Relocation/potential agency switch between OW and AOW - advice?

[Crewfish13]

Last summer/fall, I completed my OW certification through Paradise Divers, a SSI shop in Louisville, KY. I was thrilled with my instruction, and felt like I came away from it with a really solid foundation for diving. This summer, I'll be relocating up the river to Cincinnati, and find myself in a quandary as to where to turn for a new dive shop.

I really like SSI's approach that AOW requires 24 dives under your belt, as I feel like I want to be at the point where basic OW diving is second nature before I start tacking on new "advanced" skills, which is a bit farther along than my present 5 dives. However, there appears to be only one SSI shop in the greater Cincinnati area (which I may or may not end up living close to), and I haven't started really looking at shops to get a feel for them and their instructors.

PADI, on the other hand, seems to be happy to enroll you in AOW as soon as you've completed OW. I'm sure I could be comfortable going this route, as I took to OW pretty naturally and will spend a good amount of time in my in-laws' pool this summer working skills, but I'm not sure I like the overall approach. (Not trying to start a flame war, just my impressions.)

I wouldn't really care about AOW at all and just enjoy the diving for now, but I'd like to look into volunteering as a diver at the Newport Aquarium once we move back to Cincy, and AOW certification is a minimum requirement to volunteer.

So, do I follow the training course my head says is right and take my time mastering the OW skills before trying to fiddle with additional gear and getting my AOW card (through SSI or another agency), or do I just get the certification and be done with it? Are there any pros or cons to changing agency in between OW and AOW?

Thanks!

 

[fjpatrum]

I've been picking my classes based upon the instructors and convenience to my wallet/schedule. So far I have PADI OW, TDI Nitrox and I'm probably going to take SSI dry suit. If I ever bother with AOW, it will be based upon the instructor's specific curriculum, not the agency. From what I can tell it only matters if you're planning to go pro, at which time you can always take cross-over courses as necessary to go pro with whichever agency you prefer.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I did my PADI AOW around 15 dives. I'd like to think that I was a passable diver before I started my AOW.

I think that there are many people who go straight from OW to AOW without the necessary comfort/skill in the water. However, AOW teaches many basic skills that you should practice early (PPB, navigation, etc.) and you shouldn't wait too long to learn them properly. Also, charters will let you go deeper, though there are no scuba police.

Thus, I think that getting your AOW around 15 to 30 dives is ideal. You should have adequate control of buoyancy, adequate comfort in the water, and adequate comfort with the basic OW skills.

 

[Imbodie]

I'm a new PADI OWSI and if I understood MY training correctly, the intent of PADI allowing AOW right after OW is to keep the diver in the water and working on skills with a dive professional there with them. Where SSI wants you so spend some time diving before moving on to AOW. I did my OW with PADI and my AOW, Rescue with SSI and then back to PADI for my DM. If you have a goal in mind that requires your AOW to complete, then by all means go on and do your AOW now rather than counting off a few more dives...
-Tim

 

[Bigd2722]

It shouldn't matter. If you take AOW now you will be getting more experience in the water. The bottom line is that you will get out of a class (and diving) what you want to put into it. With your attitude and approach you should do great either way

 

[boulderjohn]

PADI does not require you to start AOW immediately. You can wait 100 dives if you prefer.

Visit the shops and get a feel for them. Ask questions. Find out how and where they do their AOW dives. Then make a choice based upon what sounds best to you.

 

[DevonDiver]

It is incorrect to compare the PADI AOW with the SSI AOW - they are different levels of certification. They just share an identical name.

Looking at the course-flow diagrams for each agency, you will see:

PADI AOW = SSI Advanced Adventurer

SSI AOW = PADI MSD

The PADI AOW is designed (and named) to reflect that it is a continuation (or advancement) of the Open Water course.

Given that OW training only consists of 4 dives - a very humble amount, that provides nothing more than the foundational minimums for safety underwater, the opportunity to supplement those humble introductory dives with further supervised experience is a benefit for the novice diver for many reasons.

Defering the AOW only makes sense if you have an inaccurate preoccupation with the word 'advanced' in the course title - and have somehow convinced yourself that it is is an 'advanced diver' course, rather than the Advanced Open Water course that it actually is....

 

[Bob DBF]

If you just need an AOW card to dive the Aquarium, take the PADI course 'cause its cheaper and faster. DevonDiver just used too many words and implications. Depending on the quality of instructor(s) in the PADI shop, you may want to go back to SSI, or try NAUI, for your continuing dive education. It's your journey, you pick the road.

Sometimes when you have a foolish requirement, you just find the easiest way to meet it.



Bob
--------------------------
There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.

 

[Crewfish13]

Thanks all for the advice. My main concern wasn't that AOW necessarily constitutes an "advanced" diver, but that I might not get as much from the AOW classes if I'm constantly fighting with buoyancy issues, incorrect weighting, unfamiliar gear or the like. I was a couple pounds overweighted during OW cert dives (overcompensating for more exposure suit), and I basically had to constantly keep my eye on my computer to make sure I wasn't drifting up or down. I'd rather spend some time getting used to my new-to-me gear and figuring out my weighting for my different gear configurations, and then add new skills once I've gotten that figured out. My only issue is that I'll probably do most of that in a pool, so it doesn't add to my dive tally.

I've probably also got a little bit of agency snobbery going on, as I was made well aware of the "equal" ratings between SSI and PADI during OW. Part of me wants to have the card from the agency that makes you "work harder for it".

In the end, I'lm sure I'll just start checking out the Cincy dive shops and figure out which one fits my needs the best. It's nice to know that people seem to agree, to an extent, that an AOW card is just a piece of plastic and personal skills and bottom time are what really matter.

 

[BVickery]

I've probably also got a little bit of agency snobbery going on, as I was made well aware of the "equal" ratings between SSI and PADI during OW. Part of me wants to have the card from the agency that makes you "work harder for it".

That's more of an Instructor than agency. People say how PADI just mints diver's left and right. When I did my OW Cert dives our instructor failed more than one person (about 3) just because he didn't feel comfortable certifying them.

As stated with many, and I am a firm believer in it, I am hiring the instructor to teach me, not the agency.