NAUI DM/Assistant Instructor

[Age]

I received my materials today and was surprised to see that the DM requirements were for the most part the same as Assistant Instructor. Moreover, the materials seemed to cover both. Indeed DM seemed a little more challenging. I crossed over from PADI a year or so ago. Could anyone explain this to me?

 

[ClayJar]

Could anyone explain this to me?

Why certainly. :biggrin: In NAUI, the "professional" levels (ignoring the skin-diving-only stuff) are, basically (in my own words):

• Assistant Instructor: Certified to assist an active-status NAUI Instructor.
• Divemaster: Everything from Assistant Instructor, plus leading certified divers (i.e. trips, dives, and so on).
• Instructor: Everything from Divemaster, plus teaching and certifying new divers.
• Instructor Trainer: Everything from Instructor, plus helping with teaching new Instructors (but *not* signing off on them). [This status can only be awarded by NAUI.]
• Course Director: Everything from Instructor Trainer, plus being responsible for training new Instructors (including signing off on them). [This status can only be awarded by NAUI.]

So, each level takes the previous one and adds on something new, with Assistant Instructor being the "lowest" level. (This is in contrast to PADI, where the two roles are reversed and somewhat commingled.) If you're a NAUI DM, you have already surpassed AI and are fully certified to act as an AI.

At my LDS, we don't bother separating out Assistant Instructor as a separate course, choosing instead to simply add in the Divemaster content for our "entry-level professional" course. I don't know the manners of many NAUI shops first hand, but I would not be surprised if this is widespread (or even "normal").

(As for the materials, the NAUI Leadership and Instruction textbook and workbook cover everything from AI through DM and Instructor, with practical application being the primary differentiation. When going for DM, you're doing DM-ish and AI-ish things. When going for Instructor, you're basically just doing instructor-y things.)

 

[Age]

Why certainly. :biggrin: In NAUI, the "professional" levels (ignoring the skin-diving-only stuff) are, basically (in my own words):

• Assistant Instructor: Certified to assist an active-status NAUI Instructor.
• Divemaster: Everything from Assistant Instructor, plus leading certified divers (i.e. trips, dives, and so on).
• Instructor: Everything from Divemaster, plus teaching and certifying new divers.
• Instructor Trainer: Everything from Instructor, plus helping with teaching new Instructors (but *not* signing off on them). [This status can only be awarded by NAUI.]
• Course Director: Everything from Instructor Trainer, plus being responsible for training new Instructors (including signing off on them). [This status can only be awarded by NAUI.]

So, each level takes the previous one and adds on something new, with Assistant Instructor being the "lowest" level. (This is in contrast to PADI, where the two roles are reversed and somewhat commingled.) If you're a NAUI DM, you have already surpassed AI and are fully certified to act as an AI.

At my LDS, we don't bother separating out Assistant Instructor as a separate course, choosing instead to simply add in the Divemaster content for our "entry-level professional" course. I don't know the manners of many NAUI shops first hand, but I would not be surprised if this is widespread (or even "normal").

(As for the materials, the NAUI Leadership and Instruction textbook and workbook cover everything from AI through DM and Instructor, with practical application being the primary differentiation. When going for DM, you're doing DM-ish and AI-ish things. When going for Instructor, you're basically just doing instructor-y things.)

Well thanks for clearing that up for me; it is indeed the reverse of the PADI system and explains the high content of teaching theory and practice in the materials for DM. As I'm doing this DM course primarily to help my instructor out at our club, it's good to know what I'm being trained for.

 

[ClayJar]

Well thanks for clearing that up for me; it is indeed the reverse of the PADI system and explains the high content of teaching theory and practice in the materials for DM.

Hehe, I guess there's that motto again, "Dive Safety Through Education". :biggrin:

As I'm doing this DM course primarily to help my instructor out at our club, it's good to know what I'm being trained for.

Hmm... I can't help but wonder something. Is there somewhere in (or near?) Tokyo where someone could take an English-language Nitrox course? A friend of mine is over there teaching, but she's joining us in Bonaire in August. If I have to, I'll work out a quick Nitrox course on her vacation (between flying back to the States and flying out to Bonaire; I'm owed a few favors, hehe), but I figure I may as well at least ask about whether she might have it easier taking Nitrox before she comes.

Anyway, no big deal, but I saw Tokyo under your avatar, so why not ask, eh?

 

[Thalassamania]

I wrote that standard. It was clear to me that a DM has infinitely more independent responsibility and I was attempting to make it an independently employable professional position rather than the waypoint to becoming an instructor that it had been. This is a major difference.

 

[Age]

Hehe, I guess there's that motto again, "Dive Safety Through Education". :biggrin:Hmm... I can't help but wonder something. Is there somewhere in (or near?) Tokyo where someone could take an English-language Nitrox course? A friend of mine is over there teaching, but she's joining us in Bonaire in August. If I have to, I'll work out a quick Nitrox course on her vacation (between flying back to the States and flying out to Bonaire; I'm owed a few favors, hehe), but I figure I may as well at least ask about whether she might have it easier taking Nitrox before she comes.

Anyway, no big deal, but I saw Tokyo under your avatar, so why not ask, eh?

Sure ClayJar, I completed my NAUI Nitrox course (in English) with Discovery Divers Tokyo just last month (Welcome to Discovery Divers Tokyo) Jim Goddard is the instructor and he just loves scuba gasses. She couldn't have a better teacher.

 

[Age]

I wrote that standard. It was clear to me that a DM has infinitely more independent responsibility and I was attempting to make it an independently employable professional position rather than the waypoint to becoming an instructor that it had been. This is a major difference.

It's a pleasure to find the man behind the idea.
I have to say, for what it's worth, that the concept works for me and the objectives of our dive shop. I have no desire to be a full time working instructor, but I'll be happy helping new divers find their feet and having someone capable of independently organising and leading dives for our LDS means we can all dive more.
Of course, this is only day two of me being officially a NAUI DM candidate and the road ahead for the next few months looks challenging, but interesting.

 

[Thalassamania]

You are just the sort of person that that standard was changed for. While I wrote the standard, the revision involved trips to almost every NAUI Branch and input from literally hundreds of NAUI Instructors so while I take credit for the synthesis, I can not take credit for the raw ideas, that belongs to the membership.