Happy to be OW certified but...

[somewhereinla]

So I am hooked, PADI certified and looking forward to taking an advanced open water certification course. But I am not sure I want to go the PADI route. I was a bit surprised that all it took to get the Padi OW was reading a book, 4 quizes, a final test and 5 dives... And after looking threw local Padi schools (L.A), it seems that the AOW is not that much better... I have been looking a most PADI school in my area on the web, and all advertise a weekend for AOW certification. A weekend???

So I am looking for alternatives, I read about the YMCA scuba program which seems pretty good, but unfortunatly not offered in my area. I then found: scuba school of america in Montclair CA, which is unfortunatly a bit far, but also seems to be a more comprhensive program...

Can anyone recommend a great school in Los Angeles that offer a comprehensive AOW program?

Thank you.

Cheers.

 

[The Chairman]

Training is great. However, nothing, and I mean nothing beats experience. Check out the appropriate Cali group and go dive with some ScubaBoardians. You will learn a LOT and have fun too!

 

[DivingCRNA]

Try the Rescue and Cavern courses. There is also Deep Tec. Don't forget Divemaster.

There is certainly fluff in PADI, but you can head toward some serious diving starting with PADI (or NAUI, or any other agency...).

There are steps to be taken, but mostly you should dive a lot.

 

[Jason Ooi]

You continue forward to Advanced open water and Nitrox courses.

 

[Imagesetter]

IMO, the AOW course completes the OW course. The AOW course will give you more dive experience and expose you to dives you may not try on your own for some time. The OW course does not give enough dive experience (imo)

I would not consider someone who completes AOW as an advanced diver though.

I definitely recommend doing the AOW course.

Another option is to find a mentor to dive with. The disadvantage here is being able to find qualified mentors.

 

[Divers Direct]

Try and find a NAUI Agency near you,their advance classes consist of 5dives which include Navigation,Night/Low Visibility and Deep. You may alos choose additional dives from a wide menu of choices including :Wreck Diving,Search & Recovery,Underwater Hunting,Boat Diving,Underwater Photography,Dift Diving, and many more. Check out NAUI'S WEB SITE NAUI.ORG. They will find a place near you.

 

[Jasonmh]

..
So I am looking for alternatives, Can anyone recommend a great school in Los Angeles that offer a comprehensive AOW program?
QUOTE]

The AOW and especially rescue are great courses, and of course alot of diving (as was mentioned) is definitely good. If you want an alternative, you might want to contact MHK on this board and take the course he offers in your area. It is definitely a step above, and includes things that I believe should have been in an OW and AOW course.
Good luck to you and have fun diving.

 

[DivingCRNA]

Try and find a NAUI Agency near you,their advance classes consist of 5dives which include Navigation,Night/Low Visibility and Deep. You may alos choose additional dives from a wide menu of choices including :Wreck Diving,Search & Recovery,Underwater Hunting,Boat Diving,Underwater Photography,Dift Diving, and many more. Check out NAUI'S WEB SITE NAUI.ORG. They will find a place near you.

Not a hijack.

It is not the agency. All my certs are PADI, but my instructor is PADI. All the recreational diving agencies are roughly comparable. Get more training with a good instructor and just dive more. Before you know it you will be shooting a lift bag for a deep deco stop...

 

[spectrum]

Your OW certification should have prepared you to get started with modest local dives, especially shore dives. If your shop does open dives start showing up to dive with peers. If you are lucky you will fall into favor with a mentor. You need to spend some time blowing bubbles in your comfort zone.

AOW is going to mean a deep dive and probably a night dive in addition to navigation and a few other electives. Your reservations as I hear them do not put you in the right frame of mind to make a deep or night dive effectively. Sure the instructor can guide you through them but you still won't have confidence in your foundation. Dive, dive, dive.

Most AOW programs are largely about making some diversified dives and executing the related new skills. IMO you need to be at ease with the basics before assimilating these effectively.

Pete

 

[annasea]

LA County Scuba