How long between your open water and advanced open water course?

[miked]

Basic OW in '74, AOW in '92. The time between included a few years off, and a few hundred dives.
What did I learn in AOW that I didn't learn through experience/other divers: only that I am a better "natural" navigator than compass navigator-but I already knew that.The course was a good review/reinforcement that the things I learned along the way were still the " course approved" way to do them.

The main reason I took the course was to get a C-card that had a picture that almost resembled me, rather than me 20 years before....hmmm, might be time for a new card!

 

[daniel f aleman]

AOW is a great course if you find the right instructor who values teaching it. A great example is Bob's course (NWGreatfulDiver, a frequent SB poster); PM him for a full course decription or for his course syllabus: NWGratefulDiver.com

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Dives #5-9 for me as well, simply because it was the very next opportunity I had to get back underwater. I'd acquired all my gear before OW checkout dive #1 (and aside from swapping my Stiletto for a BP/W, I still dive all of it for single tank dives), I loved and was comfortable with cold, dark water, and AOW and a redundant air source were prerequisites for what I wanted to do (dive local wrecks).

I don't think I was under any illusions at the time that AOW made me an advanced diver, but it did let me go on dives that contributed greatly to my advancement as a diver.

 

[TMHeimer]

2 dives and 4 months after I did OW I did AOW. The reason being it was the only way the boat would go out on the FL panhandle in winter, and I wanted to do a charter. This is usual for the panhandle in winter due to lack of customers and rough weather. Otherwise, I never would've thought about AOW.

 

[diversteve]

32 years and counting...

 

[KeithG]

32 years and counting...

Damn. I'm a noob.

24 years and counting...

 

[Bob DBF]

29 years between OW and AOW, of course it took 17 years of diving before I got the OW cert. So far, I have only been asked once for a cert before I got on a boat, but it's nice to have the ticket when you need it.



Bob
------------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[tplyons]

AOW comprised logged dives 5-9 for me. In between OW and AOW I took EANx, but did no dives.

This is exactly how I did mine as well.

Looking back, I find that OW generally tends to be larger groups... mine was with six students I believe. I got really comfortable in the water during OW but did not necessarily feel I was qualified to do anything more than look around. Perfectly fine if you want to go to the Caribbean a few times and stay in the shallows, but I dive in New Jersey.

OW taught me to control my buoyancy and clear my mask. But I didn't feel it qualified me for the North Atlantic by any stretch of the imagination.

With the wrecks and the North Atlantic, I felt that AOW taught me skills I would actually use. With a class size of two, we got very personalized instruction to our interests, and our futures as divers in the North Atlantic.

Needless to say, even AOW is the beginning. After finishing my rescue diver, I felt I was at a level where I considered myself a truly independent diver, being able to handle most emergencies should they pop up.

 

[Wineaux]

I went right from OW to AOW/drysuit. I wouldn't call myself an advanced diver but it definitely made me a more confidant diver doing more instructor led dives.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

We did OW and AOL eLearning then went to Cancun. We did pool and OW dives 1&2 on days 1 & 2. We started the dives for AOW on day 3...