71 replies to this topic

[RichardB]

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.

Scuba, continue to get some experience. Spend your money on courses that interest you and from which you get visible benefit (nitrox, wreck, cavern and etc.). If you really want a skill enhancing course, cavern is good and especially a cave intro course (regardless if you ever cave dive) are excellent and will definately improve your abilities....well past an "Advanced" course.

[scuba1231]

After reading "The Last Dive", "Deep Descent", and "Fatal Depths", I have become more intrigued by technical diving. I have no delusions of diving the Doria or going through the caves of Wakulla Springs, but the tech stuff does look fun.

[RichardB]

After reading "The Last Dive", "Deep Descent", and "Fatal Depths", I have become more intrigued by technical diving. I have no delusions of diving the Doria or going through the caves of Wakulla Springs, but the tech stuff does look fun.

It is. But expensive...expect to spend 3 times the norm and you'll need high quality gear.

[Geek]

After reading "The Last Dive", "Deep Descent", and "Fatal Depths", I have become more intrigued by technical diving.  I have no delusions of diving the Doria or going through the caves of Wakulla Springs, but the tech stuff does look fun.

The Last Dive, as well as the other books, should give you a reason to understand the effects of different gasses. A nitrox class is where that starts. If you are inclined to go in that direction, find a shop that offers technical instruction and take your AOW and Nitrox classes there.

Edited by Geek, 10 May 2005 - 05:08 PM.

[scuba1231]

Fortunately there are two different SDI/TDI shops that are relatively close so I will patronize those for most of my classes. I don't know if there are an IANTD stores here, but I also haven't researched it either.

[LEE-Ward]

I'm still new here and fairly new to diving. I'm just a bit concerned that so many would advise against any extra training with supervision. I felt the level of training in my Open Water class was good but short. One phrase that made me wonder was "Mastering a skill" That was used after doing the skill Once. After my Open Water class I felt a bit like I knew enough to be dangerous. After My AOW class I had much better confidence. Personally I'm going to call $200 part of the cost to become safer and more confident diver. How much is your life worth? Lee

[chinacat46]

Well I agree with what you are saying but the person who asked the question has over 40 dives already. If he had less then 10 I would've told him it was worth it. For somebody with 40 dives he probably has more confidence and his money would be better spent on Nitrox or maybe some other worth while speciality.

[LEE-Ward]

Well I agree with what you are saying but the person who asked the question has over 40 dives already. If he had less then 10 I would've told him it was worth it. For somebody with 40 dives he probably has more confidence and his money would be better spent on Nitrox or maybe some other worth while speciality.

Are they 40 daytime shore dives to 60'? I just think others may get the wrong impression also.

[WillDiveForBeer]

I took my PADI AOW a year after my PADI OW, and I had not dove since my OW. For me, I found the AOW beneficial for a few reasons.

1. The AOW course had a special price, I wanted to do 5 dives and the AOW with 6 dives and a trip from Cancun to Cozumel was included, for less than 5 standard dives

2. Since I hadn't been diving in a year and still new, it allowed me to dive with an instructor who would attend to me, rather than just a DM to follow as a tour guide

3. I was able to try a night dive, deep dive (didn't feel any narcosis at 90'), underwater navigation (didn't really help much at all) and now I know that I like night dives. Some places won't want to do a night dive with someone who's never done one before, unless it's a course, so I've been able to say I have done night dives before.

Since I was new to diving, I didn't know about Nitrox and what it entailed; I wish the dive center had said "Do you want Nitrox certification while getting your AOW?" AOW really isn't anything special, but depending on the price, see if you can get that while getting Nitrox.

My next dive trip I am looking to get the IANTD Nitrox, Adv. Nitrox and Deep Diver. What doesn't make sense is why the PADI class requires dives on Nitrox when it isn't necessary, it is probably just a way for PADI and the dive shops to make more money. The IANTD is more theory based than PADI, not sure how it compared to TDI's classes, but as suggested by everyone else, a Nitrox certification is more valuable than an AOW, especially if you want to extend your bottom times.

[LEE-Ward]

I didn't feel any Narcosis at 97' either. But later back on the boat when my instructor said what did my pressure read when he asked me, I had to say "You asked me something at the bottom?" I was glad he was there.

[scubafanatic]

..... I'd recommend you get your AOW cert, if for no other reason than it's a universally recognized 'card'. Of course, the actual training benefit to a diver is a function of one's present skill/experience level, ( a diver with only 10 dives will benefit more from the AOW cert. than a diver with 100 dives, for example) and the quality of the instructor.....but many of the places I've dove want to see your 'cards' before letting you dive, and they will turn you away if you don't have your AOW card or whatever other 'card' they deem 'proves' your skill level..........remember, log books can be 'faked', 'cards' are the only way the dive industry has to monitor 'quality control'.

..... also, although I've only been 3 1/2 years, I'm finding myself becoming one of the most experienced/ 'senoir' divers on my trips, relative to the other divers...and I've discovered whipping out one or more of my 'advanced' cert cards does wonders for letting me dive the profiles I want.......for example, I just returned a month ago from doing 27 dives aboard the T & C EXPLORER, and the crew very quickly noticed that I was an 'advanced' diver ( advanced 'cards'.......some 'techie' dive 'gear', very smooth in the water with bouyancy control, depth awareness, gas management ) and they gave me a lot of leeway to do my own thing......I'd cruise the 'walls' well below the other divers with no flak from the DM's, since it was obvious I had excellent situatioanl awareness and could handle myself........ the boat's DM's even asked me if I wanted to sign up for their SOLO-diver-class ,which was a nice compliment, and a recognition of my apparent skill level.

....... consider the AOW 'cert' as something of a 'scuba passport'....it's the world-standard, don't fight it, just get it and remove one headache from your next dive trip....life's too short, you don't want to risk being turned away from dives.

......and, yeah, since others have mentioned it, get the NITROX cert too...do that in addition to the AOW cert......heck for the Basic Nitrox cert it's classroom only, no dives are required, 3 or 4 hr's of lecture and you're done, pretty easy.

Karl

[scuba1231]

I am all for furthering my education, and gaining experience, I just don't want to get a card for the sake of having the card.

[scubafanatic]

I am all for furthering my education, and gaining experience, I just don't want to get a card for the sake of having the card.

.......well, sometimes what we 'want' is irrelevant.........show up at a dive site or on a dive trip without your AOW cert, and the DM's running the dives may turn you away or severely restrict your profiles/locations.........spending big bucks on a nice dive trip only to have that sort of thing happen to you would really suck!

......given how many dives you''ll do over a lifetime, and the money / time you'll invest on trips......the time / money spent on getting the AOW cert is extremely trivial.

......the world's not gonna change based on our personal opinions.......if the 'world' demands 'cards', don't fight it, it's good for the the rest of your life, just get it done, move on and don't look back..........look forward to enjoying your new 'license' to have FUN!

Karl

[Diverbrian]

I have said it before, the AOW cert is worth what you put into it.

My SSI Adv. cert included Drysuit, Navigation, Search and Recovery, and Night/ Limited Vis. I got the deep cert. with my Advanced Nitrox a few months later and I got a basic Nitrox course/cert. done with my open water training.

It turned out that I learned a lot about diving in that AOW course that was not planned. We moved a row boat underwater (that was planned) and I did two assists. One of the students had her reg fail, my dive buddy for the course ran himself out of gas, and the instructor got vertigo on the night dive (ear issue with cold water). I believe that I had thirty dives at the time. Let's just say that this course was a confidence builder. This was the course that had the shop recruiting me as a dive leader later on.

AOW is a "passport certification". IANTD Advanced Nitrox requires it as a prereq. The SSI Stress and Rescue course is actually a specialty (you could do it as one required for your AOW, which would leave you with two specialities to pick, LOL). That course does NOT require the AOW card as a pre-req. All the dive leadership courses require an AOW cert as a minimum as well.

Some boats and deeper sites will require and AOW card with a current logbook to dive them unless they already know you.

So, check out the instruction planned. If it looks good to you, it is worth it. If it is not challenging to you, find another LDS or instructor to take it from.

[Geek]

I am all for furthering my education, and gaining experience, I just don't want to get a card for the sake of having the card.

Good point, for many of the specialties you'll find instructors who will charge one price for the training, and a higher price for the training without the card because they don't have to pay the agency fee. Another thing you will find is for an extra few bucks you can get the card of a different agency if the instructor is qualified with multiple agencies.

The PADI AOW is the card most likely to generate this type of discussion over value. It is most valuable immediately after OW and becomes progressively less valuable as experience accumulates, as it is really intended for someone with very little experience.