Damselfish
Contributor
I would say for most people - practice a little more (but not too much) before AOW, you'll get more out of it if you feel like you have your act reasonably together. And, think of AOW as OW2 rather than "advanced" anything.
Building on OW cert
- Thread starter Esprise Me
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Immediately after your open water, just go dive. Do several stress free dives, enjoy. Then, if you feel like 99% of new divers that your trim, buoyancy and weighting need work and you’d like to feel more comfortable under water, seek out the extreme scuba makeover course from Unified team diving. It’s short, inexpensive and guaranteed to improve the basic foundations of diving.
I like others have my own approach to this. first I look at what I will be doing after OW. is it a local 30 ft lake well then get some dives n adn work on buoyancy and take nitrox class.
If your local diving has deeper water then look at doing AOW soon to get the exposure to deep water diving.
spend maby 50 dives getting good at your skills. give youself a chance to make mistakes and avoid them in the future, same for experiencing your buddy having problems and fixing them. it takes time to exerience tanks falling out or your or your buddys rig. learning to use a compass,,,, exploring the parimeters of shallow wrecks and doing risk assessment of entry. learn how to shoot a bouy and other like skills. When you get to the point that you are thinking like a diver and not like someone diving as a tag along then start looking at night deep ocean related dives
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE AN EXPERIENCED MENTOR OF SORTS TO SPEED THAT PROCESS ALONG WITH CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND SOLUTIONS
If your local diving has deeper water then look at doing AOW soon to get the exposure to deep water diving.
spend maby 50 dives getting good at your skills. give youself a chance to make mistakes and avoid them in the future, same for experiencing your buddy having problems and fixing them. it takes time to exerience tanks falling out or your or your buddys rig. learning to use a compass,,,, exploring the parimeters of shallow wrecks and doing risk assessment of entry. learn how to shoot a bouy and other like skills. When you get to the point that you are thinking like a diver and not like someone diving as a tag along then start looking at night deep ocean related dives
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE AN EXPERIENCED MENTOR OF SORTS TO SPEED THAT PROCESS ALONG WITH CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND SOLUTIONS
The issue most newly minted divers face is how to take what they have learned and turn it into experience. You can pay a divemaster/diveguide to dive with you, or if you have experienced diving friends that will dive with you that would work too. One of the easiest and available solutions is AOW, there are open water dives that are compulsory for the course so right away you will get some more dives/experience underwater under your belt in a learning environment where you can feel comfortable asking questions to reinforce the knowledge and skills covered in your OW class, while additionally getting exposure to other skills.
Don't do AOW for the additional depth it allows one to dive to. That is a benefit and should only be a primary consideration if you are already well honed and are finding not having the cert is limiting you on organized trips or for insurance purposes.
In addition to my recommendation to explore other instructors, I would also recommend entertaining other certification agencies. There are no issues with a PADI trained open water diver becoming AOW certified by SSI, NAUI or any other agency that offers a similar cert. There are differences between the governing organizations that range from nuances to significant and it will make you more well rounded and knowledgeable to explore those differences and the theory/philosophy behind them.
I am SSI certified for basic open water, NAUI certified for Advanced open water, nitrox, and master diver, PADI certified for rescue and my Divemaster certification will be through PADI as well. There are some recent threads on SB where some of the differences between these agencies (PADI-NAUI) have come up...not from the sense of which is better, but from the sense of things that are standard within the agencies, for instance:
In PADI, dive time (known as bottom time) is taught as starting from the moment a diver begins their descent to the moment they begin their final ascent to the surface. Ascent time and safety stop time are not included in bottom time. This potentially gives the diver more time at deeper depths than with NAUI who calculate dive time as starting from the moment the diver descends to the moment they reach their safety stop....since ascent time is counted it leaves much less time to explore at deeper depths....but it is not just about time at depth, there is a fundamental difference between the two organizations in how they are looking at nitrogen loading. Divers who stick with a single organization for training may never even be aware of this difference.
Be aware that being certified from a particular organization such as PADI or NAUI does not make you a "member" of that organization, membership is a professional status when it comes to these organizations. You are free to continue your dive education via whatever organization you desire....(and before someone else points it out, I know there are organization such as BSAC for example where one is a member from the beginning of their training...it is just not germane to what I wanted to convey)
-Z
Don't do AOW for the additional depth it allows one to dive to. That is a benefit and should only be a primary consideration if you are already well honed and are finding not having the cert is limiting you on organized trips or for insurance purposes.
In addition to my recommendation to explore other instructors, I would also recommend entertaining other certification agencies. There are no issues with a PADI trained open water diver becoming AOW certified by SSI, NAUI or any other agency that offers a similar cert. There are differences between the governing organizations that range from nuances to significant and it will make you more well rounded and knowledgeable to explore those differences and the theory/philosophy behind them.
I am SSI certified for basic open water, NAUI certified for Advanced open water, nitrox, and master diver, PADI certified for rescue and my Divemaster certification will be through PADI as well. There are some recent threads on SB where some of the differences between these agencies (PADI-NAUI) have come up...not from the sense of which is better, but from the sense of things that are standard within the agencies, for instance:
In PADI, dive time (known as bottom time) is taught as starting from the moment a diver begins their descent to the moment they begin their final ascent to the surface. Ascent time and safety stop time are not included in bottom time. This potentially gives the diver more time at deeper depths than with NAUI who calculate dive time as starting from the moment the diver descends to the moment they reach their safety stop....since ascent time is counted it leaves much less time to explore at deeper depths....but it is not just about time at depth, there is a fundamental difference between the two organizations in how they are looking at nitrogen loading. Divers who stick with a single organization for training may never even be aware of this difference.
Be aware that being certified from a particular organization such as PADI or NAUI does not make you a "member" of that organization, membership is a professional status when it comes to these organizations. You are free to continue your dive education via whatever organization you desire....(and before someone else points it out, I know there are organization such as BSAC for example where one is a member from the beginning of their training...it is just not germane to what I wanted to convey)
-Z
Everyone is different, my personal view and one I give to my students, is go make a few dives. For the Student the OW course feels quite "busy" with the "pressure" of completing skills on each and every dive. What I suggest is that they go make a few dives and find the enjoyment of diving for pleasure. During these dives they can figure out what they don't feel comfortable with and what they want to work more on.
I also appreciate that it's a big step from diving with an instructor to diving with a buddy. Again with my students I try to ensure I'm in the water with them on their first couple of dives. I'm not their buddy but they feel reassured that I'm there. It's a two stage process in "cutting the strings"
Once you'd made a few dives, then choose what you want to do (10 dives or so won't get bad habits ingrained) I prefer to teach PPB as a stand alone course rather than part of AoW because the student get to focus on one thing and I can dedicate time to getting their buoyancy and weighting spot on. They get the most from it this way I feel.
As for not being able to dedicate much time to diving - I said that once, I also told myself I wouldn't be a DM nor instructor.. That didn't work out so well
I also appreciate that it's a big step from diving with an instructor to diving with a buddy. Again with my students I try to ensure I'm in the water with them on their first couple of dives. I'm not their buddy but they feel reassured that I'm there. It's a two stage process in "cutting the strings"
Once you'd made a few dives, then choose what you want to do (10 dives or so won't get bad habits ingrained) I prefer to teach PPB as a stand alone course rather than part of AoW because the student get to focus on one thing and I can dedicate time to getting their buoyancy and weighting spot on. They get the most from it this way I feel.
As for not being able to dedicate much time to diving - I said that once, I also told myself I wouldn't be a DM nor instructor.. That didn't work out so well
Call it what you want, I was simply pointing to the fact that there are differences between the certifying organizations, and by training through multiple organizations one can develop a broader perspective on diving. Never insinuated/implied that the rules for one set of tables could/should be mixed and matched with another. I am sorry that you may have inferred that I did.
-Z
The smart thing to do is to enroll in an Advanced Scuba Diver course and do the training/diving under the supervision of a qualified instructor. You don't have to do the "deeper" dives on your own but at least you have been exposed to the "Deeper" diving procedures in a more controlled environment. You can choose to do the more intense type of specialties; wreck, deep, etc., later after you have seen and participated in a "tasting" of these type of dives.
NOTE: My reply above is based on working with a good instructor who does put an effort into the teaching of the advanced course and not the "follow me" type of advanced course. My advanced course is typically 10 dives where the student gets to do at least 3 night, 3 navigation, 4 deep and 2 wreck dives.
Addicted2H2O
Contributor
Like everyone else, the main thing once you're OW certified is just get some dives under your belt. The best way to learn in this sport is to just do it. Take what you've learned so far and try to get to where it's just second nature. If you feel like there are certain skills you need help with, get with an instructor or a dive master and see if sometime you can buddy up with them on a local dive, etc. I'd almost be willing to bet they'll be more than happy to help you hone in your skills, especially with regards to buoyancy because really it benefits them, too. Better divers make diving better. And oddly enough I feel like that should be a quote. So let me say it again. Better Divers Make Diving Better What I mean is divers that have better buoyancy, better trim, better technique, etc. are less likely to silt up the site, land on and destroy the reef, less likely to dive unsafe, less likely to ruin the enjoyment of diving for everyone else. Maybe I'm speaking for myself but I can tell you if someone approached me (I'm an SDI Dive Master trainee....almost done) and asked if I could help them with a certain skill, I'd actually feel flattered because it would mean they think I'm proficient enough at that skill to be able to teach them something and they genuinely want to mimic how I perform it. So it's sort of pride thing. And to be honest, that's the very reason I wanted to become a Dive Master. To be able to help other divers learn and get better at diving.
If you just feel like you want to take classes, then I'd recommend a peak buoyancy class. But at the same time the AOW exposes you to a few more interesting things in diving like deep diving, night diving, search and recovery, photography, etc. And doing those types of dives with an instructor the first time, especially deep, night, and NAV, is really the best way to segway into them because it's more of a controlled manner. So really either of those courses would be a good idea if you're wanting to further your knowledge. Personally, I completed my OW in November and did AOW the following May. And honestly I only did maybe 5-6 dives between the two. But after I did AOW, that's when I really found myself wanting to dive more and getting more comfortable in the water. Especially when night diving.
Following those two classes, I'd HIGHLY recommend taking a Rescue course. I took mine over the summer as a prerequisite to my DM course and I really wish I'd taken it much sooner. I'd been told many times that it was the most fun you could have in a wetsuit and having taken it....I have to agree. It really was a lot of fun. It's challenging but the sense of accomplishment you get when you complete it is incredible. For me, I finally feel like I would know what to do in an emergency situation. And it wasn't a requirement for the NASE Rescue course (I got NASE Rescue and NAUI Rescue & Advanced Rescue all in the same class......feel free to start a conversation with me if you want to know why) but my instructor had us do a rescue from depth (25 ft) as a skin diver and after I finished that skill I was really proud of myself. So if you really want to learn who you are as a diver....Rescue is where it's at.
Of course these suggestions are strictly my opinion and are worth about what you paid for them, but hopefully they help point you in the right direction for where you want to see yourself in this sport. Ultimately....get in the water and just blow bubbles!
If you just feel like you want to take classes, then I'd recommend a peak buoyancy class. But at the same time the AOW exposes you to a few more interesting things in diving like deep diving, night diving, search and recovery, photography, etc. And doing those types of dives with an instructor the first time, especially deep, night, and NAV, is really the best way to segway into them because it's more of a controlled manner. So really either of those courses would be a good idea if you're wanting to further your knowledge. Personally, I completed my OW in November and did AOW the following May. And honestly I only did maybe 5-6 dives between the two. But after I did AOW, that's when I really found myself wanting to dive more and getting more comfortable in the water. Especially when night diving.
Following those two classes, I'd HIGHLY recommend taking a Rescue course. I took mine over the summer as a prerequisite to my DM course and I really wish I'd taken it much sooner. I'd been told many times that it was the most fun you could have in a wetsuit and having taken it....I have to agree. It really was a lot of fun. It's challenging but the sense of accomplishment you get when you complete it is incredible. For me, I finally feel like I would know what to do in an emergency situation. And it wasn't a requirement for the NASE Rescue course (I got NASE Rescue and NAUI Rescue & Advanced Rescue all in the same class......feel free to start a conversation with me if you want to know why) but my instructor had us do a rescue from depth (25 ft) as a skin diver and after I finished that skill I was really proud of myself. So if you really want to learn who you are as a diver....Rescue is where it's at.
Of course these suggestions are strictly my opinion and are worth about what you paid for them, but hopefully they help point you in the right direction for where you want to see yourself in this sport. Ultimately....get in the water and just blow bubbles!
Similar threads
