How important is Advanced Open Water Certification for Palau diving?

[judypots]

Hello divers,

My husband and I are going to Palau over New Year's (also Truk and Yap for a few days each). We had heard somewhere (can't remember where), that for some dives on Palau an Advanced Open Water cert. may be required. We have only the basic open water cert., but we have about 100 dives each in the last 3 years, including wreck dives, drift dives, night dives and dives of up to 130 feet (Saba and Belize Blue Hole). I understand that the dive masters take into account the divers' experience level when planning dives, but have you ever heard of Advanced Open Water cert. required anywhere? Thanks.

 

[Garrobo]

Don't know for sure about Palau but most dive shops I've dealt with will not take you out on a deep dive unless you have an AOW cert or are accompanied by an instructor or DM.

 

[scubadiveilat]

If your not an Adv. Open Water Diver! And interested in diving in Palau you need to dive with a diver of a higher level and experienced. This applies to the majority of dive sites worldwide.

If you have further inquiries post me and I'll reply. Have fun Diving!!!!

 

[Crowley]

It applies to many locations worldwide, but often it is due to the particular rules of the dive centre. Some treat it as a safety concern because if nothing else, it's 5 dives' more experience, but many use it as a money-spinner because then you have to make the course if you want to dive with them.

Overall I don't see it as a terrible thing because any training has to be considered worthwhile, and although I have never been to Palau, I know a few people who have worked there and for sure some of the conditions there require some experience to deal with.

If you are thinking of visiting, get in touch and talk to prospective dive centres and ask them about the whys and wherefores of their policies. Choose the dive centre with the best counseling, not the best sales pitch.

Cheers

C.

 

[mtnaire]

Having just gotten back from there last month, I did not experience a "requirement" of AOW cert as in other places I have dived in the past, but certainly many of the dives there are advanced and require comfort diving in strong currents. Most of the reputable outfits there will assess your ability and not put you in harm's way. I would contact them individually and pose this question to them directly. Both Fish 'n Fins and Sams have been touted as reputable places to book with. My brother and I dove with FnF and had a great time.

 

[judypots]

Thanks for your replies. I should have mentioned that my husband and I have about 100 dives each in the last 3 years since we've been certified. We've done several 130 foot dives with divemasters (Belize Blue Hole, Saba pinnacle), wreck dives and night dives. We've always gone with the divemaster which we still prefer to do. In looking at the websites of a number of operators on Palau, none of them say that an AOW is necessary before you can do certain dives. I have e-mailed Sam's Tours in Palau about it, so we'll see what they say.

 

[currier]

Somewhere (can't remember where) I was told that for some dives at Palau, you must have Advanced Open Water certification.

I would think that operators who require AOW would do so because their sites are deeper than 18m ...

I should have mentioned that my husband and I have about 100 dives each in the last 3 years since we've been certified. We've done several 130 foot dives with divemasters (Belize Blue Hole, Saba pinnacle), wreck dives and night dives.

Sounds like you're far more experienced than many AOW divers out there.

We've always gone with the divemaster which we still prefer to do.

If your dives are led by DMs or instructors, it is up to their discretion where to take you / how deep / conditions, etc.

No 'AOW +5 dives' c-card should act as a golden ticket to deeper sites in heavy currents.

Your past diving experience and (realistic) confidence in your abilities have already prepared you for your next trip.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

That seems odd, especially since having an Advanced Open Water cert does not make you an advanced diver. On some challenging dives, the shop has to at least dive with you to suite your ability to do the upcoming hard dives.

 

[DevonDiver]

The old adage of 'dive within the limits of your training and experience' applies.

OW training is limited to a max depth of 18m/60ft. Therefore, newly qualified OW divers have that depth as a recommend maximum. Further diving experience and/or further training extend that recommended limit to 30m. Specialised deep dive training extends it further, to 40m.

Most responsible dive operators will incorporate those recommended limitations within their operational policies, for the sake of customer safety (and occasionally, for insurance/liability purposes).

Other environmental factors will also form part of recommended limitations. OW courses are typically taught in benign water conditions, without heavy current, surge or otherwise unpredicatable water movements (down-currents etc). OW courses are also typically taught at dive sites where the bottom depth equates to the max planned depth of the dive (i.e. not wall dives).

All of these environmental factors could be viewed as 'exceeding' the limits of your training and experience. Because these factors pose increased risks and often require specialised techniques to mitigate those risks, it is not prudent to assume that OW training will have provided you with the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure a reasonable amount of safety.

Palau is a location that is reknown for strong water conditions, unpredicatable water flows and deep dive sites. You can conduct prior research on those sites via the internet - there are many good resources available that describe the sites and the conditions that will be encountered.

Once forewarned about the conditions you will encounter, then you have to assess whether that diving exceeds your current training and experience. If it does, then you should seek to address any deficits by choosing the appropriate training courses.

Again, most responsible dive operations will insist, as policy, that divers posses the required training and experience relevant to the dives they wish to undertake.

 

[altaskier]

I think experience is far better than the AOW certificate, and I'll bet that most of the guides there have that view too. If you're doing a liveaboard, you might consider getting certified for nitrox beforehand as it can help with 5x dives per day; less necessary for land-based.