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Deep, Buoyancy & Navigation are the ones that the LDS I go through offers + 2 others that you discuss, although it’s not "mandatory" that’s the way they do it.I’ve just gotten my OW certification so I may not have a leg to stand on but in my opinion it should be, without neutral buoyancy what good are the others, if you’re doin Wreck, you don’t wanna be bounce’in off the floor and ceiling and Multi is shot as well
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Since Buoyancy is one of the first basic tasks that you need to learn in diving it would be a good idea to have it under control before the advanced class. It wouldn’t be fair to the other students in the class to have an instructor distracted by divers that don’t have their buoyancy tuned in. This would not only be a safety issue for you and the instructor but the other students. The advanced class is going to have you doing more advanced tasks that require more attention thus you need to have a few other things be second nature where you make the needed adjustments without thinking about it but.
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It used to be part of becoming a "certified" divers course but then all of the agencys split up the course to make it easier and to get you back into the shop more often.
It should be part of the OW course as having bad buoyancy will get you in more trouble than going deeper than 60’
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Agojo - 7/09/2014 1:45 PM 
No to mandatory! What about the open water newly certified diver that spends the time to get buoyancy mastered on his own before starting advanced, you going to make them pay a shop and Put Another Dollar In for something can already demonstrate? Option would be demonstrate it prior to or then have as part of advanced but then the unscrupulous dive shop still may require it.
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I learned more by getting out and diving.
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No, I think it should be part of your open water cert. New divers without proper training are constantly destroying fragile reefs.
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If it were to made mandatory, it should be part of the Advanced certification. Divers in initial certification are already in information overload just learning the basics such as breathing underwater, mask clearing and out of air.. Trying to get them to demonstrate "peak performance bouyancy" is asking way too much for someone who has just been in a pool twice before. However, I bellieve bouyancy should be a mandatory part for you to be called "advanced." Let’s face it.. The PADI "advanced" rating is far from that. I have always had a problem with the "advanced" rating. But, if they made PPB part of the course, it would help in giving you skills you could actually use at being a better diver.. Much more than "photo" or some of the other specialty dives you can do in your Advanced cert.
As for the newly certified diver that mastered his own bouyancy. Good on you. I think every diver should work on their bouyancy and get it down. However, in the sense of getting your AOW, you’re not paying the dive shop for the single specialty. You’re paying the dive shop for the advanced cert which includes 5 dives. If you have PPB already mastered, then you’ll breeze through that portion of the dives. But, you will also be under the eyes of an instructor and that can help you with whatever you might think is "mastered" yet it may not be quite right. Just my train of thought on it..
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like most things in life you learn by doing, even more so with this skill.
I don’t see that it would hurt.
Last week, in The Bahamas I had a dive buddy who had been certified a year ago.
On the first dive I literally had to reach up and pull him down. During surface interval
I politely suggested he add some weight.
How about basic buoyancy control taught to new divers correctly?
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The AOW training was one of the most valuable training we’ve had.
I think it should be taught in the OW cert, as they really countered our buoyancy by over weighting and not adjusting our equipment. The students were left awkward, distracting from the skills we need to learn/demonstrate. As been stated, it was after that OW cert that we self resolved most of our weight/equip adjustments needed. So when we took the buoyancy training, we able to learn the skills that are best learned thru instruction.
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It is a building block skill that is more important in our sport than many divers realize. Unfortunately I see recreational divers through the master scuba diver level that still are in poor trim with little control and that kick up silt while burning through tanks. Fortunately those heading towards the pro ranks are required to pass more ridged requirements for buoyancy control and learn to properly trim and hover. Should it be part of the OW experience? It is but testing only requires an understanding and basic skill level. IMHO this is probably as it should be but certain specialties should have prerequisites of advanced and that should contain the full PPB class and more stringent requirements. It is my assertion that Advanced Diver Certification should not be only an experience builder but contain the skills checkout at an advanced level. Combine the full specialty level training of PPB, Nav, Deep and Night thus creating a diver who is advanced enough in their training to take on the extra tasks needed for specialties such as Cave or wreck diving.
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I’m about to take my AOW training and the dive shop in St. Louis made the buoyancy mandatory. I’m kind of angry that it is required because it’s something that I’m pretty good at anyway. However, there is more to it than I originally thought so I am glad I’m doing it. Just hate missing out on another skill in Advanced that this buoyancy one is now taking up.
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Buoyancy Control must be taught at the OW Level and when you hand them that card that is one thing that that card means. The card means many things, and one thing it means is, "This Diver Can Control His/HEr Buoyancy. So, if you are in an organization that gets a funny look when one of its instructors asks, "Hey, Joe, come on and join us in such-and-such-a-divers associate-etc!" That funny look he or she is getting is based on years of experience diving next to "SASADEA-Etc" divers who couldn’t control their buoyancy, whose dive organization put buckets full of divers like that over reefs, and whose agency sold its soul at the Underwater Cross-Roads to you-know-who to get as much money as possible for its franchise when its franchise over there could cares 1% for the marine eco-system. Those "funny" looks are hard earned. OW training must teach "Control of the BC," with mastering it being more subjective, but controlling that BC is about life - either the lives of the creatures in the marine environment or the lives of the divers who are entering the water. The Open Water Card means the diver can control his or her buoyancy. That is one thing that the card means because if the diver cannot control it, that diver is not safe, and then there is obviously no point in taking the course in the first place.
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Peak Performance is relative. The issue for the beginning diver is control. To some old timers, "peak" means that the diver doesn’t even need it, as many don’t. The diving planet is divided on this issue. However, most diving associations require that when the instructor is "in the act of teaching, leading, or monitoring a dive, while in the water, he/she must wear a BC." Thus, that is not the same thing as to say that all instructor rated divers must always wear a BC when diving. There are a significant number of diving organizations that specifically word it just like that for the reason that there are still people out there diving who believe that "Peak Buoyancy Control Performance" means not having to use a BC at all. Now, that will get most "modern" divers buzzing and snarling, but those "old school" folks feel that sans-BC is a much, much more hydro-dynamic profile, and thus, within the matrix of the whole boiyancy system, is ultimately "Peakerier." Where are they and who still dives like this? Well, they are under a rock, where would you think, lol.
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I think there should be more emphasis on PPB at the OW level. Not all divers continue on to AOW therefore they should know how to control their buoyancy when they are given their
OW card. I have seen divers taking other specialties without the basic buoyancy skills needed. I also think there should be some minimum number of dives required between OW and AOW. There are many students who complete these courses in back to back weekends, who have the AOW card but have less than a dozen dives under their belts, all of which were training dives. are they really advanced divers???
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MDW - 11/13/2014 7:52 AM
Yes, YES, Hell YES! I wish this would be taught at the OW level, too, but at least if it’s brought in at AOW we won’t continue to reinforce bad habits through another class.
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