Dive Master responsibilities

[firstdive2005]

Yeah, but in Canada it's expected to tip someone who pours you a beer.....! I still struggle with that when visiting the in-laws!

Here, the guys get paid a reasonable wage (DMs and bar staff); so tipping is definitely related to exceptional service only... unlike other parts of the world where tips are pretty much the only income some workers get.

I dig your dilemma. Everytime I go somewhere the new rules of the country I'm in are fun to learn, some of the rules cost money. Pretty much means rob Peter to pay Paul. It sort of evens out I think when it comes to a tipping country. At first it appears cheaper, then o ya they tip here.
Good on ya for tipping when you are here!

 

[SelkieDVM]

In North Carolina the DMs additionally tie in to the wreck, set up the boat lines, and often run a wreck line. They've saved dives for me when I've had equipment issues and pointed out prime fossil hunting spots. And not all the responsibility for safety is always the diver's:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/nc-wreck-divers/238052-aquatic-safaris-i-takes-water.html

Considering most of them get paid only tips here, I think they're deserving.

 

[AndyNZ]

Good on ya for tipping when you are here!

You can always tell when I do..... the moths coming out of the wallet are a dead giveaway!


For the record, when tips are the only form of income I am all in. But someone gets paid a decent wage plus perks of being in a job, a tip shouldn't be expected. It's just different cultures.

 

[SailNaked]

The DMs I have been with are great at showing off the things I might have missed, They are usually funny, and tell stories about the dive site. but if I can not swim to someone out of breath then they are not part of my safety plan. I'll assume they are trained to deliver O2 to me if I am ever laying on the deck, and the Captain will call the coast guard and turn the boat into the wind when they come.

A DM may have "boat gear" or assist in a repair but I am responsible for my gear. I sometime ask a DM "what was that" but now that I have purchased books and study them often, not so much.
I tip DMs because they usually get no other pay other than the thanks I also give them. In Bonaire the DM/Instructors also drive the boats but I have only seen that there.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Except for a very few low paid friends/relatives of the owners, DM's don't have anything to do with boat trips in Hawaii.

Sailor you have brought up a great question. Sorry the know it all would not respond a little better for you.

Well I had to re-read the thread to make sure, but even though I'm all warm and fuzzy now with the NIA endorsement, I think you would find that most of my posts include a caveat like the one in this thread; in Hawaii. So what I was telling the OP is how it works in Hawaii.

Other than a very few friends/family of charter operators who actually get to work on boats here, 99% of the boat crew in Hawaii are Instructors. Most of the Captains are really Captain/Instructors and nearly all the other crew members are Instructor/Guides.

In Hawaii, DM is an unemployable certification level. Except for the less than 1% mentioned in my first sentence, the only working DM's you will see on dives in Hawaii are DM's working on their Instructor cert. And they are the ones paying for that "privilege."

Since the OP is from Michigan and very early in his diving "career" I gave a little Hawaii intel as food for thought. Thought perhaps he might even be looking to become a DM. Considering how he closed his OP, I thought a little more sarcasm was not too inappropriate.

Sorry if this seems sarcastic but this is how I have read it.

 

[Web Monkey]

Please note: I am not started my classes yet, but will soon.

After reading many of the post on this board, it appears that a Dive Master responsibility on a dive trip consist of the following jobs to do:
1. Get the boat to the dive site
2. Get the boat back to base
3. Count that he has the same number of diver/bodies that began the trip
4. Collect the tips

All other responsibilities for safety, comfort and comradery is the responsibility of the diver.

Sorry if this seems sarcastic but this is how I have read it.

Actually, the Captain does #1 and #2, and is responsible for #3, although that's delegated sometimes.

In any case, regardless of the DM's actual or perceived responsibilities, everybody needs to realize that any particular DM on any particular day might be Superman or the guy that couldn't get a restaurant job washing dishes because he was too much of a screw-up. And he might not actually have any sort of professional certification.

Everybody needs to be able to safely plan and execute their own dive, with a buddy and return to the exit point, without a DM.

Terry

 

[rstofer]

What do you expect a DM to do?

I would expect something of a dive briefing and, in some locations, a dive guide but it depends on the area. I have had it both ways. I think on vacation dives, I prefer the guide simply because I have limited time to discover things. For routine dives in areas where I have been before, I prefer the briefing or, pehaps, nothing at all.

I have been dressing myself for 60 years, I don't need, or want, help. In particular, I don't want them to touch my valve! Now, if they want to help haul my gear out of the water, I'll be grateful (financially).

I am responsible for my own equipment and I am responsible for the safety of my dive. I don't expect a DM to hold me by the hand.

Richard

 

[SailorC27]

What do you expect a DM to do?

I would expect something of a dive briefing and, in some locations, a dive guide but it depends on the area. I have had it both ways. I think on vacation dives, I prefer the guide simply because I have limited time to discover things. For routine dives in areas where I have been before, I prefer the briefing or, pehaps, nothing at all.

I have been dressing myself for 60 years, I don't need, or want, help. In particular, I don't want them to touch my valve! Now, if they want to help haul my gear out of the water, I'll be grateful (financially).

I am responsible for my own equipment and I am responsible for the safety of my dive. I don't expect a DM to hold me by the hand.

Richard

I have read several of the posts that seem to rely on the DM as there backup for there poor planning or being a sheep and getting lead into a situation they are not qualified. My sarcasm was not meant as a slight toward Captain and staff but rather a reminder to myself, and perhabs to other new divers that we are responsible for ourselves.

BTW, what is the customary tipping? It came up on several of the post above.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/308919-tipping-protocol.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/texas-swamp-divers/304699-question-about-tipping-scuba-trips.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cruises-liveaboards-charter-boats/293381-tips-tips.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/293497-divemaster-tipping.html

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

I am currently training to be a DM. I have found that there are many responsibilities that I am now taking on. It varies if I am working with students or working with certified divers. With students, I am there to keep my eyes and ears posted on everything they may be doing from the time they come to the dive site. I help with gear, put together weightbelts, double check everything, and make sure during the dive, that the instructor and I are very honed in on what is going on with each student. With charters, I am responsible that all tanks are on, filled, and secured. I help get diver gear on board and secured. I am responsible that all my medical/firstaid equipment and O2 are ready to go. All divers will be accounted for and I know before we head out, who are the newer divers and who are the more advanced. Once we leave shore, I am responsible for the dive briefing and giving all information about the site and how I want the dive to go. I also go over signals and situations that the divers may encounter in our waters. I also try to find out who has the worst sac rates so that if I am guiding, I know who will be needing to get to the anchor first. Depending on the site, I may have to set the anchor. I also set up strobes on the anchor line and depending on vis, may run a line to the wreck. (Offshore Georgia) I am responsible that all divers make it back on board safely. I must be sure that during the SI, all divers are hydrated and that they are feeling ok. If divers are seasick, I must do whatever I can to make them comfortable and to be sure that they hydrate well and look for symptoms of dehydration or DCI. I am responsible to render aid in any incident and to follow the guidelines that is within my training to help you. If in an emergency the Captain is incapacitated, I am able to drive the boat back to shore.

Behind the scenes, we do alot at the dock and the shop. We clean the boat after all the divers leave and lug all the rentals back to the shop and refill tanks. We clean all the gear and repair what needs fixed. We spend alot of time at the shop working with students and the instructors.

Now, I do not get paid to do this. I do not have to pay for my offshore trip or if we are doing checkouts out of town, my hotel is taken care of. Besides that I call it my labor of love. I love to dive and I want to make it the most enjoyable for both my students and my customers. It can be a thankless job sometimes, but that is why it's not for everyone. But for all those DM's who have made my dives awesome, I couldn't be more gratefull for their hard work. They have been the ones to inspire me to become a DM and hopefully achieve their skill levels and abilities.

Carolyn:shark2: