Realistically, how much experience should you have to start DM?

[drbill]

IMHO, much more than is currently required. After 50 years on SCUBA and thousands of dives, I don't feel ready to put the lives of others in my hands!

Seriously, I think current requirements are minimal given that some DM candidates have made the required number of dives under minimally accepted parameters (20 ft for 20 minutes... really?) or have made all their dives under the same conditions, sometimes all in clear, calm tropical waters. I'd much rather see candidates be required to have experienced a range of diving conditions. But then, dive masters and instructors earn very little so maybe I'm being unrealistic.

 

[mathauck0814]

You'll get as many opinions on this as there are personalities on this board. In my opinion, you shouldn't start thinking about going pro until those around you start treating you like one (without your prompting). If you find that divers you respect are asking you questions and respecting your answers, then you know you're ready to go that route. For me, this is over a thousand dives and counting (DM, but not Instructor level - folks ask me about local dive conditions, where to go, what to see, what's this fish or that fish - but they're not yet asking me about physiology or techniques - so I figure I'm about right).

You need to couple that knowledge of diving with excellent skills. There's no definitive list, but think "task loading". What would happen if you got your mask kicked off and your buddy ran out of air and you had a freeflowing regulator? If you can handle situations like that where several things are hitting the fan simultaneously, you're probably close. Remember that you can't really rehearse these things - there's no teacher like experience. You'll know when you're there if you're honest with yourself.

There's also a philosophy component here. I view dive training as a check-out, or verification of what a diver ought to already know. If you dive enough (and dive with good divers) you can read, dive, practice and experience all of the things that will be expected of you. That's just one guy's theory anyway. For my money, I want to show up to a certification course (at any level) qualified to pass the course. If I find that I'm surprised by what I'm learning or lacking in performance at the standard to which I'm being examined, I'll ask the instructor to go back to working on skills and I'll go practice for a while before re-attempting the certification.

The real question is whether you want to be DM quality going in or coming out. One approach produces a far better quality DM than the other. YMMV.

 

[DevonDiver]

Put yourself in the perspective of your potential customers/divers:

1) Ideal. How much experience would you want in a divemaster who you were paying to guide/supervise you?

Obviously, experience doesn't directly translate into capability - but it is a general gauge. I wouldn't expect a divemaster to have diving experience that exceeded my own, but I would expect them to have the knowledge and experience to keep the general diving activities safe, understand customer needs, coordinate the logistics and offer me an expert level of local/dive site knowledge. Otherwise, what am I paying for?

2) Bottom Line. How much experience would you want in a divemaster who would have duty-of-care on your daughter/sister/wife etc?

Again experience doesn't directly equate to capability. However, what is the bottom line that you'd accept in a 'dive pro' if you were entrusting the safety of a vulnerable loved one into their care and supervision?


As a benchmark - 50 dives equates to about 2-3 weeks full-time diving for a working dive pro in the tropics. So...less than a month's equivalent of working experience... not earth-shattering in the formation of trust, IMHO.

 

[TSandM]

That's a beautiful post, matthauck.

 

[broncrider]

I agree with almost every post. There are people with hundreds of dives but they may all be in the same conditions and the minimum requirement to call them dives. That does not make that person experienced enough to take on the responsibility for another persons safety. I only went through the DM process when two different instructors told me that I was redy to take on the challenge of the class, they didn't need the business. The shop actually had people begging to enroll in DM class and they said they were not ready. Now just because I took on the challenge of the DM class doesn't mean that I know everything, like many have said before the certification just enables you to continue learning. I spent my last 20 or 30 dives in Australia working with instructors and helping with classes. I really enjoyed working with new students and seeing the wonder and amazement in their eyes and the talking about 90 mph about everything they saw and how it felt. To me that is one of the benefits of going pro.

However as I said earlier, I would have never thought I was ready for DM until the instructors told me that my abilities were up to par with doing the class. With that said I haven't regretted taking the class for one minute. I just wish it was easier to make a living doing it, but unfortunately for now it is the passion that drives me to do it not the money.

 

[TMHeimer]

I started the course with, I think, 158 dives, with a lot of varied locations/situations/water temps. MAYBE that was enough. I never would've even thought of it at 50 dives, but that's just me.

 

[aceupmysleeve777]

I had around 180 dives when I started my DM class, and have been a working DM in So Cal since 2009. I like TMHeimer was told by instructors that I was ready for the class. Everything everyone has said has been good advice. My 2 cents to you would be to ask your rescue class instructor if he thinks your ready when you finish that class.

 

[mathauck0814]

I had around 180 dives when I started my DM class, and have been a working DM in So Cal since 2009. I like TMHeimer was told by instructors that I was ready for the class. Everything everyone has said has been good advice. My 2 cents to you would be to ask your rescue class instructor if he thinks your ready when you finish that class.

Just my $0.02, but I think an instructor is the wrong person to ask. I don't think you should ask anyone. I think divers who you respect and dive with will tell you. Instructors and shops live and breathe on training people for things they're not ready for. # of dives isn't the end all, be all, but numbers being thrown around here - no offense or anything - but you wouldn't be taking my wife out for a dive.

 

[RikRaeder]

I'll go one further and say it's probably like fishing. You'll just know. I'd recommend diving with a group of ultra newbies and watch the DM carefully. When you're ready to simultaneously perform two rescues, guide the dive, and deal with your own equipment malfunction it will probably be time. (This was like my latest dive in Cozumel).
Oh, and good luck on the DM thing, but I hope that you'll never have to combine EMS with diving.

 

[Hollywoodivers]

I went zero to hero in 1989 1990 with 100 dives in my first year of diving. I worked in a dive shop for most of that period and learned more from working in that shop that I did in my leadership classes ( for the overall scope). What I find Divemasters who complete their training too soon are lacking is knowledge of equipment issues and being able to use varying types of compressor systems /// ie blending and filling mixed gases. A well rounded Divemaster who has the everyday dive heartiness and politeness required would still need to spend quite a lot of days working on the deck of the boat and or in the dive shop doing the filling and helping with everyday customer needs before they are fully ready. The apprentice ship that is required for all DM's should be more than washing the boat and or carrying the empty tanks back to the shop. Be rady to put in some time filling and learning to handle the menial tasks as well as the leadership requirements so that you don't come up short when a customer on the boat asks you how to use an O2 analyzer or how their computer switches on...I have seen these two happen in person and you just feel bad for the new DM who is really trying to gain trust and show proper leader abilities when they can answer such simple questions.
Whatever you decide, please don't stop at where the DM requirements stop. Instead keep reading keep asking questions, keep taking classes and keep fit.
Hal