A Little Bragging

[lowviz]

...//...No way I could pass rescue so forget it. ...//...

-took me a while.

First you have to want to???

 

[soltari675]

Thanks again for all the congrats. The card is a nice way of me looking back and knowing I did it. But what I really got was a lot of experience and more knowledge. And no problem Aqua, I was just saying what I felt I got out of it.

Someone asked what is a Master Diver. In certification terms, with Padi at least, it is 50+ dives, 5 specialty dives, AOW, and Rescue diver (which I believe someone here already said). You get to choose the specialty dives, though I encourage taking meaningful ones. Things you will use. Again, the ones I did was peak Buoyancy, enriched air, Dry suit, underwater photography, and wreck diver. It was all things that really interest me and would help me be a better diver. I still plan to do navigation and deep (the full version, not what you have to do for AOW) Rescue diver is probably the most rewarding and confidence building class I took. Wreck diver was the most fun.

As for what's next? Just dive. I probably won't do dive master until I am out of college and can afford the insurance, dues, etc. And even then it will depend if the shop needs another dive master. But my plans are to just dive. Enjoy the water, wherever it is and take lots of pictures.

 

[boulderjohn]

Congratulations on your achievement. You are apparently still young enough that you have a wealth of opportunities in diving ahead of you. Please don't let a couple of negative people in this thread spoil your feeling about it.

So what is next?

There is a lot more than going pro. If you want to stay totally within the PADI system (which is by no means necessary), you can look into their technical program for much more advanced diving opportunities. It sounds like you will have to leave your present shop to do so, but that should not be too hard. With a little research you can find those opportunities in other shops. Outside of PADI, there are other agencies that teach more advanced diving as well. You can look into TDI, IANTD, GUE, or several other agencies to see what they have to offer for the more advanced diver who is not interested in teaching. I am sure you can find something in your area.

 

[soltari675]

I know we have a cave diving club in the area who has a good instructor they all use and some of the members are with our shop. I need to look around and see if we have any good wreck instructors for going beyond recreational. I find that a lot more interesting.

 

[Griffo]

A Master Diver is a subject, having only been discussed ten zillion times on SB, resulting in ten thousand posts, including questioning why anyone would do it, why NAUI's is SO much better than PADI's (because it's a REAL course with real dives--at least 8 more-- and THEORY), why anyone wouldn't just take the courses and NOT send PADI the $50 or so fee for a useless card, why I would never show that card while around any divers at all (except it's good to get chicks...),.............. A newly minted Master Diver is one who receives a congrats or two on SB, then some criticism about why he did it, then the criticizer gets criticized for not letting the OP enjoy his accomplishment, then all the stuff listed above begins. A LUCKY Master Diver is one who was given the free backpack, excellent for collecting beads and other crap thrown from the N.O. Mardi Gras floats. Sorry for the rant, but it did save doing a search.......

One of my local LDS' actually throw in the Master Diver cert if you do all the requisite courses through them. I'll end up getting it, simply because around here, they are anal about you being "certified" before allowing you to dive. No penetration without wreck, nothing past 29m without deep blah blah etc etc. There are plenty of stories of tech and GUE certified divers having to "prove" their skills before they are allowed to dive sites. Stupid.

 

[Davemohio]

Yup..nice to have that under your belt while you are in college. And young.

I wish I had started diving back then..alas..

 

[DevonDiver]

Congrats buddy.

Don't listen to the cynics. I'd rather dive with anyone who showed a serious commitment to self-improvement and perfecting their diving - than any diver who felt he was 'too cool for school'. It's easy for those people to cast stones on the internet - a forum where they can talk-the-talk, but don't have to walk-the-walk.

MSD takes some time, effort and commitment. That proves something.

 

[Searcaigh]

Congrats Soltari,

Now just get out there and dive whenever you can

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Congratulations! Achieving master scuba rating is a good thing. I am working on my AOW and specialty ratings now toward this goal. Plus lots of diving.

 

[bbarnett51]

I have been certified for 20 years and I am about to start my Master Diver courses next Thursday. I looked at ways to learn more and become even better at what I enjoy doing. The SSI program fit the bill. For anyone to say that it is insignificant is uninformed IMO. The knowledge gained will make anyone a better, safer, more prepared diver. It not only increases the safety of the individual but also the safety of other divers that I might be buddied up with. Deep diving, stress and rescue, nitrox, navigation, and search and recovery are what I will be doing. I cant imagine anyone thinking that I wont be a better diver when I finish.


To the OP...CONGRATS!!!!!