AOW cert or not?

[Xfactor1315]

I have a heard that some dive shops require AOW to dive certain wrecks. Would a up to date log book full of various dives that are comparable to the AOW deep dive work instead of AOW cert? I feel the AOW isn’t really worth the price just to say your AOW. I just wonder if they wouldn’t let you go just because you haven’t paid your extra money to have that cert even though you have more than basic AOW cert skills.

 

[gcarter]

It will depend on the shop or charter operation. By all accounts, your log will often suffice in vacation diver country, less so in NA.

Given how *not* cheap this passtime is, is $200 really a lot of money for the cert? Pick the right shop and instructor and you may actually get some learning value for your money, regardless your current experience.

 

[Xfactor1315]

Well the AOW dives that my LDS do are dives that I have dove with the instructor before just not under his supervision on a actual certification dive. I would be paying to dive the same spots again just to get a card and I feel like. 200$ for cert 20$ air 85$ boat fee 150$ gas for travel is alot to dive a spot that you have dove before.

 

[DevonDiver]

I have a heard that some dive shops require AOW to dive certain wrecks. Would a up to date log book full of various dives that are comparable to the AOW deep dive work instead of AOW cert?

Given that log books can be worth nothing more than the paper they're printed on...easily faked or exaggerated... some dive shops would view a certification (based upon mastery of a pre-defined criteria of skills) to be the only true benchmark of your expected capabilities.

Also, a bunch of dives, without training, doesn't necessarily mean you have competence in certain skills, or have acquired certain knowledge. It's just as likely that you've developed bad habits, which un-resolved by developmental training, have made you a worse diver than when you graduated from OW.

I feel the AOW isn’t really worth the price just to say your AOW.

Of course, with 4 training dives under your belt, there isn't much left to learn about scuba diving.

I just wonder if they wouldn’t let you go just because you haven’t paid your extra money to have that cert even though you have more than basic AOW cert skills.

Just a suggestion, but perhaps you need to re-visit your perception of scuba training?

There are instructors out there who will blow your mind and quantum-leap your abilities on a 'worthless' AOW course. You've done a single scuba course (?) and it obviously didn't leave a great impression upon you. It'd be unwise to merit all scuba training and all instructors on the basis of that isolated experience...

Also, don't judge the merit of training on the basis of the site visited. The skills you learn are what matters, not the sights you see...

 

[1thumper]

Dive operations have a right and obligation to set up appropriate standards for divers who will participate in planned dives. It is up to the diver to determine whether they want to live up to those standards, or take their business elsewhere. Yes, there can be some financial incentive for dive shops to require certifications higher than OW, but in the vast majority of cases I believe that if they require AOW it is based upon a reasonable determination of what demonstrated skills are required for a particular dive...if it's e.g. a 25m dive I find it quite reasonable for them to require AOW. A logbook does not show that skills have been demonstrated to be proficient, it just shows that the diver survived the logged dives.

 

[drrich2]

I feel the AOW isn’t really worth the price just to say your AOW.

Will you be diving charter boats often? How often would the issue have to come up to make it worth your while?

Have you considered the Rescue Diver course, which is often advocated for (at least when done well)? You may need training beyond basic OW to take that course. I don't know what your other advanced course ambitions may be.

Richard.

 

[Xfactor1315]

So would a 50 log dive book with just OW cert or a 9 dive AOW cert dive book be better? Is it an insurance thing or just because you have AOW cert you have the skills needed for that dive?

 

[Xfactor1315]

Thanks for the replies I was just wondering everyone else's approach to AOW. I will probably get it when It is easier for me to get it. I guess that would be a good point to see if I have learned good or bad habits. I rarely dive charters unless on vacation. I mainly dive my from my own boat with a few experienced divers each weekend.

 

[DevonDiver]

So would a 50 log dive book with just OW cert or a 9 dive AOW cert dive book be better?

How bad, if uncorrected, can a diver become over 50 dives?

Not all experience is 'good' experience. 50 dives is plenty of time for complacency and sloppy habits to set in...for core skills to be forgotten and neglected...along with the creation of a false sense of capability.

If nothing 'happens' to go wrong on those 50 dives, it's far to easy to fall prey to the delusion of superior competence.

Without the development of skills and knowledge, along with some element of third-party assessment/testing to balance that, someone can easily become a pretty under-whelming quality of diver. Just saying...

A log book, even if genuine, shows nothing more that the dives you've done. It does not show what you've learned or how you've improved as a diver.

Is it an insurance thing or just because you have AOW cert you have the skills needed for that dive?

Liability can be an issue, but there are other factors.

Believe it or not, most dive operators would prefer not to have a customer death ever... so they do concern themselves over your safety. That means the application of prudent unilateral limitations - in the knowledge that there'll always be some divers who over-estimate their own ability and/or fail to set realistic and prudent personal limits for themselves.

What I would advise is that you do some honest self-reflection about your capabilities. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What elements do you need to remediate and/or refine? Consider the dives you want to do and research what skills, knowledge, protocols and competencies you need in order to conduct those dives safely. Then pursue the training that helps you accomplish those goals...

AOW is a good means to accomplish many goals - if you concentrate on finding someone who will supply the training to your specific needs and requirements, rather than a dull 'off-the-shelf' package that only consists of dumb repetition of the minimum requirements...

 

[gcarter]

FWIW, depending on the shop you may also get some flexibility in how you do it. For example, one LDS I know allows you to do the cert dives over the course of a reasonable period of time as part of a more regular diving schedule rather than forcing you to put aside a full weekend. For example, you could do a wreck dive with the instructor this week and a deep dive two weeks from now.

Assuming that it is not just the cost you have issue with.