Dive Master in training

As a DM candidate, I am curios to hear of any suggestions or comments from the more experienced divers on this board as to what to expect and what are the most important subjects/skills/activities that you feel I should prepare for or concentrate on. Also, I guess, just what I can expect in the near future during my training. Take in to account, IMO, I have a "quality" instructor. This should be good!

Jetwrench

Dive Safe, Dive Often

Patience above all else with students.

Awareness, and safety skills are paramount.

Anyone can learn RDP, Physics, Physiology etc. but how you use that information, share that information etc. are all learned through experience.

Always be professional. Look and act the part, and don't boast or showboat.

Take the time to gently and patiently discuss things with people will get more of them to open up to you, trust you and learn from you. Then you will find very quickly that your image, abilities and overall satisfaction skyrocket.

Have fun and good luck

I'm also a DM in training (NAUI) ...

One of the most important things to look forward to is learning mental discipline. Working on some of the pool skills you will discover that you can best achieve them (or in my case, only achieve them) through mental relaxation as well as efficient use of your skills and equipment.

If you're not a strong swimmer, start practicing now ... the 450 yd in 10 minutes is still a hurdle for me (I can do the distance, but not in the time required).

The rest of it's pretty straightforward ... mostly a lot of diving, working with OW classes, and demonstrating that you can plan, lead, and execute dives. Fun stuff ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I have almost finished the training and internship for the PADI DM course.

The thing I have found hardest to get my head round is the degree to which you have to manage both student and newly certified divers. For example, we train in very poor vis (1-2m). If I don't tell my divers to hold the rope all the way to the bottom and keep holding it when they get there, they let go and disappear and I have to go back up and find them. Gngh. Nothing is obvious to new divers, you've got to tell them what to do... but without offending them.

Get used to diving with a lot of extra weight, or not enough. If you carry extra weights, your divers won't need them. If you don't, they will. And when you think you've finally got everyone sorted out, someone will float off to the top.

I spent a lot of time in the pool on my own, practising skills. I also practised buddy breathing on my own (you don't really need a partner, you can just take two breaths and them hold the reg out as if someone else were using it). That helped me to get the rhythm and made the equipment exchange much easier.

At various times I have been utterly fed up with PADI, my instructors, myself... and sometimes all three at once. Be prepared to take whatever the course hands to you and deal with it.

I would like to say it's all worth it in the end, but I haven't got there yet

Good luck!

Zept

Training wise everyone seems to dread the stamina skills more than anything else so get some practice in while you can.

Be prepared to be patient with new divers, many of the things that you take for granted can seem like a mountain to climb for them. The reward is seeing the smiles on their faces when they get the skills right.

Keep your skills well practised. Just 'cos you've had to demonstrate something a number of times doesn't mean it should be run through like it doesn't matter. It could be brand new to the people you're showing it to so give it your best....the show must go on

Don't act all high an mighty. Most students will talk to you first rather than the instructor so don't put them off. Talk to them like you would a friend, not someone who is below you in abilities. Make it fun for them and they'll thank you and probably come back to your school again. If they enjoy it you'll also find it's less hard work for you and you'll enjoy it more too.

The best part of the DM course is that you'll find your skill level and water confidence being so much higher than it ever was before. It's a great course, take your time and enjoy it :teeth:

Just my 2 cents.

When I was teaching at a shop in South Carolina we had about 4 or 5 DM's assisting with every class. God that was nice, a DM is great to have around but sometimes very hard to find. There were several things that a few of them tried that were not only inapproprate but also against the rules.

1. Hang all over the good lookin woman in the class while ignoring everyone else. Now I was single at the time as well and while some of the oppertunities look very interesting you must remember to maintain a professional relationship with ALL of the students during the class. After the class is over you can do what you like.

2. Try to explain and or show students something that has not yet been covered in class by the Instructor. As orangeBloke said, most of the students will come to you before they will approach the Instructor if they have questions or concerns about the class. You must always remember that you are not there to teach the class and can not work with a sutdent on something that the Instructor has not already covered. Your main duty during a class is to be the extra eyes and ears of the Instructor, to keep an eye open for trouble while the Instructor is working with another student. To assist the Instructor in deminstrating skills and working with students that are having trouble with something that has already been covered, ie. mask clearing. You must not teach. If a student has a question about something you know has not yet been covered and even if it has been covered you should still refer the student to the Instructor with their question and let the Instructor do the teaching.

I had a little talk with the several DM's that were guilty of these things and everything was worked out but It's a little upsetting to have to pull a DM aside during a class and tell them something they're doing is inapproprate.

Good luck on the DM class.

Scott

Agreeing with everything that's been said

- get fit for swimming. During out of water supervision, you may have to jump in and swim to someone on the surface.

- If most of your training involves assisting instructors with classes(as mine did) you may have trouble adjusting to a job that involves guiding experienced divers (as I did). I wasn't sure exactly what experienced divers needed from me as a DM. Ask questions, find out. If you need help with this, ask on the board here! Try to get training for whatever job you'll be doing.

- You never have a second chance to make a first impression. When meeting students / customers for the first time, be professional. It establishes your role and authority. You want to make sure as much as you can that people will follow instructions later on.

- always have safety as your priority. Don't get distracted from this if you're annoyed, nervous, fed up, showing off, stuffing up, whatever. For example: - it's true that DMs end up lugging a lot of weights etc around and going up and down tying off dive flags and anchors etc. Be careful with this - mind your ears and don't get bent.

In no particular order:

1) Positive Attitude. Remember, you are here to help others safely enjoy this sport. And have FUN doing it! If that means YOU have to be the DM on shore who checks people in/out instead of doing the dive that day, then so be it. I don't need a prima donna throwing a hissy fit because h/s isn't going to be able to dive.

2) Professionalism. Already discussed. 'Nuff said.

3) Safety. If you're a cowboy only interested in seeing how far you can push the envelope, go find another vocation.

4) Excellent dive skills. I am appalled at the lack of skill I find in some "DMs" that come to our IDCs. (No, I do not want to get into a debate about the state of dive training today, so let's not go there!) By the time you are finished your DM training you should be at demonstration quality. That's not just being able to perform the skill, but to so by breaking it down into a slow, section-by-section demonstration that a newbie can follow and understand. Because yes, you MAY be required to demonstrate this skill.

5) Patience. Patience. And MORE patience. Did I mention patience?

That's all I can think of right now...

~SubMariner~

Thank you all for the replies and info you have given. In all honesty, I knew the answers to my questions, but wanted to confirm them with those who knew. I liked the replies and the thought that went into them. Safety, role model, skill proficiency, people skills, are what I use in my primary vocation. Diving is SO much a paralell in these subjects. Thank you all for the feedback! Wish me luck.

Jetwrench (can you quess my primary vocation?)

It's break time so I like to read/have fun. Here's my guess and it's said with a big smile- what I do know is you don't teach spelling! Seriously, cop?
M