HI

[Dive2Live]

Hi cat diver

Where abouts do you normally dive in Texas ... I live around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and have driven all the way to Austin to dive. I think diving in Lake Travis is great at Scuba Park. I've also been to Blue Lagoon, Athens, Poss. Kingdom, and Joe Pool Lake. I don't mind lake diving at all. I can't make it to blue water every weekend so I settle for lake water! Ha, Ha.

Chat w/u more later!

 

[Dee]

I live in the Houston area and I don't get to blue water nearly as much as I'd like. Like you, I'm also a DM. We do alot of our diving at Blue Lagoon with frequent trips to Windy Point at Lake Travis. I've never been to Scuba Park, though I hear it's nice.

Maybe we can meet there sometime?

Dee

 

[Damsel Fish]

Hey Dive, Hey Dee,

I live in Austin and we dive at Windy Point all the time. (Maybe too much cause Richard, the owner, knows us on sight.) When we dive at Travis its usually with a class because 3 of our closest friends are instructors. I've never made a dive at Scuba Park although I've things (both good & bad) about. We have done boat dives off Starnes Island and below the Oasis (a real cool place to eat on a bluff overlooking Travis). We have also made a few dives at Canyon Lake. So anytime you want, give me a holler. I'm always ready to dive.

 

[Dee]

Do you use someone there at the lake for boat dives? I have heard of a couple of guys from Dallas who will bring a pontoon boat and take you out.

We always go to Windy Point because...
1. As DM's, we are usually there with students.
2. I like the camping facilities there. In fact, we've been known to camp there is the winter and not dive!

We'll have to get together sometime!

Dee

 

[SubMariner]

Welcome to the ranks of the great unappreciated... namely dive professionals (DM and above).

The Better Half & I are Canucks currently living in Atlanta GA. We've been here about 2 yrs. He's a Course Director, while I'm a lowly IDC Staff Instructor. I say "lowly" because if you think you're a "gofer" being a DM, wait till you climb up the ladder & wind up doing it for Course Directors. Similar stuff, different level.

So, what got you interested in becoming a DM?

Inquiring minds gotta know!

~SubMariner~

 

[Damsel Fish]

Dee,
Pisces Scuba on 2222 usually has boat dives scheduled Wednesday evenings, Fridays evenings, and twice on Saturdays during the summer months. If you have a group, we have used "just for fun" rentals out of Emerald Point Marina (next to Carlos & Charlies).

Submariner,
We became divemasters because we became good friends with an instructor. We were going down to the lake and hanging out with him when he was conducting classes. We always ended up helping with the students. So he said "Why don't you go ahead and get your divemaster certification since your already doing most of what a divemaster does anyway." And since he offered to do it for free (believe me, we've paid him back a thousand times in labor since then) we went ahead and did it. I think that it was one the best investments in time and energy that I have ever made. I really enjoy working with the students. My specialty seems to be working with people who need to take it a little slower, who need a little more time. I am a very good "hand holder". And I'm the instructor's best example of " You should have seen her when she was learning. If Cat can do it, anyone can."

 

[Dee]

I think we may give them both a try next summer.

Your DM story sounds alot like ours. Seems like everytime we went diving, we ended up helping with a class in one way or another. And I agree, becoming a DM is the best thing I've done in a long time, it's well worth the effort and expense. And let's face it, it costs to do it so we must love it!

Do you think being a woman has something to do with your 'nuturing' tendancies when dealing with the students? I, too, find myself drawn to those who are having the most trouble and just need a bit of one-on-one attention. There's one Instructor I work with who will call and say "I've got one for ya!" But when it's all over, the rewards are even sweeter because I know I really made a difference for someone.

Maybe we'll get out to one of those rigs together! I'll let you know the next time we plan a rig trip.

Dee

 

[parrothead]

Hey SubMariner, I'm new to the dive scene and I live near ATL, any good dive spots you can point me toward?

Thanks,
Parrothead

Originally posted by SubMariner
Welcome to the ranks of the great unappreciated... namely dive professionals (DM and above).

The Better Half & I are Canucks currently living in Atlanta GA. We've been here about 2 yrs. He's a Course Director, while I'm a lowly IDC Staff Instructor. I say "lowly" because if you think you're a "gofer" being a DM, wait till you climb up the ladder & wind up doing it for Course Directors. Similar stuff, different level.

So, what got you interested in becoming a DM?

Inquiring minds gotta know!

~SubMariner~

 

[SubMariner]

Re "problem students": I think women tend to have more patience than men. Maybe it's the whole listening thing? That being said, there ARE exceptions: I've seen male Instructors who were every bit as patient as Job, and female Instructors who really shouldn't be Instructors. I had one of these latter myself. She was the Instructor who treated me so badly that I almost quit at Divemaster Candidate. Not only that, but she later told my (future) Better Half at a PADI Professional metting that she didn't think I had the "right stuff" to be a DM. Needless to say, when I passed my IE (the open water portion of which was in 35F water) I silently said "up yours You-Know-Who"...

To date my "most interesting" example(s) in this category were the 4 teenaged boys I taught at the Open Water level. Nobody bothered to tell me until AFTER the first pool session that they were all ADD... :bomb: As far as I know only one of them has made it all the way through the course and been certified.

Re diving near Atlanta: we generally head down to the Gulf of Mexico or the FL Springs, which are a 4-6 hour trip, depending on which area you are going to dive. Ok diving, but not awesome, IMHO.

Meanwhile, I understand there is a bit of good reef off Savannah/Tybee Island called "Grays Reef", it apparently is only accessible during very good weather and is a long boat ride.

~SubMariner~

 

[Damsel Fish]

I don't know if its just a "woman thing" or not. Like you said, I've known some male instructors were saints, and some female instructors who really don't want to bother with the students. I think it is a personality thing too. I'm a nurse, a "caregiver", by profession so I think thats that what I do best.

As for problems students: We once had one of the sale people at the dive shop that was told she had to get certified so she would be able to know what she sold. (Why they didn't find out if she dove or not before they hired her I'll never know) But turns out she didn't swim well and really didn't want to dive, but she wanted to keep her job so she agreed to take the classes. She did nothing but complain and belly-ache the whole time we did pool. And then there was open-water .... All kinds of excuses why she shouldn't/couldn't make a dive ... "It's too cold." "My wetsuit doesn't fit well." etc, etc. She totally "excused" herself out of one weekend of open water and was working on a second. We finally got her into the water and over to the dive buoy and then every time Don tried to take her down the line to the platform, she couldn't clear. I still don't know why she just didn't say forget, I quit but she didn't/wouldn't. So finally Don turned to me and says "You take her down the line, I don't care how long it takes." It took 45 minutes to go down 30 feet of line. But we got down and Don did her skills and she did fine. Until the next open water dive. Then we did it all again. By the time the weekend was over, I was about to pop but we got her certified and she still works at the dive shop. She talks like a pro but I don't think she's made another dive since she was certified.