How many dives before going for AOW cert?

[orm]

I did mine after about 10 dives... I was travelling at the time, so I did my AOW about three weeks after my OW.

I'd moved on from the OW site in Malaysia and moved onto Bali, ended up doing a pretty horrific drift dive in a blowing current that was way out of my comfort zone. Away from my tutelage I felt ill prepared and a bit vulnerable that the dive op could put me in that situation, I panicked under there a bit, so decided to 'go back to school'.

I found a great instructor and did my AOW, needless to say the first choice of dives I made was drift! I'd also recommend Peak Performance Bouyancy.

It's a good course done properly and gives you confidence in more aspects beyond Open Water.

 

[TSandM]

I went straight from OW to AOW, but that was because I was so horrible that I really felt I should be in the water with an instructor, if at all. I didn't get a whole lot out of my AOW class, except more time in the water.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

I went straight from OW to AOW, but that was because I was so horrible that I really felt I should be in the water with an instructor, if at all. I didn't get a whole lot out of my AOW class, except more time in the water.

I had a very similar experience. I was really comfortable in the water after OW, but I never was comfortable enough to plan my own dives and really take charge of my diving. It was probably due to a combination of age and lack of exceptional training. Needless to say, I feel that OW and AOW, as they are outlined by the mainstream agencies, should be taught as one entry level course that is more comprehensive better prepares students.

I would say just go for it and dont bother waiting. AOW will help you get more comfortable with your skills, gain more experience, and help allow you to develop into a more independent diver simply as a result of doing more dives. Honestly, calling it an advanced course is a misnomer and is laughable anyway.

 

[Buoyant1]

I ended up doing mine after 50 -60 dives...only because I didn't have time to take the course (the dive shop's schedule and mine didn't mesh) As a result, I was pretty bored with the AOW course, and pretty much only took it because of the hassles some operators give you about your training. Prior to AOW I had already breached the magic 60ft. depth on many occasions (in fact I think I had two over 100ft. dives at that point) I also had done night dives, and was given some basic navigation by the guys I did most of my diving with at that point.

Personally, I think you should hit AOW more than 10 (non including your cert dives) but under 30 to keep it interesting. I think I would have gotten more out of the course had I did it under 30 dives.

 

[fresh_fish]

I'll be waiting until after 20-25 dives. I am very comfortable in the water at depth, but my buoyancy needs work. Until I get that, I'm not going any further. Until I can dive without needing to stare at my gauges (just check periodically), I will work on perfecting the skills I've learned.

 

[Fourseventeen]

thanks for all the repsonses guys I appreciate the input. I am pretty comfortable in the water...I grew up on the beach so I have no issues with water...at least not on the surface LOL. I have only been down to 56 feet and seem to be most comfortable in water with good viz and not to much current/surge. I am considering the AOW so I can build confidence in water with less viz and more depth and of coarse as a pre req for rescue. I am def nervous about the thought of diving down to 100 feet with limited viz so thats the main thing I think I need to work on over coming. The instructor we have available is great! He has invited me out to the dive shops pool to help me with any skills I feel I need help with...and didnt charge me a dime. He says he has l ogged over 5000 dives and still loves diving. He seems like a great guy and a tremendous help so I am sure he would work with me on the issues I have going into the AOW coarse

 

[WoodyLompoc]

I had 40 or 50 dives in before I did my advanced. I don't think that I would have absorbed much if I had gone directly after my OW. Then again I ended up not getting much "new" from the AOW class, other than a confidence builder and having a card I had to show for an "advanced" dive I did on my following dive trip.

If you want to rush it to rush to becoming a pro; that is another discussion.

 

[scubagoldmc]

Started our AOW the day after OW. First dive was the "deep". Was it the best thing? Absolutely not but it ended up working out for us. I'll explain.

Finished OW on Feb 5, 2005. Did deep the next day. I do think our instructor knew us well enough to allow it (I was actually certified in 1967 but didn't dive much back then, my wife was new). We were scheduled to leave on a Caribbean cruise on March 5. Our first port was Grand Cayman. We went on cruise line arranged dives. Our first dive was to 80 feet (sure glad we had done the deep back home). We finally finished AOW about a year later (problems scheduling with the instructor and ended up changing instructors to finish).

By the way enjoyed the diving on the cruise. It wasn't enough but ended up with 2 dives each in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Belize. What a great way to start out our diving.

Mike

 

[ding dang]

i have mine. all it is, is PADI's way to take your money, through the requirements set for further education, and insurance purposes for boats going to intermediate dive sites.

if there was a guy with 100 dives and just open water, and 20 dives with AOW, you bet your ass i'd dive with the first guy.

100 open water and 100 advanced open water dives are EXACTLY alike. don't take it unless:

1. you plan on doing intermediate/advanced dive sites where the charter SPECIFICALLY says that "you must PAY for a guide if you're not AOW"
2. you plan on getting your divemaster - and working, not just having the cert.

my opinions on the rescue class are the exact same. i'd still choose the first, regular open-water guy.

 

[Divedoggie]

i have mine. all it is, is PADI's way to take your money, through the requirements set for further education, and insurance purposes for boats going to intermediate dive sites.

if there was a guy with 100 dives and just open water, and 20 dives with AOW, you bet your ass i'd dive with the first guy.

100 open water and 100 advanced open water dives are EXACTLY alike. don't take it unless:

1. you plan on doing intermediate/advanced dive sites where the charter SPECIFICALLY says that "you must PAY for a guide if you're not AOW"
2. you plan on getting your divemaster - and working, not just having the cert.

my opinions on the rescue class are the exact same. i'd still choose the first, regular open-water guy.

If an AOW class is done correctly, the divers will all learn much more than they would if they just went out and did a bunch of dives. I would argue that an AOW diver with 20 dives could have better skills and a firmer grasp of various aspects of diving and the related skills than the diver who just logged 100 dives. 100 dives with bad technique and no fundamentals makes for an experienced diver who has over and over again reinforced poor diving skills.

All of my dive team-mates/buddies are at least Rescue divers. Someone, someday may need to rescue me, and I sure hope that they have appropriate rescue skills if I am to survive, and they keep themselves safe as well.

How many people have the discipline to review and practice skills that they learned in OW? How many people take the time to learn altitude conversions and related rules? Do divers automatically and intuitively know how to use a compass? Does the diver with 100 dives know various kinds of knots, search patterns, how to use a lift bag? How about a fun and simple specialty dive like Fish ID. I'd much rather dive with someone who knows what they are looking at and what they are looking for. They may be able to point some things out to me that I missed.

Take the course for the same reasons you would do any continued education; to open your mind, learn new skills and concepts, and to challenge and enjoy yourself in accomplishing specific tasks. The reward is greater knowledge and a stronger foundation, friendships with fellow students, shared challenging experiences, and adventure.