Why You NEED Advanced Open Water Certification

[@CircleHScuba]

What to do AFTER Scuba Certification ▶ kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHK5dHend7qCgrc I Ranked *EVERY* PADI Specialty Certification (Tier List) 👉 (Coming Soon!) What makes an EXPERIENCED Diver? 🤿 (Coming Soon!)

[@robharris5245]

In my opinion it should be known as " Open Water 2". My wife did her AOW straight after her Open Water. After completing a number of dives she went on to complete the Rescue Diver Course. She decided to do the Deep Diver course which she completed in this country (UK). When I asked if she was going to more courses she categorically said "no way".

[@hidehide-d3g]

Getting an ASD license is a good memory for me. It seemed like a when we 4 or 5 years old, and we can ride a bicycle for the 1st time! Growing up is a very happy and I realized that even if adults can grow up more higher! diving makes broaden our minds.

[@CircleHScuba]

I love this, that is a great attitude

[@Raybrienza]

Good channel -- 1st time seeing it . I am an SSI Scuba instructor (37+ years) and a SDI/TDI (30+ years). SSI requires 4 specialties (any of over 40+) and 24 dives. SDI requires 4 specialties (any of over 40+) and 25 dives. There are stupid specialties that we have developed out of necessity because of bad instructors, bad programs/shops, and just time constraints. (There are good and bad instructors in every agency .... ) It is hard to really get a handle on some skills, like buoyancy if you have a problem student and 7 other students. The SSI class is 16 hours and you spend only 8 in the water. Some skills just take time to ferment to get better. Having a dozen dives under your belt you can start understanding buoyancy. One of the biggest issues is if a student has a little bit of a problem add more weight .... that is the wrong answer ... I recommend to my students that they need to take the following specialties Nitrox, Deep, Limited visibility/ Night diving, Navigation. As starters I also recommend the 1st Aid/CPR/AED/O2 class, Stress & rescue. It does not matter the order.

[@CircleHScuba]

I completely agree with all of this. I wish PADI standards did more rescue related tasks with OW like some other agencies do. I also wish the student ratios were way lower. As you said, class numbers and time constraints make things difficult as an instructor sometimes, and I just hope some day the agencies make a change on that. As for the specialty recommendations, I agree on those too. I’m actually working on a video where I basically “rank” what specialties are worth taking, which are kind of fun but useless, then which are really just pointless (from my own experience and opinion at least). It sounds like you may agree with some of the categories I’ll be putting some into! Haha

[@CircleHScuba]

Ah and thanks for the channel compliment!

[@Pirelli913]

I got PADI open water certified June 2022 and after my trip to Hawaii where I had 8 dives total under my belt (4 required for certification and 4 in Hawaii), I wanted to go for AOW with wreck diving being one of the specialties I wanted to choose. I have yet to get AOW, but when I do, I still wouldn't classify myself as "advanced." I dive more for recreation and to see marine life. I've been snorkeling since I was about 10 so a lot of the skills and training needed to become open water certified (like mask clearing) came easy for me, but I'm definitely a novice diver and have no problem in saying that.

[@CircleHScuba]

This is totally the right approach. The best path really is to just take time building experience and doing self checks like that. Congrats on getting your OW last year, that’s awesome! Keep it up, keep on diving! Haha

[@rockinrodlittle]

As a retired Army Officer who has found his passion late in life in scuba diving I must say that PADI training is as close to perfect as you can get. It’s developed the same way all my 30 years of training courses were; you learn theory, test that knowledge, I demonstrate the skill, you show me that you can do the skill, we move on to the next level.

[@CircleHScuba]

Thank you for your service. I’m a fan myself. To be fair a lot of the agencies teach similarly because they all adhere to the same international standards from the ISO

[@rockinrodlittle]

@@CircleHScuba thank you! I never walked on a range to fire a weapon thinking I’m not ready. Never back rolled into the ocean thinking I’m not ready. That’s what training is all about

[@CircleHScuba]

@rockinrodlittle same here haha, agreed

[@panditreuvers]

Agree.I see that divers with an advanced certification aren't advanced divers. Myself started AOW after about 30 dives. Last weekend I succeeded the Rescue training after 130 dives. Next year I will start with the dive-master training. I start to don't like PADI, for every little thing you have to pay for another certification. We say here in the Netherlands Put Another Dollar In (PADI). I am really upset that they stop with books and DVD's and only E-Leaning. Not my thing. I like to own a book for reference during and after the certification. I should finish the dive-master training in one year while I like to do it slowly. I am not in a hurry. Unfortunately PADI is leading.

[@CircleHScuba]

“Put Another Dollar In” is an international joke I think haha. Every agencies has certifications for everything though, but it is PADI that usually gets the brunt of the jokes 😂 Congrats on rescue diver! Good luck with Dive Master too! That’s awesome that you want to go pro! Oh for the e-learning, I agree I liked the books too, but you can access the e-learning for life if you want to reference it after the certification. Not the same as having a book with notes and highlights, but it’s something you can re-read at least! I think SSI and maybe SDI have also gone just about 100% e-learning now.

[@juliazagrodzka3197]

Very interesting, I was not aware of this. I’m training at a local dive center in France and in the system of the French Federation of Underwater Sports they follow here, the levels just have numbers - level 1 is more or less equivalent to OW, level 2 to AOW (there are slight differences). Your video made me appreciate this approach as like this, there is at least no confusion with the meaning of “advanced”.

[@CircleHScuba]

I think the levels being numbered makes so much more sense too!

[@freedomwanderer91]

Great video with the right information. I encourage all to keep advancing in their diving journey and learn how to be the best diver they can be. Again, awesome video. I live in Myrtle Beach, SC, so I totally understand the need for AOW to reach the deeper wrecks.

[@CircleHScuba]

Nice! Do you dive with Coastal Scuba over there?

[@iwayanpardika2575]

I just finished my PADI OW, now continue to AOW. Most of dive site where I live are deep up to 30 - 40 meter. So AOW is the way to advancing skill and be more confident on the water so the learning process to be advanced or pro diver is more enjoyable, not something to bragging, So I dont have a problem with "advanced" word.

[@CircleHScuba]

Congrats on getting your open water certification! Yes just remember it’s advancing skills but not necessarily making you an “advanced” experienced diver. That’s what people worry about is telling a brand new diver with maybe 9 dives that they are “advanced” can lead to over confidence

[@jeffconley6366]

I don't like the direction AOW has gone. With Deep and Navigation as the only required dives. If someone is certified AOW there should be a common set of dives. In the old dayss... My opinion: deep, navigation, buoyancy, night/limited visibility and some rescue skills.

[@CircleHScuba]

Yeah I also wish rescue was pushed more at lower levels of training. Some agencies do some more rescue work at Open Water and I am a fan of that. Another commenter mentioned this, but I also would like to see someone do a full certification for some of these like deep/nav, versus just the adventure dive

[@pedroluis151]

Great Video! I completely agree with you: the AOW certification advances your knowledge of diving, but does not make you an experienced diver. I myself just got my open water certification last week and i intend to get the AOW next year after getting a little more experienced. It will give me something to work towards, a goal to achieve while diving, and at the same time expand my skill tree and give me a taste of the specialties.

[@CircleHScuba]

I think that’s perfectly fine as well! I do think everyone should take it, but not necessarily instantly after open water. Congrats on your new OW certification!

[@pedroluis151]

Exactly! I, too, believe it's best to get some experience and exercise the skills we acquired in the OW course before going for the advanced course 😀

[@CircleHScuba]

Exactly!

[@danielross3616]

When I was certified, NAUI was Open Water I and Open Water II. That's been updated now but I feel like it's a better name. A Master Diver to me is an Advanced Diver. And yes, everyone should definitely get their Open Water 2 haha.

[@alfred96]

So the whole problem with "advance" open water diver is semantics

[@CircleHScuba]

In my opinion, yes. Advancing your skills is not an “advanced diver”

[@GingerDrums]

It's more than that. Semantics in marketing can be a consumer protection issue. This word gives people false confidence. They have an "advanced" diver whilst being an absolute novice (like me ;)

[@franciscomelendeze]

As someone who took the AOW course it just means you learn more skills than an Open Water diver.

[@ka124as]

People just need to remember it’s a course not an expertise.

[@maybehuman3472]

is just "advanced dive", not "expert dive", and 9 dives is 2x more that 4 dives, it is advanced definition

[@finnvantrot1120]

I did my OWD certification with SSI. Right after I did the SSI Advanced Adventurer, which is equivalent to the PADI AOWD. I have 30 dives now and specialties in Deep Diving (up to 40m) and Nitrox. To get the SSI AOWD, I still have to do two more specialty programs. It's a bit confusing sometimes with the different scuba schools. In my last holidays people didn't believe me I was certified to 30 meters with my SSI Advanced Adventurer (which I was). Feels like a jungle sometimes.

[@CircleHScuba]

It can definitely be confusing with the different agencies for sure. One of my friends just became a SSI instructor (is also an active PADI instructor) and told me about some of the confusing things too!

[@tooslow8150]

In did aoe right after open water..I did it specifically because I wanted more instruction and I do not consider myself advanced in any way. It was a great way to reinforce skills and did wonders for my basic buoyancy and confidence.

[@CircleHScuba]

This is exactly my point too, thanks for sharing!

[@MysticalDragon73]

Another wonderful video. I wish i was in nc to take training through yall. I may plan a trip there just to support you as a thanks for the great help and advise

[@CircleHScuba]

I appreciate it, glad you’re enjoying the content! If you’re ever around let me know, haha

[@MysticalDragon73]

I'm watching all your videos. In one you mentioned regulators and what one you use yet I can't find it again. I also can't find your regulators video. Any tips would be appreciated

[@CircleHScuba]

@MysticalDragon73 haha no worries! I need to do one on picking a regulator still. Sometimes I’ll mention a video I plan to do since I can’t edit that in after posting, but until I post it, it makes it awkward. It’s normal on KZbin to do that but it can be confusing until the video is up 😬 I personally use an Apeks XTX50 right now and love it.

[@MysticalDragon73]

@@CircleHScuba thank you. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something.

[@robertjames-life4768]

My wife and I are going to Belize to get our “Advanced Open Water” certifications. It’s funny because I have well over 100 dives, Nitrox and dry suit certified, have dove cenotes, cold water, I have a big DSLR rig, probably 10-15 wreck dives most with penetration . But we want to do a live aboard in Indonesia and many outfits require it.

[@CircleHScuba]

That’s another reason to get it, because places do require it!

[@Rozkovar]

This opinion occurs when plp are more into certfication and status. As you told AOW just means that somebody is learning new stuff or is getting a "deepdive" into certain diving topics/skills. It´s not about that your are now able to state at a party that you are and advanced diver proudly showing a batch. But for some plp it is. That are the same plp that are complaining about it. Because they are misunderstanding these brevets as status symbol and not as a learning path.

[@matteoposi9583]

I like the approach SSI have, you can either get the advanced and get a “demo” of 5 speciality, or directly get 5 full speciality and get it certified aumatically

[@CircleHScuba]

PADI does that as well

[@matteoposi9583]

@@CircleHScuba thx! Didnt know that

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

To be an advanced diver technically it’s nine dives but unless you got a family that owns a dive shop you don’t have the time or the bucks. It took me a couple of years to get my AOW.

[@ppo2424]

How much did you pay?!

[@CircleHScuba]

It shouldn’t be that much more expensive, but a good point on needing some additional gear potentially for specialty adventure dives

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

@@CircleHScuba for some of us we got to get hotel ,drive to dive site take some time off . For me it’s a minimum 5 hour drive each way (Midwest)

[@CircleHScuba]

Ah yeah, 5 hours is a bit tough for regular diving

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

@@ppo2424 with room travel and class fees I am out about $600 for each card For each of my tech classes about $1200-$1500 with room travel and class fees. Not to mention equipment and fills. I would still do it.again. Just not everyone can go on dives every weekend.

[@Syk00o01]

I love the video but I do agree with u should have experience before becoming advanced open water diver, just because the level to go down to 100 feet has to be much higher and mistakes down there can be fatal and if ur over confident about being an AOW, you will probably make a mistake since ur not expirienced

[@CircleHScuba]

Right, that’s what I was saying with not just dropping to 100 ft just because you’re certified now, but slowly expanding your limits to that new “limit” of 100 feet. Then yes of course, people need to make sure they aren’t getting complacent or over confident for sure!

[@Syk00o01]

@@CircleHScuba oh yes then I totally agree, you should get the certification and then expand down to

[@Syk00o01]

@@CircleHScuba sorry about that!

[@CircleHScuba]

​@@Syk00o01 agreed! No need to apologize, haha

[@jmk5599]

definitely need to build dive time before taking aow.

[@ModelAviationStation]

I have a question When you do your AOW certification and you do the 5 specialty dives do you get your AOW card as well as specialty cards for the dives you did with your instructor? Or do you have to go back and do these courses separately again to qualify for the certification and card?

[@CircleHScuba]

Great question, for PADI AOW, you do the “first dive” of each specialty course. Some courses are only 1 dive, in which you’d get the card if you wanted (usually a separate card fee of like $35 depending on the shop). However, many require more than 1 dive. Wreck for example is 3 (maybe 4, I’d have to double check). So you can sign up for the wreck specialty after your AOW for example, and if one of your 5 specialties was wreck, you would have 2 more dives to do in the specialty class to finish it. Hopefully that makes sense! Feel free to ask more

[@ModelAviationStation]

@@CircleHScuba it does thank you. If you don’t mind I have a few additional questions I’m currently a PADI certified open water diver and really loved diving so much I’m interested in becoming a dive master and hopefully a scuba instructor as a career what is the best way to get the required 40 dives in order to be eligible for the PADI dive master course? And also are training dive such as the ones I did for my open water certification as well as the ones I will eventually do for my PADI AOW course count towards the 40 dives needed? Thank you

[@CircleHScuba]

Awesome!!!!! So yes, your training dives do count, first of all. My best recommendation is to dive as much as you can in different situations and conditions if possible. Some DMs may only have experience in warm fresh water calm conditions for example, and that may not serve them as well for when they get a job on a boat on an island. The more experiences you can get, the better. At the end of the day, technically you can just dive a bunch in the same local spot and get your dive number up, but I don’t like that approach. The intention is for DMs to have some experience diving, and people logging 15 minute dives and doing nothing on the dive really, just getting numbers up, isn’t helping them learn to lead and be responsible for a group of divers. Remember as a DM and above, you’re on the professional side. You are responsible for the lives of the students and guests you’re guiding and helping with in class. In class you’re helping set up the dive site and helping keep an eye on students, returning them to the group if they get separated in low visibility for example, or making sure they don’t have uncontrolled ascents when they get a little shallow and forget to dump air. It’s a lot of responsibility, so just remember you want to gain experience so you can answer questions, help people become divers, help guide and keep divers safe, etc.

[@ModelAviationStation]

@@CircleHScuba Awesome thank you I really appreciate it 👍

[@CircleHScuba]

@nicholasscott6418 of course!

[@billpassmore6525]

EXCELLENT video and explanation

[@BrentHollett]

The problem is PADI. SSI requires 4 full specialties and 24 dives.

[@CircleHScuba]

I definitely can’t speak for every agency’s requirements. But I believe SSI has one between Open Water and Advanced that’s more similar to what PADI does with their Advanced right?

[@BrentHollett]

They have an Adventurer course which has teases for specialties. It's what PADI calls Advanced, but it doesn't give any grade certification. The dives count towards specialities but you still have to complete 4 including Deep before you can get the AOWD certificate. There's no actual AOWD course because you're doing your specialities.

[@CircleHScuba]

Got it, PADI has Adventure Diver too that no one really gets but it’s if you did 4 (maybe 5? I’d have to double check) adventure dives for specialties. Doesn’t open anything new up iirc, just is a rating as well. Definitely some overlap but some differences too

[@misterhangover]

Why shouldn't you learn to dive with Nitrox straight after the OWD, perfect buoyancy just for the sake of the environment and your AMV. In the dark or with poor visibility, it can affect any diver, so why not learn the necessary skills. There is nothing wrong with knowing how to return to the start in the form of navigation. Every diver should have to put aside stress and rescue because even a diving instructor can make a mistake and then it would be good if everyone knew how to react. Only the deep dive may be questionable for beginners. The remaining courses listed only lead to more safety, no matter how many dives you have had before.

[@CircleHScuba]

I agree, advancing your skills is what the course is for in my opinion, and why I think everyone should take it.

[@misterhangover]

@@CircleHScuba things are a little different with SSI. For AOWD you need 24 TG and 4 full additional courses, although I would consider some of them to be mandatory for every diver.

[@jeffconley6366]

Good Points

[@CircleHScuba]

Thanks Jeff, good to see you in the comments!

[@quietlife4me]

Deep isn’t required for AOW under SSI

[@CircleHScuba]

Ah good point, but they recommend 60 foot depth limits iirc, though I believe they say 100 foot is a limit

[@MrNeobuxer]

I like watching you. But while I agree with getting AOW and no need for experience before that, I disagree with your defense of PADI calling it Advanced. It's a selling gimmick. Quite silly. Don't get me started on Master Yoda Scuba Diver 😂

[@CircleHScuba]

No argument on the master scuba diver part haha. “Advanced adventurer” and “advanced adventure diver” don’t seem much better if you struggle with the “advanced” language 🤷‍♂️ That was kind of my point. It’s existed, and other agencies do the same thing, so it’s not just PADI it’s a lot of agencies 😅 It’s “advancing” your skills and it says that in their marketing/sales copy on their site. Like, totally I get what people mean when they say “omg people think they’re an advanced diver” but I do think that’s people not understanding the meaning 🤷‍♂️ Also appreciate the comment and you watching my videos! 🤙🙏

[@MrNeobuxer]

@CircleHScuba oh absolutely, I think they are all silly gimmicks. Not just PADI's. And I don't mean to beat up on PADI itself, really. I know tons of excellent PADI divers out there, and I have seen underwater PADI nightmares as well. Agencies don't matter, in my opinion. As for specialisations, most have a lot of ridiculous ones as well. SDI's "Computer Diver" and SSI's "Cenote Diving"... However, no one can beat PADI's DSMB Diver 😅

[@besearchingforwisdom6267]

If you think an education is expensive, ignorance is even more so

[@CircleHScuba]

Perfect username for this comment

[@besearchingforwisdom6267]

@@CircleHScuba Hahaha

[@valise1794]

100% on this video.

[@CircleHScuba]

Thanks for the support! 💪

[@rogermarshall2037]

What are the age limitations?

[@CircleHScuba]

12 years of age or older for PADI

[@souswes]

I’m in the AOW is useless camp for a different reason. Skip the tasters, dive in your limits while you save for the courses you want to take. It will make you way more experienced and confident. I think most AOW students just do it to dive deeper. Just get the deep diver specialty and suddenly another atmosphere is open to you beyond AOW. Make friends. Have a buddy with that navigation specialty give you a taste (within your limits) of what it is

[@CircleHScuba]

I think these are good points too. AOW is that required stepping stone sometimes though too. Some specialties require you to have AOW, iirc. Then things on the main path like Rescue Diver. It’s one of the general problems with certifications versus just gaining experience and slowly pushing limits. Some groups like UTD are much more focused on coaching than just certifications for example.

[@souswes]

Fair point. The caveat being that 5 full specialties gain AOW status. Not many would go that route, but if any professional cert is a goal, it’s a good way to go.

[@CircleHScuba]

@souswes agreed!

[@larlario289]

u need it to gain access to certain dive sites regardless of skill. an aow diver with 9 dives is viewed as a better diver vs an ow diver with 500 dives.

[@CircleHScuba]

I do mention that you need it for sites, like the wrecks I mentioned off the coast here in North Carolina. I disagree that an AOW with 9 certs is viewed as a better diver. I don’t know a single person who would think that.

[@larlario289]

aow with 9 dives gets to dive those sites not the other regardless of skill and experience. i agree with what u said if only the entire industry sees it the way you do.

[@CircleHScuba]

Yeah I hear you on that. I guess technically 500 dives to 60 feet max doesn’t mean you can handle 100’+ though. It’s like 500 dives in fresh water in a lake doesn’t necessarily mean you can handle 10 foot swells and high currents in the ocean. You’ll be better than most but you don’t have experience in that specific type of diving. I have a video coming very soon on what makes you actually an experienced diver, and basically talk about this issue and more. Look for it in a couple weeks! I think you’d enjoy it based on this convo.

[@poncho6784]

I was PADI OWD certified in the late 1980s and we were trained with the skills that are now considered AOWD certification. I’ve done multiple deep, night, and wreck dives. Seems to me that by teaching what are now considered “advanced” skills and arbitrarily limiting the depth of OWD, many new divers may lack the skills and confidence to execute important tasks when needed at mid-range depths. Seems like a way for PADI to make more money rather than just teach all the skills you may need at 60 feet that still apply at 80-100 feet.

[@CircleHScuba]

Every agency does this to follow the ISO. It’s more that standards were broken into levels.

[@josephdracula7487]

👍😎🤿🇵🇭!

[@CircleHScuba]

Good seeing you Joseph!

[@colinarner790]

Oop, fourth dive after open was to 145 foot. On a guided dive even

[@CircleHScuba]

Not smart at all :/

[@kimhilltv]

A lot of common sense here.

[@CircleHScuba]

Thanks, I think some people don’t always see it that way unfortunately

[@kimhilltv]

Your re-framing of AOW's benefit was very useful. Yes, sort of a matter of semantics. @@CircleHScuba

[@Burritosarebetterthantacos]

I havent even finished my open water and I already feel nickle and dimed to death. Im not sure how anyone sustains this hobby.

[@CircleHScuba]

Hmm that sounds a bit like expectations may not have been set properly when you asked about getting certified. Shops hidings fees bugs me, it’s not a shop I’d want to go through.

[@jonnieinbangkok]

I think you accidentally stumbled on the answer..."OW 1" and "OW 2." Using the word "advanced" in relation to a diver with less than ten dives is confusing at best and misleading at worst.

[@CircleHScuba]

I hear you but this is what I said pretty early on. The agencies that say “advanced” also clearly say it’s advancing your skills. Naming aside, the point of the video stands imo

[@NeptunesSplendorFL]

please stop drinking the PADI kool aid, back in the day NAUI was OW1 and then OW2, after that you could go for Advanced. The only reason folks NEED Advanced is that dive operators mistakenly believe the hype and often do not allow divers to go on certain dives without that little card. Once a group of us were told we could not sign up for a night dive since we did not have advanced diver cards. But we did have cave and trimix certs!

[@CircleHScuba]

NAUI ASD is the same ISO standard afaik. Same as SSI AOWD. NAUI changed OWII to Advanced Scuba Diver at one point too. At the end of the day, I don’t love that cert cards hold so much weight as there’s many things that make you “advanced” or not in your experience, which is a topic for a video in about 2 weeks that I’m editing now. Drinking the koolaid would mean reading their marketing which states it’s to “advance your skills” and nothing about being an “advanced” diver 😅 I called this point out, and it’s really the whole point of the video if you watch it all. You aren’t an advanced diver just because you take this course, but the course is great for people to advance their skills with an instructor and allow you to experiment learning more things to do underwater.

[@CrazyGuyBlahBlah]

The "problem" (to put it in quotes like you) is that PADI provides half-assed skills training in OW then sells basic skills in an "advanced" course. Nothing new is learned in PADI AOW, whereas RAID and other legitimate agencies have actual skills that are advanced. What PADI puts in "advanced" is taught in the basic OW courses elsewhere. All these "intro to specialties" things you say as a benefit of AOW is just marketing fluff. You pay all that extra just to be further marketed to by PADI and the instructor with stupid pointless "adventure dives".

[@CircleHScuba]

It’s not taught in basic OW in many agencies actually. They follow the ISO standards that most agencies stick to without exceeding. Show me where SSI, SDI, or NAUI for example are both illegitimate and also teach above these ISO standards? PADI gets hate but I think many of the major agencies have the same issues people complain about 🤷‍♂️

[@ketsuno4914]

How about just getting comfortable with skills you've learnt in the open water course. I believe there should be have at least a minimum of fifty dives under your belt BEFORE you do the 'advanced open water' course. Certifying a diver to 30 metres is nothing more than a money grab. You're just another PADI instructor pushing courses to new and inexperienced divers.

[@CircleHScuba]

Not sure how far you got into the video so I’ll give some benefit of the doubt, but I say in the video that PADI does have a strong push for con-ed, so I agree PADI in general pushes courses. I also say that getting more time under supervision if they aren’t comfortable doing so on their own yet isn’t a problem in my eyes. Not sure what you would say to that, but more time in water is most important and doing it with supervision isn’t a bad thing. Finally my main reasons outside of the above are to explore what kind of diving you may want to do, and say don’t just jump to 100 feet (30m), but slowly expand your comfort. I’m not selling courses, so I don’t really have a vested interest in people taking new courses outside of my personal goal to keep people diving and get more folks into diving as I love the sport and want it to grow. 50 dives is pretty high for what equates to a course that gives you some more skills and experience. Some agencies require 24 dives, but I don’t think any go up as high as 50. I don’t see too many issues with being at 30m instead of 18m after some initial diving experience, but depth is really just one factor. 30m in less ideal conditions is different than 30m in the Caribbean with no current, warm water, amazing visibility, etc.

[@ketsuno4914]

@@CircleHScuba Thanks for your reply. The new diver won't be on their own when they dive. They will be with a dive buddy or two. Diving with other experience divers can be better than diving with an instructor. There is more to diving than just know or feeling comfortable with the skills you have just learnt. You need to set your gear up, know where the inflator is, how much weight you need for the dive site and depth. What type tank you are diving with, steel or ali. This list goes on and on. Thirty metres is a long way down when you're a newbie. Being comfortable with your gear and the changes that happen when even diving at shallower depths can't be a bad thing. As you say more time under water is the key but not at 30 metres. There are just as many strange and interesting critters to see under piers etc. Yes I agree dive conditions are a big factor. I dive in Melbourne Australia all year round where we have current, good to bad vis and at times 10c water temp during winter. This is why, in my opinion, the more dives you have under your belt the better before you go deeper. In any case I think there are other more beneficial courses to be done before you go for an advance cert.

[@ScubaDude_Sg]

PADI= P-Put, A-another, D-dollar, I-In it

[@CircleHScuba]

Definitely one of the jokes everyone makes haha.

[@Smoothjaswi]

AOW vs OW seems like a money grab from PADI. Should just be one down to 100'

[@CircleHScuba]

The idea is to let people slowly expand their diving. 60 feet isn’t as complicated as 100 feet. 60 feet, your NDL on air is like 55ish minutes, but at 100 feet it’s closer to 20-25 minutes (didn’t look up exacts but going from memory). At 100 feet, air consumption is higher. A new diver may go through air much faster at 100 feet than they realize due to lack of experience. The difference is roughly 1.5 times faster at 100 feet compared to 60 feet, and 100 feet is 4 times faster than at the surface compared to about 3 times faster at 60. Certifying to 100 feet and having people not go to the limit immediately would be fine, but people usually go to the limits instead of slowly expanding like they should due to human nature 😅

[@johnwilliamsscuba6487]

I think everything taught in advanced open.Water should be taught in open water and it should not existhis.But you guys need to make your money

[@CircleHScuba]

Well being that AOW consists of 3 elective adventure dives, what parts do you think should be? I think deep and nav could potentially be on a longer OW schedule, but I wouldn’t put someone who just learned down to 100 feet. I’d have them slowly progress to those depths. I think advancing your training is important but balancing diving some in there too so you can gain experience

[@adrianbrady9457]

real men go for extended range hypoxic

[@CircleHScuba]

Ah yes of course

[@adrianbrady9457]

@@CircleHScuba I'm just kidding 😜, i wouldn't recommend extended range unless you are confident in your diving and have a goal or passion with it like cave/wreck diving. It gets very technical and disciplined and is definitely not for everybody

[@victorjngv]

Somebody has to "learn" how to "use" "quotes" less "often"

[@CircleHScuba]

Eh, talking with my hands happens sometimes haha