How Do You Actually Get PADI Master Scuba Diver Cert?

[Tigerman]

Is there a reason a simple question about paperwork in a section where people ask questions to the agencies has to devolve into the typical argument whenever this topic is brought up? The question was answered. Go argue elsewhere. This is not a section for agency bashing.

Mine didnt, yet.. (post #41)

 

[TheScubaBOB]

Tigerman, I'll answer your questions:

The AOWD deep/wreck/navigation/whatever dives count on the total towards MSD, correct?

Actually, the AOW Dives can count as Dive #1 towards the Speciality. Also they are each a logged dive that counts towars to required 50 dives for PADI MSD. So they answer is Yes

If you have already logged 10 deep dives after AOW and decide to get the specialty will those count towards the specialty or do you have to do "new ones" for the specialty or will the theory suffice?

No. There are 4 Specificly Tasked Dives that are required for the Deep Diver Speciality and they must be done under the guidance of an instructor. Also, PADI requires you read the book and show your instructor signed, completed knowledge reviews which they will review with you.

The PADI Nitrox cert is considered a specialty, isnt it?

Yes it is.

I ask because I wonder if you have actually logged the required nr of dives for a specialty will it just be a few bucks and a knowledge review or something like that to actually get the cert?

I'm sure you can find and instructor/shop somewhere who would do that for you but why would you want to cheat yourself out of the educational experience?

If so I guess theres lots of people around that could just offload some money and paperwork and get a few more cards, maybe including the MSD card if theive already completed rescue/efr..

Like I said, if that's the route you want to take then I'm sure you can find someone to take your money.

Personally, I'm going for DM next year and eventually want to be a "Master Scuba Instructor". While I work towards this goal I don't see a downside to getting into the water with many instructors (I'm loyal to my shop and have most of their instructors on my C-Cards but am also trying other instructors) and some DMs also just to broaden my experience and learn different things from each of them.

 

[Tigerman]

Tigerman, I'll answer your questions:


Actually, the AOW Dives can count as Dive #1 towards the Speciality. Also they are each a logged dive that counts towars to required 50 dives for PADI MSD. So they answer is Yes

Thats what I thought

No. There are 4 Specificly Tasked Dives that are required for the Deep Diver Speciality and they must be done under the guidance of an instructor. Also, PADI requires you read the book and show your instructor signed, completed knowledge reviews which they will review with you.

Doing the knowledge review is part of said "paperwork".
Question is how much "learning" would there actually be for someone who do deep dives on a regular basis? For quite a few Id think thats minimal..

Yes it is.

I'm sure you can find and instructor/shop somewhere who would do that for you but why would you want to cheat yourself out of the educational experience?

Or to turn it around, why would you pay for an instructor to take you diving in an enviroment you dive routinely and is very familiar with and some divers even know better than the instructor?

Like I said, if that's the route you want to take then I'm sure you can find someone to take your money.

Personally, I'm going for DM next year and eventually want to be a "Master Scuba Instructor". While I work towards this goal I don't see a downside to getting into the water with many instructors (I'm loyal to my shop and have most of their instructors on my C-Cards but am also trying other instructors) and some DMs also just to broaden my experience and learn different things from each of them.

I find much great input from diving with a variety of people, however I often learn as much from diving with less experience people as I do from instructors. Not because the instructors is bad, but because their less likely to make mistakes I can learn from. Of course I can (and have) make mistakes to learn from myself but Im not gonna do them on purpose either..

 

[elan]

Or to turn it around, why would you pay for an instructor to take you diving in an enviroment you dive routinely and is very familiar with and some divers even know better than the instructor?

Tigerman I think this is the case where you have to select the instructor properly. I have mentioned it here already few times that despite of me having been at the depth required to be counted for deep spec I have found my deep spec dives very rewarding. My instructor pushed me further and has increased my task loading and we were doing full mask removal and out of air drill at 95' in the current. This is something I would not do myself at my level of experience but under control of the instructor I happened to do it and it gave me more practice and confidence. On the other hand my buddy's instructor just took him to 70' and that was his deep dive (part of AOW).

 

[Tigerman]

Mask removals and ooa drills in 95' and current isnt what everyone would call "challenging". To some a simple thing like clearing their mask could be challenging at 95' to others taking their mask off and replacing it would be something they already did many times..
I guess thats a good reason to do atleast one dive with an instructor to check their comforts, but that really dont give me the incentive of taking 3 more just because they have to be signed off by an instructor..

 

[TheScubaBOB]

Doing the knowledge review is part of said "paperwork".
Question is how much "learning" would there actually be for someone who do deep dives on a regular basis? For quite a few Id think thats minimal..

I understand what you're saying, the best answer I can give is "Just because you've dove to 100ft 10 or more times and come back each time that doesn't mean you can't learn something about it."

In Deep Diver it's mostly observing the effects of pressure and emphasising additional safety considerations such as redundant air (in dive #3 you need to do and extended safety stop, so would call it a deco stop, and use a seperate air source like pony bottle or buddy's octo for part of it).

Now Wreck Diver does cover techniques for mapping & navigating wrecks as well as tying-off lines & penetrations.

Or to turn it around, why would you pay for an instructor to take you diving in an enviroment you dive routinely and is very familiar with and some divers even know better than the instructor?

I find much great input from diving with a variety of people, however I often learn as much from diving with less experience people as I do from instructors. Not because the instructors is bad, but because their less likely to make mistakes I can learn from. Of course I can (and have) make mistakes to learn from myself but Im not gonna do them on purpose either..

Nothing wrong with that, I have many dives with buddies of the same or less experience, they are some fun dives.

I am now a bit nervous about diving with someone having less than 20 dives as I've had a couple of very bad experiences there but I think I just need to get better at judging potential buddies.

My daughter just logged dives #9 & 10 (her first without an instructor) with me yesterday. Aside from the kick square in the mask when we turned the second dive she is a decent newbie buddy.

 

[elan]

Mask removals and ooa drills in 95' and current isnt what everyone would call "challenging". To some a simple thing like clearing their mask could be challenging at 95' to others taking their mask off and replacing it would be something they already did many times..
I guess thats a good reason to do atleast one dive with an instructor to check their comforts, but that really dont give me the incentive of taking 3 more just because they have to be signed off by an instructor..

Definitely for those who dive on Trimix routinely to 300' diving to 95 would be the same as for OW diving in the pool but this is why different levels exist. Here we are not talking about the case of commercial or technical divers taking PADI "deep diver" course are we ?

I do not see why those who overgrew that would care about taking PADI deep spec and why would they care about such a thing as PADI "master" scuba diver card for that matter.

 

[TheScubaBOB]

Tigerman I think this is the case where you have to select the instructor properly. I have mentioned it here already few times that despite of me having been at the depth required to be counted for deep spec I have found my deep spec dives very rewarding. My instructor pushed me further and has increased my task loading and we were doing full mask removal and out of air drill at 95' in the current. This is something I would not do myself at my level of experience but under control of the instructor I happened to do it and it gave me more practice and confidence. On the other hand my buddy's instructor just took him to 70' and that was his deep dive (part of AOW).

Yep, night & day between instructors. That's one of the reasons I'm trying to get some of my "Educational" dives with each of the instructors at my LDS and beyond.

I'm trying to find the right instructor to do my DMC with so the Specialty Certs are serving as an interview for that in addition to giving me more experience & confidence.

 

[Tigerman]

Im not talking about people who dive trimix, Im talking about rec divers who actually do a lot of diving in different conditions. 95' isnt really any different from 9,5' as far as skills goes. You lose a few options (and have less time and a chance to be narced) but the execution of the skills are exactly the same..

 

[jviehe]

Mine didnt, yet.. (post #41)

As you said, youre just trying to stir the pot. There are plenty of other threads for that. This section is for divers to learn about classes from the agencies or industry, not to argue the merits of said classes. To answer the factual questions, in order to get a speciality course completed you have to take part in a certain number of dives with instructor supervision, during which you demonstrate mastery of the speciality through studying, knowledge reviews, and/or in water skill mastery and experience.

Obvisously someone who was already an expert could simply fly through the course if they so choose. However, the point of the course is not to get you a card, but to learn.