Requirement to do night dives

[Storker]

On the topic of nav dives: in my reality, people learn basic compass use topside, around elementary school age. Taking those skills underwater is... not particularly challenging. You really don't need a nav adventure dive to use a compass for basic underwater navigation. I did that before I'd logged ten dives. Including my OW course dives.

 

[dmaziuk]

Yeah....but it troubles me that most seem to have no learning/retention associated with this, otherwise they could easily repeat it during the AOW Nav dive....sometimes just a few days later.

Presumably not a skill they need/have. I briefly did some orienteering/t-hunting at school and so basic compass use is a skill I have -- though never use -- since. SWMBO, OTOH, has just as little need for it as I do, but she never did it before either. So when we went swimming with tarpons on Bari Reef and she put on the compass to show "which way the island is" in the dark, it took a few minutes and an "How can you not know this? You did this fine in OW: I know because I was there" conversation. Though this was like two years after OW and didn't need long to remember/get the hang of it. "Just a few days later" is bad.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah....but it troubles me that most seem to have no learning/retention associated with this, otherwise they could easily repeat it during the AOW Nav dive....sometimes just a few days later.

I can easily see that. The compass reciprocal drills I've seen were all done once. As with anything, this is not nearly enough unless one practises it. Same with all the skills. I use compass nav. a lot, but usually just taking a general heading ("I'll head out from shore SSE"). Maybe I'm the exception in that my first ever use of compass was 11 years ago in OW course age 51. For me, I would have either had an interest or been in a group (like Scouts?) to have learned it as a kid, as it's certainly not taught in elementary school in New York.....

 

[NAM001]

Reduced visibility is not a requirement of AOW. It might happen, but then again it might happen on an OW dive as well. The OW course has 4 dives, and they include navigation.

I was certified by PADI 20 years ago. No requirements have been taken from the course since since then. A number have been added.

I never said it was a requirement. I used that name cause my night dive cert was reduced vis night diving. . For AOW you have x amount of adventure/experience/ what ever PADI wants to call them to do, ad a req to get your AOW card. Most Aow's do deep nav and some other, many times it is (Ill call it night dive) to get the exposure dives done.

 

[NAM001]

On the topic of nav dives: in my reality, people learn basic compass use topside, around elementary school age. Taking those skills underwater is... not particularly challenging. You really don't need a nav adventure dive to use a compass for basic underwater navigation. I did that before I'd logged ten dives. Including my OW course dives.

I would agree, the benefit I see is when they find out they swam in a circle and realize there is some skill in using a compass underwater. Its a good exposure dive to let them know just what they don't know. Deep lets them experience the reality of how fast the tank runs down and builds confidence in that all sorts fo fears of the deep are not real. It also makes them try to hold depth for the 3 min stop. NIght and reduced vis dive stresses the importance of keeping a buddy in sight. All things that are important to do a successful deep dive etc.

 

[NAM001]

I can easily see that. The compass reciprocal drills I've seen were all done once. As with anything, this is not nearly enough unless one practises it. Same with all the skills. I use compass nav. a lot, but usually just taking a general heading ("I'll head out from shore SSE"). Maybe I'm the exception in that my first ever use of compass was 11 years ago in OW course age 51. For me, I would have either had an interest or been in a group (like Scouts?) to have learned it as a kid, as it's certainly not taught in elementary school in New York.....

Yes but it is a hoop you have to go through. My wife did 5 kicks out and 5kicks back to an 8' wide dock. She successfully returned except for going under the dock and it got dark. Instructor got her back to the ladder.

 

[FinnMom]

In my part of the world, it has six. National requirements.

Wow, I hadn't noticed people using the number 4 as the number of rquired OW dives; that's darn few (as is 5). We have 5 OW dives for certification (CMAS).