DM course | what you'd have done differently?

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I will just say having done my DM relatively recently, paying for the professional insurance for liability reasons adds up, especially if you don't intend to use it for profit purposes. I learned a lot during the course but having the liability is daunting.
 
I will just say having done my DM relatively recently, paying for the professional insurance for liability reasons adds up, especially if you don't intend to use it for profit purposes. I learned a lot during the course but having the liability is daunting.
Are you saying to maintain the professional/ liability insurance even if one isn't working as a professional (ie if on "inactive" status?).
 
Are you saying to maintain the professional/ liability insurance even if one isn't working as a professional (ie if on "inactive" status?).
Yes. I worry about being sued by a victim/their family who is/are grasping at straws and find out that I'm a DM.
 
Yes. I worry about being sued by a victim/their family who is/are grasping at straws and find out that I'm a DM.
That’s a legitimate concern because the first thing a lawyer for the family of the victim is going to do from a dive boat is ask every dive agency if anyone who was present is a dive pro
 
When I register on boats or with shops, I only register as being an AOW diver with nitrox.

Am alternative might be to take the DM course but to never finish it/file the paperwork.
 
When I register on boats or with shops, I only register as being an AOW diver with nitrox.

Is that to avoid being paired with a new diver or for liability in the case of an accident? If the latter, it won't work.

Am alternative might be to take the DM course but to never finish it/file the paperwork.

To me, there's no point in DM training if one has no intent on using it. That money is better spent on tech training.
 
Is that to avoid being paired with a new diver or for liability in the case of an accident? If the latter, it won't work.
To avoid being used to babysit new divers.



To me, there's no point in DM training if one has no intent on using it. That money is better spent on tech training.
I wish that someone had told me this going into the program.
 
That’s a legitimate concern because the first thing a lawyer for the family of the victim is going to do from a dive boat is ask every dive agency if anyone who was present is a dive pro
And that's part of the trouble with being a dive professional. You have an obligation to respond in the event of of incident/accident. But I think if you can make the case that you weren't acting/identifying in that specific role, you can defend your position. I could be wrong, though. I'll have to ask one of my attorney friends that happens to be a DM also.
 
And that's part of the trouble with being a dive professional. You have an obligation to respond in the event of of incident/accident. But I think if you can make the case that you weren't acting/identifying in that specific role, you can defend your position. I could be wrong, though.

I think you are correct as far as US jurisdictions, but who knows what the laws are around the world. Granted, most of the rest of the world is less litigious than the US.
 
And that's part of the trouble with being a dive professional. You have an obligation to respond in the event of of incident/accident. But I think if you can make the case that you weren't acting/identifying in that specific role, you can defend your position. I could be wrong, though. I'll have to ask one of my attorney friends that happens to be a DM also.

I think it depends on how the jury rules. There hasn't been a precedent afaik of a dive pro who was found negligent in an incident where they didn't provide assistance. We are just talking in theory. Dive pros do not have deep pockets themselves (we don't get into it because we want a new Ferrari every year), but our insurance policies are targets. If we are as far away as possible from the other divers (if possible), then the chance we'd get any sort of blame is minimal. I suggest offering assistance as being the note/time taker.

Lawsuits seem to start with a shotgun approach with the plaintiff's attorney attempting to get every insurance policy possible as a source of income. At least in the good ol' US. Though the Malta persecution of Steve Martin for leading dives in that country was quite disturbing.
 
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