AOW certification help!

[UCFDiver85]

I am wrapping up my OW certification this weekend and already I am hooked on diving. I would like to continue my education and perhaps go onto AOW. I'm just wondering what AOW qualifies you for and how the training is done? Is it as long as OW or is it much shorter with a few training dives? Any help would be very useful. Thanks!

 

[WileEDiver]

If you're talking PADI, AOW is 5 additional dives selected from a set of "specialties" (and can typically be done in one weekend). One must be a Navigation Dive, one must be a Deep Dive, and the other 3 "elective" dives can be selected from the following list of dive types:

• Altitude Diver
• Boat Diver
• Drift Diver
• Dry Suit Diver
• Dive Propulsion Vehicle
• Multilevel Diver
• Night Diver
• Peak Performance Buoyancy
• Search and Recovery
• Underwater Naturalist
• Underwater Videographer
• Underwater Photographer
• AWARE Fish Identification
• Wreck Diver

This gives you exposure to a variety of dive types.

Talk to your instructor or dive shop to see which they offer. I'm sure they'd be happy to set something up for you.

Night dives are always my favorites.

Welcome to the ranks and dive safely!

 

[ElectricZombie]

AOW doesn't really qualify you to do anything...It just gives you exposure to different diving environments and skills.

AOW can be completed over a weekend, usually 5 dives.

 

[washow88]

Take my advice; get more comfortable in the water before you take the AOW.
Practice the diving skills frequently, the more you dive, the more comfortable you will be, and the more advanced you will become.
The AOW C-card won’t make you better diver.

 

[XJae]

Is Peak Performance Buoyancy a full speciality.
That would be a good next class if you need to take one.

 

[WileEDiver]

XJae once bubbled...
Is Peak Performance Buoyancy a full speciality.
That would be a good next class if you need to take one.

Yes it is a "full-blown" specialty. It consists of two open water dives.

 

[Atticus]

My understanding is that in PADI the AOW course will grant you privileges to 130 fsw (vs. 60 fsw for OW).

That being said, it is primarily an opportunity to get some more experience under the guidance of an instructor.

One thing people seem to like to do (if the instructor agrees) is to do a Nitrox and Drysuit elective, and then to add an additional couple of dives after AOW to come away with those specialties. In terms of privileges, Nitrox and Drysuit are two of the more useful specialty cards to hold.

Dive Safe, Have Fun.

--Atticus

 

[jhelmuth]

UCFDiver85,

Seriously... there is no card which will make you a better diver. Only you can make you a better diver by taking one step in the right direction and keep the momentum up into exceptional bouyancy control, knowledge of diving physiology like it was embossed into your brain, and practice while adding new techniques to your skills. Then you will be truely an advanced diver. This is where I am today. I'm pretty sure its gonna take more than a year and 100 dives to get where I need to be before considering additional course work. I think that by having excellent skills, I'll get more outta my training when I do make that decission. Ultimately I'm gonna be real happy with Master Diver and Rescue. As far as restrictions, OW card has not been a limiting factor for myself. Dive boats don't seem to really care if you are able to show you are able to comfortably make the dives scheduled in their trip. Picking a few good dive buddies with more experience (alot more - not just a little) would be a good way to help you with extending your range little by little.
Having said that, I will not tell you to not do it, but at least condsider what you are getting for your money. Maybe it might be a better idea hopping onto one of the diveboats outta Clearwater and just practice (about all our water is good for anyway). What shop are you learning out of? Is it Tackle Shack? Don't be drawn into these classes by slick salesmanship.
If you want to discuss this further, I'm local and will be happy to discuss this further.

 

[Charlie99]

UCFDiver85 once bubbled...
I would like to continue my education and perhaps go onto AOW. I'm just wondering what AOW qualifies you for and how the training is done?

AOW is the weakest class in the PADI lineup, and probably in other agencies also.

After OW class the key is to go diving. Nice easy dives, where you can just get more comfortable in the water, and where you practice the most basic underwater skills of breathing, swimming, and buoyancy control.

The problem with AOW is that, if you take it too early, then you don't learn much because you are too busy concentrating on the basics of swimming around.

OTOH, by the time you have these basics down, if you have been diving with more experienced mentors, then you have already learned most of what is in AOW.

If you are good at self-teaching, then just buy the book.

If you have good mentors, then just buy the book and do the exercises (such as navigation) with them.

If you do take AOW, I recommend doing it after about 10 post OW dives.

A few operators (in the Fl Keys mostly) want to see an AOW card or a logbook with deep dives before they will take you out to a wreck. Other than that, whether or not you have AOW is pretty much a non-issue. Cert cards don't qualify you. Your experience and skills do.

 

[WaterDawg]

Atticus once bubbled...
My understanding is that in PADI the AOW course will grant you privileges to 130 fsw (vs. 60 fsw for OW).

Actually it's 100fsw, you'll need a "Deep Diver" card to go to 130fsw. Getting experiance while in class is not much experianceat all cause you are in a more or less "controlled enviroment, and the instructor is responsible for the dive planning. I have a PADI AOW card somewhere but if I had to do it again I'd Go w/ NAUI, they do more dives!