Non Dead Horse certification question

[novicediver]

I am just curious how many people here have considerable diving experience (whether locally or all over the place) but "only" have their open water certification? This is not a knock on getting more training, but for whatever reason never felt the need to or have the opportunity to get further training. In my case, my diving has been exclusively inland save for a couple shore dives in California and on a Hawaiian vacation. My lake dives have purely been for the enjoyment of blowing bubbles, and I haven't really felt the need to take more advanced classes yet.

 

[RonFrank]

I know of several VERY experienced divers that have done nothing beyond OW.

I highly recommend rescue, but once one has more than 100 dives, AOW looses it's luster. Unfortunately most agencies require AOW to go further.

IMO, any NEWISH diver will benefit from AOW, and ALL divers should have rescue once they are comfortable with their skills in the water.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying diving with the bare minimum of OW certification, but if something happened either UW, or on the surface rescue COULD be the difference between life and death. That alone IMO makes that class worthwhile.

In the Keys, most OPS require AOW to do any of the deepish wrecks (Grove, Bibb, Duane, etc.). It maybe silly, but I've seen experienced divers turned away because of no AOW, and watched as rookies (sub 30 dives) blew off the Grove, and had to be rescued! They did have AOW, so they met the criteria, but I have to wonder if a bit more common sense should have been used before allowing these newbies to go down in a strong current with low vis.

 

[ScubaSteve]

There are many out there with a lot more experience than me but I was OW until about 30 dives, AOW until about 200 dives and then I took a NAUI nitrox course. I have not considered a whole lot of additional training at this time. I have no interest in becoming a DM or an instructor so any training I take will be to improve me as a person and a diver. It will happen soon enough but for now I am just enjoying the diving.

 

[redacted]

I put a couple hundred dives under my belt before I seriously looked at additional training. I then took a nitrox class because air was kicking my a$$ when doing 4 -5 deeper dives a day. I considered AOW but decided there was little to be gained after reading the book. I also considered the rescue course and read that book. But an LDS gave me a hard time over waiving the AOW requirement so I passed on that one also. Then, with over 700 dives, I decided I wanted to get my solo cert so I could dive solo at FGB. SDI waived the AOW requirement (equiv credit) and I did that course and got both solo and AOW certs from them. I don't see any more training in my future.

 

[spydeedyves]

At this point in my life, I just dive. I enjoy being underwater. I believe in additional training whenever you can get it and I read everything I can (including countless hours of lurking here), but I haven't felt compelled to increase my certs...yet. I agree wholeheartedly with Ron regarding rescue, though and just put that on my to-do list.

 

[don Francisco]

Ron F. put it perfectly. After a certain number of dives AOW becomes pointless. After the basics, You learn diving through experience, and while AOW accererates the process for new divers, it doesn't help experienced divers at all.

The other courses that are worth taking are Rescue, because it'll teach you things and take you through scenarios that experience won't, and what I call "gateway" courses, which teach you to use certain equipment, such as Nitrox, Dry suit, etc. or the technical courses such as Cave, or Wreck.

Unfortunately, if you wait for a while before AOW, it'll become a toll on the road to more advanced diving.

If you don't plan on more technical diving, and can avoid those places like Florida where dive ops care about whether you're AOW or not, you can dive forever without any other courses, and you won't be any the worse for it, many do.

 

[Doc]

I had been diving a bit before I took my OW in a swimming pool. Back then, in 1969, you could get fully certified in a pool. A week later I earned my AOW in the same pool.

I then went and did 3800+ dives, but only a few of those were in a pool.

33 years later I did my DM and OWSI in one month.

"Advanced Diving" is merely dealing with a set of new situations, challenges and stimuli. Some people can figure it out, some like to read, some like to be guided. Figure out who you are, but always dive within your capabilities. You can't know what you don't know.

 

[Gary D.]

Started in 60, certified NAUI in 62 been active with many thousands of dives under my belt. As far as recreational diving goes all I have is AOW and Nitrox.

Gary D.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I made a few hundred dives before getting AOW. I only took that class because an instructor offered to take me through AOW-DM for free if I helped with his classes and house-sat for him. It turned into also helping him move twice, but the rescue class was worth the effort. I learned tech diving from friends and made "tech" dives for several years. These days I'm mostly shore diving the same site I began free diving before getting certified. I've gone full circle, but I enjoy my dives now as much as when I was a new diver, maybe even more.

 

[gypsyjim]

I had been diving a bit before I took my OW in a swimming pool. Back then, in 1969, you could get fully certified in a pool. A week later I earned my AOW in the same pool. QUOTE]

Did a "Y" Scuba Diver cert in '70. Couldn't 'get fully certified in the pool' though (even after 7 weeks of pool work it then took), you had to show open water proficiancy to complete the certification.

Several years ago I did a PADI AOW because I was really impressed with that course director's teaching and I like to keep training to stay sharp. Did rescue class last summer for the same reason.