espenskogen:
Now, I would expect any instructor to have exemplary waterskills - However, you don't need to be a trimix diver to be a good instructor. (And the same goes for Divemasters really - Although I would rather be trained by a recreational instructor who is also a trimix instructor trainer, than the instructor who passed his IE two days ago, and still find it a bit scary to go deeper than 30 meters...)
Therein lies the problem ... both with DM's and instructors. People are being pushed into these programs way too fast, and lack the basic skills.
This issue isn't about trimix ... that's a whole 'nother realm of scuba diving. But someone fresh out of Rescue class who's got 20 dives and has just been told by their instructor that they "qualify" to start DM training simply doesn't know (most of the time) what they're buying into.
I've seen DM's who can't manage their own gas supply ... heck, they don't even understand the concept of "turn pressure" because they've never heard it mentioned in any of their three previous classes (OW, AOW, or Rescue). They lack fundamental knowledge ... because that comes, in large part, by logging some actual out-of-the-classroom bottom time.
I know instructors who aren't fazed by going to 120 fsw ... but have absolutely no business being there, much less taking students down that deep. I knew one instructor who went from OW class to passing her IE in three months ... sure, she met all of the "qualifications", but she lacked a basic understanding of scuba diving. As an instructor she had the basic book knowledge ... but as a diver she'd still abandon a dive buddy when she got low on air (just surface without letting her buddy know what she was going to do), and she still had buoyancy control issues. Would you want to take a class from somebody like that? Fortunately, she came to realize it and over time turned into a pretty good diver and instructor ... but it took a couple of years of real-life experience to reach that point.
For the most part ... and there are rare exceptions ... divers have no business becoming DM candidates at 20 dives. They have no business becoming DM's at 60 dives. And they have no business becoming instructors at 100 dives. That's simply not enough experience for the type of responsibility that comes with those positions. Shops push people into these programs for financial reasons ... I've seen shop owners tell a candidate they'd make a great DM, then admit after the person signed up and paid for the class that they wouldn't want to have this person working with their own students. It's a business decision ... not an ethical one.
To anyone thinking to become a DM, I'd urge you to ask yourself some simple questions ...
- Why am I doing this? What do I hope to gain from it?
- Are my motivations really worth the time, money, and effort that I'll put into it?
- Am I comfortable enough with my skills that I'd bet someone else's safety on them?
- Do I really want that kind of responsibility?
- Are my skills adequate to handle a crisis ... like a panicked student diver ... without endangering either myself or the student?
If you're not comfortable with an honest self-assessment in any of those areas, then hold off on signing up for DM class and work on your skills first. That class doesn't teach you scuba skills ... it assumes you already possess them, and focuses instead on how to manage those skills to perform the duties normally associated with divemaster. Don't rush into it. Keep in mind that as soon as you get that DM card, your liability for the safety of others ... even people around you who are not part of your class or group ... has just increased many-fold due to your training and certification level. Make sure you're ready to handle that responsibility before you go there.
Just my 2 psi ... having worked with and around both DM's and instructors who don't have the skills to be either ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
