Am I progressing in my training too fast?

Here's a straight forward question for you. I got my Open Water cert late this past November. As of right now I've been diving as much as I can and have just finished Rescue Diver. I really want to get my Divemaster cert but and worried that I may be rushing things a bit. What do you guys think?

I went from OW to National Geographic to AOW without diving on my own, and then soon after that, Rescue ... in my case, with my instructor, I think the results were worth it (comfort in water, good dive skills right off the bat) but .. being a Dive Master is much more demanding of you and you may now be responsible for others ... you need time to get experience (training, even good training, is not experience)

I guess it depends on what your after with it, being a better diver will surely be the result of it, but if your after the responsibility that comes with the cert, then I think wait

I did my OW training in a shop where the kind of progression you're talking about was common and somewhat expected. I loved diving, and expected to make my way through DM and instructor. Then, at about 60 dives, I took a class that showed me I really didn't know ANYTHING about diving, nor did I have very good skills. I decided that weekend that I wasn't going to consider teaching or guiding divers until I knew a lot more than I did, and had a lot more experience than I had.

Instead of proceeding into professional classes, why don't you think about taking some classes that might improve your own diving skills, or expose you to some more information? One of the several Intro to Tech classes would be a good choice -- you don't really have to be headed for technical diving to take them. Or UTD Essentials, or GUE Fundies. Anything that will work on your own diving.

Thats a big reason your posts are so well liked, TSandM .. cause not only are they sensible, you explain the reasons behind what you think, you give options too

sstep5884:

Here's a straight forward question for you. I got my Open Water cert late this past November. As of right now I've been diving as much as I can and have just finished Rescue Diver. I really want to get my Divemaster cert but and worried that I may be rushing things a bit. What do you guys think?

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If I recall correctly, the minimum number of dives for divemaster/AI training is 25. Your profile indicates that you have more than the requisite number of dives. The question I would ask is, do you feel that you have a wide range of experience? Is each dive somewhat unique that you learn something from it. Do you have x dives, or do you have 1 dive repeated x times?

Your progress seems reasonable up to now. Lots of people go to rescue because the skills learned and task loading does make them a better diver. What do you want to do with your divemaster. Divemastering is more a matter of managing the operations of other divers rather than becoming a more proficeint diver yourself. What do you want to get out of diving. If you don't want to run dive operations, you might be better off just diving your brains out with the objective of learning something from every dive and everyone you dive with.

Looking at my own diving, I followed the path that you are now on. I was certified in July and had divemaster and AI one year later. I had a variety of dives approaching my 25th when I had an epiphany come when I had an out of air situation while diving off a zodiac in San Diego while trying to swim an abandoned anchor the the surface. Yep, it was pretty stupid and I learned it is called an anchor for a reason. Upon getting into the boat alive, I decided that if I were to continue in that sport and live, I had to get the best training available and take things seriously. I soon thereafter hooked up with the Diving Officer named Dennis, an instructor named Ed, and a dive shop owner named Kurt. I learned a lot from each of them and stayed with it. That was 25 years and 1000+ dives ago.

Whatever you decide, it will probably be right for you. Trust your training and your goals.

If you think you're rushing things a bit, you probably are. The best way to become proficeint at diving is to dive, dive, and dive some more. I was lucky enough to find some great mentors shortly after I was certified (November '07). I learned (and am still learning) a ton from them. I also lucked out in that there is a good sized lake in my area and I can go diving almost every weekend. That allowed me to get over 100 dives in last year. I got to experience diving in all kinds of visibility, temperatures and conditions. As well as deal with some situations where the dive started to go sideways.

I purposely delayed getting my AOW until I had over 50 dives. Did Rescue class at around 80 dives. Now I'm thinking about taking a fundies class or maybe solo class. Most LDS's push Divemaster as the natural progression after Rescue class. That's fine if you want to go into teaching. I'm not sure I do and I'm not to hepped up on having to carry insurance if I get certified as a DM.

Some say if you're not a "practicing" DM that you don't need the insurance. First off, if I don't plan on "practicing" why get the certification? It's my understanding that DM is more about learning to teach than learning new skills. Second, it would be just my luck to be diving at the lake minding my own business - not helping with a class - when someone has an uncontrolled ascent from 100 feet (not in the group I'm diving with), blows a lung and the family sues every diving professional in sight.

Besides, being a DM would probably cut into my diving.

I finally felt like i really "got it" after 100 dives, and I still learn alot from each dive. Have you had different experiences such as boat diving in large waves, shore diving from a rough shore, diving in currents, drift diving, diving around wrecks, tropical diving, mild deco diving, without a leader? It's good to dive without a "teacher" and have to think things through yourself.

sstep5884:

Here's a straight forward question for you. I got my Open Water cert late this past November. As of right now I've been diving as much as I can and have just finished Rescue Diver. I really want to get my Divemaster cert but and worried that I may be rushing things a bit. What do you guys think?

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I think so - I did OW/AOW/RESCUE with a year in between each - then I dove as a rescue diver for a couple of years and then did my DM course/internship. This allowed me to gain experience and practice my new skills as I progressed. I actually never considered DM until I signed up for the class. I had a great time - it took four months - and I learned a TON. Over the following 15 years I have had many more experiences, dove with many different instructors, and added more skills to my 'bag'. Believe it or not, I am still not sure if I want to be an instructor. It's all up to you and how comfortable you feel with your skills and your ability to assist - with classes and with other divers.

Keep learning.

i think when you dive for the sake of getting the count up, you'll miss out on the little joys of diving. relax, enjoy, learn, experience all you can. dive with as many groups as you can to see experience all the dynamics of different people. dive leadership is as much about personal skills as it is about diving skills. I apprentice in a dive shop just helping out to learn about equipment maintenance, logistic management and generally had fun before I became a DM after 100+ dives
and only took my instructor after 600 dives. not just for the sake of collecting another certification but it was the time I felt I could help the industry by teaching more scuba divers.

so instead of just going for classes, you could learn a lot just by diving with a more people and enjoying yourself. people appreciate it more when you could share experience and help them relate to the skills you teach.

[ Have you had different experiences such as boat diving in large waves, shore diving from a rough shore, diving in currents, drift diving, diving around wrecks, tropical diving, mild deco diving, without a leader? [/QUOTE]

I totally echo this post. I went through AOW, other asst specialties, had 50 dives and almost enough specialties for Master Diver with SDI (which at that time was 8 specialties + Rescue), before I ever did my first salt water dive. Not by plan, but by geography. My first ocean dives were in Costa Rica, and even though the vis sucked I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Even getting somewhere around a hundred dives a year in the first couple of years, it took me a good two years before I would have considered DM. (Which I have not done yet, mainly due to time considerations.) IMO a DM is responsible either legally or ethically for people's lives and he/she should have experience in all types of situations. Not just lakes. Not just FL coast dives. Not just Keys. Not just NC coast, which can get really rough. Lots of different scenarios. I think you'll know when you're ready for it.

It's kinda like a post I did on here a couple of years ago. I had been on a trip to Deerfield Beach and seen an instructor candidate knocking out his last required "dives" by hanging on the anchor line at 20', getting in 2 or 3 dives each time we were diving a wreck. The boat captain knew what he was doing, and congratulated him on his 100th (I think) dive. It was probably his dive op that was doing the "training"! Now that's scary. I certainly wouldn't want my life to depend on him.