71 replies to this topic

[flatwood]

My LDS called today and is trying to sign me up for AOW classes. My question, is it worth the money?

[Dennis]

In my opinion, No. Do some real advanced training. This is just more of the same with a couple of supervised dives thrown in. I don't know what agency you are certified with, but none of the AOW certs are worth the money. Now, Nitrox is a good one.

[flatwood]

In my opinion, No. Do some real advanced training. This is just more of the same with a couple of supervised dives thrown in. I don't know what agency you are certified with, but none of the AOW certs are worth the money. Now, Nitrox is a good one.

I've been waiting for a nitrox class since last july. OBTW I'm SSI.

[chinacat46]

Well it's definitely worth it for the LDS. For you though that is another stroy. While I agree with Dennis that taking nitrox or some other advanced training would be better some dive operators want to see an AOW card for some dives. I think if you have enough dives though they will accept your log book in lieu of the AOW card. Other operators will require you to dive with an instructor and/or divemaster to make certain dives. They may charge you for this service as well. So my answer is maybe.

[sun50]

Did my AOW(PADI) last year in FL. Did it make me a better diver? Yes and No.
Buoyancy was stressed and that really improved. I also got to experience narcosis(basic math at 100 fsw isn't so easy). I think I'd would go for the nitrox.
sun50

[AliKat]

It's worth it from the perspective that for most agencies that I know of, AOW is required to do rescue. Rescue is something I think every diver should have.

[Dennis]

At least for the YMCA program, AOW is not required for their SCUBA Lifesaving and Accident Management (SLAM) class (per Walter). I have never taken it, but if I ever get the chance to dive regularly, I intend to take the SLAM course.

Edited by Dennis, 10 May 2005 - 12:46 PM.

[randy54]

Did my AOW(PADI) last year in FL. Did it make me a better diver? Yes and No.
Buoyancy was stressed and that really improved. I also got to experience narcosis(basic math at 100 fsw isn't so easy). I think I'd would go for the nitrox.
sun50

For some of us, math aint always so easy at 1-ATA either.

[steelemagnolia6]

I got my advanced card , the biggest thing that I have found is that the dive shop made money on the course and I didn't get my money's worth out of it. PADI made money off of it, The instructor that did the "required" dives made money off of it..

Did it make me an advanced diver no. I made myself and advanced diver by continuing to enhance my skills.

I think that I'd of been better off just taking "specialty" classes. like nitrox, wreck, search and recovery, and etc....

It did fine tune my bouyancy but that is about all that I got out of the 150.00 bucks for the class and the 30.00 bucks for the book...

Oh and the local dive shop would have made about 200.00 bucks off what they called required equipment for the class. ( I already had everything but a dive knife so they only soaked me for about 70 bucks there)

this equipment was:

dive knife
slate
primary and back up light
whistle or signaling device
safety marker (aka sausage)
compass
glowsticks
bottom timer or computer (they really like to get folks with the computer there)

They'd rent you any other equipment that you didn't have ie; wetsuit and BC.

and LDS wonder why people think that they are robbing them...

[David Evans]

What are they calling an "AOW" class? What does it involve, and what certifications are they including?

I've seen a variety... eg., some AOW courses include "Boat Diving" certifications... like you need a cert to dive off a boat or something... LOL.

My AOW is typically comprised of Nitrox, Night, Deep and Navigation.

I think the answer to your question is pretty simple:

Nitrox is the only one of these that you MUST have a certification for - and yes, you must. There are no shortcuts on this one.

That leaves the other three to determine whether or not it's worth your time and money.

Are you comfortable diving at night? Do you know how to communicate with your buddy at night? Are you okay diving in limited visibility?


Are you familiar with narcosis? Comfortable with how dive tables scale and NDLs change the deeper you go? Familiar with your SAC rate/SCR? Understand the differences in gas you will consume at 100' instead of 60'? Know how much gas you need to leave the bottom with at 100' in order to have adequate reserves to allow you and your buddy to reach the surface?

Understand how to read a compass underwater? Understand natural navigation? Know how to get into and out of a riptide? Understand the effects of currents on dive planning?

These aren't trick questions - you may indeed know all the answers, and if so the class is perhaps not worth your time. Or maybe you don't need to understand any of these sorts of things for the dives you are doing.

Anyway... perhaps this will help you think the process through. There are no scuba police that cruise around and make sure OW divers aren't out after dusk, or aren't below 60'. You are a certified diver, and that's that.

If you don't perceive a value in additional training, there are three possibilities:

1. There is no value.
2. There is a value, but you don't recognize it.
3. There is a value, but you've got a crappy instructor.

-d

[cmt489]

When I took my AOW I took it in the Philippines with a PADI Gold Palm facility. The instructor was excellent and it ended up being just the instructor, my ex-husband and myself. While the course materials may not have been that beneficial, the extra time receiving actual instruction I found extremely useful, expecially with respect to breathing, bouyancy and drift dives. Granted, as I was a new diver at that time, so the instruction probably ment much more to me as I do not feel that the basic open water class was enough for me to obtain my comfort levels. It is, however, likely that the AOW is of much more use to a new diver than a diver who has taken the OW course and dived several time. All in all, I absolutely do not regret taking this course.

[RichardB]

Nitrox is more useful, getting more dives in is more useful, getting some experience is more useful, practicing your skills is more useful.......

NOW, if you don't dive for a while and would like a refresher course, it may be worth your time and money. But for now, spend the money on diving and not on training. Hook up with some more experienced divers (like on the SD trips) and get some experience.

[Geek]

My LDS called today and is trying to sign me up for AOW classes. My question, is it worth the money?

I feel the value depends on when and where you take it.

AOW essentially exposes you to a variety of dive conditions under the supervision of an instructor. If you take it very quickly after OW this can be a fun way to continue your instruction. It can also be useful to take it at a different location than where you took your OW. If you got your OW at a resort, take AOW locally or vice versa.

The more dive experience you have the less value AOW has because you will have had more experience with varied conditions, albeit without the benefit of the instructor.

As far as the equipment is concerned, if you are going to continue with scuba, you are going to wind up buying it anyhow. Since things like a slate require no maintenance, it might be a good time to check out some of the Internet sites.

I also highly recommend Nitrox training. This is a short but extremely informative class. It is the opposite extreme of AOW as it is mostly classroom and knowledge with a couple dives thrown in that won't seem any different than the dives you are doing anyhow. You might want to consider taking both classes simultaneously.

[scuba1231]

I am simply an OW diver with sporadic experience, and the SDI instructor that I found actually has their students take at least two specialty classes BEFORE taking the AOW. I like that idea personally. I am not sure if it is possible to take Rescue before AOW at many agencies. Some of the so called "specialties" are rather dubious, ie drysuit (shouldn't training come with purchasing the suit?) night diving (can't be much different than my no vis lakes) or boat diving. Now nitrox, rescue, navigation, wreck, cavern... etc those seem to be true specialties.

[Geek]

I'm not sure why your instructor wanted you to take the specialties before the AOW. When I took my AOW I covered a couple specialties on the same dives. Usually a night dive is one of the things done in AOW and it is a lot of fun in a reef environment, but probably not fun where there is little to see.

I do suggest taking the course in a different environment than where you took OW. The whole point is different conditions.