I'm starting toward DM as soon as my LDS owner gets the class rolling (like a daughter getting married and finishing building his new house were excuses! 
), and I must say that if you want to be able to form opinions, you really have three places to look.
Look in books (NOAA, Navy, and onward), where you'll find lots of in-depth knowledge. That'll get you the background you need if you're going to understand what comes next.
Next, of course, is to get to know guys who work on the stuff. You can get lots of useful anecdotal information from a shop tech that sees oodles of regs a year and knows what comes in for service and why. Some of this might be the shop guy's opinions clouding his judgement (usually stuff like "every [whatever] is crap"), but what you learned from the books will help you identify any of that. (It'll also help you be able to carry on a conversation with the tech without him feeling he needs to baby-talk you.)
Then, get the everyman opinions. You can find them here, and you can gather them in person. (What diver would refuse to laud or loathe their gear if asked during the surface interval?) Of course, if a diver on the beach says a reg is pathetic, perhaps that's just because he's a hideous diver. Looking at it in the light of the first two parts will help you find the kernels of truth amongst the chaff. (Sometimes, you'll even come across a random diver who happens to know *precisely* what he's talking about; by having worked through the first two phases, you'll likely be able to spot him and properly value his commentary.)
As for me, it'll be a while before I get to instructor, and it'll be sometime later this year before I hope to be divemaster, but I've been doing the background work. I just got my PSI VCI/ECT certs, for example, and I found I learned quite a bit by doing so. (I knew the basics, of course, but I now have a *much* more thorough understanding.)
The other day, I was in the shop with a friend of mine (now a checkout away from his first card). I was pointing things out to him and helping him avoid some all-too-common problems with a first set of gear, when the owner told me that I really ought to write out all my little notes so they can pass the little tidbits of advice on to other new divers, since I seem to always have some little useful comment. I was supremely complimented by a long-time instructor and LDS owner saying that to me, and it reassured me that I have gathered knowledge and experience that I can contribute as I progress to DM (and later beyond).
), and I must say that if you want to be able to form opinions, you really have three places to look.Look in books (NOAA, Navy, and onward), where you'll find lots of in-depth knowledge. That'll get you the background you need if you're going to understand what comes next.
Next, of course, is to get to know guys who work on the stuff. You can get lots of useful anecdotal information from a shop tech that sees oodles of regs a year and knows what comes in for service and why. Some of this might be the shop guy's opinions clouding his judgement (usually stuff like "every [whatever] is crap"), but what you learned from the books will help you identify any of that. (It'll also help you be able to carry on a conversation with the tech without him feeling he needs to baby-talk you.)
Then, get the everyman opinions. You can find them here, and you can gather them in person. (What diver would refuse to laud or loathe their gear if asked during the surface interval?) Of course, if a diver on the beach says a reg is pathetic, perhaps that's just because he's a hideous diver. Looking at it in the light of the first two parts will help you find the kernels of truth amongst the chaff. (Sometimes, you'll even come across a random diver who happens to know *precisely* what he's talking about; by having worked through the first two phases, you'll likely be able to spot him and properly value his commentary.)
As for me, it'll be a while before I get to instructor, and it'll be sometime later this year before I hope to be divemaster, but I've been doing the background work. I just got my PSI VCI/ECT certs, for example, and I found I learned quite a bit by doing so. (I knew the basics, of course, but I now have a *much* more thorough understanding.)
The other day, I was in the shop with a friend of mine (now a checkout away from his first card). I was pointing things out to him and helping him avoid some all-too-common problems with a first set of gear, when the owner told me that I really ought to write out all my little notes so they can pass the little tidbits of advice on to other new divers, since I seem to always have some little useful comment. I was supremely complimented by a long-time instructor and LDS owner saying that to me, and it reassured me that I have gathered knowledge and experience that I can contribute as I progress to DM (and later beyond).
