dbulmer
Contributor
Would I learn substantially different doing AOW in the UK than what I would in the tropics. I know it's instructor dependent etc but I am curious if the syllabus is different?
AOW in the tropics or the UK?
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Wreckie
Guest
The sylabus is the same (should be anyhow) it all depends on which organisation you do it with.
Your best bet is to decide on what you want out of your trip away. Also as (from my memory) the AOW course is modular it also depends on what skills youd like. For example you dont want to spend time on a make busy navigation dive in the tropics when there are reefs to be looked at, however a fish id dive on that reef would be cool (not so good in stoney cove).
Doing the course in the UK does give you two advantages over doing it away:
1. you get a taste of what its like here, you wouldnt believe the number of people i have spoken to who are horrified at the thought of diving home waters, you may find you like it and then you have the chance to dive more than once a year.
2. you have time to play on holiday, who wants to spend the time stuck doing prescribed skills when you could be bugging "cute fish".
My plan would be do it here, bite the bullet and live with the cold, then when you go away you have the piece of plastic and can do your thing.
Mike
Your best bet is to decide on what you want out of your trip away. Also as (from my memory) the AOW course is modular it also depends on what skills youd like. For example you dont want to spend time on a make busy navigation dive in the tropics when there are reefs to be looked at, however a fish id dive on that reef would be cool (not so good in stoney cove).
Doing the course in the UK does give you two advantages over doing it away:
1. you get a taste of what its like here, you wouldnt believe the number of people i have spoken to who are horrified at the thought of diving home waters, you may find you like it and then you have the chance to dive more than once a year.
2. you have time to play on holiday, who wants to spend the time stuck doing prescribed skills when you could be bugging "cute fish".
My plan would be do it here, bite the bullet and live with the cold, then when you go away you have the piece of plastic and can do your thing.
Mike
Hoppy
Guest
Hi,
The syllabus should be exactly the same eg PADI AOW should be the same anywhere.
It does however come down to the quality of Instructors. If you have somewhere in mind then try a post on the board for recommendations. You will invariably find someone who has dived wherever you think you wanna go.
I agree with Wreckie you could do AOW here and then get the benefit when you've paid to get somewhere nice.
You will find training here available in drysuits if you look carefully, so that should make it more do-able.
If you need help finding somewhere then pm me and i'll try and point you somewhere.
Good luck
Hoppy
The syllabus should be exactly the same eg PADI AOW should be the same anywhere.
It does however come down to the quality of Instructors. If you have somewhere in mind then try a post on the board for recommendations. You will invariably find someone who has dived wherever you think you wanna go.
I agree with Wreckie you could do AOW here and then get the benefit when you've paid to get somewhere nice.
You will find training here available in drysuits if you look carefully, so that should make it more do-able.
If you need help finding somewhere then pm me and i'll try and point you somewhere.
Good luck
Hoppy
Conor
Guest
I have only a couple of Uk dives, I have never trained here and so spend a fotune travelling to feed the addiction. I agree with the others, if you ever want to try UK diving then do your AOW here, and if you are lucky you can do a drysuit elective and have a suit for the course.
If after the course you don't like UK diving then fair enough, but at least you'll know.
Cheers
Conor
If after the course you don't like UK diving then fair enough, but at least you'll know.
Cheers
Conor
OP
dbulmer
Contributor
Thanks for the replies.
I would prefer to get more dives in .. in the UK (
am I mad?) before doing PADI AOW. I think from your replies and others I will do my AOW in the UK.
I did harp on about cute fish in a previous thread but what I'd want to do in the UK is probably Peak Performance Buoyancy, Nitrox, Search and Recovery plus the 2 mandatory requirements. The only reason for the AOW is that I need it for Rescue which I have heard is a very very good course. I have 22 dives currently and was thinking I might be ready for AOW at the 50 mark?
Wreckie, I don't bug cute fish I eye them up! Grouper - erm yummy!
Wreckie, ever eaten conger? It's quite nice too!
I would prefer to get more dives in .. in the UK (
am I mad?) before doing PADI AOW. I think from your replies and others I will do my AOW in the UK. I did harp on about cute fish in a previous thread but what I'd want to do in the UK is probably Peak Performance Buoyancy, Nitrox, Search and Recovery plus the 2 mandatory requirements. The only reason for the AOW is that I need it for Rescue which I have heard is a very very good course. I have 22 dives currently and was thinking I might be ready for AOW at the 50 mark?
Wreckie, I don't bug cute fish I eye them up! Grouper - erm yummy!
Wreckie, ever eaten conger? It's quite nice too!
Ready for AOW at 50 dives ?
Your rational thinking is music to my ears. As a PADI instructor I often feel that the term "advanced" does not truely mean advanced. Here in the UK this has sparked off many a heated debate with qualified "advanced divers" barely having completed a total of 10 open water dives . If Advanced is to mean advanced then perhaps there should be a standardisation made throughout all diving organisations and a qualifying pre-requisite number of dives made before enrolling for any AOW course thus giving the term real meaning. If you complete 50 UK dives you will be well prepared to complete the course.
Your rational thinking is music to my ears. As a PADI instructor I often feel that the term "advanced" does not truely mean advanced. Here in the UK this has sparked off many a heated debate with qualified "advanced divers" barely having completed a total of 10 open water dives . If Advanced is to mean advanced then perhaps there should be a standardisation made throughout all diving organisations and a qualifying pre-requisite number of dives made before enrolling for any AOW course thus giving the term real meaning. If you complete 50 UK dives you will be well prepared to complete the course.
Wreckie
Guest
Mark, as im sure you know anyway, bsac advanced diver means just that, being closer to divemaster in the american style orgs than their advanced qualification.
Having done the naui dm course i found that my dive leader training covered far more and as im almost done with my bsac advanced diver course i can honestly say, i feel advanced <g>
As with all things aow is what the instructor makes it, when helping run the course in the us i found that it was really a make busy kinda thing and didnt really see what the guys got from it (except five more dives).
I think that the number of dives is (to a point) not really relevent to when to take the course, more important is the type and duration of the diving you do, For example someone who has done 20 dives in 6 months would be far better suited to aow than someone who has done 50 dives over the last 5 years.
Mike
Having done the naui dm course i found that my dive leader training covered far more and as im almost done with my bsac advanced diver course i can honestly say, i feel advanced <g>
As with all things aow is what the instructor makes it, when helping run the course in the us i found that it was really a make busy kinda thing and didnt really see what the guys got from it (except five more dives).
I think that the number of dives is (to a point) not really relevent to when to take the course, more important is the type and duration of the diving you do, For example someone who has done 20 dives in 6 months would be far better suited to aow than someone who has done 50 dives over the last 5 years.
Mike
OP
dbulmer
Contributor
Mark,Wreckie
I am able to do some training with a couple of DIR guys so I am getting the basics practiced quite frequently - I want to do quite a few dives regularly in the UK because
as was said in other posts being a holiday only diver can impose quite a few constraints on the diving that can be done. I have seen quite a few tropical AOW divers with skills only slightly more enhanced than my own - the main reason I would prefer to do it here is that cold water diving imposes more severe conditions and that to improve my skill set overall requires UK diving given that I could not afford to go to GBR, Red Sea etc frequently. Also I am a slow learner and prefer the long hard slog to help me learn and apply what I have learnt.
When I certified I just felt that at 4 days I was not competent enough to be called a diver - I was pleased with the course and the instructor but I couldn't help but feel I was a liability particularly with experienced divers - don't get me wrong I have never had anything said to me but I just had that feeling that I wasn't good enough and the only way I could think of to feel more comfy was to get more dives in. This explains why I want to get to rescue via AOW. By the time I get to Rescue I will be more comfortable in the water with my own kit and will have practiced some of the skills on the course through club diving but for me endless repetition sis not a bad thing - some divers might be able to do some skills without a lot of practice I, sadly, am not that type of diver.
Anyway off my horse and thanks for the feedback chaps.
I am able to do some training with a couple of DIR guys so I am getting the basics practiced quite frequently - I want to do quite a few dives regularly in the UK because
as was said in other posts being a holiday only diver can impose quite a few constraints on the diving that can be done. I have seen quite a few tropical AOW divers with skills only slightly more enhanced than my own - the main reason I would prefer to do it here is that cold water diving imposes more severe conditions and that to improve my skill set overall requires UK diving given that I could not afford to go to GBR, Red Sea etc frequently. Also I am a slow learner and prefer the long hard slog to help me learn and apply what I have learnt.
When I certified I just felt that at 4 days I was not competent enough to be called a diver - I was pleased with the course and the instructor but I couldn't help but feel I was a liability particularly with experienced divers - don't get me wrong I have never had anything said to me but I just had that feeling that I wasn't good enough and the only way I could think of to feel more comfy was to get more dives in. This explains why I want to get to rescue via AOW. By the time I get to Rescue I will be more comfortable in the water with my own kit and will have practiced some of the skills on the course through club diving but for me endless repetition sis not a bad thing - some divers might be able to do some skills without a lot of practice I, sadly, am not that type of diver.
Anyway off my horse and thanks for the feedback chaps.
You can probably get a weeks diving in somewhere like Malta for the same price as a weekend in Scotland. Chances are the vis is better in Malta and it will be raining in Scotland.
Hoppy
Guest
dbulmer:
Remember that Nitrox can be combined with other Specialities allowing you to max your time under water (useful when chilly) and also if you have to get up at silly o'clock to dive eg Stoney.
Just in case you weren't aware of the possibility to combine. BTW Nitrox is the only one that can be done this way.
Cheers
Hoppy
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