Confessions of a card chaser

[Bagster]

Daughter and I put on our poodle jackets, and bicycle-kicked and dog-paddled our way through Advanced Open Water this weekend, before the ink was dry on our Open Water certification cards.

I'm kidding about the bicycle kicks and the hand waving (mostly), and the b-c-dees are rented from the shop. We did really well; I am very happy that we did it.

I have no basis to argue with those who say you can get more out of the AOW class if done following a certain number of independent dives after basic certification. I reckon, like so many things in life, it depends.

For us, it worked out swimmingly. We got some more book learning, practiced the moves, buoyed through the hoops, navigated a very tidy box, had a stupendous night dive with a full complement of cold-water critters, got deep, and enjoyed a self-planned and independent "ecologist" tour, with new eyes over familiar ground.

Plus, we get new cards that say we are "Advanced Divers".

Thanks to the contributors on this board who have provided many hours of fascinating reading to me as I have perused the back pages of this forum.

 

[ManuLani]

Congratz to you and your daughter !!

 

[TMHeimer]

Congratulations to both of you. Sounds like you went about the same route as me. To do OK in AOW you both must be very comfortable in water to begin with. And hey, there's nothing wrong with collecting cards. I used to when I had the money.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Diving with your Daughter.

That's trumps everything!
Congratulations.

My Son wants to get certified this year. My Daughter isn't that interested.

 

[victor]

Congratulations and enjoy diving with your daughter, Neither of mine were interested so I had to persuade the wife to be my dive buddy

 

[Rhone Man]

I am also an incurable card collector, in diving and in life.

Sadly, my children have not inherited my passion, so I envy the time you get to spend with your daughter learning and expanding your horizons!

 

[Mustard Dave]

There's a popular school of thought that you should have to have X number of dives between courses. Personally I did the AOW straight after OW and I don't regret doing it that way. There are some that do 100 or so dives on their OW certification and then do the AOW. In my opinion, this is a bad idea as there is a good chance you will a) have a load of bad habits to unlearn, or b) be a very competent diver who will get nothing out of the course.

I believe there is a definite benefit from spending more time with an instructor on your early dives. I also believe it is a good thing to learn rescue skills, so the quicker you are through AOW, the sooner you can do Rescue. With the Rescue course, again, there are those that say you should have X number of dives and 'how can you be a Rescue Diver with so little experience?'. The Rescue course does not qualify you as a super-duper dive hero, ready to save the day at a moment's notice; what it does give you is skills that may just save a live one day, more confidence and makes you a better buddy. In the event of you having to use those skills for real, you may not be great, but the victim stands more of a chance with you than somebody with no rescue training, and, there is nothing to stop you continually polishing those skills after the course.

With the Rescue course, a lot of it is surface skills, but you do have to do search techniques underwater, as well as a controlled buoyant lift, so your buoyancy needs to be of a reasonable standard. If instructors do their jobs properly, that should be the case before you are signed of OW though. I would get a few dives in between AOW and RD, but I wouldn't leave it too long.

After RD, I'd advise just dive, dive, dive and decide where you wish to go from there. There is no shortage of courses on offer, but most of the speciality certifications are a waste of money IMO.

 

[Rhone Man]

 

[Bagster]

Thank you all for the congratulations.

And yes, diving with my daughter is wonderful. Through diving we are making new high water marks in our relationship. The key is, it's an activity that we are both enthused about, and where we are equals, learning together. She's a natural!

 

[Yellowdog]

I did the same thing with my daughter. We were certified this summer and did our AOW after 10 open water dives. It is great because it is the first activity that we both are able to enjoy equally. We both learned a lot from the AOW course and the more I dive, read and spend on the net the more I realize how little we / I actually know about diving. We are taking my son to Cozumel over Christmas break to get his OW and my daughter and I will monitor his course as well as open water dive. Having grown up on the beach, I have spent much of my life on the water, swimming, surfing, boating and fishing. I felt at home with diving from the first, " I got this ", but the more I learn the more I realize you cannot be too prepared or have too much caution. We will do the AOW again with my son this spring and then all 3 of us will do the Rescue course this summer. "There are bold divers and old divers but few old bold divers" Learn, practice, learn.