PADI Advanced Open Water: Did you learn anything new?

[NAUI Wowie]

It seems like there is a misunderstanding here. Long ago, AOW had three required dives (deep, nav, night) and two electives from a medium-sized list that included wreck, drift, search and recovery, etc. Now only two dives are required (deep and nav) and there are three electives from a somewhat larger list. So, just what is it that has changed?

back in april 2018 I took deep, night, Nav, search and recovery, and fish I.D. in Monterey CA. Not sure whats changed just my experience this year

AOW Padi

 

[NAUI Wowie]

good,,,,,,, navigtion is not hard going is a straight line is hard. knowing distance traveled is hard. to say a platform is located at the cross of east of the big tree and north of the barn is a cake walk. learing contour and waypoint navigation is a tremendous nav technique.

Most OW divers dont know how to use a basic compass underwater. i know im always elected to do that and i dont know jack at 30 dives.

but i can read a compass.

and yea I do know to use the ripples in sand for direction as well as current direction and that it may change, kelp if in that environment, etc

 

[npole]

Most OW divers dont know how to use a basic compass underwater.

It's because the teach how to use in a odd way without explaining the basic concept, following what it's written on the "manual".
Luckily when I did the course I knew already how to use a compass (aviation) and I was shocked to listen their explanation (how to move the cursor, how to set it for back-course etc.) it was so confusing that I had to stop listen them, plus I had to explain my buddy how to use it properly.

 

[Pat.D]

Most OW divers dont know how to use a basic compass underwater.

I've been teaching compass work and orienteering my whole adult life (off trail hiker and boy scout leader) and the instructor was a former paratrooper and military diver so he wasn't just teaching "the book", which was good for the other student who didn't know much about orienteering (we were only 2 students when I did my OW cert.)

Pat

 

[npole]

I've been teaching compass work and orienteering my whole adult life (off trail hiker and boy scout leader) and the instructor was a former paratrooper and military diver so he wasn't just teaching "the book", which was good for the other student who didn't know much about orienteering (we were only 2 students when I did my OW cert.)

Pat

Yes, that's the way to go: if you're lucky to find an instructor that uses the compass in other activities he will teach you what a compass is and how it's used like being on land. The oddity start when a scuba instructor want to teach you how to use it according to the diving "manual" (ie: PADI). The argument is so confusing that I bet most of the fresh divers (if they didn't get documented by themselves) doesn't know how to use it.
The importance of the compass is also undervalued (at least on this side of the world) because in reality you don't use it that often.. but that single time you'll need it, it could (literally) save your life.

 

[dmaziuk]

yes that is true opening a lock is involves muscle coordination as opposed to answering a problem like what is 8x7. so it is a physical demonstration on top if a mental processing issue.

IME a combination lock requires remembering the combination and ability to see the digits. That last bit is something I often enough have difficulty with topside, so for me the muscle coordination demonstration is: hold the flashlight in my mouth, the lock in my outstretched hand, and try to reach the dials with the other hand. I can see how doing that underwater in thick gloves might be a tad challenging... but I'm not sure being sober would help that much.

 

[boulderjohn]

THAT IS COMPLETELY FALSE. Ha sorry for the all caps messing with you. But you sir are wrong. In my AOW padi i took about 6 months ago they did math tests at 60 feet then again at the bottom at 100 feet deep. WAY way way back in april of 2018

Do you believe it is impossible for an instructor to do something in a class that is not officially part of the class?

Tursiops is correct--that exercise was removed from the PADI course many years ago. Your instructor was acting outside of the standards. I am sure that PADI removed it because it was counter productive--too many people were indeed doing no worse or even better on it at depth than at the surface (as was often the case with my students), leading to the erroneous belief that narcosis was not a factor to be considered in diving. This is likely because the effects of narcosis are usually pretty minimal at the depths of the AOW class.

 

[EireDiver606]

The short answer is no.

 

[Ryan Mcshane]

I learned how to tie Some sweet knots at 30m #underwaterboyscout yo.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes, that's the way to go: if you're lucky to find an instructor that uses the compass in other activities he will teach you what a compass is and how it's used like being on land. The oddity start when a scuba instructor want to teach you how to use it according to the diving "manual" (ie: PADI). The argument is so confusing that I bet most of the fresh divers (if they didn't get documented by themselves) doesn't know how to use it.
The importance of the compass is also undervalued (at least on this side of the world) because in reality you don't use it that often.. but that single time you'll need it, it could (literally) save your life.

It may have been just how the instructor explained it. I had no trouble understanding how to use it uw (ie. doing a reciprocal heading), and I'm the last one who'd understand something like that easily. I never use that method anyway as my diving is simple. I just point the lubber line in my preferred direction and see where the needle points. If it points SSE, I try to keep it pointing that way.