DIve Master timings
- Thread starter Faithoj
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
It would be helpful if you stated which agency you're going to be doing DM through.
DM Stamina tests
My advice, focus on your strengths. While this website claims 4 skills and 12 points, The equipment exchange is now included which means you have 5 skills earning a minimum of 15 points.
10 points are easy. The 15 minute tread water and the equipment exchange should each earn you a 5. The swim test, that depends on your swimming. I'm not a great swimmer, so I left my 400m to the last knowing that all I had to to is get a 1 (completion) to pass.
The 800m can be difficult if you chose the wrong fins. The biggest and stiffest may fatigue you quickly.
You can re-take each test if you don't get sufficient points or fail (stop)
No DMC I know likes the swim tests The equipment exchange is fun - just think hard about the best way to do it, even if your buddy has different size gear (you swim at the end air sharing - or at least I did) You have 5 minutes to plan, but that doesn't stop you thinking about it in advance
My advice, focus on your strengths. While this website claims 4 skills and 12 points, The equipment exchange is now included which means you have 5 skills earning a minimum of 15 points.
10 points are easy. The 15 minute tread water and the equipment exchange should each earn you a 5. The swim test, that depends on your swimming. I'm not a great swimmer, so I left my 400m to the last knowing that all I had to to is get a 1 (completion) to pass.
The 800m can be difficult if you chose the wrong fins. The biggest and stiffest may fatigue you quickly.
You can re-take each test if you don't get sufficient points or fail (stop)
No DMC I know likes the swim tests The equipment exchange is fun - just think hard about the best way to do it, even if your buddy has different size gear (you swim at the end air sharing - or at least I did) You have 5 minutes to plan, but that doesn't stop you thinking about it in advance
WATERSKILLS EXERSIZES:
400 YD POINTS TIME
5 under 6 mins
4 6-8
3 8-10
2 10-12
1 12 +
15 MIN TREAD/ Last 2 min Hands out of water
5 Satisfactory
3 Hands NOT out of water
1 touched side/bottom
800 YD MASK/FINS/SNORKEL
5 under 13 mins
4 13-15
3 15-17
2 17-19
1 more than 19
100 YD DIVER TOW
5 under 2 mins
4 2-3
3 3-4
2 4-5
1 more than 5
EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE
5 tasks performed well/seems easy
4 completed/fairly easy
3 exchange completed/ some difficulties
2 significant problems
1 inability to complete
IIRC you must score a 3 or above on the equipment exchange to pass...
Yes, that's correct. "Candidates must score at least 3 in the equipment exchange; there is no passing score for any other single exercise." (from the IM.)
But the total score for the five exercises has to be at least 15.
When I did mine quite a while ago, when I had finished all but one of the exercises, I only needed one point to finish successfully. That means I just had to do it, with the actual score not making any difference. That one test was the 100 yard diver tow. I happened to be waiting to do an OW dive with my instructor on a dive boat in Key Largo, and I suggested that I just do the skill right there and then. There was a pretty fair current and choppy conditions, but since my time didn't matter, I said I would just tow someone away from the boat for more than 50 yards and then tow him back. The instructor agreed, and off I went.
The conditions were far worse than normally occurs on a DM test, but doing it that way was a real revelation to me. As I was towing the diver through the chop and against the current and getting understandably tired as I did it, it dawned on me that I was doing precisely something I might really have to do as a DM, and the life of the person I was towing could be at stake. I realized that those skills were not something I wanted to just scrape by on in order to pass the test. I needed to have the skill and stamina to be able to rescue someone in adverse conditions if that became necessary.
So my message is this. If you have any concerns about your ability to pass this test, then please go to a pool and practice, practice, practice until you are sure that you not only can pass the test, but you can ably assist a struggling diver while serving as a DM later on.
The conditions were far worse than normally occurs on a DM test, but doing it that way was a real revelation to me. As I was towing the diver through the chop and against the current and getting understandably tired as I did it, it dawned on me that I was doing precisely something I might really have to do as a DM, and the life of the person I was towing could be at stake. I realized that those skills were not something I wanted to just scrape by on in order to pass the test. I needed to have the skill and stamina to be able to rescue someone in adverse conditions if that became necessary.
So my message is this. If you have any concerns about your ability to pass this test, then please go to a pool and practice, practice, practice until you are sure that you not only can pass the test, but you can ably assist a struggling diver while serving as a DM later on.
Similar threads
