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Jumana Ameeri

Registered
Messages
64
Reaction score
20
Location
Bahrain
# of dives
0 - 24
Hi all,

I got my OW license back in 2014. I started doing my Advanced in 2015 n finished all the requirements except for the navigation part. I didn't get to it after falling pregnant and haven't dived since then. My question is do I need to start all over with the advanced or do a refresher training course or....? Please anyone with any advise.

Thanks.
 
Agree. That's a really long time. How many dives did you do back then--4 or 24 (just curious--if you did 24 I'd still probably do the refresher, but it might be pretty routine for you).
 
There is no single right answer but rather the choice that feels right for you. If you have the right instructor, one willing to work with you, I would just start over with Advanced.
 
You're going to have to start over. The course must be completed within a set period of time, usually 6 or 12 months depending on the agency.

After this long of a layoff, you need an OW refresher and then you can consider going to AOW.
 
I did 24 dives back then, I remember everything but I guess I might be out of practice, so will be doing a refresher and then advanced. Thank you all for your replies. Really appreciate it.
 
Remember a refresher doesn't need to be an official thing. If you can find an instructor who is willing to help, explain the situation and just go for a quiet shallow benign dive. If possible a quick pool session (mostly for your own peace of mind) is also useful. As long as they know where you are at, you can have a fun dive and just run through some skills before you set off. That instructor can also give you some feedback on what to look out for moving forward.

In your situation I always recommend a bit of mentoring before signing up for a course, IF you have the resources (helpful instructor or experienced diver willing to help out)
 
You're going to have to start over. The course must be completed within a set period of time, usually 6 or 12 months depending on the agency.

After this long of a layoff, you need an OW refresher and then you can consider going to AOW.
Agree on refresher - and the student should do everything over, but with PADI is NOT required to:
Referral
Referral is the process of providing training documentation
to another PADI Instructor when a student diver is part-way
through a course and wants to finish the course at another
location.
Referrals expire 12 months from the date of the last training
segment.
Exception: Advanced Open Water Diver course and Specialty Diver courses
have no time limit.
 
When I met my girlfriend 8 years ago, and we started dating and talking about our interests, I said, as I always do to potential girlfriends, "I don't date a woman who either isn't scuba certified or isn't interested in getting scuba certified". She said "I dived many years ago with an ex, we did a few dives but I don't know if I am certified. I have all the books somewhere at home". I wanted to go to her house right then and there to check it out but that would have been a bit pushy and she might have questioned my true motivations which were in fact to determine her level of diving experience although I would not have been opposed to other activities should the opportunity arise.

As things moved along, I found myself at her house one evening and after a heavy makeout session I said "let's see your scuba paperwork". She obliged and rummaged through the papers in her file cabinets and presented me with her books and paperwork and sandwiched in between the pages of the PADI OW manual was her C card still attached to the paper with the glue that you can roll in your fingers like boogers.

I said "You are in fact certified, and you got it done in cold water conditions (Dutch Springs, PA) which is much more difficult than warm water diving, I'm impressed." I think we had another make out session after that but I digress.

I spent the next few weeks obtaining gear for her via my favorite dive shop in the world which most know as Ebay. Once she was so equipped we did a shore dive off of Bayville, Long Island which features depths of up to around 25' and even has a good sized wreck usually holding a fair amount of fish. She was absolutely petrified when we got in the water- she's anxiety prone anyway- but it's a great refresher dive, being a gradually sloping beach into calm water. 20 minutes later she was happily stuffing large clams into her mesh BCD pocket.

We started diving wrecks off of local dive charters in between Atlantic and NJ- these are cold, dark, low vis dives in depths from 80-120' typically with current which makes tropical dives a walk in the park. During a subsequent trip to Belize she got her AOW certification (and Nitrox) and has amassed about 80 dives over the past few years.

Hope that helps somehow
 
Remember a refresher doesn't need to be an official thing. If you can find an instructor who is willing to help, explain the situation and just go for a quiet shallow benign dive. If possible a quick pool session (mostly for your own peace of mind) is also useful. As long as they know where you are at, you can have a fun dive and just run through some skills before you set off. That instructor can also give you some feedback on what to look out for moving forward.

In your situation I always recommend a bit of mentoring before signing up for a course, IF you have the resources (helpful instructor or experienced diver willing to help out)
Probably the best advice. You may also want to review the OW manual/e-learning, etc. before doing any review. You know, exactly how to do Out of Air Share, reg retrieval, etc.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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