I am not familiar with the Y program of diver training, however I would like to state that the PADI DM course just went through a hefty overhaul and IMHO that it is not what it used to be. At one time I thought that the program was fairly strong, but now they have eliminated a bunch of sections (or rather put them into independent study with no lectures recommended for those sections) and put more emphasis on the business side of diving and legal ramifications. While that's all fine and dandy, I would have to agree with Walter that their coursework does not prepare an individual for the life of a divemaster. There are a few training school (ie Pro Dive and the like) that offer a Resort module to their divemaster curriculums as an elective which teaches the finer points of knots, boat handling, compressor issues and store management basics (or something like that). Those skills are probably just as important as supervising students/customers, physics and physiology, and legal ramifications or more so in the everyday role of the divemaster. PADI's course is indeed a pipeline into the instructor courses and because of that focus put more emphasis on assisting other instructors versus the boats and knots. It's an unfortunate sacrafice because I know many DMs that couldn't tie a good knot if they needed to, and many situations require it.
Just my 2 cents. Cheers
Just my 2 cents. Cheers
