My instructor wants me to go on a deep dive, a night dive, and underwater navigation to complete my advanced certification.
Firstly, don't get confused about the AOW course. It isn't an 'advanced' diving level. It is Advanced
Open Water, i.e. an 'extension' of your Open Water course. The OW course teaches you the basics that you need to know, in order to safely utilise SCUBA equipment underwater. AOW takes you beyond that and introduces you to some of the actual activities you can enjoy whilst using that SCUBA equipment. It adds the 'fun' element in diving. If OW teaches you 'how' to dive... AOW teaches you 'why' to dive. Of course, a good instructor will also ensure that the extra AOW dives are also utilised to help fine-tune and further develop your core foundation SCUBA skills; such as buoyancy, propulsion, trim, control, situational awareness, multi-tasking, buddy skills, dive planning and gas management. Not every instructor is a 'good' instructor...and not every instructor bothers to ensure that foundational skill improvement is a strong focus in their AOW training courses. Much of the bad feedback concerning AOW courses stems from divers experiencing poorly motivated, lazy instructors who treat the AOW course as nothing more than a series of 'themed fun dives'. It shouldn't be that way.
I did my OW and AOW back-to-back, and felt that it made me a much safer, confident and competant diver during those awkward initial stages of development. Spending time in the water with a good instructor was invaluable - not only for the safety of gaining experience whilst supervised, but also because I was constantly exposed to a good role-model who could offer critical feedback and ensure that I was applying my training correctly. I also gained an appreciation of different diving activities, which helped me form a clearer idea of type of diving that interested me. That paid dividends when it came to selecting and purchasing my dive equipment. Having attained the AOW certification, I was also in a position where I was ready to take the Rescue Diver course. IMHO, you cannot call yourself a 'complete' scuba diver unless you have the capability to conduct self and buddy rescue.
Should i go on my own dives before training more?
The primary drawback to recieving lots of training at the early stage is that it is easier to form a reliant mindset, because you are continually supported/directed by a dive leader. That mindset can hamper the divers' long-term development. Having said that, a good instructor will ensure that the student is taking increasing responsibility for their diving and should withdraw the amount of 'dive leadership' they provide and let the student increasingly 'take the reigns'.
You don't need to take lots of courses, but some form of mentorship is invaluable at the early stages of your development. If you have access to dive with a highly experience buddy, who is willing to mentor and develop you, then that is a fine option. However, many divers don't have access to such a relationship - and thus, formalized training/certification courses are the only option.
Am I being pushed to fast or is it wise to train early?
I think it is entirely logical to train first. Having recieved the training, you can then gain experience knowing what to do. There is a certain logic towards getting the skills, then learning -through experience- how to apply them. In contrast, what is the point of gaining experience, if you don't possess skills that you can develop during that experience?
The PADI OW course gets a lot of criticism because it provides only the 'bare bones' of knowledge and skill needed by scuba divers. Many divers feel that it is too short and/or incomplete...especially when compared to certain other agencies, whose entry-level courses contain many more dives and include skills up to the rescue diver level. However, the system is modular and there is an expectation that students will continue education to improve their skills. By combining OW and AOW, and viewing them as a singular structure, you are basically creating a more complete entry-level course, that provides a more substantial amount of time in the water and a more complete range of skills.
The right approach is to get the training, then learn to apply it through gaining independant experience. Pretty much everyone on this thread is agreeing with that principle. The crux of people's advice to you is determined by whether they consider the OW course as 'complete', or whether they regard supplementary courses as necessary to provide you with the full spectrum of skills that you need to possess
before you go out independantly to apply and ingrain them.
