To certify or not to certify

[Kairoos]

I'm in the same boat (har har). I would rather dive, or invest in some steel tanks, than do the AOW course. $400 for 5 dives is pricey when I can do 12 boat dives for that same price. The charter I typically dive with wants AOW minimum for their deep and wreck dives. Now obviously since they do instruction, that's a way for them to get you to do another course with them. I could dive another charter that doesn't care, but I like the people I dive with on that charter. I could just not take the class, but I would like to dive some of the deeper reefs as well.

In your situation, I don't think that the course will do a whole lot for you. You might learn some things, but it's not going to enable you to do anything new. If you think that time in front of an instructor is worth the amount of money it's going to cost you then go for it, if not....

I also wouldn't want to take a course during a vacation, so if you can get away with doing it locally, I'd probably go for that.

 

[nimoh]

An insurance company not covering someone for a dive accident because they went beyond the depth limit on their certification card is like an insurance company not covering someone for an auto accident where they were going 10mph over the speed limit, or not covering someone for a heart attack because they had bacon for breakfast.

 

[TSandM]

Do you dive at all at home? If so, I'd be happy to meet up with you for a dive, and tell you at the end whether I think you would benefit from any further training.

 

[rx7diver]

So with all that said, is there a reason I'd want to spend hundreds of dollars on an AOW course when I can already dive pretty much everything I've wanted to while on vacation. Other than the nitrox and navigation course I took, I'm not planning on other advanced courses....cept maybe photography. I don't see the value in the AOW. Am I missing something?

Hitdbeach,

Dive Rescue and DAN Oxygen Provider are two certifications I strongly recommend. Do you have any plans to get this "essential" training? Is being AOW-certified prerequisite for taking either of these courses?

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[Redshift]

What if you don't do PADI AOW and go to another agency where it's not a collection of adventures, but a proper course? Then you might learn something and also have a card that will give you some peace of mind when you go diving somewhere because some places really care about limits.

 

[dmoore19]

I did AOW on a vacation trip. Why? Because there isn't any place around here that is convenient to do it. I would do it the same way if I had it to do over again.

I had 50 dives when I took the class. It was worth it to me. And it was "gasp" a PADI class. I learned things from the printed material and I also learned things from the instructor during the dives that helped me. I did the book work at home, before I left. I did the dives while on vacation. I didn't find it restrictive at all. It was well worth the money IMO.

The point is that everybody has a different set of circumstances to deal with. Those living on the coast or near descent dive sites probably doesn't need to take the class on vacation, some do. Not everybody is going to take AOW after 50 or more dives and learn much from it, some do.

I would say if you live close enough to be able to take the class at home it would be the best. I would look for a good instructor, take the class and get the card at home. If not, take the class on vacation. At any rate, get the card. It will take away any surprises when you go someplace to dive and find out they require it for the dive you want to do. I would hate to spend the money to go someplace on vacation only to find out the dive I wanted to do was only available for somebody with an AOW card or the equivalent from XYZ agency. What have you got to lose?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

$400 for 5 dives is pricey when I can do 12 boat dives for that same price.

I am curious - are you really saying you can get on a charter for $33 for a two tank dive? Or am I not getting your math right?
Do you mean $33 for a single tank and $66 for a two tank dive?

******************

In NJ - I can get the AOW course for $300 doing quarry dives for an additional $60 or so... Still have to drive an hour to get there.
Or I can spend $400 on vacation and do 5 dives off the keys on a boat in the ocean and get AOW certified...
Seems like a no brainer for me if I were to get the AOW... Vacation would be the way to go for me...

 

[Edward3c]

An insurance company not covering someone for a dive accident because they went beyond the depth limit on their certification card is like an insurance company not covering someone for an auto accident where they were going 10mph over the speed limit, or not covering someone for a heart attack because they had bacon for breakfast.

Tell that to those whom had to pay for their chamber and hospital treatment (c. £47,000) in the Red Sea, because they were diving past their certification limit. Insurance was done via their bank/credit card.

 

[Freewillow]

+1 with Edward3C.

The Insurances are VERY good at cashing insurance fees, but very good at avoiding payements when they find a loop in the story . FYI, I knew that in the tuamotu, I would have a chance to dive a bit deeper than 40 m. I contacted Dan Europe and had it confirmed that with the bronze insurance, I was not covered. So I upgraded to silver , only for this. You would have a tough time to proof that you went behond your prerogatives and had an accident, but that it had nothing to do with increased depth. Do not forget that in case of accident, the first thing that people will do is to look at your dive computor.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

My wife has an OW certification, a couple of hundred dives, has dove deep, limited wrecks, and never been denied a dive by an operator, but then, she has dove with me on every one of her dives ( A currently credentialed and insured professional). Not everyone has an insured DM or instructor for a buddy. I would say get the card to deal with dive ops that require it. And as a bonus, I think the class will actually make you a better diver!
DivemasterDennis