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You are only going to get the basics from any of the AOW dives you take. You won’t be "wreck certified" or anything like that. So, with that, just take whichever one piques your interest more. Diving is all about learning, so learn what you want to learn. If you are going to try and do a liveaboard in the near future, I would highly suggest, if you don’t have it already, to get NITROX certified. You don’t need any other specialty rating to do that type of dive (night, boat, drift, etc) however, you do have to be EAN certified to dive NITROX; and on a liveaboard, NITROX will help you get a few more dives in if you do it right. Unfortunately, EAN cert does not count for AOW, so you’re on your own for that one. Good luck with your AOW..
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It sounds like you are making the right choices for your AOW.
As for EAN/nitrox check with the liveaboard, some and I’m not sure about Blackbeards have you do the book work before the trip and take the test when you arrive onboard so you can use nitrox on the 1st dive. With most liveaboards you are doing 4 or 5 dives a day and if you are not using nitrox you will be running out of bottom time on air tables
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I would say Wreck and then go for some specialities to go deeper in an area you have interest in. I am finishing up AOW next month and I did night, wreck and will do search and recovery to finish. Keep me posted on the live aboard. I might join you!
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Also agree on the Enriched Air. It’s good to have. Do that next after your AOW. I did the theory part just need to get with my instructor to go over the homework and learn how to use the test equipment to double check the contents of the cylinder.
Thinking of heading to Dutch on Sat 9/3 if I can swing it.
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Thanks for all the tips. Nitrox is certainly on my list of courses to complete. I don’t know if I will fit Nitrox in before the end of the season tho. Its getting short! I thinking I’m leaning toward wreck. Although multi-level and working with the dive table/computer is certainly a weak point for me But, all in time I guess.
John I have the 3rd and 4th weeks off in January check your schedule maybe we can get together for some salt water dives.
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Get a dive computer and start diving with it. You don’t need a class to teach you how to use it. Read the manual a few times too.
Ok I’m going to look into those dates!
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which ever one you do remember to enjoy yourself !!!! Best of luck
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Congrats on you AOW. Rescue was my favorite training. I would honestly take this class just for enjoyment. It also makes you much more aware of those around you and whats going on with them.
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Keep in mind the wreck intro course won’t really get you certified for wreck diving. For that, you’d TECHNICALLY need to get your “overhead diver” cert... or your “wreck penetration” cert
However I agree wreck will be more fun than the other one
If you don’t wanna pay for the wreck course, AT LEAST invest in 2 (TWO) good flashlights and a reel. I recommend a 400 ft reel from Halcyon or Diverite, and get the Tovatec 1000lumen flashlight. It’s reallu good and only $120. But get 2 just in case first one fails. For cave diving you need 3.
Also watch videos on how to work with scuba reels and practice them at home with the reel. And practice In water prior to using it
If you carefully tie off before entering the wreck, and stay calm, and have good buoyancy and never let go of the line and carefully check your air, you should be fine. If you enter wreck with 2500 PSI, make sure you exit wreck by 1700 PSI. Don’t cut it close.
Also ideally it’s good to have a pony bottle or do doubles or sidemount, in case your reg breaks or somehow hits something and gets turned off.. but the extra regulators for it get expensive. Pony bottles with cheap reg attaches are fairly cheap and light
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Oh and when in wrecks, don’t touch anything sharp, carefully make sure you know what’s above you (don’t bump your head, you can knock yourself out). A helmet or a 5mm hood will go a long way towards basic head protection but really... be careful. And don’t touch anything that could hurt you.
Lastly get reallyyyy good at frog kicks and buoyancy bcuz just like in a cave, you can stir up silt. This can make it hard to escape, even with a reel/line
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