It was a few years ago with Scott as the instructor. He’s gone now but he was very good for her, right mix of fun and training.

Last week, I accompanied a good friend on his referral OW dives with Dressel. He was assigned Eva who was previously mentioned in this thread. She was very good, a little on the tough side even.

This has been discussed a million times over, but AOW is appropriate as a "free" course. If you go into it as an experienced diver to "check the box" or as a newly certified OW diver looking to push your comfort zone on more adventurous diving while under the watchful eye of an instructor, then it makes sense. If you go into it expecting to come out "advanced", then you have the wrong expectation.

 

[ggunn]

This has been discussed a million times over, but AOW is appropriate as a "free" course. If you go into it as an experienced diver to "check the box" or as a newly certified OW diver looking to push your comfort zone on more adventurous diving while under the watchful eye of an instructor, then it makes sense. If you go into it expecting to come out "advanced", then you have the wrong expectation.

I agree, but I'd prefer that they call it something else - Open Water 2, maybe. Advanced is a misnomer for someone with just a few dives.

 

[BigDaddyGlad]

Curious as to what the online materials were? Don't remember anything online when I took course with Dressel. Got a packet of materials (book, inflatable tube, whistle) and card, but it didn't cost anything close to $140.

I did not get a book (or a tube or whistle) for AOW. The course materials and Knowledge Reviews were all online.

I did, however, get a book and plastic dive tables for the Nitrox certification.