Just Joined & Looking for Advice Please

[Rascalus]

Hi!

I've finally got round to jacking in my job and opening a new chapter in my life. So.....I'm what you'd call a 'vacation diver' and have done a fair number of open water dayboat dives with some long stints on live-aboards in Egypt, Oz and the Maldives. I'm looking to do a DMT course and have trawled various other forums for advice but none seem to be as professional or unbiased as Scubaboard - only thing is I cant find a forum relating to DMT courses so any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Welcome! First off I would advise you to talk to a number of potential instructors for any course you do to ensure a good fit. What specific questions do you have?

 

[Rascalus]

Thanks for the welcome and for the prompt response.

My primary question and one that I'm sure is raised all of the time is; where is the best place in the world to undertake a DMT course? Now I know that there are a plethora of other factors that have a bearing on the answer so i'll try and provide some additional info.

Price: I'd like to find something that is reasonably priced - I'm aware that certain places are cheaper than others but I wouldnt sacrifice safety or dive quality for price. Having said that I don't want to fork out £1000's!

Dive Quality: For instance, I've been reading about Utila but a number of reports state that the quality of the dive sites is poor whereas other reports contradict this so I'm not sure how to tell which are correct.

Location: I'm pretty flexible in terms of where I can fly to but again price would be a factor in terms of destination (flying from London) so any really remote prestige locations may be out of the equation.

Surf: I'm a keen surfer and although I know the two dont usually go hand in hand it would be great to find somewhere that i could surf too BUT it's not a prerequisite.

Lifestyle / Other Activities: I'm in my 40's and although I'm pretty chilled I'm not sure I want to be the oldest bloke on the block in a resort full of 20yr old backpackers....having said that ;-)

Not sure what else I can add but please let me know of there's any additional info that would help answere my question(s)

Many thanks

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Where in the world location wise depends on your personal preferences, it appears that you are rather well traveled. Do any of the destinations you have visited appeal to you more than others? Which brings me to my next recommendation, get experience diving in varied environments. Most operators in tourist destinations require a rather intense internship so plan on working quite a bit. Most operators charge a competitive price for their DM courses, of course make sure you know exactly what you're getting for the price(accommodations, free beer , etc). That way you can get an apples to apples comparison. Just bear in mind that working as a DM is a hard living, if a living at all. Especially for us more experienced guys as we roll into our 40's, I know that while in amazing physical shape my body can only keep up so much. Which is why I enjoy working as a DM only during dive season and spend the rest of the year teaching high school science. That said, don't rush to enroll in a course....enjoy the search for the right fit as much as the course itself.

Hope this helps some.

 

[tomfcrist]

Dris, I am confused at this point. DMT would be a dive medical technician not a dive master unless I'm missing something here.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Take a look at his questions, they seem more geared towards a destination divemaster course. also in my experience a DMT course means "Divemaster" most other places out side of the yoo ess of ehh.

 

[fisheater]

Seems to me that you'd want to take your DiveMaster course where you'd be planning to be working afterwards. Or, at least in a place with similar water, social and business conditions.

 

[duncan1958]

Hi,
Welcome to Scubaboard.
Ok you want to train for Divemaster , you are in your forties and male, and British.
I am or was the same as yourself.
Now a few years older
Ok here is what I did..
I earnt my Divemaster cert by doing an internship , all well and good there.
Age plays little part in it ( I was in my mid forties ) fitness and a willingness to take part are key factors.
What do you intend to do with the cert once you have earnt it ?
Go on to instructor ?
Travel and work as a Divemaster ?
If you want to try to find work outside of the EU you will need work permits and quite possibly be required to speak at least one other language.
Location for doing your Divemaster course is a bit like asking someone what is their favourite movie.
Are you looking to pay and do the course ?
Or serve an internship ?
About ten days if memory serves me right can see the course done if you're paying, an internship ....
Is a whole different thing, if you have the time and money you will get a lot more out of the course.
You will also get an insight as to what a Divemaster job involves.
Personally I would steer clear of the factories that spew out DM, s and intsructors on a monthly basis be it where ever they are on the planet.
It takes time to learn how to be a GOOD Divemaster and or instructor
For a more personal insight send me a pm

 

[DownbelowDiver]

...where is the best place in the world to undertake a DMT course?...

Price: I'd like to find something that is reasonably priced - I'm aware that certain places are cheaper than others but I wouldnt sacrifice safety or dive quality for price. Having said that I don't want to fork out £1000's!

Dive Quality: For instance, I've been reading about Utila but a number of reports state that the quality of the dive sites is poor whereas other reports contradict this so I'm not sure how to tell which are correct.

Location: I'm pretty flexible in terms of where I can fly to but again price would be a factor in terms of destination (flying from London) so any really remote prestige locations may be out of the equation.

Surf: I'm a keen surfer and although I know the two dont usually go hand in hand it would be great to find somewhere that i could surf too BUT it's not a prerequisite.

Lifestyle / Other Activities: I'm in my 40's and although I'm pretty chilled I'm not sure I want to be the oldest bloke on the block in a resort full of 20yr old backpackers....having said that ;-)

Hi Rascalus

The best place in terms of…? Quality dive education? Warm water diving? Along with your other listed requirements? Definitely and you can find this in Sabah, Borneo at Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures!
All you need to bring along is a good attitude to learning a unique education!

Our Go PRO internship programs to include professional dive training are more than reasonable – you’ll find we include many attractive benefits for the aspiring Go PRO diver! The rates of our programs are some of the most competitive rates in Asia, and our Travel Centre experts will offer you a quote within 24 hours!

PADI IDC Go Pro Internships | Instructor Development Course IDC Malaysia, Asia

Borneo is the 3^rd largest island in the world amidst an archipelago of tropical paradise islands and blessed with perfect conditions for its marine biodiversity – ever heard of the Coral Triangle?

About Sabah | IDC Asia

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah (northern Borneo) and its two airports with airlines connecting to domestic and international destinations offering a bounty of choices! For the closest surfing, I would imagine the world-renowned Bali, although seasonal surfing (from October to February) can be found at the northernmost tip of Sabah, Kudat!

Internship candidates usually complete their program at different times to one another, although a lot of dive training will be conducted together for role-play scenarios and there’s a lot to learn from one another as you work together!
You will meet and socialize with people from all walks of life, and age differences aren’t anything you need to worry about.

Feel free to ask me any questions, Rascalus, and good luck with continuing your dive education!