DM Poll: Are you active and insured?

[syntaxerrorsix]

So you took the DM course. Are you going to work as a dive professional, carry insurance and actually BE a Divemaster ?

[Randy43068]

That's my plan.

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[MaxBottomtime]

I worked as a DM for a year or so but missed diving too much. I've never regretted giving it up.

[k ellis]

I love to Divemaster and when I cant dive for fun I can always get in the pool and dive. As for the insurance well what can I say. I work in an industry that deals with death and mayhem. I will never go without it. :)

[turnerjd]

I didn't vote, as the choice that I would make is not there.

A DM has no status in France, and I can not work here as a DM. Unfortunately French law (in their sports code) defines the certification levels, and they are quite different to PADI or RSTC guidelines in general.

So, I have let my PADI membership lapse and am no longer a teaching status renewed DM because there is nothing I can do with it.

Am I still a diver, doing divemastery things? Yes I am, but under my french certification.
Am I being paid? In beer, yes. Money, no.
Am I happy with this? relatively.

HTH

Jon

[DivemasterDennis]

I am a full time lawyer, part time writer, (The Scuba Snobs books) and part time scuba professional. I teach pool classes one or twice a month, spend 4 weekends a year at our local reservoir for open water training, and occasionally DM on dive boats at certain dive destinations with whom I have developed a relationship. I guess I am kind of like a "national guard" DM. Training weekends through the year and a couple weeks of deployment. And yes, I keep my insurance current.
DivemasterDennis

[TMHeimer]

I checked active. I have been told I will be a working/paid DM at the LDS in the near future (hopefully this summer). We have a ton of DMs already on staff. Am insured.

[TSandM]

I assist my husband with OW classes, and occasionally do a refresher. I recently got my clearance to do Discover Scubas, as well. I'm not paid for anything -- my reward for helping with classes is domestic tranquillity.

I do enjoy working with the OW classes in the pool, most of the time -- it's kind of fun to get in the water in minimal exposure protection and no weight, and get to float around and look fabulous :) In the open water, I'm half terrified all the time, because keeping track of very unpredictable and highly stressed students in what starts as limited viz and gets close to zero by the time they're through with it is very anxiety-provoking for me. I think I'd enjoy it more someplace like Maui!

[boulderjohn]

I think this is a very interesting topic for a thread, and I will be interested in the results.

It is not clear to me, though, that everyone participating will be certified only at the DM level and has not subsequently gone on to AI or instructor. Is that the intent? If so, it is not spelled out in the OP. Being an instructor, I did not participate, which means I don't get to see the results unless someone periodically posts them.

[Wookie]

So, I am also an instructor who only very rarely instructs. My DM certification is the one that actually is the DM for the boat, even though we have many other DM's on the boat. So, I don't teach or assist, nor do I lead dives, but It's absolutely critical that I maintain teaching status professionally.

[syntaxerrorsix]

I think this is a very interesting topic for a thread, and I will be interested in the results.

It is not clear to me, though, that everyone participating will be certified only at the DM level and has not subsequently gone on to AI or instructor. Is that the intent? If so, it is not spelled out in the OP. Being an instructor, I did not participate, which means I don't get to see the results unless someone periodically posts them.

The intent was to mine data and give those thinking about becoming a dive professional some insight into those that have gone on to become dive professionals and those that took the course but did not continue as a professional in the industry.

Instructors could likely participate under the same poll without skewing results. Either you became a dive professional and made use of it or you took the course and have not participated actively at your rating.

Currently we see 3 active, 1 inactive and 0 never's.

[Wookie]

I am blown away by the spread. 5:1:0 right now. I would never ever have guessed....

[Laurie S.]

I will be doing my DM work in Mexico once I finish training, and insurance isn't required there. I probably won't get it.

[syntaxerrorsix]

I am blown away by the spread. 5:1:0 right now. I would never ever have guessed....

..and it keeps getting better. I'm really surprised.

[philmayer]

I've been a DM for 4 years. I work with classes, lead DSDs, work with troubled students, etc. I have no intention to move up to instructor.

I'm the exception of the DMs I know. Most of the people I know who've completed the course in the last 5 years have given up diving. I know several who never finished the DM course. The remainder have gone on to be instructors.

[Druid]

I worked as a DM for a year or so but missed diving too much. I've never regretted giving it up.

Me too.

I still do DM type things at my dive club, but dive for myself far more often.

[ssidiv3r]

I got my OW cert at 15 and when I turned 18 became an AI. I worked as an AI for about a year and spent much of that time handling DM duties. I had no plans of moving up to Instructor and have gone inactive since starting college. I'm still not sure if I'll pick up DMing again after I graduate but it is an option. I did miss being able to go diving for fun since every single dive I went on after getting my AI was a "working" dive, but I do feel that the experience made me a better diver.

[muzikbiz22]

Just saw this thread, and voted. Certified DM, Active, Insured. Mostly lead groups/individuals from out of town, lead club dives, and occasionally assist on the education side of things. Do way more fun dives than DM'ing. No desire or intention to go Instructor.