Divemaster course

[limbo]

Hi Andy,

Spot on!

 

[Bob Murphy]

DevonDiver has hit the nail on the head!!!
Do your DM where you find the team of instructors to be pros.
As for Koh Tao being a "party island", I have been here for 7 years and never been to a party.
That is like saying that, because there are pubs in London, drink driving is encouraged. Ridiculous.
The last 10 people that I certified were all over 40 years of age and were sober, amazing!

 

[stiggy]

Where ever you do your pro level training .....

spend some time at the facilty first and get a feel for whats happening.
Ask to see the schedule for training.
Get on the boat check Oxygen etc.
Talk to those that are part way through the course or have finished there.

Take your time deciding.

As for those that state Thailand pros are poorly trained !
Id question there business ethics and reasons for stating so.

Id recommend some of the posters on here to conduct your training.

 

[Bubble Junky]

I'm currently teaching in Thailand and I run the same course as I taught in the UK. Agency standards remain constant regardless of location, so an entry-level course -taught by a competent instructor who follows standards- would be the same in Thailand and Australia and Norway and Argentina etc etc etc..

Unles 'local laws' dictate otherwise......

Silly finger pointing and the 'blame game' by instructors only serves to illustrate that these two critical instructional skills are not fully developed by those concerned.

I've seen dive centres pressure instructors into certyfiying divers who cannot swim (on a large scale), the instructors being under threat of losing their sponsorship/visa. Yes the course standards are the same as in other countries, but the way dive centres operate is not always so uniform.

 

[DevonDiver]

I've seen dive centres pressure instructors into certyfiying divers who cannot swim (on a large scale), the instructors being under threat of losing their sponsorship/visa. Yes the course standards are the same as in other countries, but the way dive centres operate is not always so uniform.

True, this can happen....but that is why I stated "competent" instructors. In my mind, being a good instructor involves having the moral courage to stick to your guns about issues you believe to be right and wrong. The decision to deviate from standards can't be any more black and white. Personally, my standing and reputation as a professional scuba instructor is far more valuable to me than any employment with a dive operation that wanted to pressure me into taking risks or breaking standards. Of course, my decision to take up employment with any particular dive centre would also involve serious consideration of the ethics and approach of the management at that centre....if in doubt, steer clear.

After two years teaching divers, in 5 different dive centres, on Koh Tao, I can honestly say that I've never had anything but complete support from my managers for the maintenance of agency standards, safety procedures and the conduct of high quality scuba courses.

 

[AsiaTechDiver]

True, this can happen....but that is why I stated "competent" instructors. In my mind, being a good instructor involves having the moral courage to stick to your guns about issues you believe to be right and wrong. The decision to deviate from standards can't be any more black and white. Personally, my standing and reputation as a professional scuba instructor is far more valuable to me than any employment with a dive operation that wanted to pressure me into taking risks or breaking standards. Of course, my decision to take up employment with any particular dive centre would also involve serious consideration of the ethics and approach of the management at that centre....if in doubt, steer clear.

After two years teaching divers, in 5 different dive centres, on Koh Tao, I can honestly say that I've never had anything but complete support from my managers for the maintenance of agency standards, safety procedures and the conduct of high quality scuba courses.

Andy, where did you go? You coming back soon?