完成 OW 後直上 AOW？急甚麼？

分享一篇文章，此文章是由一位資深潛水教練分享他的心得。文章是英文的，有懂得翻譯的可幫忙一下。

Mr. Duane Johnson 是 Precision Diving 的始創人

I’ve gotten many emails from people asking about what kind of time frame to take the Advanced Open Water course. Many people feel that taking AOW immediately after OW is a good idea. For a few people, it may be a good idea. However, for the majority of the diving public, this practice should be avoided. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why people take AOW right after their OW course.

1) Learn to dive deeper – Many, many dive operators across the world require the AOW course before letting divers dive certain dive sites. Thus, new divers feel pressured to take the AOW immediately after OW to visit these dive sites. The truth is, you don’t need to dive deep to see some really cool things. There are plenty of things to see within the limits of the OW course. Actually, some of the best things I’ve seen have been while snorkeling. Diving deeper can introduce more complicated dive planning, add more stress (mental and physical) and possible task loading. For the experience diver, they may not believe this to be so. But for a brand new open water diver, slight changes in depth, water temperatures, visibility etc.; can increase stress levels significantly. If new divers strive to dive deeper, then they should gain experience at the OW level first, then gradually move deeper. Gaining more comfort and composure in the water before taking the AOW class will make the transition into deeper diving easier and more enjoyable.

2) Gain more comfort – Many new divers I’ve talked to about this topic have said the same thing. They didn’t feel comfortable in the water after their OW class and want to take the AOW course to increase their comfort level. In my opinion, if you do not have some degree of elevated comfort and confidence in the water after your OW class, then that is a failing of the course, instructor or with yourself. If this is the case, then the OW student should request more time in the water prior to being issued certification. Don’t let any other individual tell you that “you are good enough” when you don’t feel 100% comfortable. Each individual has to judge their own level of comfort in the water and should not be influenced by instructors, peers or divers on the Internet message boards.

3) Diving with Supervision – Many divers who sign up for AOW right away have said they wanted to do more dives with a professional before conducting their own scuba dives. The goal of every open water course is to certify and verify that you are 100% capable of planning and conducting scuba dives WITHOUT the supervision of a dive professional. If you are still unable to do so after your OW class, then that is a failing of the course, instructor or with yourself. Here in the Chicago area, many of the dive stores will hold monthly fun dives with their instructors, staff and experienced divers. I’m sure there are many dive stores (or dive clubs) across the world that do this as well. This is the perfect time to get some help with your dive planning and being able to conduct scuba dives without the constraints of a class environment.
The point of the AOW course should be to improve and build your diving knowledge and skill set. You cannot do that if you do not have a handle with, or are not comfortable with, the basic fundamental skills from the open water course. It is also an opportunity to learn to dive in a new environment. For example, here in the Chicago area, a 30-40 foot dive can be significantly easier than a 100 foot dive. Multiple thermoclines (water temperature changes at various depths) exist and the visibility can easily go from very good to next to nothing in minutes. Learning how to comfortably dive in this type of dynamic environment is one of the benefits of an AOW course.
Anyways folks, I’m a firm believe that slow and steady wins the race. By gaining more experience in between courses, you give yourself a strong base of knowledge and skill to build upon. This will allow you to maximize what you learn in your next scuba class and you’ll have more fun.
Scuba training is an investment in your diving safety and enjoyment. Maximize the return on your investments.

文章出處：http://precisiondiving.net/blog/why-rush-into-it-taking-aow-right-after-ow/