Divemaster course over 2 weekends?

[grantmac]

Why get a certification which adds only liability without adding capability?

Go for a tech course instead.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I can't remember exactly back 15 years, but I recall we had to participate in one (or more?) Open Water Course and a Continuing Ed course (ours was a Rescue Course where we played the "victims"). These things alone took a full two days. We also did a boat dive (though I've been told that wasn't a requirement-- maybe just a shop thing?). So you add those 2 days to the 2 days of skills evaluations in the pool and that brings the course to a minimum of 4 days of teacher-student contact time above the e learning, site mapping, etc. Unless I've left stuff out (quite possibly, such as there are the written tests to be taken, though they aren't like 6 tests of 160 questions or so anymore), I guess it all could be "squeezed" into a long 2 weekends. -- Please inform us of components I've left out....

When I took the IE, I had already completed the full IDC so was well prepared for the 2 day IE. I
had also already been working as an AI for over a year so was totally familiar and experienced with all aspects of teaching....

My point is that a well prepared and well experienced DM candidate who has completed all academics, mapping project, swims, etc.....and has been assisting and observing classes.....should be able to complete the DM course in two weekends... For a diver with zero items completed towards the DM cert......no way it can or should be done in two weekends.

 

[TMHeimer]

When I took the IE, I had already completed the full IDC so was well prepared for the 2 day IE. I
had also already been working as an AI for over a year so was totally familiar and experienced with all aspects of teaching....

My point is that a well prepared and well experienced DM candidate who has completed all academics, mapping project, swims, etc.....and has been assisting and observing classes.....should be able to complete the DM course in two weekends... For a diver with zero items completed towards the DM cert......no way it can or should be done in two weekends.

Agree. But I suppose many DM candidates like myself did not spend any time assisting and observing classes before or (extra ones) during the DM course-- other than the required couple. Perhaps I also agree that a DM candidate should be well experienced as you say, and thus there should be more required observing, etc. I can't recall if a DM candidate is supposed to assist such as helping a student with skills during a course. Maybe more along the lines of helping students gear up, getting fins on, hauling tanks, etc.?

 

[W1nst0ne]

Sorry for not responding to this thread sooner.

@tursiops my intention of starting this thread was not to PADI bash. I used to be both a Padi instructor and BSAC instructor before I ceased teaching so I am quite familiar with the Divemaster requirements.

maybe I phrased some of the questions rhetorically as I already knew the answers that in reality padi doesn’t really care about the quality of the instruction

I still cannot figure out how a divemaster candidate can complete the course and get the required sign offs for each of the sections. Skill circuit etc unless they are only doing each section once and then being signed off no matter how they perform

When I did my divemaster 6 years ago it took about 4 months as I recall. I assisted on many different courses. Carried out skill circuits until I was able to get consistent 5’s and lost count of how many feedback forms I had to get before my instructor deemed me competent to be signed off.

Note I started my divemaster when I had about 150 dives so wasn’t exactly new to diving

Maybe I am just shocked at how much padi (or maybe it’s just this dive shop) seems to be prioritising profit over quality

 

[tursiops]

Sorry for not responding to this thread sooner.

@tursiops my intention of starting this thread was not to PADI bash. I used to be both a Padi instructor and BSAC instructor before I ceased teaching so I am quite familiar with the Divemaster requirements.

maybe I phrased some of the questions rhetorically as I already knew the answers that in reality padi doesn’t really care about the quality of the instruction

I still cannot figure out how a divemaster candidate can complete the course and get the required sign offs for each of the sections. Skill circuit etc unless they are only doing each section once and then being signed off no matter how they perform

When I did my divemaster 6 years ago it took about 4 months as I recall. I assisted on many different courses. Carried out skill circuits until I was able to get consistent 5’s and lost count of how many feedback forms I had to get before my instructor deemed me competent to be signed off.

Note I started my divemaster when I had about 150 dives so wasn’t exactly new to diving

Maybe I am just shocked at how much padi (or maybe it’s just this dive shop) seems to be prioritising profit over quality

LOL. You apparently have not actually read the thread.
DM cannot be done in two weekends, period. The UK shop advertising this is being deliberately misleading.
You say you had no intention to PADI-bash....and then go on to do exactly that.
You claim to be quite familiar with the DM requirements, and then choose to believe a two-weekend DM course?
If this is important to you then (1) call out the dive shop doing that false advertising, and (2) contact PADI and complain about that dive shop. As an exPADI instructor you owe them that.
If this is not important to you, then chill.

 

[Landau]

maybe it’s just this dive shop)

It’s the dive shop

 

[mmerriman]

padi recommended hours to complete the entire program is 50. assuming someone did all their elearning in advance and had all the diving prereqs, I can see a schedule that has 2 full pool days and 2 full OW days getting this done. I would never try to cram it together like that, but if you look at other programs that are spread out its probably the same # of hours.

 

[TMHeimer]

padi recommended hours to complete the entire program is 50. assuming someone did all their elearning in advance and had all the diving prereqs, I can see a schedule that has 2 full pool days and 2 full OW days getting this done. I would never try to cram it together like that, but if you look at other programs that are spread out its probably the same # of hours.

You may be correct on the hours. But I agree-- like the weekends OW course, cramming it together like that doesn't seem the best way to go.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

It seems really hard to get this all in. My recollection, don't have time now to check, is that you have to assist with one FULL open water class and one continuing education class. Plus all manner of workshops, skill circuits, swim tests, etc..

I've never seen DM training that's been shorter than months, though I suppose a busy shop sending OW students out to dive in the ocean every day might be able to get it done sooner. Can't say I like it.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

So I looked up the details on what would need to be done. I'm going to summarize those items that really couldn't be done in advance:

1. Skill circuit: This is showing you've got "demonstration-quality" capability in 24 different skills. I'm not sure how you get demonstration quality without having been taught it over some time, but maybe they send out videos to watch and encourage you to practice before you show up?
2. Waterskills: This is 5 skills including timed swim, timed snorkel, timed diver tow, timed float, and equipment exchange underwater. The float alone takes 15 minutes. Swims depend on speed of diver, but should reasonably add a half hour or so of actual swimming time, excluding recovery between "events" or time necessary for logistics. (E.g., doffing/donning mask, fins, and full SCUBA gear as appropriate.)
3. Dive rescue demo. OK, maybe they just got out of a rescue class and can nail this first time out? Or is a demo done? Videos shown in advance?
4. Dive site management: This could be rolled into assisting with classes, I guess.
5. Mapping project. I'm assuming they have to do this on their own.
6. Dive briefing. Theoretically wrapped into a class?
7. Search and recovery scenario. (Basically do the S&R Adventure Dive.)
8. Deep dive. They have to do it with the instructor. I suppose this and item 7 could be rolled into assisting, sort of, with an AOW course? Seems like that'd be pushing it in terms of compliance, though.
9. Re-activate workshop: Either assist with a class, or a mock class. But this isn't something you can rush through.
10. Skin Diver workshop: Same deal. They need a real class or a real mock class.
11. DSD workshop: Same deal.
12. DSD open water dive. Same again.
13. Discover local diving: Same again.
14. Assist with full open water course (pool and open water dives). This has to be a real course.
15. Continuing education course assisting. This has to be a real course.
16. Lead a real dive kind of like you're guiding.

That seems like a really busy two weekends. The most "efficient" I could get quickly adding up is 11 OW dives, 7 CW dives (a couple of which could be added to OW, if preferred, and 1 skindiver session. I'm assuming they could do the skill circuit, water skills, and rescue demo in one horrendous CW session.