Padi Divemaster

I just picked up my Divemaster booklets/materials and have been accepted by my LDS as a DMC, any advice from other professionals out there that could help me excell to the top of my class?

Thank you in advance

Dan

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Do not do ANYTHING you don't want the students to copy.....I can promise you they will.
I like to attend every class that the students are at, including the academics. While as a DM/DMC you really don't have to, you can start to get a feel for how the students are going to be, who to watch and who you can be a little less cautious with and you start building a rapport with them. This will go a long way when you are helping a student that has issues. There are times when whether they trust you or not will be what determines if the student succeeds or quits, building that trust early goes a long way. For whatever reason, students will often pull you off to the side with a problem that they will not take to the instructor. How you handle it depends on the problem and the instructor but at least they feel secure enough to ask you rather than not asking at all.
At the end of each day, take a little time to discuss with the instructor what went good, what not so good , what they want you to do that you didn't and what you did that they prefer you did not do.
Spend some time learning the instructor(s) as well. We have a large staff at our LSD with 15-20 instructors and every one of them is different. Some want me to demo skills, others want to do it all themselves, some prefer to handle student issues while others hand them off to me. Don't assume that one instructor will be the same as the next. Don't let your style or beliefs get in the way. If you think BP/wings are the greatest thing since sliced bread but the instructor wants you in a jacket BC, shut up and do it. It is his/her class not yours.

Be the best example of proper trim and swimming techniques you can, you are the first diver they see and it's up to you to show them what a good diver looks like......and judging from a lot of the divers I see, there are a lot of poor DMs around.
Good luck and enjoy the experience.

I have a few.

1. Read all your materials thoroughly and proceed through all tests without undue delay. There used to be more tests, but this is still a good idea
2. Don't stretch out the course for too long- progress constantly and complete all aspects as soon as possible.
3. Participate in as many pool and open water sessions for as many different classes a possible, as an assistant or observer. Speak very little, listen alot.
4. When you participate in teaching as an assistant, or divemaster led programs, talk about diving/snorkeling, not about yourself or where you have been.
5. Dive, dive, dive. You have a fair number of dives, but more experience leads to greater competence.
6. Learn about equipment- different types, and basic service and repair. It's not a part of the course, but it is VERY important if you want to be a real divemaster, and not just one of those who wear the t-shirt or hat but aren't much help otherwise.
7. Practice all skills that are taught so that yours are demonstration level perfect.
8. Become the buoyancy star. Know what it takes to have total buoyancy control, and be able to explain it to others. Knowing yourself is not enough- you need to be be able to convey what you know to others in clear and concise terms.
9. Know what you don't know. Know when to be quiet. Learn from everyone.
DivemasterDennis

DivemasterDennis gave some good advice. Also consider physical training. Start swimming laps 3 or 4 times a week. Also swim laps using mask fins and snorkel. Practice treading water. You will be tested on these.

If you can wait to buy new equipment until after you are certified as a divemaster, wait until then. Dive shops usually give their divemasters significant discounts on equipment. They will want you to be wearing equipment they sell, because students look up to the dive masters and want to use what the divemasters are using.

When you are observing or helping your instructor with classes, plan on showing up early to talk with your instructor about his/her expectations. Plan on staying late to discuss what happened in the class, ask questions, and get feedback.

Ron

If you are working with a shop, look around you at the other divemasters and decide who you want for a role model. See if you can get that person to mentor you. Finding someone who is really good at demonstrating skills, for example, gives you a great opportunity to copy. Other DMs can also pass on tips, like where best to position yourself during certain skills, etc.

I also feel that you should work on your own personal skills. BE the diver you want your students to emulate. Good buoyancy, good trim, good awareness (critical with students!), no hand swimming, and keeping your equipment tidy and organized are qualities you want them to absorb.

A lot depends upon your instructor. Some instructors will be very hands-off, leavinb most of the learning up to you, but others will take a lot of time to work with you until they are convinced you are the best you can be. Most will be somewhere in between those extremes.

Please don't take any shortcuts. Do what it takes to be the kind of dive leader you want to be.

As a symbol of what I am talking about, consider the concept called "teabagging." That occurs when a diver goes to some benign, shallow location and gets in and out of the water repeatedly, barely reaching the very minimum requirements for a dive, all to get to the minimum number of dives required for certification. That sort of mind set can be applied to any aspect of training. Don't do anything like that!

Don't limit your knowledge base to what is in the agency materials.
Do get what is required but also look into the materials of other agencies and scuba in general.
Get a copy of the NOAA manual and the US Navy Dive Manual.
I also recommend books like Dennis Graver's Scuba Diving that has no advertising.
I'd also have them purchase a copy of my book SCUBA: A Practical Guide for the New Diver so they would know what my philosophy was and the approach I use.


If I were taking on a DM student I;d also advise them to get as much knowledge about our local sites as possible on their own. Go and dive them and get off the lines and explore. And document those explorations.

I'd also want them to get as much experience in as many different gear configurations as possible. If I were going to require them to use specific equipment that I sell I would provide it to them at cost or just supply it depending on what it was.

I'd also like to see them take a class from a different agency and wherever possible get copies of different agency standards so they would know, if asked, what the differences were.

I'd also advise the following reading that they could buy or borrow from me:

The Six Skills by Steve Lewis
The Tao of Survival Underwater aka Exploration and Mixed Gas Diving Encyclopedia by Tom Mount and Joesph Dituri
Regulator Savvy by Pete Wolfinger
Scuba Diving Safety by Dan Orr and Eric Douglas
Diving Fundamentals for Leadership by Tom Leaird

when assisting,keep a handle on what needs to be done next!!!!
hard to learn,but invaluable!!
for your instuctor and for the students
and
have fun!
yaeg