4 Reasons Why You Should Get Your AOW (Advanced Open Water)

Scuba diving frequently involves stepping outside of your comfort zone and straining your physical boundaries. This is why the majority of scuba divers frequently seek for new thrills and experiences. It's time to acquire your Advanced Open Water (AOW) Diver Certificate if you wish to advance in your scuba journey.

Open Water may have taught you everything you need to know, but you should level up now. Although it is not required, continuing to higher certification levels offers a fantastic opportunity. Here are a few factors that might influence your decision if you are unsure whether to acquire your AOW.

1. Improve Your Skills

You can improve your scuba diving skills by taking an AOW course. Under the close supervision of your instructor, you will develop additional experience and test out different specialties. You can enjoy yourself much by picking up new abilities, and taking on new tasks can be exciting.

You will gain skills throughout the course that will enable you to enjoy scuba diving in a variety of ways. Being accompanied by an instructor will guarantee that you are performing each task correctly. You are free to ask the instructor any questions you may have along the route.

Along with developing your technique and picking up new skills, you will learn how to deal with the physiological difficulties that deeper scuba diving might present. Use this as a chance to get better at night dives, compass navigation, visual landmark navigation, time navigation, and a lot more.

2. Dive in Different Environments

You may be drawn to the AOW course for various reasons, including the extended depth you can achieve. You have the opportunity to increase the depth limits that come with each certification.

The maximum depth for PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification is 100 feet/30 meters. After the Open Water Depth, which is 60 feet or 18 meters, this is a slight improvement.

You must have at least once experienced the kind of curiosity that makes you wonder, "What may I discover if I dig deeper?" Nearly all divers have an increasing urge to dive as far below as they can.

A very fascinating experience is diving beneath the surface of the sea and exploring the vast underwater realm. Learn about many habitats, as each depth brings a unique and thrilling experience.

It's possible that you've always wanted to search for underwater ruins or explore what animals lives in the lower levels. In any case, the AOW certificate will give you access to those chances.

3. Build Your Confidence

Every beginning is accompanied by hesitancies, uncertainties, and fears. But after you overcome that, all that's left is the sense of satisfaction. Obtaining your AOW will benefit your mental health because it will increase your confidence in your diving abilities.

You'll be conscious of your increased experience and practical understanding. This will increase your diving confidence. This self-assurance is crucial since it will enable you to overcome anxiety and make wiser decisions.

Additionally, as a result of your accomplishment of something new, your confidence will generally increase. Once you receive your certificate, you'll be able to recognize your success and the fact that you gave yourself permission to go on new adventures. Use this as a chance to demonstrate that you have the determination to develop your talents.

4. Give Yourself More Options

You can meet a lot of people on your travels and dives, and you can even make some friends along the way. When you can share your diving exploits with someone, they are considerably more enjoyable.

Imagine yourself in a circumstance where you encounter new divers with AOW but are unable to keep up since you are not at that level yet. It won't be fun to be left behind while everyone leaves. You will see how much you are missing out on in such circumstances.

Don't restrict your options. As an alternative, give yourself additional choices.

You'll have more alternatives if you obtain your AOW certificate. If you let it, scuba diving can take you to some magnificent landscapes. You can explore more with AOW and communicate with other AOW divers about your experiences.

What You Should Know About Advanced Open Water Course

Your knowledge from the Open Water Course is expanded upon in this course. You don't need to worry about not having the time to complete the PADI AOW because it just takes two days.

You can anticipate two required courses and three advanced open water adventure dives of your choosing.

The required classes are:

• Deep “Adventure” Dive – showcasing the capability to perform easy chores underwater at a depth of 30 meters or 100 ft.
• Navigation “Adventure” Dive – having to learn how to travel underwater by using a compass and natural navigation.

You should customize the three adventure dives you get to pick from based on your tastes and areas of interest. You can use that time to practice the abilities that will be useful for your planned excursions. The adventure dives could consist of:

• Underwater Naturalist
• Underwater Navigator
• Underwater Videography
• Night
• Wreck
• Boat
• AWARE-Fish Identification
• Altitude
• Enriched Air Nitrox
• Peak Performance Buoyancy
• Underwater Photography
• Multilevel and Dive Computer
• Nitrox
• Side Mount
• Dive Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) – underwater scooter
• Search and Recovery
• Drift

These courses' main goal is to provide you the skills you need to be more effective in future scenarios. Consider the diving excursions you'd prefer to do, and pick your adventure dives appropriately.

All your questions about getting AOW should be answered by the aforementioned justifications and the new skills that AOW can give you. Don't limit your diving experiences and keep an open mind to new experiences. You don't want to pass up the opportunity to explore all that is waiting to be discovered in the deep waters.

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About the Author

Marques Coleman is a freelance writer and he works at TrustMyPaper, GrabMyEssay, and Studicus. Besides providing useful advice through his writing, Marques is currently working on a travel book. He is actively collaborating with BestEssayEducation and WowGrade to turn his adventures into well-written content. As a passionate traveler and long-time scuba diver, he wants to share his experiences and tips with a wide audience.