PADI AOW - why?

[ScubyDoo]

I took the AOW last April in preparation for the upcoming dive season. I knew I was going to be doing wreck dives and deep dives this summer and I wanted to do them legally. One of the most important rules in diving is "Dont dive beyond your training". I found the AOW course material and dives to be extremely valuable in furthering my dive training. Even if you never take the AOW course, I still recommend taking the Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty. Buoyancy is the single most important skill in diving and this course is well worth the $$$. Good luck and have fun in Key Largo. Come back and give us a dive report if you dive the Speigel Grove!!

 

[Guam_Diver]

The AOW class will give you some good info....Just remember to always dive within your limits. If you've just gotten your basic OW in May then you probably don't have a lot of dives in yet. Just because you have that "Advanced" c-card, it doesn't mean you are an advanced diver.....only years of experiences will do that for you. Like I said....dive within your limits! Be safe and have fun!

Cheers!

 

[neve]

It just costs $20 more.

I was going on a dive trip to Bali and planned to do some leisure dives. Then I found out that doing the AOW in Bali is much cheaper than doing it in Singapore.

In Singapore, a leisure dive package (6 dives over a weekend, full board) costs SGD330.

My AOW certification (5 dives, full board) costs SGD350. So, why not? I learned how to use the compass, I brushed up my buoyancy (Peak Performance Buoyancy), I dived deep (100ft), and I had my first wreck dive (which was superb, I might add).

Do it if the price is right, because you do get to learn a few things. Best of all, you can tailor the course to your needs (or interests).

cheers,
neve

 

[booga_roo]

I took my AOW and was glad I did as it then let me do my RD later on. I probably learned a lot more from the Rd than the AOW, but the AOW does let you do more than just an OW:1eye:

 

[Welshman]

i took my AOW earlier this year. I found learning new skills under the supervision of an experienced instructor useful, particularly as Scubydoo said, the PPB course which I've found the most valuable. Also as Herman said it opens the way to do Rescue Diver which I've got in about 3 weeks time.

 

[kwesler]

More support for AOW in order to get to Rescue, which EVERY diver should have...

Joni-I am a little concerned about a new diver on the Spiegel Grove. Have I missed something, or isn't that a fairly advanced dive since it is on its side? IMHO you need excellent buoyancy control to do any deep dive, since the additional compression issues are best handled after you have a certain comfort level with your other skills.

Please bear in mind I have no idea of your skill level, and you might be ready to go!

I tend to the conservative, and I did not do a deep dive until I could do a horizontal stop w/o messing with my buoyancy beyond my lungs. Again, I am conservative and typically do a 50', 30' and 15' stop.

Friends...am I off the mark here?

 

[Mike Newman]

Originally posted by Joni
Hi!

I'm wondering, is this stuff you can learn on your own with experience?

Joni - I may not convince you, but I can tell you that I have asked myself this question too.

I qualified OW in April, having spread the qual dives over the winter. I then decided to move on to AOW, partly to progress my diving, partly to gain greater experience and additional confidence.

I know now for a fact that the manual and videos only give you so much. There is massively more to gain from the discussions with and advice and direction of a good instructor.

I believe that I got good value for money - and don't forget, if you are ever required to demonstrate your level of qualification, only a PIC card obtained from formal instruction is going to cut it.

I hope you decide to go down the formal route - sorry I can't sub you for the course fees - still recovering from paying mine.

Mike ;-0

 

[capnvik]

I did my AOW immediately after OW because my instructor refused at the time to give out any C-Card till you finished advanced (he has since relinquished due to the large volume of people whojust need the card fast to go on a pre-scheduled vacation in the tropics.)

As I progress as an AI, I find that there are reasons beyond lack of advanced training that keep OW grads from getting the Experience they need:

1) Nobody to dive with. The OW grad often says "goodbye" to classmates without ever exchanging ph #'s. They are shy about showing up for meetings of established clubs. They get frustrated advertising for buddies, & fear that they have little to contribute to a buddy team. As time between dives increases, their confidence diminishes.

2) Inadequate confidence in local conditions. Some OW courses give just enough training for ideal tropical conditions. Others give enough info but not enough practice. The new diver approaches the shore, sees bigger surge than they expected, & rightly backs out.

If you take another class, you could end up not gaining much if you dont get the subsequent experience. My thought would be to keep taking this PADI wagon & whatever other social/diving event possible whether or not you take the class, & if u do take the class, take the initiative to get everyone's info, keep in touch, & make sure you have a group of dive buddies. Find a local pool that is nice about letting you & your friends practice with gear on between trips.

I think Rescue is a valid goal, too, but not everyone who finishes OW will get there (personl life/$/Time constraints.) Just make sure that you don't get caught in the loop of never having the means to dive unless u r in a class. Let us know how it goes!

 

[divrnr]

I had over 300 dives before I bothered to get my AOW. Then I put another 100 dives in before I got my Rescue cert. My instructor was an ex SEAL living in Malta and he taught Rescue level for his basic course back in '84. My open water test was to swim out to a tanker moored about 300 yards offshore in St. Paul Bay in 2-3 foot swells then swim back... 3 of us made it and 2 had to be helped and of course dropped out. Oh, by the way of the 3 of us that made it I was the only guy! To this day when I do get carded I only show my OW c-card...

 

[Joni]

Hi! Just back from the Keys and all I can think about is - where's my next dive gonna be?

I thoroughly enjoyed the AOW course, and while I'm glad PADI is in the process of changing it to the "Adventure" OW course, I do feel a lot more confident. Advanced? No. No one can be called advanced with only 11 dives logged.

The specialties I chose were: nav, deep, wreck, night, and fish ID. I learned a lot doing each, especially nav and deep.

I did dive the Spiegel Grove yesterday morning and it was spectacular. I plan to dive it at least once/year to watch it progress from wreck to reef. It is absolutely enormous!! Lots of critters already staking their claim.

We only reached about 80 feet, but that was enough to peer into the openings (wouldn't even consider penetrating without additional training, but getting the training to do so would be well worth it!) and realize how massive this wreck is. The local DMs said that it would take between 7-9 dives to see the whole thing. Even though it's on its side, it still looks incredibly majestic somehow. I'm just glad they were able to get the bow out of the water. There are still deflated "balloons" on the bottom that were used to reposition the ship after the original catastrophic sinking.

As for the rest of the trip - the night dive at Davis Reef was spectacular, finally got to see a shark - granted it was just a small nurse shark, it was an incredible sight nonetheless. Lots of green morays, a large jewfish who fell in love with the sight of himself in the mirror we took down.

Conditions were perfect for all 7 dives - good viz, little current, nice weather.

Now all I need is for someone to explain to me how you survive being landlocked in between dives!!

Thanks again for all the input!

Joni