Advanced Open Water Certification

[Reku]

(From a PADI AOW perspective)
Honestly all the boat dives I've done - Mighty O - etc. All they wanted was AOW for the depth. In order to actually penetrate the wreck you would need to specifically talk to them about that - at which time they did ask me to provide sufficient c-cardage in order to perform a technical overhead dive. But yes - MOST of the time it's "got aow? K good - let's go". No one cares what specialty dives you did - because those dives in AOW are not complete certifications in themselves and only sample dives of the indicated specialties you may of been interested in.

They just want some kind of insurance that shows you are at least a little competent. They don't want to take someone who has like 5 ow cert dives and that's it.

 

[tursiops]

SDI AOW is equivalent to PADI Master Diver.

No, SDI "AOW" (actually, "Advanced Diver") requires 4 specialties and 25 logged dives. PADI "Master Diver" (actually, "Master Scuba Diver") requires AOW, EFR, Rescue, five specialties, and 50 logged dives. You may be thinking of the SDI Master Scuba Diver, which is equivalent to the PADI MSD, except the SDI rating only requires 4 specialties.

 

[Reku]

No, SDI "AOW" (actually, "Advanced Diver") requires 4 specialties and 25 logged dives. PADI "Master Diver" (actually, "Master Scuba Diver") requires AOW, EFR, Rescue, five specialties, and 50 logged dives. You may be thinking of the SDI Master Scuba Diver, which is equivalent to the PADI MSD, except the SDI rating only requires 4 specialties.

You're right!!! I always get them screwed up. Editing that before someone sees my failure!

 

[Jarzi]

OW is certified to 40m. AOW is certified to 40m.
OW is trained to 20m. AOW is trained to 30m.

If so, then the whole concept of certified depth is meaningless. Be as it may, I specified deep diving course in addition to AWOD, I guess I should say trained to 40m then.

 

[tursiops]

If so, then the whole concept of certified depth is meaningless. Be as it may, I specified deep diving course in addition to AWOD, I guess I should say trained to 40m then.

Yes, you should say that. The lesser depths for OW and AOW are recommendations, not certification depths. Read your manual and your cert card if you don't believe me. The concept of certified depth is NOT meaningless....for example, a Scuba Diver (level before OW diver) is only certified to 40 fee and a Junior OW diver is only certified to 40 or 60 feet, depending on their age.

 

[TMHeimer]

If so, then the whole concept of certified depth is meaningless. Be as it may, I specified deep diving course in addition to AWOD, I guess I should say trained to 40m then.

Yes, I think it is somewhat meaningless. I was Deep certified 9 years ago. The last time I approached even 100' was a year ago. Almost all of my dives now are very shallow. Doing 130' (40m) now would mean I have to think a lot.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just an FYI for this thread. I am now working on Chapter 4 of my next book. SCUBA: A Practical Guide to Advanced Level Training (aka Advanced Open Water) and in the same way my first book was written to help new divers find a good OW course, this one will be geared towards helping them find a good advanced level one.
I am working on this for a number of reasons but one of them is that resorts and operators are using the card to grant people access to more challenging sites.
Regardless of the fact that the card can be more or less nothing more than an indication that someone did five more dives with an instructor. It is, in some cases, absolutely no indication that they actually have the skills and knowledge to do the dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

Sounds like an excellent topic. I can't really say what my PADI AOW did for me 10 years ago--especially after maybe 2-4 post OW dives. I did have a good instructor from my recollection, and it for sure was not a complete waste. But AOW is for sure no indication you can dive the "Big O", as someone recently posted. At some point I will buy your books. Right now am penny-pinching. I have plans to self publish a clarinet book. Maybe you'll return the favour and buy it.....?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Funny you should ask that. I was learning to play the clarinet in 4th and 5th grade. Starting to enjoy it as well until the music teacher thought I should be progressing faster and not missing my practice time at home to work in the family grocery store and reinforced that opinion with a paddle. Then drawing an image of that on my music to remind of the consequences of not meeting his expectations. I never touched it after that day. In fact I could never bring myself to try and learn any other instrument, though I wanted to try the guitar in my teen years.

 

[TMHeimer]

Wow--the (school) music (band) teacher beat you??!! When I was in JHS in the "ghetto" NY school I heard rumours that the Gym teachers had "paddles" upstairs. Never saw them. Hope that teacher you had was eventually arrested. Regardless, regular practise daily is how you get real good.....most days it's a rarity when you can't find the time. Trust me--I've heard all the excuses.