AOW as an experienced diver

[vladimir]

Just make the best of the AOW, find a way to enjoy it (such as quahog fishing), and help your dive ops keep the lawyers at bay.

With that in mind, I think we should consider re-branding AOW. Sometimes you'll see "rescue divers" in the popular press regarded with the sort of reverence reserved for SEALS and parajumpers. We know better, but let's take advantage of that. A jury might find a dive operator guilty of negligence in the death of an Advanced Diver, but certainly not in the death of a Civilian Authorized SEAL Trainer. No need to change the course requirements, it's all about the branding.

 

[Quero]

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Interesting thread. I have about 120 dives over four years, got certified in Monterey. By a funny coincidence, I am doing an AOW class in Catalina in two weeks with a bunch of divers (two of whom are my friends which is why I am going, mostly to be social and have someone to dive with for once) who just did their OW 2 weeks ago, so these AOW dives will be their 5th dives and up. The instructor let me join the class after strictly (but nicely) asking that I be careful not to impart any bad habits to her students. (Translation: shut up about the fact that I sometimes (cough) solo dive the dive park in Catalina. [But i stay fairly shallow when I do.]).

The main reason I'm doing the AOW class is because they're doing a night dive (which I've never done, so that will be neat and I've wanted to do one for a long time now) and because I think it will be interesting to see what gets taught in these classes. I don't actually think I'm going to get a bunch out of it because it's eight divers each of whom has only their O/W dives, and me, diver number nine. It is a somewhat startling revelation to me that people are going to finish this class, be AOW ---- and still have less than ten dives.

My take home is that AOW may teach you something, but the fact that dive operators are requiring it sounds like so much BS to me. The fact that you're AOW says nothing. The fact that you're not AOW also says nothing.

People really require AOW? My diving is limited to Catalina, Monterey, and Hawaii --- other than my C-Card (which they don't even always ask for), nobody's said "boo" to me about being AOW, ever.

I find that in general, west coast operators are a bit less concerned about things like AOW cards and solo cards than east coast operators. Perhaps the east coast has more lawyers ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Wow in seven pages no one has mentioned the first thing I thought when I read the first few posts. Why didn't the instructor say something like this.

I know you have a lot of dive experience and I would like to just give you the cert card but I would be violating standards if I did. On the other hand you probably won't get much out of the course if you take it with the other students that would be in your class. I would suggest taking the class privately for a slight increase in cost so we can tailor it to your abilities so we are not just taking your money for a card.

 

[AfterDark]

Wow in seven pages no one has mentioned the first thing I thought when I read the first few posts. Why didn't the instructor say something like this.

Because he knows me and why I'm taking the course and that I'm not interested in paying a dime more. Besides after 40 years of cold water New England diving starting in 1968, wreck diving, ice diving,night divng,drift diving, solo diving, in fresh water in rivers, as well as the ocean, had my own boat rigged it for diving, deco diving air only, there isn't a whole lot left. I've got more dives behind me than I do ahead of me. I'd like those dives to be as hassle free as possible.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Ok, point taken.

 

[AfterDark]

Well I just got back from 4 hours in the water doing NAV,S & R and Quahog racking. I'm beat! The current was pretty strong in the cove and swimming against it was tough for this old timer with the bad knees, but I toughed it out even after my legs cramped up from the ankle to the thigh. Frog kicks where the only thing I could after that!
So he wouldn't use his wallet for the S&R target, chicken! The young girl that missed the 1^st class got reverse ear squeeze and vertigo and had to quit. We did distance measured by time, fin kicks and hand spans. We made squares and triangles using hand spans to judge distance and the compass to nav. Then we used a reel and compass to execute a circular search pattern to find a……..weight belt, which I brought to the surface with my lift bag under control like I do it all the time. So that completed dive 1 and 2 and it was time to rake the elusive RI Quahog. It took just about all the energy I had left but I was able to rake enough for some “stuffies”! The girl was OK no blood and the pain subsided before we got back the dock. She is going to have it checked and not dive for as long as is recommended, so she says.
Friday next it the night dive. Tentative site is the Dumplings a nice site but I know the current can rip through there! I was riding it out the bay one night; it was a long walk back to the site and the car when I finally got out of the water! We could do it all there Friday night! The night dive, the drift dive and the deep dive, the channel side of the Dumplings drops below 100FSW with holes approaching 200fsw no problemo. So now it’s time to rinse my gear and steam my Quahogs and start making stuffies. Oh, he said I passedJ

 

[AfterDark]

WOW! the stuffies came out GREAT! I granished them with some bacon bits and paprika MMM MMM GOOD! Friday night Homarus americanus! MMM MMM GOOD!

 

[fjpatrum]

Sounds like the class worked out well for you, AfterDark. That recipe sounds good too.

 

[Racer_X]

This is a bit of frustration I'm dealing with. Naui certified since 86, last dives were a manta and a black water off Kona two years ago. I'm heading to Cancun to spend some cenote time, and to do the Pit I need AOW. In my OW dive set we did 5 dives, one of which being 90 feet with the usual safety stop after we calculated our dive plan, another of which being using a compass to navigate out to the site, find it, and head back to the camp site. No find camp site, no lunch!

I suppose it could be worse. I was planning on doing a refresher, but now I'll just do this. The place round here is machine like - 5 dives, one weekend, done.