PADI AOW

[String]

Ive decided to try and do a padi AOW course while on holiday this year.  I have a few foreign trips planned and although im merrily following the BSAC route for UK diving to reach sports diver in the club could realistically take over a year to complete.

For that reason and a few others im looking at doing the PADI as well so im not as restricted to depth while on holidays.

Im a bit confused as to what EXACTLY is involved in the course.

Information ive found said 5 dives and 15 hours or so of work - is this classroom theory work that has to be done before the dives ?

The official web site isnt exactly overflowing with specifics.

I understand the 2 core dives and 3 selected dives to make up the 5 but again their web site doesnt provide details of whats required, example the navigation dive doesnt go into detail on what you're expected to do, the deep dive doesnt really specify a depth/purpose etc.

Just wondering if someone can fill me in on the specifics of what exactly is involved in the couse ?

Also, with only about 20 dives (all uk) is it a bit early to be considering the AOW ?

[Peter Bailey]

<font color='#0000FF'>I did my AOW in the Red Sea on a day boat diving week out of Hurgarda with Emporer.
The 15 hours of theory is done as you work through the course, nothing too ardious as most of it can be worked through in the breaks between dives and a couple of hours in the evenings.
Navigation consisted of learning how to use a compass,show your competency in navigating a 50 mtre square at depth. Knowing the signs and being aware of the natural elements that can help you in navigation.
Deep dive to approx 30 mtre, appreciate the effects of depth, write your name backwards at surface timed by the instructer, then again at 30 mtre !!!
Nothing to be worried about as I'm sure you will pass after doing 20 uk dives.
The other 3 dives required are of your oww choice from a selection, photograhpy, fish identification and a couple of others I can't remember.
I'm afraid I was warm water 12 dives in Mauritius only before I did mine, very little experience to say the least.
If you plan to do your AOW in the Red Sea I can reccommend Emporer as a first class outfit to dive with.
I hope the above will help,

Safe Diving and always Risk Assess

TOG Diver

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (String @ July 21 2003,04:05)]Ive decided to try and do a padi AOW course while on holiday this year.  I have a few foreign trips planned and although im merrily following the BSAC route for UK diving to reach sports diver in the club could realistically take over a year to complete.

For that reason and a few others im looking at doing the PADI as well so im not as restricted to depth while on holidays.

Im a bit confused as to what EXACTLY is involved in the course.

Information ive found said 5 dives and 15 hours or so of work - is this classroom theory work that has to be done before the dives ?

The official web site isnt exactly overflowing with specifics.

I understand the 2 core dives and 3 selected dives to make up the 5 but again their web site doesnt provide details of whats required, example the navigation dive doesnt go into detail on what you're expected to do, the deep dive doesnt really specify a depth/purpose etc.

Just wondering if someone can fill me in on the specifics of what exactly is involved in the couse ?

Also, with only about 20 dives (all uk) is it a bit early to be considering the AOW ?

String

I can think of no reason that you should not do the AOW course. You will always learn something. I don't know the specifics of the course (I'm BSAC mainly).

Just one word of warning, being an AOW diver is only considered equivalent to Ocean/Club diver as far as BSAC is concerned. Advanced here just means a bit more than OW. You would have to be a rescue diver to be equivalent to Sport Diver.

BSAC acceptance of other grades

Adrian

[LesleySS]

Definitely worth doing the AOW as it increases your max depth limits which some clubs are quite strict about. &nbsp;It involves five dives, one of which is a navigation dive and the other a deep dive. &nbsp;The theory work is made up of knowledge reviews from the PADI theory book and these are quiet straightforward, overviews of the skills you've practised on each dive.

[JohnR]

Have you thought of completing the BSAC Sports Diver course whilst on hol?

There are several BSAC schools in the Red Sea who will finish off a course (if you've alreay started) or even run through the whole course. &nbsp;Check out the BSAC web site for a list of BSAC approved schools.

This will give you up to 35m for any overseas trips and dovetail wel with your UK training.

Cheers, &nbsp;John

[And]

Hi

I agree with John, there is little you will learn from a PADI AOW course. BSAC Sports Diver is far better. (Yeah, flame me, but its true )

I was diving in the red sea recently with Elena, a newly qualified Ocean Diver. We weren't restricted to depth by anyone and could just follow the guide, but we were sensible and fixed a 25 mtr max, and actually I felt we had a better time because most of the life is around 15 mtrs anyway. It was relaxing and we dived our own plan which meant we were in control, not the dive guide. The only dive where they went deeper was a wreck penetration on the Dunraven but Elena doesn't like tunnels so it didn't affect us anyway. We simply spent more time on top of the wreck which is covered in life.

On the trip there was someone doing AOW and I saw nothing but a few boxes ticked to say they'd done anything. We actually have a holiday DVD and you can see the guy. Its so funny to watch, he was swimming like he was running a marathon, breathing a tank down in 25 minutes. Advanced Diver ? mmm Nope!

You have already done a controlled Bouyant lift on a diver and a tow. You don't do any of that in PADI until rescue diver. I was also told that many people do the AOW immediately after OW just to get the depth thing. Seems a waste of money to me.

I don't know which club you're at but have a word with the DO and they might help you move on a bit quicker as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort required ie turn up for the lectures and get your skills done on club dives. With you're diving experience in the UK you are well equipped for safe diving abroad.

Hope that helps

WL

[Lou]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]. Advanced Diver ? mmm Nope!

Good job the qualification *isn't* Advanced Diver then, isn't it?

God, people get sooo hung up on a title.  The course is Advanced Open Water....ie it is a progression of the Open Water.  It teaches you navigation, it talks about narcosis fruther and shows you the effects, and it give s you a taste of some other types of diving - you can pick how technical these are.  Do some more work with an instructor n your bouyancy, or maybe do an introduction to photography.

This guy wants to stick with BSAC (and as far as I could make out intends to) but they are too slow to get him the depth rating he would like for holiday dives.  Now he could ask his club to hurry up as you suggest, but presumably he would already have tried this before volunteering to part with and extra couple of hundred squid it would cost to do AOW.

If he does AOW ihe might learn something.  We already have another thread talking about how nice it is to get an education across the cboundaires of agency and everyone contually agrees that it is not the course it is the instructor, so it might not be a bad idea for the purpose he suggests it for. &nbsp;He can then continue with his sports diver training at the clubs pace without sacrificing dives on holiday.

Lou

[John Gulliver]

Have to agree with Lou. Forget the name – if you compare Websters and OED, you'll find the word &quot;advanced&quot; means different things in the US and UK, anyway – just regard it as a continuation course. You WILL learn new things. 20 dives after OW is quite sufficient – many people do take the AOW directly after OW but I personally think it's beter to do as you have done, i.e. get some dives to max 18 m under your belt first. You can't possibly lose anything (except a hundred pounds or so) by doing the AOW on holiday even though you intend to continue down the BSAC road eventually.

[And]

Hi

Yes, and I agree with both of you, don't get hung up on the name. I know more than most how hung up people can get about a certain other three letter acronym.

PADI market, sell, promote the course as an advanced course, thats why advanced is in the title. How people interpret advanced is up to them, and both of you have the experience to know this. String, being a new diver may not know and so I feel should be advised. The perception is there and that maybe what String is buying, not the actual content.

Spending £100 or more and also spending part of his holiday doing a course in which he 'might' learn something and a course with an agency he does not want to continue with seems a waste of time and effort to me.

I find that new members of BSAC clubs tend to 'wait and see' and are very polite about progressing their qualifications and training. He may already be doing this but in my experience if you get more involved in the club and make it known that you would like to progress then usually the club will help. To take a year to do 5 or 6 dives and some lectures is too long IMO and to continue his BSAC sports diver I believe is worth the effort.

Hope that helps

WL

[John Gulliver]

I don't want to harp on about the name but New Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus of the English Language defines advanced as &quot;developed beyond the ordinary or elementary&quot;. That's why advanced is in the name. PADI is an American organisation and according to American usage, it's a perfectly reasonable name. Personally, though, I wish it were called Open Water Stage II so we could avoid this kind of argument. I very much doubt if String, or anyone else, believes taking the AOW course will make him/them an advanced diver in the UK sense.