AOW cart before the horse?

[mogwai]

Have just completed my ow but am gonna get a few dives in before aow. Evem though my bouyancy is spot on i would like to have a wee bit more experience then move on. Not taking too long though don't want to get stuck in a rut, not that i think i will with my instructor as he is first class at what he does and the encouragement he gives.

 

[Salty Bill]

mogwai once bubbled...
Have just completed my ow but am gonna get a few dives in before aow.

I just started my AOW course this past weekend. There were a lot of "firsts" involved: first shore dive, first cold water dive and thus first time wearing head to toe rubber (7mm two piece so 14mm over torso). It was more difficult than I thought it would be. I had to wear so much weight to counteract all the bouyancy that I found it tiring just to walk down the beach. I was able to complete some of the necessary skills, but not all of them. My instructor recommended getting some more experience under my belt. Of course, that comes back to the initial reason for this thread. At least now I have enough training/expereince to continue diving in this environment to gain that experience.

So the bottom line, in my view, is that you're making a good decision!

 

[DeepScuba]

Ah Salty, it's because now you're doing some REAL diving!!!!

Not that Candy-a$$ stuff in warm and warmer-ville


Heheheh, I'm just jealous I can't do "tropic" diving more often. It is quite a bit easier to say the least!

Have fun, talk to your instructor about your situation, and if he's at all interested in helping you (he should be) he'll find a way to incorporate you into the class soon enough.

Good luck.

 

[mogwai]

Have one advantage diving in Scotland. Have had to get used to head to toe stuff. Dry suit, 26lbs lead, hood gloves the works. Stick with it mate it will get easier. Says me the man of no great experience lol. Will get a few more dives under my belt and then move to aow. Have my first night dive on friday and am really looking forward to that, should be amazing.

 

[mogwai]

just had my first night dive. Absolutley amazing. So different it's unbelievable. But very cool as well. Even got credit towards aow, did navigation skills in the dark. Very interesting. Can't wait to have a bash at that again.

 

[JHAM]

I believe you will get more from your AOW class if you have some experience under your weight belt. Like most SCUBA continuing education you should really grow into the training.

 

[RiverRat]

I went from OW dives about a month ago right into recent AOW and Nitrox certs. Not really by choice, but with the crappy, rainy summer/weekends in CT and the lateness of me getting into Scuba, it was a good choice for me as I wanted to just get out and dive! I must say I'm more confident about doing a boat or easy wreck dive now than I was right out of OW. Diving in a dark quarry, with sometimes 2 ft. vis when the bottom got stirred up, 52 degree temps etc. has taught me skills I can carry anywhere.
Although one can/should start diving right from OW and gain valuable dive time that I don't yet have (only 10 dives in so far), in my case I don't think it hurt to go right to AOW. I have to agree with my instructor, that AOW does not make one "advanced", it's more like Open Water II, a continuation. All in all, the deep, wreck, nav, peak perf. buoyancy and night dives ( 2 dives were on nitrox) were great learning experiences (not to mention 2 minor entanglements, disorientation, "losing" each other at night etc.) that I enjoyed very much. Challenging with my limited skill level at the start, but worth it to me...................

 

[terri]

Furthering your skills topside is never a bad idea. But I want the dive buddy with the AOW cert. 'and' the underwater time. Sometimes the certification can be misleading to other divers, especially new divers, giving them a false sense of security in your abilities. This applies to divemasters also, in that they may have the notion that you are more experienced than you really are and not watch you as closely as they should.
My goal is to instruct in the next two years. Water time is essential to perfect my skills and give that information to students. When I have logged my 300th dive, I will do it. In the meantime, I soak up information in class, books, other divers and my own experiences in the water. I just comment on your post because I am so anal about safety in the water.
Find the water, enjoy your dives and accumulate experience and confidence.
Also, listen to these guys, read their posts, they are you teachers also.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Having completed our OW certification last winter in the Caribbean, my wife and I have signed up for the AOW course at the LDS where we did our OW classroom and pool work.

The recommendation was made to us that since we haven't been diving since getting certified, we should make some dives before taking the class. The problem is that we live in the Northeast and have never done any diving here; that's one reason we signed up for the AOW course.

Any thoughts as to which should come first? It's kind of like not being able to get a job without the experience and not being able to get the experience without the job!

Optimally you would have more dives. However, there is nothing wrong with jumping into the AOW class now.

Hopefully the first few dives are shallow & remediate any "rusty spots" you may have such as buoyancy control & general comfort in the water before you progress to the deep dive.

I have taught AOW to many divers over the years who have not dived in years. Typically we cannot complete the AOW course in the minimum required 5 dives, but the course is generally completed after a few dives beyond that.

My suggestion is: Go for the AOW.

 

[JRScuba]

Hi, Iv'e been reading all the previous threads ( incuding yours ), everyone has valid points. The most important thing to be addressed is safety. Below is a Web Site I have read all of the training articles and some point in time during my diving has if not saved my life did prevent a disaster. One of the titles is Lesson For life, it is great reading and makes you more aware of why safety is an important issue in this sport.

I suggest to everyone NEW or have Minimal experience to read these articles.

http://www.scubadiving.com/training/0,7253,3-0-0-0,00.html

Dive often and safely.

Joe :rock_band