Divemaster Training

[Eco-Dive]

First of all good luck on your adventure mumphrey, It is a path I am sure you will gain both knowledge and enjoyment from. As for the “Harvard of Dive Training” don’t waste your time looking for the Holy Grail, Just do it. At the end it will be you who defines what kind of a Dive Master you are. I agree with Divebrain, you should pick an agency whose basic beliefs match yours. I did my PADI Dive Master Course in Israel at the Dugit Dive Club and my Instructor Zvika Lahav was amazing, I learned so much from him. The PADI info on Rescue Diver, Medic first Aid, and Dive Master was good. But your experience diving, Responsibility, and working with people will determine how good of a Dive Master you will be.

Hope that helps.

Plan your Dive and Dive your Plan

Nathan

 

[Walter]

Jason,

What exactly disappoints you? The fact the some agencies award a "Master Diver" card with no Master Diver class? Or the fact that I recognize it for what it is? Or perhaps it's the fact that other agencies actually have a Master Diver class? Maybe you are disappointed in the fact some agencies require skills that others don't in their OW class? I know I'm disappointed that important skills are left out of the requirements of some agencies. Perhaps, you'd rather no one knew of the differences?

"it comes down to the indivdual's attitude, not the organization."

There are instances when an outstanding individual will overcome a poor system, there are other times when individuals cut corners and don't meet standards. For the most part, that is the exception, not the rule. Most instructors follow minimum standards of their agency to the letter. When those minimums are set high, you get a better course than when they are not.

I'm glad you are proud of your accomplishments, I set the bar a tad higher.

mumphrey,

Pro dive is definately not the Harvard of dive training.

"I knew other would be divers who earned PADI certification at about the same time and never felt sufficiently comfortable with their skills to ever dive again after their open water check-out dive."

The PADI of 1978 was much more comprehensive than the PADI of today. If you didn't care for the system then, you'll hate it now.

diverbrian,

"And we all DIVERS, regardless of who certified us!"

Unfortunately, too many are not.

 

[AquaDog]

Its thru PADI and I think its just fine. So far, its been very technical and in-depth in every category. But I'll admit I can't compare to other DM training programs.

Good luck !

 

[jepuskar]

I am just disappointed in that your posts are normally non-biased and well thought out. Ofcourse we are all entitled to our little playful bashing of certs/agencies, but you seem to really have a hatred or animosity towards PADI. That is ok, you have that right to feel this way, but when someone asks a question about a DM program why go out of your way to bash PADI? Why not just say good things about the agency you prefer?

Ok, I am just gonna bow out of this thread now, as I can already see this is going to be a wasteful discussion.

I said what I feel, you said what you feel....time to move on.

 

[steeldiver]

Enough already.
If you drive a ford and only a ford and are perfectly happy with a ford the ford is for you what a mercedes is to others.
If you've only driven a ford you can't crit other brands.
If you've driven all the makes on the market you can express your personal opinion.
Bearing in mind that there are some people who just can't be pleased.
Become the best drivers you can be and don't critisize your veicle.
Go and be the DM THAT OTHERS WILL ADMIRE.
Howard.

 

[Padipro]

You know something Walt!!! I don't think I've ever seen a post by you where you didn't make some derogatory comment. You must be one miserable old man to be around in person because you sure are a PITA on the board.

Regulator or not, do us all a favor, if you don't have anything positive to say just shut up.

Scott

PADI MSDT and proud of it.

 

[daylight]

Walter isn't the person that's over reacting. If you folks would objectively read what he is saying you would see the merits of his thinking and experience.

I am a DM through two different agencies. One does come closer to my philosophy of diving than the other. That just makes them different. Obviously I prefer to work under the one that matches my philosophy. Many of the DMs and Instructors that get churned out are grossly under-proficient. They have truely advanced to their level of incompetency. They are just perpetuating minimal skills.

When you have seen as many marginally qualified divers, DMs and Instructors as Walter has, you may have an appreciation for his position.
Sure he,s cranky, but that's what makes him unique.
And it's only Monday.
Dive Safe,
Larry

 

[scubaroyster]

Walt, as a regulator, Is it you responsibility to "stir up the pot"? Your 1st reply was a bit inflammatory to us PADI types. Your 2nd reply was, again, all about what you think of PADI.

To get back to the purpose of this thread...

It all depends on what type of environment you will want to work in.

A. If you want to help with class close to where you live, go with an instructor you respect at a LDS that you do business with. As you develop your relationship with the instructor, he will more than likely be asking you for your assistance with classes (further mentoring you). It gives you access to classes to assist with, and maybe access to the bigger discounts you will probably enjoy for helping with instruction. Not all LDS will extend divemasters favorable discounts, so might want to check it out closely before commiting to your instructor and shop.

B. If you want to get a lot of boat experience , I would recommend an operation that operates dive boats.

C. If you can find a place that combines A & B, the better.

D. If you want get a full-time job with pay, I recommend a school like Pro Dive. The big schools can get you through your divemaster in a short period of time with plenty of experience because they also teach many other certification levels. With this many classes being taught, you will not have to wait for opportunities as with a lower volume stores. In a relatively short amount of time, they move you into IDC with additional training to make you marketable. Then they are also set up to market you with some of their many clients that employ their graduates.

You have a wide variety of ways to get to your goal.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Frankly I do not like PADI's ow standards. There are plenty of "5-star" facilites that advertise becomeing an OW diver in 2 days. Do you really think it is possible for the average person to master BOW skills that will allow him/her to dive on their own in 2 days? Really? Please show me how it is done for the masses.

As for becoming a DM...that is a different story. Being a DM is a totally different mind-set than being an BOW diver. The best course for you to take to be a DM is the one taught by an instructor who shares the same diving philosiphy that you do. My DM class took about 3 months to complete, a lot of book-work, and a lot of "on-the scene" training. you learn what goes into making a dive happen for a group of people. you learn a lot about what you shold have on hand in order to make everyone's day a good one. You help with classes and learn first hand how hard it is to teach some students some skills. you learn a ton of stuff. Frankly, I love working with students, answering their questions, and showing them cool stuff along the way. With students come the responsibiliteis of being prepared for a check-out dive. Until I took this course and set-up a dive for an AOW class one weekend, I had no idea how much crap you had to do before you even got to the site.

MY advice would be to find someone who shares your diving interestes / philosiphy and work with that person. you are likely to get a lot more out of the course.

 

[Walter]

Jason,

"I am just disappointed in that your posts are normally non-biased and well thought out."

You'd prefer them to be biased with no thought?

"why go out of your way to bash PADI?"

I didn't bash PADI or anyone else. What I did was explain there are differences between agencies. I then suggested folks should use those differences to choose the agency that best suits them. If PADI suits you, you should stay with their program. If you are one of the minority that doesn't fit well in a PADI program, you should look elsewhere instead of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Scott,

"I don't think I've ever seen a post by you where you didn't make some derogatory comment."

You might see some if you'd read my posts. I can understand why you might feel I made one or more such comments in the second post I made in this thread. The first ("I'm glad you are proud of your accomplishments, I set the bar a tad higher.") was probably a bit strong even though it is true. The second ("The PADI of 1978 was much more comprehensive than the PADI of today. If you didn't care for the system then, you'll hate it now.") was not actually derogatory, but a simple statement of fact followed by a prediction of a reaction. There is absolutely not even the hint of any derogatory comment in the first post.

"You must be one miserable old man to be around in person because you sure are a PITA on the board."

I'm definately guilty on both counts, ask anyone who has had the misfortune to meet me.

"Regulator or not, do us all a favor, if you don't have anything positive to say just shut up."

Sorry, it's not in my nature. Unless you want to blow a gasket, you'll either have to skip my posts or learn to tolerate them.

"PADI MSDT and proud of it."

Set the bar a tad low did ya? Ordinarily, I wouldn't have commented, but I'd hate to disappoint you.

scubaroyst,

Is it you responsibility to "stir up the pot"?

No. I didn't stir the pot, I explained folks should find the agency that fits them best.

"Your 1st reply was a bit inflammatory to us PADI types."

Why? If you aren't happy with the philosophy PADI follows, you should find an agency that fits you better. If you are happy with that philosophy, you should be proud of what makes your agency different. Why do "PADI types" seemed to be ashamed of their methods?

"Your 2nd reply was, again, all about what you think of PADI."

Only one small part ("If you didn't care for the system then, you'll hate it now.") of the 2nd post falls into that category. That post can be broken down into 6 sections. The 1st deals with trying to find out what disappointed Jason. The 2nd is about most instructors following minimum standards. The 3rd is clearly a jab a Jason. I probably shouldn't have taken such a cheap shot. The 4th merely says Pro Dive can not be equated with Harvard. The 5th explains (in general) how PADI has changed in the last 25 years. That section does end with what I think of PADI. The last section expresses my opinion that everone with a c-card is not necessarily a diver.