Should I get DM cert (for fun), or something else?

[MaxBottomtime]

DM courses teach you leadership skills and refine your Open Water skills only so that you may help OW students for a year or longer. At only twenty dives per year, you would be better off just enjoying your dives. A cavern course will teach you better trim, buoyancy, frog kicking, and backwards kicks. If you master those skills, you will be the only diver on those tropical trips with good trim.

 

[TMHeimer]

A DM status also comes with a yearly membership fee and, in the U.S., insurance costs.
You might consider CMAS ***
or perhaps the rather decent Start the fascinating SSI Science of Diving Specialty – Get certified with SSI

You can be an inactive DM with the cert. and pay nothing. That's me.

 

[TMHeimer]

The only thing the DM course specifically improves is the 24 (?) pool skills, with the appropriate ones having to be honed to demonstration quality. There are maybe a few other things regarding equipment, supervision. If you're not interested in working as a DM I'd skip the course and the cost.

 

[Angelo Farina]

You learned about gradient factors in your OW class in 1975? That certainly was an advanced class, in more ways than one!

There were no gradient factors in my course, but we were taught the original Haldane's theory, which means a different maximum allowable supersaturation factor for each different compartment (tissue).
At the exam I was asked to evaluate the supersaturation factors for 8 tissues with different hemisaturation time when reaching the 6-meter deco stop after a dive of 10 minutes at 50 meters, and ascending at 10 m/minute.

 

[boulderjohn]

There were no gradient factors in my course, but we were taught the original Haldane's theory, which means a different maximum allowable supersaturation factor for each different compartment (tissue).
At the exam I was asked to evaluate the supersaturation factors for 8 tissues with different hemisaturation time when reaching the 6-meter deco stop after a dive of 10 minutes at 50 meters, and ascending at 10 m/minute.

So you are saying that this sort of learning is important for new OW divers who are getting their first certifications?

Of course, Haldane is not used anywhere any more, so your previous post agreed that gradient factors should be part of beginning scuba training. That means that Buhlmann needs to be taught as well. Can you explain how this benefits the average new diver looking to dive on an upcoming vacation to a tropical resort?

 

[larsdennert]

Make sure to maintain insurance if you become a dm as you have an increased responsibility for the divers around you

 

[Angelo Farina]

So you are saying that this sort of learning is important for new OW divers who are getting their first certifications?

Of course, Haldane is not used anywhere any more, so your previous post agreed that gradient factors should be part of beginning scuba training. That means that Buhlmann needs to be taught as well. Can you explain how this benefits the average new diver looking to dive on an upcoming vacation to a tropical resort?

Getting a proper understanding of physics and physiology allowed me to start diving with confidence. Of course I was employing pre-calculated US Navy tables, but I had enough knowledge for being able to build them myself, if I had wished.
It is the same approach as teaching how the engine of your car works in a driving course. You do not really need to understand the difference between Otto and Diesel cycles, or to appreaciate the advantage or disadvantage of a two-stroke motorbike over a 4-stroke one.
But these are topics which are taught in driving school, because they improved the awareness of the driver.
A better and deeper knowledge is always advantageous.
The main reason for which Padi (then followed by other agencies) did remove such a deep training from OW courses is that this way they managed to sell more courses, getting much more money.
After an OW course like the one I had in 1975 there was no need to spend money in further courses, it was just needed to gain experience diving.
After a number of dives, one could go deeper and deeper, make repeating dives in the same day, switch from pure oxygen rebreathers to mixed-gas rebreathers, start using pure oxygen for accelerated deco, etc.
All the basics were already acquired...

 

[Angelo Farina]

So you are saying that this sort of learning is important for new OW divers who are getting their first certifications?

For getting an idea of the level of knowledge provided to students during those OW CMAS courses in the seventies, have a look at the small thesis on Physics I presented in July 1977 for my high school graduation; it is in Italian, but just looking at figures and formulas you can get an idea.
It was titled "physical problems of underwater immersion"
I was 18 when I wrote this...

http://www.angelofarina.it/Public/Papers/0A-Problemi-Fisici-Immersione-1977.pdf

 

[Centrals]

I have no interest in becoming a professional diver, but I really enjoy chasing mastery in my hobbies (even though I'm never going to attain it). I enjoy learning for the sake of learning; the classroom portion of scuba certs are a breeze for me.

I mostly just dive on vacation in tropical destinations these days, though I got my all my certs in cold water (California).

I'm Rescue certified with 100+ dives. I average 20 dives/year on vacation, so I think I'm unlikely to attain significant growth from organic dives alone. I'm interested in taking more classes/training to supplement this, purely for the fun of learning and improving skills. The Rescue cert gave me a small taste but I want more.

A 2-4 week DM course in Bali sounds like fun, but I've often read on these forums that it's a waste of time & money. Given my goals, would it be a good fit for me? Are there any other courses/training I should look into instead?

If you want to do it(DM) then go ahead.
It is your effort/money/time afterall.
When I picked up all those sports that I were interested, I never asked any opinion.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Go find a chicken farmer first. Go catch as many chickens as you can. No chicken farms nearby? Ducks and geese are suitable replacements.

Now imagine doing that underwater. If that prospect appeals to you, then become a DM.

Catching chickens on land is much cheaper though.