lamont
Contributor
Hank49:
Does dive management cover dealing with BOW students and the common problems they may have and how to manage them?
Should we all strive to be divemasters?
- Thread starter Al Mialkovsky
- Start date
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Does dive management cover dealing with BOW students and the common problems they may have and how to manage them?
OP
Rob I think you should do it. Don't expect to make much money or to even support your diving habit. But I doubt you would regret it. We're an SSI shop but last summer a young divemaster from Eugene was in the area. I allowed him to tag along with some of our classes and checkout dives. It was a good experience for him to see a different instructor with different techniques.nazgul810:
You'll end up a better diver in my opinion. But you need to ask yourself if you really want the responsibility. Not all divers do. I depend on my assistants a lot. I need them.
pwraudio1
Guest
IMO you can never know to much so DM is not a bad class to take... even if you don't do it for money! I know that I will be doing it in the next year are so just for fun!
solo_diver
Guest
No we shouldn't all strive to be DM's. We should all strive to be self-sufficient divers. You can be a sulf-sufficient diver with an Open Water Card.
I personally found the rescue diving class to be extremely valuable.
I took the DM class and it was effectively useless re: diving skills or making you a better buddy <-- since that was one of the things you mentioned "being a better buddy"
pick up Ron Von Maier's Solodiving: The art of underwater self-sufficiency and you'll get all kinds of info on how to be a 'better buddy'
one thing is excersise another is not being a dependent buddy.
with the amount of dives you have I'd says you are probably a good buddy as it is. Best that the people you dive with get better training and actually use their training once they get certified.
I think it's nice of you to take these two out diving, but i wouldn't want to be saddled with these two should something go wrong. Panicked newbies can be quite dangerous.
Go the rescue route for sure, and if you would like to be a professional babysitter (DM) and work with newbies all the time , then go for the DM cert.
mike hoy
I personally found the rescue diving class to be extremely valuable.
I took the DM class and it was effectively useless re: diving skills or making you a better buddy <-- since that was one of the things you mentioned "being a better buddy"
pick up Ron Von Maier's Solodiving: The art of underwater self-sufficiency and you'll get all kinds of info on how to be a 'better buddy'
one thing is excersise another is not being a dependent buddy.
with the amount of dives you have I'd says you are probably a good buddy as it is. Best that the people you dive with get better training and actually use their training once they get certified.
I think it's nice of you to take these two out diving, but i wouldn't want to be saddled with these two should something go wrong. Panicked newbies can be quite dangerous.
Go the rescue route for sure, and if you would like to be a professional babysitter (DM) and work with newbies all the time , then go for the DM cert.
mike hoy
gehadoski
Contributor
going as a DM means that you are going to work in that field. If you are not interested in Scuba diving as a career and would like to take as a hobby them you can just stop as Rescue diver.
More diving = more experience, if you dive more with your buddy the more you two understand each other
More diving = more experience, if you dive more with your buddy the more you two understand each other
VaDiver
Guest
I went for my Dive Con cert for a couple of reasons but the main one was that I wanted the extra training to help make me a better diver. Plus, I enjoy working with new students and I find that by doing that it keeps my own skills fresh and up to date.
No, Al, I don't think everyone needs to be a divemaster. Some folks have no business being a divemaster. What I tell students is after your entry level scuba course, take Advanced Diver, Scuba Rescue and Nitrox, if they are interested in Nitrox and maybe a specialty course or two or three that interest them. That should give them a well-rounded diver education. Of course I tell them going diving is the best education of all and I give a list of diving related books to read. I am against forcing divers to take a Divemaster course. If I see someone who is interested or from their diving skills would make a good divemaster I will recommend. With the commitment involved, they should want to take the course. This prevents dropouts and divers not completing the course. This also gives you divemasters who WANT to come help on weekends with classes.
mike_s
Contributor
While it might make you a better diver, I don't think it's for everyone and also there is more liability involved.
Example: You are a certified DiveMaster, whether you work as one or not, and you go on vacation and are diving just like anyone else on the boat. Now lets say that there is some sort of underwater emergency that you had no idea that was happening because you were on the other side of the wreck for example. The person having the emergency dies, but you don't know any of this until you are back on the boat.
As normal procedure, the police take statements from everyone, etc... They ask certain things about your diving skills, etc. and note you are a divemaster.
Well the family of the person who dies sues everyone from the shop, the boat owners, the captain, the divemaster (if one is on board), the maker of the scuba equipment, and they might as well sue you also since you are a divemaster, which is considered a professional diver, because you did nothing, although you are on vacation and had no clue the emergency even happened until it was over and you were back on the boat.
Same thing happens with airplanes. If someone gets drunk and steals a small airplane for a joy ride, they sue the owner of the plane, the airport, the person who was doing maintenace on the plane, the manufacturer of the plane (like Cessna), etc. Kinda stupid huh? But it happens.
Example: You are a certified DiveMaster, whether you work as one or not, and you go on vacation and are diving just like anyone else on the boat. Now lets say that there is some sort of underwater emergency that you had no idea that was happening because you were on the other side of the wreck for example. The person having the emergency dies, but you don't know any of this until you are back on the boat.
As normal procedure, the police take statements from everyone, etc... They ask certain things about your diving skills, etc. and note you are a divemaster.
Well the family of the person who dies sues everyone from the shop, the boat owners, the captain, the divemaster (if one is on board), the maker of the scuba equipment, and they might as well sue you also since you are a divemaster, which is considered a professional diver, because you did nothing, although you are on vacation and had no clue the emergency even happened until it was over and you were back on the boat.
Same thing happens with airplanes. If someone gets drunk and steals a small airplane for a joy ride, they sue the owner of the plane, the airport, the person who was doing maintenace on the plane, the manufacturer of the plane (like Cessna), etc. Kinda stupid huh? But it happens.
I only recently (2002) started getting advanced certs and classes. I started doing the other classes because the industry wants to see your log book and card to dive here today.
I am not inclined to be a DM because SCUBA is my leisure time. I like to swim around in narcosis daze staring at the fishyes and coral. At other times playing a deadly game(for them not me) of hide and seek with lobster.
I think I'd make a good DM and enjoy it every now and then but overall I want to spend my scuba time in leisure and quite selfishly for my own escape and fun not to help someone clear their ears at 15'.
Eric
I am not inclined to be a DM because SCUBA is my leisure time. I like to swim around in narcosis daze staring at the fishyes and coral. At other times playing a deadly game(for them not me) of hide and seek with lobster.
I think I'd make a good DM and enjoy it every now and then but overall I want to spend my scuba time in leisure and quite selfishly for my own escape and fun not to help someone clear their ears at 15'.
Eric
PS- I am suing everyone on this thread for giving legal advice without license, about frivilious lawsuits. Your certified notices will be forthwith as soon as I sue SB for your identities and financial records.
Pro Se litigant
Eric
Pro Se litigant
Eric
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