PADI Divemaster course

[Cudabait]

Col.Maniac,

Congratulations on your decision. I read with interest the posts in this thread. You will find the rescue one of the most rewarding and enjoyable courses in diving. I was fortunate. My DM couse was a lengthy internship conducted completely on and in the ocean. All of the dives were either from shore or boats. You will do fine with the acadenics. Apply what you learn and cull all the BS that can be overwhelming in some of these well meant posts. Just do not ever forget-----a truly good diver is a safe diver.

 

[Col.Maniac]

Hi, cudabait,
Thanks, the couses my dive school does can be done in as little as 3 months, 6 months, 9 months up to a year, for the DM course,Im going to make it stretcccchhh out over the year and do each part as it comes. They do have excellent I,AI`S,DM`s, etc so I should`nt have a problem they are all have a "willing to help" attitude which is nice
I start my Rescue diver course tommorow ( TUES) Its defently going to be a lot of fun

 

[Cudabait]

Go fot it, Col.Maniac!!!

 

[El Buzo Loco]

I started in May and have completed all but the swim and a few tests.

My confined water work ended yesterday and I finished the open water supervision two weeks ago at Surface Time in San Carlos, MX.

I'll work with an instructor tomorrow night to help him improve his own demonstration skills.

I don't know about the others who posted here, but I have found the PADI DM course to be physical and mentally challenging. I put 110% and learn more with every session. What you get out of it = What you put into it.

Am I a better diver because of the DM training? Yes. (Note: that because of the rigor of my training my demonstration skills are better than some instructors)

Would I do it again? Yes.

Would I research first and find a dive operation which has the top reputation for being demanding and having turned out other outstanding DMs? Yes. This was the most important aspect for me.

 

[roakey]

jamiei once bubbled...
Do you have to be able to perform in a cave environment to be a good diver or does that just make them a good cave diver? Do you have to be a good cave diver to be a good diver?

No and no. A cave class used to be on the only place where you'd be taught the skills that really allowed you to dive. Now there's the DIRF that teaches you those skills without all the other cave technique "overhead" (ha, ha, punny) like running reels, etc.

jamiei once bubbled...
By the way, I can do a demonstration quality fin pivot and I'm not a DM. Is that supposed to be a difficult skill? I can do a horizontal ascent/descent... heard someone talking about it and tried it... not that difficult. I can hold a depth in midwater perfectly with no reference.

jamie, all I have to say is that I've had a number of folks tell me exactly what you just said, "I can do this, I can do that...no problem, it's easy!" 10 minutes in the water we surfaced and they looked at me and said, basically, "I had no idea I had no idea!"

Which gave me my oft-used quote of "You don't know what you don't know"

Odds are you don't know either, I can't diagnose you remotely. But if you can do a demonstration-quality fin pivot, odds are raised to just about 100% that you're trimmed all wrong -- and you don't even know it.

This is what I keep trying to drive home, the recreational industry's training has become so poor, that divers, even instructors THINK they're good, but they're not. As a DM I certainly did, and I wasn't.

If you want to excel as a DM or an instructor, take the DIRF along the way; you'll be able to actually teach people to dive.

It's got to at least give you pause when experienced divers take the DIRF and come out of it going WOW! For that kind of reaction from those kind of people there's got to be some significant education going on in there!

Roak

 

[Cave Diver]

roakey once bubbled...
Odds are you don't know either, I can't diagnose you remotely. But if you can do a demonstration-quality fin pivot, odds are raised to just about 100% that you're trimmed all wrong -- and you don't even know it.

So THAT'S why I can never demonstrate a fin pivot decently!

 

[seanrollins]

The PADI Dive Master course is a great idea for anybody who wishes to extend their diving knowledge. You guys who claim that it only teaches you how to take care of divers aren't telling the whole story. The Dive Master course does teach you to increase your awareness of other divers, but it also concentrates on dive theory, physiology, and many other topics. I usually tell my students that all PADI divers should reach a minimum of Rescue Diver, and anybody who really wants to know what's going on in their body etc. should shoot for Dive Master. I say this without regard as to whether they intend to be an insured, working Dive Master. Thanks for reading my rant.

 

[roakey]

seanrollins once bubbled...
The PADI Dive Master course is a great idea for anybody who wishes to extend their diving knowledge. You guys who claim that it only teaches you how to take care of divers aren't telling the whole story. The Dive Master course does teach you to increase your awareness of other divers, but it also concentrates on dive theory, physiology, and many other topics. I usually tell my students that all PADI divers should reach a minimum of Rescue Diver, and anybody who really wants to know what's going on in their body etc. should shoot for Dive Master. I say this without regard as to whether they intend to be an insured, working Dive Master. Thanks for reading my rant.

You are absolutely right. If you want to increase your knowledge, the DM course is great. Rescue diver is something that everyone should take in case an emergency arises.

But if you want to increase your skill at diving, by which I mean looking at the pretty fishes being a safer, more efficient and more precise DIVER, and be able to pass these skills on to the students you assist with, take the DIRF.

It encompasses the skills that are lacking in the entire recreational curriculum.

I don't think people are getting the distinction.

Roak

 

[annie]

Point taken Roakey.

It's obvious that you are really enthusiastic about DIR and I understand what you're saying, but doing my DM still made me a better diver than I was before.

 

[sheck33]

right on Roak, most are not getting the distinction.
when people have the illusion that the DM program makes you a better, safer and more efficient diver it only taught them some of the skills that should have been there already. but other critical information is still missing.

the program is good at learning how to interact with & help new divers but it does nothing for your own skills as a diver.