Seeking extensive DM internship

I am seeking for an all inclusive DM internship facility in Florida Key Largo/Key West. I am also open-minded towards Belize, Costa Rica, Utila, Roatan. My main concern is I would like to spend more time diving in order to receive more experience hoping to log at least 150 dives instead of loggin tanks around all day. I don't mind hard work, but I am more concerned with being a skilled responsible diver. Unless of course the internship guarantees my stay for 6 months instead of the ole' 2 months internship. I am currently an open water padi diver. I am not interested in quick courses. I want to learn. I want to experience. I want to become an excellent responsible safe diver. I am geering towards the DM internship for the affordability of getting alot of dives in and also down the road if I decide to go officially pro I can, but my main concern is experience, experience, experience! I'd love to get some information and suggestions and referrals. Thanks!

Maya, we have instructors in the Florida Keys. Traditionally SEI does not have dedicated facilities for doing the kind of training that you are seeking. What we have are dedicated instructors who believe that quick courses are less than optimal for scuba training. This is in line with what you are seeking. Right now we have instructors around the world in 9 countries. See my other thread in this forum on where we are. At this time we do not have any in the other places you mentioned. The closest to those would be in Cancun. I suggest you find a local instructor who takes the approach you are looking for. Get as many dives as you can with them and offer to assist with classes. Even if it's just to show up and do things like carry tanks, help with gear, and be a mentor to other students. And yes as a new diver you can be a mentor. Your enthusiasm, and dedication to proper training is a valuable message to pass on. Secondly get as much experience in different environments as you can. Want to try Ice Diving!? I'm taking a class next weekend Jan 31-Feb1. Will you ever be a coldwater diver? Perhaps not but what if the opportunity presents itself. An extreme example yes but you see what I mean. As for myself I would never accept a DM candidate based on their ability to pay me. Dedication to the sport, an above average attention to detail and safety, as well as a willingness to pass on their knowledge and skills would be required before I'd even consider taking one on for DM training. Your skills would also need to be very good or you would need the genuine desire to bring them up to demonstration quality. And if this were not possible and you did not have the right attitude and retain the knowledge of diving, because you would get a thorough education, no matter what you paid you'd not get the card. If you'd like further info on a local instructor or just have any questions shoot me a PM or go to my website and contact me via email. Welcome to UDM Aquatic Services

Best to you, Jim

bookofmaya:

I am seeking for an all inclusive DM internship facility in Florida Key Largo/Key West. I am also open-minded towards Belize, Costa Rica, Utila, Roatan. My main concern is I would like to spend more time diving in order to receive more experience hoping to log at least 150 dives instead of loggin tanks around all day. I don't mind hard work, but I am more concerned with being a skilled responsible diver. Unless of course the internship guarantees my stay for 6 months instead of the ole' 2 months internship. I am currently an open water padi diver. I am not interested in quick courses. I want to learn. I want to experience. I want to become an excellent responsible safe diver. I am geering towards the DM internship for the affordability of getting alot of dives in and also down the road if I decide to go officially pro I can, but my main concern is experience, experience, experience! I'd love to get some information and suggestions and referrals. Thanks!

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It is wonderful that you are interested in becoming a DM. I would ask initially why you want to become a DM. As an OW diver, you have a few steps to progress through before being a DM is a reasonable consideration. You mentioned experience several times in your post and I could not agree more. Become experienced as an OW diver before being concerned with being a DM. Learn buoyancy control, breath control, anti-silting techniques, gear configuration, buddysmanship, and diving fitness. Experience should make all of these qualities second nature to you. Unfortunately lots of DMs do schlep around tanks and gear. But they also get to participate in educating divers and leading certified divers on guided tours. It is work; and not always fun, but can be very rewarding. I encourage your enthusiasm and hope that you continue to acquire valuable experience that will allow you to decide if being a DM is truly something you wish to do.

I would add that you could contact Captain Spencer Slate at Slate's Atlantis Dive Center, Key Largo. Many organizations use DMs as the required mate on a vessel for hire and, in that case they would not get a lot of diving while acting as a mate but they may have the opportunity to dive on their "off days." Other operations use working DMs who ride and dive with the clientele but these rarely get paid much except tips. They, of course, must get the minimum federal wage but the owner only pays if the tips don't make up the minimum. In that case you are a contract employee. Being a DM is low paid work in most cases but I wouldn't call it hard. Not like doing an agriculture job for example.

The DM curriculum requires a certain amount of training and there are prerequisites. DM is a professional diver and a trained rescue specialist, so you need to have CPR, frist aid, oxygen administration, and rescue diver as prequisites. The SEI Diving curriculum (which meets RSTC standards) requires 25 dives to be a DM in training and you must have at least 40 dives to be certified. About 10 lectures, pool training, and open water dive briefings and exercises.

You should strongly consider Thailand, where you will get more diving, more courses and for much less money:

PADI DIVEMASTER * Aquanauts Thailand Divemaster Internship * Diving Internship, Divemaster Employment, Divemaster PADI, Divemaster Insurance, DIvemaster Curriculum

ScubaDocER:

It is wonderful that you are interested in becoming a DM. I would ask initially why you want to become a DM.

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Well sweetie, to answer your question... I am going that route because I figure I could get the most out of learning the in's and out's of a scuba shop and get to log alot of dives. I can't afford to go on vacations all the time to dive. I am considering it for economic reasons more than anything. I also believe I must pass all the strenuous tests. If I were to receive a DM certificate through an internship I will most likely not seek professional employment until I know I am up to par and have the complete confidence that I can be of great service to leading, assist someone/group or agency. I am a virgo. We are perfectionists. It's a bad card to be dealt cause I am very hard on myself not to mention when my passion arrises for something I go full force to be the best that I can be. If you read my bio in my profile you might better understand where I am. I appreciate your patience and understanding. Hope we get to dive together soon.
Maya

P.S. I used to be an electrician in my early 20's. They said a woman couldn't do that kind of job. But I had two little one's to take care of alone and I was determined to get off of government assistance. I had alot of doors slammed in my face. I proved one company wrong when I was hired through much pleading and coersion lol and they ended up hiring within 3 months after my employment 12 women! I did mostly commercial and industrial work, bending, threading, running conduit, driving manlifts, digging 3 feet ditches for what seemed like eternity, running cable/wires, work off a 12 foot ladder, you name it! I worked my butt off! I no longer wish to do that kind of work its too hard on my body.

Hi everyone, I want to thank you'all for being so kind and patient and supportive in response to my questions. I was talked into divemaster certification by an instructor locally. So that is what I was told the correct certificate to pursue in case later down the road I might want to take diving up professionally. I would already be certified. I actually having perused the site I think I best marinate on the divemaster course and just get the scuba master certification instead. Although it will probably cost me a oodles more money later to do that. I certainly don't want to end up being like my roatan dive instructor. She only had a hundred dives and was teaching a class and she was not a very good instructor nor did she took her time wanting her students to comprehend the theory. Another words she pretty much rushed us through the course so she can hot tail it out. I learned a few things from her teaching mistakes. Thanks again for your patience. I appreciate your time.

Maya, I would never discourage anyone from pursuing a dream. But with your situation the Master Diver course may be the best for now. SEI's master course will challenge you almost as much as DM. You'll do alot of dives with deep, search and reovery, night/low vis, as just some of the required ones. Your Instructor will give you all the details. You'll also spend a good bit of time in the classroom going over deco procedures in more depth, gas management, navigation, medical, dive planning, Equipment mechanics, physiology, physics, and environmental awareness. You'll also develop your skin diving and watermanship skills. THis would be a great way to prep for DM as in addition to the above you'll need both fresh and saltwater dives, dives in a full wetsuit or drysuit, and other fun stuff. If you'd like to find an SEI instructor near you send an email to info@seidiving.org

I'm going to echo young Mr. Marrelli's suggestion reference Slate's operation down in Key Largo. I've sent several folks there over the years and the OJT is excellent. Plus, even though he's a Pirate, Slate's pretty much a hoot....
Mike