Any benefit to Master Scuba Diver certification?

[rhwestfall]

What???? I don't understand. So if a diver has hundreds of dives and training but no "PADI MD Card" they won't let him/her on the boat? But if you have less than 100 dives and have a bogus MD Card they will? Or are you talking about a NAUI MD card? Either way, it sounds self-serving to me - like the Dive Shop is trying to get people to sign up/pay for some classes. I've got enough training and experience to get a Bogus Card but I'm not going to reward PADI with unearned money, let alone some Dive Shop who is going to judge (extort) someone on how much money they spent, rather than the skill and experience of the diver! I understand the need for nitrox classes and even some level of "tec" and obviously cave/wreck cert - but "Master Diver"? Give me a break.

1. - Its a NAUI shop
2. - When they have chartered the boat (purchased all the seats), and are providing the DM's, they can make any rules they wish - its their charter. Not that I 100% agree, but it is what it is.... find another charter, or pick a different day when it isn't them, and everything changes.

 

[Thiad]

The PADI requirement requires that one completes Rescue (along with 5 other specialties). So, it is truly one step above a Rescue Diver.

Do it, don't do it - it's all up to you. I got a lot out of it. I got it simply out of a need to get a bit of specialized help in areas that I was very weak (can one say navigation?), or classes that I had an interest in (wreck). I was lucky enough to have a great instructor who is also a fantastic mentor. I never set out to do it, but ended up with it. Yay me. PADI got $35 dollars.

But regardless of how people feel about the PADI course, do what you feel is right. If the subjects that consist of the courses that interest you and you have a great instructor, there's not a single thing wrong with getting additional training that make up the MD certification - it's more diving, it's more experience, it's more fun! The things to remember is there will always be someone that has something to say about your certs and your DIVE organization, and hopefully, you won't strut around claiming you're the best diver in the pond due to your vaunted title of "master diver".

Go dive, go enjoy, go learn.

 

[Jill from Phoenix]

The Naui Master Diver book is a good read if one wants to do some revision. I think if you can pass the exam, the real world meaning is that you have mastered your past advanced open water recreational diving material.
No harm in continuing one's education.

Hi Peter! Woohoo Go NAUI!

Just in case someone is interested in some NAUI Master Diver details that hasn't already taken the course, here you go:

It's a minimum of 8 dives. The course's required dives include emergency procedures & rescue, decompression diving, adv limited vis or night, adv u/w nav, and search & recovery w/ light savage. Additional electives can be an environmental study, hunting & collecting, gas planning, surf & shore, or another special interest.

It's a customizable course with special study projects suited to your goals in diving. It's also mandatory for the leadership path because it's very heavy in academics. So, PADI waits until instructor to teach the candidates the rest of physics, physiology, equipment, environment, adv rescue, etc.-- so-called "instructor level academics". NAUI teaches these academics at the non-professional level. Some divers have no desire to go pro, but want to learn more diving this is the course for them. I know I run into some PADI instructors that had no desire to actually teach, they just wanted to take more diving courses and learn everything they could, but your liability goes up big time once you hold a professional level cert. Moreover, we don't want to bog down leadership candidates with learning this information they are supposed to have already mastered so that they can focus on true leadership (guiding, supervision, group control, demonstration, evaluating, counseling, (de)briefs, lesson planning, scheduling, etc...and of course learning how to teach).

The text is awesome, also has DVD (for couch potatoes ) & eLearning. It runs circles around the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving; relevant information and easy to understand. I read the Encyclopedia of Recreation Diving when I did my PADI IDC, but I kind of forgot about it since then. Last year I was evaluating an instructor's Charles Law presentation. It was so bad it was laughable. So, after the candidate pointed out where he got the information from in the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving; no wonder he was confused, it's illustrated so much clearer in the NAUI text.

You can take the master diver course after the advanced/specialty dive sampling course.

---------- Post Merged at 10:47 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 10:44 AM ----------

oh, and there's no swim tests in the master diver course....

 

[OldNSalty]

I think you need to check yourself there Jill. You said "It's also mandatory for the leadership path because it's very heavy in academics." The MD course is not a requiremt for anything, the book is. This is according to the NAUI web-site. Now, they could have changed and not updated or you weren't clear on what you were saying, or your shop has made it a requirement but the web-site states something different.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I use the NAUI master diver text for my SEI master diver classes. And it's because IMO it is the best thing for that class and my students. It reminds me of gravers text. No useless marketing crap and silly con ed ads.

And while there is no swim test in ours either there are pretty extensive free dive requirements and snorkeling/free diving skill evaluations. Course we expect that scuba divers know how to swim anyway. Novel idea in some areas but we still believe that way.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rhwestfall]

some divers have no desire to go pro, but want to learn more diving this is the course for them.

.....but your liability goes up big time once you hold a professional level cert.

amen!

 

[Jill from Phoenix]

I use the NAUI master diver text for my SEI master diver classes. And it's because IMO it is the best thing for that class and my students. It reminds me of gravers text. No useless marketing crap and silly con ed ads.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Yes, I also loved Dennis Graver's YMCA text. Good stuff.

 

[sgl308]

It's worthless. It says you took a bunch of classes. The classes may be of value depending on the instructor, but a card saying you took a bunch of classes won't get you on a boat for a dive.

Actually it does. To get the Master Scuba Diver card, you have to be certified OW, AOW, Rescue, First Aid/CPR, and have 5 specialties (most of them diving specialties). The way you make it sound is I can't show my instructor card to a boat if they require divers to be AOW certified (take the Speigel Grove for example). Knowledgeable people would be able to realize what goes into these different certifications.

 

[Jill from Phoenix]

I think you need to check yourself there Jill. You said "It's also mandatory for the leadership path because it's very heavy in academics." The MD course is not a requiremt for anything, the book is. This is according to the NAUI web-site. Now, they could have changed and not updated or you weren't clear on what you were saying, or your shop has made it a requirement but the web-site states something different.

The preferred prerequisite for Assistant Instructor or Divemaster is NAUI Master Diver. If they're not, show experience and pass the test. The preferred prerequisite for Instructor is NAUI Assistant Instructor and NAUI Divemaster, if not then we check their knowledge and skill level and if it's all good it's all good, if not we remediate before we move on up. Crossovers have had the information, however, in my experience, because the information was shoved at them too fast, they had very little mastery especially if they don't teach anything other than basic open water because they never used it again and forgot -sometimes even basic things like what is a balanced regulator.

So, the website states the they have to pass the test, but it's more than just a score. It's a knowledge, skill, attitude combo. The chances of it all being there are slim, but not impossible. Greatest success with the least amount of stress for the candidate is going to be to take the course. If someone already knew the information (via self taught or another avenue, and could pass the test), had the skill level and experience of someone who had been through the course, and presented themselves as a future dive leader then I would take any qualified person into a leadership course.


....I just checked the website. They have the prereq right. http://www.naui.org/leadership_courses.aspx These are leadership prereq, but I also checked instructor prereq.

 

[616fun]

Actually it does. To get the Master Scuba Diver card, you have to be certified OW, AOW, Rescue, First Aid/CPR, and have 5 specialties (most of them diving specialties). The way you make it sound is I can't show my instructor card to a boat if they require divers to be AOW certified (take the Speigel Grove for example). Knowledgeable people would be able to realize what goes into these different certifications.

Actually I stand by my statement. It's worthless. The classes behind the MSD, providing the instructor is a good instructor and the student learns well from the instructor's style can be worthwhile. A card that says you took 8 classes isn't worst the PIC you paid for it.