PADI AOW Certification: A Really Dumb Question

[boulderjohn]

Technically, you are correct. But, if statute says they are liable, then the judge would have no choice than to follow statue.

There is no such statute.

Individual dive operations set their own rules, sometimes based on conditions of their insurance policies. The most common now is to require AOW for certain dives, but that is a dive operation decision. There is no law saying OW divers must be restricted to a depth of 60 feet.

 

[Efka76]

@Randallr

Sir, you mentioned that you are diving for 35 years and you have less than 500 dives (if information in your profile is correct). This means that you were diving less than 14 dives a year. This is a very small number. If I would have 14 dives a year I would forget how to dive. It is the same as to have drivers licence for 35 years but to drive a car only few weekends per year. Definitely AOW course will be beneficial for you as I do not believe that you could have appropriate dive skills by diving only few times per year. You will spend 2 days during which you will have 5 dives. It is quite easy program but it will be a very good skill refresher for you.

 

[Efka76]

Not at all. Especially given that I was told it's ok by the dive shop that employs the instructor that taught the course. The same dive shop that happily supplied the copies. And given that PADI accepted the photocopies of the knowledge review questions. And given that it's a waste of money to buy the book when someone is willing to lend it to you.

No, it is not OK. When student is enrolled in AOW course it should get his/her own copy of AOW book or unique e-learning code. If dive shop is photocopying books it violates copyright standards and trying to save money as each book cost money which would be paid by dive shop to PADI. Also, I suppose it violates PADI standards to which each PADI affiliated shop should obey. If everybody would be so smart and would copy books then PADI would not make any money..... this is not how business works.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

There are also instructors who go above and beyond the standards based on student experience and skills to make the course not only informative but also challenging. Someone who has been diving a while and is good at navigation to start with is not going to do a square, triangle, etc with me. I may have them do a quick one to meet standards but then given the time available on a shallow site I'd like to see them do a path with 3 or 4 course changes, swims of different lengths on those changes, and one of the legs using a line and reel to complete it.
SDI allows instructors to augment and add to the course to increase student skill, knowledge, and comfort. So I also use my second book as an additional resource for the class. Especially the chapter on Gas Management during the 6-8 hours of classroom that is included with the Advanced Adventure course I offer.
For an experienced diver, a by the book AOW class is likely not going to be very challenging.
For a new diver, that same by the book class may actually be dangerous.
Many ops now use that AOW card to release themselves from liability.
"Got an AOW card? Sure, we'll drop you on the Spiegel Grove in a 1-knot current!"
Doesn't matter that the AOW card may only indicate that the diver has 9 or 10 dives, all with an instructor, and all in the same location. And that the deep dive was to 70 feet for 10 minutes at most to open a lock or write your name backwards.
You have a card that will allow you access to dives you may have absolutely no business being on with your current level of actual experience and knowledge.

 

[Steve_C]

@Randallr

Sir, you mentioned that you are diving for 35 years and you have less than 500 dives (if information in your profile is correct). This means that you were diving less than 14 dives a year. This is a very small number. If I would have 14 dives a year I would forget how to dive. It is the same as to have drivers licence for 35 years but to drive a car only few weekends per year. Definitely AOW course will be beneficial for you as I do not believe that you could have appropriate dive skills by diving only few times per year. You will spend 2 days during which you will have 5 dives. It is quite easy program but it will be a very good skill refresher for you.

That is not necessarily the case. Those 14 dives could be spread out over several weeks. If you do two dive every other month that is 12 dives a years. I have a fellow I have dove with a number of times over several years. He gets in maybe 12 dives a year due to family stuff. sometimes less, sometimes a bit more. He is an excellent diver. Like me it is usually 2 dives per trip and we do not do the live aboard or other type of diving that can rack up 12 dives in one week. This is NC off shore boat diving and not easy shallow reef diving.

 

[caruso]

each book costs money which are paid by dive shop to PADI.

What does that even mean? The book doesn't cost the dive shop money if it's not purchased.

If everybody would be so smart and would copy books then PADI would not make any money.

I wasn't aware that books are the only way PADI makes money thanks for clarifying that.

 

[caruso]

If I would have 14 dives a year I would forget how to dive.

You might. I wouldn't. To me it's like riding a bike. Diving isn't all that difficult. I read somewhere that the average, vacation diver sees about a week or 2 per year and they aren't splashing into the water without a clue.

 

[Bob DBF]

SDI allows instructors to augment and add to the course to increase student skill, knowledge, and comfort.

To be fair, so do PADI and NAUI, that I know of, and quite possibly others. In 1980 PADI and NAUI could hold you accountable, withhold cert, for not knowing added material. PADI has since changed that policy, I don't believe NAUI has, but someone with more knowledge can clarify.

Not everything is in the book and it never addresses local conditions, I believe a good instructor will add the information to make you a better, safer diver.


Bob

 

[dmaziuk]

The e-learning is simply the online version of the written book and costs more because hey, technology is expensive and it's another good excuse for the diving organizations such as PADI to fill their coffers.

In all fairness, it is expensive because of all the mickey mouse "digital wrongs manglement" schemes you have to buy into. If materials were free (or "free like youtube") it'd cost you as much as "print to pdf" option in your print dialog, plus a hundred or two megabytes on google drive. If you want to electronically publish just a few manuals, for a very small customer base, and have them read-protected, it'll cost you.

About the only alternative is to be netflix and offer a catalog of 10K+ movies for "all you can watch at five bucks a month" -- that just makes pirating your stuff uneconomical, and gets you volume sales to pay for the tech. (But then your tech costs are in the distribution network rather than DRM anyway.)

 

[JackD342]

I wasn't aware that books are the only way PADI makes money thanks for clarifying that.

I can’t tell if you meant that statement at face value, or if sarcasm was intended.
But either way, I am curious as to what you thought constitutes the source of income for businesses such as PADI, NAUI, SSI, etc.?