Which PADI AOW specialties

[KevinColl]

Heading off in a week to complete the next phase in my diving training (Advanced Open Water). Of the five dives required, 2 are obviously Deep and Navigation. Planning on also Wreck and Night, but undecided on the final one. Thinking it is between Photography (but no plans yet to splash out on expensive kit - only have a go-pro at moment), Fish ID or Peak Performance Buoyancy. Any recommendations of the above or any others I should consider?

Thanks

 

[Marie13]

PPB.

 

[Joneill]

But do the full PPB certification which involves course work, pool work and 2 OW dives - not just the 1 dive specialty as part of AOW as that is too short/not comprehensive enough to really get the max benefit!

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

But do the full PPB certification which involves course work, pool work and 2 OW dives - not just the 1 dive specialty as part of AOW as that is too short/not comprehensive enough to really get the max benefit!

That all depends on the instructor. AOW is minimum 5 adventure dives, but is not required to be 5 dives. If a student cannot meet the performance requirements in a single dive, then an additional dive is warranted.

 

[lowflyer]

Pick one that actually adds to your knowledge and experience as a diver. On a recent dive trip I saw an AOW student doing fish ID. He spent a few minutes with a fish card trying to match up some fish. I didn't see how that made him an AOW diver, except in PADI"s eyes.

 

[TMHeimer]

Pick one that actually adds to your knowledge and experience as a diver. On a recent dive trip I saw an AOW student doing fish ID. He spent a few minutes with a fish card trying to match up some fish. I didn't see how that made him an AOW diver, except in PADI"s eyes.

Agree & also agree on PPB. But sometimes you are limited by what the shop offers at the time you want to take it.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Agree & also agree on PPB. But sometimes you are limited by what the shop offers at the time you want to take it.

Choose another shop then?

I think the greatest value in AOW comes from adventure dives building on previous ones. Start out with PPB if their buoyancy and trim are questionable. Got to have that control nailed down if a student is going to be task loaded with navigation for example (and then again at night). An instructor can ask a student for his/her tank pressure at the beginning/end of the 100 foot swim and then show the student how to calculate a very crude SAC rate, and then ask the student to calculate the expected gas usage during the deep dive. I like to teach PPB, nav, night, deep, and I'm mulling the 5th. It has to be skills related. I tend to prefer not to include search and recovery, as I like to do that as a separate class.

 

[Imbodie]

You need to do the specialties that apply to where you are going to do most of your diving... I think equipment should be one that everyone takes, but not all instructors can teach the equipment specialty. When I was in Florida I made sure my students took boat and drift (we did it on Rainbow River, not the ocean) because a LOT of diving in Florida happens off a boat and a lot are drift dives. I also suggested Nitrox because in North Florida Nitrox was cheaper than air most fills.... PPB I would do with students as a comp unless they wanted the card and then would just charge for the C-card and processing...
Advanced Open Water is as much about giving you controlled exposure to different types of dives as it is anything else.... your diving with an instructor who is familiar with those types of dives, and should help alleviate the shock of "how do I manage this dive flag thing when I'm being pushed by the current" because they are with you for that first dive.
I remember my first deep dive in AOW class... no one told me (including the instructor) that my reg would breath much easier at depth.. .and I freaked out because I thought it was free flowing....

 

[richmonddiver]

I did search and recovery, wreck and PPB as my optional dives when I did AOW.

PPB is very appropriate for AOW. I would recommend it.

I got the most out of S&R. It really wasn't the search or recovery part in and of itself that was useful. I don't plan on doing either. It was the practicing of free ascents, with additional task loading, while under an instructor's guidance that was most valuable. I view S&R as part advanced navigation and some foreshadowing to rescue (where you have to "recover" a person). It has a lot of utility for someone who has only OW.

PPB and S&R in combination helped me be more comfortable with free ascents. Being more comfortable with free ascents made me more comfortable in the water. I was much more confident that I could safely reach the surface in a controlled manner, if I found myself in a pickle.

Wreck was useless.

 

[TMHeimer]

wetb4, Not everyone has more than one shop to choose from within 100 miles.