Taking lots of scuba cert classes does not make you a well rounded diver, it makes you a well rounded student.
what a great line. i am def gonna steal that one.
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Taking lots of scuba cert classes does not make you a well rounded diver, it makes you a well rounded student.
I cannot say this response is entirely hypothetical.Hypothetically, If you were guna take classes to make you a good/better all around diver from OW what would you take? I guess what I mean is get you up to DM level diver but without the working in the industry part. Build yourself a well rounded skills package.
The challenge with picking one or more specific specialty courses is that the course AND the Instructor have to both be good, AND the Instructor needs to understand your overall goal - becoming a good/better diver - and be willing to focus the training in a way to help you achieve that goal. That is certainly possible, I am not suggesting it cannot be done, only that you will need to not just 'take a course' but engage the Instructor in your development, which may take a bit more time to find the right fit. Having said that, in terms of skills, I think highly of Search and Recovery as a specialty, to give one example. Learning to use and really control a lift bag is a skill that requires the ability to 'multitask', and good buoyancy control, among other things. Searching for lost objects promotes good planning, and requires situational awareness and competent compass use, among other things.As far as specialty choices. If you had to pick one that would make you a over all better diver which would you pick, which did you get the most benefit from.
It depends on the focus of the DM class.DM training CAN help you become a better diver.
As you so aptly stated :I seriously doubt that a PADI DM class would've given me the same.
I fully agree, that training has to meet the needs of the trainee, not just the needs of the training entity. Not every DM program puts DMCs in the role of 'unpaid serf'. I agree that there are some that do. Many do not. I trained in one of the 'not' programs. When I train DMs, they are most certainly 'not' unpaid serfs, they are dive professionals in training.Storker:It depends on the focus of the DM class.
I know most take specialty classes as needed. But as someone that normally travels half the year and the world is closed I'm just bored. I don't live near any great diving (Monterey 150+ miles) and for the little diving close by finding a buddy can be an issue. But I can take classes just for something to do. Not trying to say don't just get out there and dive more.
Hypothetically, If you were guna take classes to make you a good/better all around diver from OW what would you take? I guess what I mean is get you up to DM level diver but without the working in the industry part. Build yourself a well rounded skills package.
As far as specialty choices. If you had to pick one that would make you a over all better diver which would you pick, which did you get the most benefit from.
I know this is kinda random but I have been thinking about what it would take to get me to a profession level of diving, not a dive professional, I have no interest in working in the dive industry.
I agree with both of your posts re DM program and Tech. (though I have done no Tech. training). I guess the big drawback to the DM course is it costs quite a bit more than simple specialties if you are not interested in being a "pro" (I put that in quotes because of the usual threads about DM pay and "serfdom" you mention). You can also buy some of the DM course materials and practice honing the basic skills to demonstration level on your own. Not nearly as good as taking the course, but less $. There is a lot of very interesting information in the DM course, but IMO a lot of it really doesn't improve your own diving, and a certain % is simply not going to be of practical help when you work as a DM assisting. Doing the mapping project involved some skills and was a learning experience, but I haven't mapped anywhere else since.As you so aptly stated : I fully agree, that training has to meet the needs of the trainee, not just the needs of the training entity. Not every DM program puts DMCs in the role of 'unpaid serf'. I agree that there are some that do. Many do not. I trained in one of the 'not' programs. When I train DMs, they are most certainly 'not' unpaid serfs, they are dive professionals in training.
My point was/is, that DM training CAN - it has the ability to - help one become a better diver. The content and structure supports such an outcome. It is not, however, a guaranteed outcome, if the particular shop / dive operation / Instructor conducting the program chooses to emphasize unpaid serfdom and fails to deliver the intended content in a manner that meets the needs of the candidate. Nonetheless, I wouldn't dismiss it as an option solely because of disinterest in working in the dive industry. Nor would I simply pursue DM training without evaluating the program, any more than I would simply take a specialty course without 'interviewing' the Instructor.
A very good point. Going back to the OP's question, one factor to consider, in addition to content (that relates to becoming a good/better diver), and availability, is cost. Perhaps, it really is a question of value - what do you get for what you pay?I guess the big drawback to the DM course is it costs quite a bit more than simple specialties if you are not interested in being a "pro" (I put that in quotes because of the usual threads about DM pay and "serfdom" you mention).