Skip SDI Advanced Adventure (AOW) and go straight to specialties

[topher10]

Received open water cert 2 years and 15 dives ago. Would like to go back for additional instruction at a different shop/instructor for various reasons and considering SDI as the agency, though not certain. I have 3 goals for additional instruction:

1. Have a new instructor evaluate my diving in general to give advice and improve me in general.
2. Having something to work toward (slowly) over the years to possibly get master diver 4 or 5 years from now. Basically take a class once a year as a Christmas gift, and then otherwise just dive as I have been.
3. Get the necessary certification to do 'advanced' dives as required by some dive ops (usually deep or night dives in the places I dive)

In looking at the SDI website (Learn to Scuba Dive | Get Certified | SDI | TDI | ERDI) they have the Advanced Adventure Diver, which is equivalent to AOW at other agencies. First dive of 5 specialties (Deep, Nav, +3).
Next is Advanced Diver, which is 4 complete specialties and 25 dives.
Finally Master, which adds Rescue plus total 50 dives.

The question is: Why bother with the Advanced Adventure, since it only gives you a taste of specialties but you still have to take all the specialties to actually advance anyway.

Instead, I propose that this year I take Nitrox and Deep. Next year I take I take Night and Nav, and at that point I will be Advanced. Over the next few years I can take Intro to Tech, Wreck, and Rescue, and by then I will probably get Master and will have had multiple instructors evaluate me periodically over several years.

The point is that Advanced Adventure feels to bit a little bit of a waste of time (and money). However, its possible that the dive shop may in essence require me to do it, because that is how its done and they want to get to know me first before I launch into specialties.

Thoughts?

 

[Erich S]

If I'm not mistaken, the PADI AOW will get you on most dive boats doing deep dive excursions.

 

[CptTightPants21]

They won't require you to do it Advanced Adventurer. It serves a purpose, but is generally a waste of time and money.

Where are you located?

 

[Remy B.]

Do the TDI Nitrox version is more complete, that together with the deep speciality are the ones with more valuable in knowledge, the rest is op to you.

You may want to considere Solo diver, that brings you more value than Intro to Tech.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Do the TDI Nitrox version is more complete, that together with the deep speciality are the ones with more valuable in knowledge, the rest is op to you.

You may want to considere Solo diver, that brings you more value than Intro to Tech.

Disagree.

TDI nitrox is not "more complete". Basic nitrox course is very instructor/shop dependent. Some will really focus on mastery of principle, others will just go formulas, math, safety guidelines, done.

Solo diver is not the course where you learn to shoot a lift bag correctly. Intro to tech is the course that touches on and introduces higher level techniques. Solo diver may introduce a new technique or have the diver start to think about something differently, but it is not the course where they LEARN how to dive.

 

[topher10]

I am in Southern Louisiana. Would probably travel to Florida Panhandle (Pensacola) for training. Most of my dives will be in the Gulf of Mexico, with occasional travel to mostly tropical locations. I am a typical vacation/warm water diver, and I don't think I will ever get into serious tech/wreck diving. Spearfishing around oil rigs and diving to deepish wrecks (non-penetration) is probably the most serious diving I would do.

I do periodically have to travel to DC area for work, and I have considered trying to dive some of the wrecks on the NJ or Virginia coasts. But those dives seem quite a bit more serious than what I am used to. Same thing regarding occasionally SoCal travel, but those dives would be similar to what I am used to besides the colder water.

Point on TDI vs SDI nitrox is well taken, and one of the reasons for SDI is eventually getting solo course. But it will be a while before I am there.

Thanks as always.

 

[Marie13]

I'm doing the SDI advanced this year. It's sort of confusing if you're used to PADI, but it's separate specialties and then you get the advanced whatever they call it cert once you've completed the requisite number of specialties. I'm doing wreck, deep, uw nav, and night/low viz. I'll do intro to tech late this season or next year as it's been suggested to me as a "buoyancy course on steroids." My equipment choices are almost all tech leaning without meaning to, so I thought it would be an interesting class. I bought the TDI Intro to Tech book for winter reading.

The wreck specialty is the one I'm the most interested in since I have a passion for Great Lakes wrecks and will be diving wrecks on Lakes Michigan and Huron this summer. I already have my drysuit cert (got it in conjunction with SDI OW) and nitrox.

 

[topher10]

I'm doing the SDI advanced this year. It's sort of confusing if you're used to PADI, but it's separate specialties and then you get the advanced whatever they call it cert once you've completed the requisite number of specialties. I'm doing wreck, deep, uw nav, and night/low viz. I'll do intro to tech late this season or next year as it's been suggested to me as a "buoyancy course on steroids." My equipment choices are almost all tech leaning without meaning to, so I thought it would be an interesting class. I bought the TDI Intro to Tech book for winter reading.

Did you start with the Advanced Adventure (Overview of the 5 specialties), or did you just go straight to the specialties on the way to Full Blown Advanced.

 

[Marie13]

I've not started yet (this spring) but I will go to the full blown specialties. I see no reason to do the advanced whatever that just gives you a taste.

 

[topher10]

I see no reason to do the advanced whatever that just gives you a taste.

That is basically what I was thinking. I will just need to talk with the shop/instructors and see how they feel.