Advanced Scuba Diver Development Program vs Just taking specialty classes you want?

[Omisson]

From what I can tell, including everything written here, I don't see any NEED whatsoever for the Advanced Scuba Diver or Master Scuba Diver card. Those, in and of themselves, don't seem to get you anything. It's the specialties you have to take and the number of dives you have to log to get them that matter.

Kairoos, it seems to me that all you need to do is the Deep full specialty course. You'll have a card for that after you complete it, which you can show if a dive op asks. You may also need to log a certain number of dives to satisfy some dive ops. But, those wouldn't have to be any kind of training dives.

I've been looking at a night dive that requires prior night diving experience. If you were doing the same, you could also take the Night Diving specialty class, which should satisfy the requirement for that.

IOW, from what I've seen every dive that requires more than just OW requires something specific and if you have done the specialty courses for those specific things, it's not going to matter if you have an Advanced card or not. (though you still may need to have 25 or 50 logged dives)

Also, I just got back from the Caribbean. I told my dive op it was my very first diving since getting my OW card. And I told them I had already gotten my Computer Nitrox card. They took me to 85 - 89 feet on two different dives and they supplied me with Nitrox. And they NEVER looked at ANY of my C-cards or dive log. So, depending on where you go for vacation, I wouldn't worry too much about documentation issues preventing you from doing the dives you want to do. If it's in the U.S., I would expect dive ops to be sticklers - at least to some degree. Outside the U.S. - at least in places like the Caribbean - less so. After all, it's really all about liability and insurance, right? Other than an altruistic desire that a dive op MAY have to keep their customers from getting hurt, the only reason anyone checks documentation is to protect themselves from getting sued, right?

First- I can tell you some dive boats in Europe, Central and South America and of course -stateside- including northeast wreck boats- will require an advanced diving card (AOW, MSD) or proof of significant depth logging before taking you to many of the deeper sites where the best wrecks are.

Second, anyone who dives today should be doing both Oxygen and CO testing/analyzing for their fills and filling out a Nitrox log at the shop. That record is both for your and the dive ops benefit - and if you "skip" that part you are only endangering yourself... Or leaving your family without a vital record in the event of an issue on your dive.

In filling out the fill log- you need to enter or write your Nitrox/EAN cert number...

Third, I wouldn't use one shop as a representative sample for basing a norm on...

But hey - it's your call...

 

[scubadada]

Also, I just got back from the Caribbean. I told my dive op it was my very first diving since getting my OW card. And I told them I had already gotten my Computer Nitrox card. They took me to 85 - 89 feet on two different dives and they supplied me with Nitrox. And they NEVER looked at ANY of my C-cards or dive log. So, depending on where you go for vacation, I wouldn't worry too much about documentation issues preventing you from doing the dives you want to do. If it's in the U.S., I would expect dive ops to be sticklers - at least to some degree. Outside the U.S. - at least in places like the Caribbean - less so. After all, it's really all about liability and insurance, right? Other than an altruistic desire that a dive op MAY have to keep their customers from getting hurt, the only reason anyone checks documentation is to protect themselves from getting sued, right?

As others have pointed out, stuartv is absolutely wrong here and the advice should not be taken. The vast majority of operators worldwide check primary certification, nitrox certification, and sometimes additional certification for special circumstances. I do not recall a single operator who has not checked, at least, my primary certification. AOW is frequently required for deeper dives, I assume Deep Diver would suffice but have never used it for such.

I don't think anyone would want to be rejected from diving or have to hire a guide unexpectedly because of inadequate proof of training. This might be particularly devastating for a travel trip. If in doubt, it would make sense to contact the operator to make sure you have adequate proof of training and/or experience for the dives you want to do.

There's a tremendous amount a information on the internet, the challenge is figuring out what part is accurate.

 

[Kharon]

You need SDI AOW & 100 dives to take the solo course. My AOW had mandatory deep, night/low-vis/, and nav required. Fourth was Nitrox with an additional search and recover (just cause I wanted the training). I now only bring 3 cards - my OW, nitrox, & solo. Everywhere I've been seems to know that the solo includes AOW, which includes deep. I use the OW rather than AOW because it gives them a better idea how long I've been diving.

 

[tursiops]

You need SDI AOW & 100 dives to take the solo course. My AOW had mandatory deep, night/low-vis/, and nav required. Fourth was Nitrox with an additional search and recover (just cause I wanted the training). I now only bring 3 cards - my OW, nitrox, & solo. Everywhere I've been seems to know that the solo includes AOW, which includes deep. I use the OW rather than AOW because it gives them a better idea how long I've been diving.

Any agency's AOW is OK for Solo....it doesn't have to be SDI.

 

[scubadada]

Any agency's AOW is OK for Solo....it doesn't have to be SDI.

Correct, I did with PADI AOW

PADI AOW requires 1 deep dive, 1 navigation dive, and 3 more of your choosing. The Deep Diver specialty is 4 dives, the AOW dive counts as 1 toward this.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

You need SDI AOW & 100 dives to take the solo course.

Not true - I currently have OW (from the late 70's) and a solo certification from SDI. I do not have any other certifications at this time...


*************
Looked this up -
Course prerequisites:

• Minimum age 21
• Certified SDI Advanced Diver or equivalent
• Provide proof of 100 logged dives

So someone determined I had equivalent dive experience - and allowed me to take the course and give me the card.

 

[Kharon]

My bad - any AOW is fine.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

My bad - any AOW is fine.

My only point was I dont have AOW - I only have OW and I was able to get Solo Certified (on my wife's insistence) - you don't need AOW to get the card. My bad on describing what is needed... I was able to prove that I was safe and a decent diver with lots of experience even though I was only OW certified....

 

[Omisson]

My only point was I dont have AOW - I only have OW and I was able to get Solo Certified (on my wife's insistence) - you don't need AOW to get the card. My bad on describing what is needed... I was able to prove that I was safe and a decent diver with lots of experience even though I was only OW certified....

Solo diving cert from what agency?

You must be advanced certified with over 100 dives to take either the PADI self Sufficient or SDI Solo course.

---------- Post added January 11th, 2015 at 03:49 PM ----------

Not true - I currently have OW (from the late 70's) and a solo certification from SDI. I do not have any other certifications at this time...


*************
Looked this up -
Course prerequisites:

• Minimum age 21
• Certified SDI Advanced Diver or equivalent
• Provide proof of 100 logged dives

So someone determined I had equivalent dive experience - and allowed me to take the course and give me the card.

Or equivalent means PADI/NAUI/SSI advanced course- not "I dove a million times on my own"

Did someone at standards clear your "experience" as a waiver of the advanced requirement?

 

[tursiops]

Did someone at standards clear your "experience" as a waiver of the advanced requirement?

I suspect you already know the asnswer to this: some SDI instructor-friend probably just ignored the prereq, deciding that "or equivalent" meant whatever he wanted it to mean.

if I wanted to be generous, I'd suggest that instructor may have assumed the SDI Accomplished Diver program allowed him to award an Advanced cert to someone with a lot of experience...but that program only allows the awarding of an Open Water cert. But I don't want to be generous, anyway.