NEW DIVERS ONLY! (< 50 dives) - What do you expect from a DiveMaster?

[ocbeachbum]

DM should show me cool stuff. - Absolutely. If I haven't been on the site before, I want to know where the best stuff is.

DM should watch my air pressure. - Perhaps in a roundabout, "We've been out here an hour and I'm at 1,000 psi" kind of way, but I'm responsible for getting back to the boat with enough air for a safety stop, etc.

DM should watch my depth. - No.

DM should help keep me safe. - Yes. DMs have the unique problem of having to keep an eye on new divers while keeping more experienced folks who want a tour entertained. I as a newbie want an extra pair of eyes and air source nearby in addition to those of my buddy. I know enough to get myself out of minor problems, but if things go really pear shaped, the DM should be there, regardless of my buddy's experience level.

DM should give a dive briefing. - 100% of the time. DM should follow the plan laid out in the briefing. 100% of the time.

DM should help me setup my equipment.- No, I have to be responsible for my gear and since I'm still experimenting, neither they nor I know how I want it configured for a particular dive anyway.

DM should stay on the boat. - As long as s/he's not surprised when I laugh as the tip jar is passed around.

 

[Jumpinjim]

Based on my very limited experience, there are a lot of similarities between scuba and skydiving. After a student graduates off of student status, they can jump alone if they wish. Or up to a certain point, with another person or small groups. After the student qualifies for their license, then there are a lot more they can do. (25 jumps with a lot of criteria) However, any decent drop zone will not allow recently graduated students to do stupid stuff. They will help guide the graduate to the proper learning curve. This is not only for liability, as this is always signed away in a waiver. It is to keep the graduate coming back. If the graduate enjoys the jumps, they will come back for more. And although they may not always go to the same drop zone, the sport will not survive without the graduates and up jumpers. No sport can survive with people who do one jump. The same is true of scuba. The sport cannot survive with people who make their OW and then never return to dive again. Or worse yet, dive again, get a bad DM and figure scuba is just not for them. So if at the end of the day, the diver doesn't feel they had a safe, fun dive that was memorable in a good way, or don't feel that there was value for their dollar, the whole industry suffers.
In both sports the safety of the dive is up to the diver. However, the knowledge of conditions, specifics of the dive and dive flow is the DM. I would never dream of jumping out of an airplane without knowing the dive flow, landing pattern and local airport rules, nor would I dream of scuba diving in an area that I never had been in without knowing the intricacies of the area, sights to see, dive flow and boat rules.

 

[divemedic1316]

I know divers with 1000 dives that are no better than a divemster with 60 dives. It is training and experience not just one but both. Check out the professional DM program at International Fire Rescue Academy - Home A DM needs EMS Training, Dive theory, a full understainding of gas laws inlcuding Nitrox. Most DM dont get this and if you have an emergency in a remote location this will become and issue.

 

[CNicoll]

I just picked up diving again 15 months ago after a 30 year hiatus, so I consider myself new as its amazing what is 'new' from way back then. All of my old gear qualifies as antique!

We just got back from diving in the Dominican Republic with my 14 year old son (28 dives) and my 11 year old son (4 dives, OW in the DR). We had 2 very different style DM's. The 11 year old had a great DM/instructor to do the required skills, but then he was also a tour guide showing off the treats of the reefs. My older son and I went on these dives as well. After asking us what we expected or wanted from the dive, his briefings covered where the boat would be, how to enter and exit the water, the area we would be diving and what we might see and he reviewed hand signals again (we went through all of this on land first). UW he was not just pointing things out, but teaching us what to look for and how to be patient and enjoy the reef as it is. He oversaw our collective equipment setup, focusing on the 11 year old but also making sure my older son and I (both ADV OW) had our gear together and he knew where the octo's were. These were GREAT dives.

The second DM my older son and I dove with was on a simple 7m/20' reef dive with 50'+ vis. Very succinct briefing regarding the local conditions (but he failed to mention that the boat would be leaving and coming back later) and the guy kept us (and a father/son resort diver combination) on a TIGHT leash for the entire dive. Basically it was a speed tour of the reef, chasing fish away and just blowing through air. If we got more than 10-15 feet away from him he hit his u/w bell to call us back in. Hard to take pictures that way. It was a 'dive' in warm water on a reef and we saw some fish, but not the best.

 

[MEDICJOJO]

DM should show me cool stuff....... I hope so they know the area dived and whats their.

DM should watch my air pressure .....I don't want the DM comming up to me every 5min and physically looking at my gagues but a hand signal everynow and then is GREAT I keep a close eye on it myself but the DM knowing I'm new and giving me a hand signal every now and then shows me he has my safty in mind and that puts me more at ease. Even though it is my responsibility.

DM should watch my depth.....I think that should be covered before stepping off the boat, and me being new to diving I'm staying close to the DM

DM should help keep me safe........"YES" I want my DM on my dive to know the area I'm diving and any hazards it may have along with being my silent dive buddy (watching from afar)

DM should not exceed my training.....I would not do that any ways and would let the DM know that.

DM should give a dive briefing.......Yes I want to know the plan for the dive. Safty stops meeting points and any emergency details if needed.

DM should help me setup my equipment.......No its my responsibility to do it my self but a quick look after my buddy check would be nice.

DM should stay on the boat.......No or I'm not diving.

I know some of my answers may seem igornant to some, but my wife and I are new to diving and I want a DM with us for that extra knowlage and training he/she has. when we go on vacations we check out the dive shop and see whos the DM and try and meet them, and let them know our level of experiance and concerns before ever paying for our dive. And ask other people around who have dived where we would like to questions about the DM how was he/she Safty is our highest priority. and till were more experianced and can depend more on ourselfs I want a DM that goes the extra mile.

 

[rjrand]

DM should show me cool stuff (Yes) - If I&#8217;ve never been there before I want the DM to tell me what&#8217;s good to see.

DM should watch my air pressure (No) - This is my responsibility but if diving with a group I expect him to tell us what is the initial pressure to warn him of low air (1000psi).

DM should watch my depth (No) - This should be covered in the brief and if I&#8217;m not happy I should let him know then.

DM should help keep me safe (Yes) &#8211; The DM should warn us of any hazards and keep an eye on the group and especially the inexperienced divers.

DM should not exceed my training (Yes) &#8211; I will not go beyond my own limits.

DM should give a dive briefing (Yes) &#8211; Should cover all the good points and bad points of the dive and he should ask if everyone is comfortable with the plan.

DM should help me setup my equipment (No) - My responsibility to do it myself and then do a buddy check.

DM should stay on the boat (No) &#8211; Should be in the water with us.

I just came back from my 1st dives after OW. We had 2 different shops for our dives and the 1st ones were a bunch of cowboys that I will never dive with again. After signaling I was running out of air the DM took me to the surface and left me about 400 yards from the boat. He then returned to the group and I had to surface swim on my own. The 2nd DM in the water had managed to get lost during this time. As I approached the boat I tried to get our rescue divers attention but he was napping with the music turned up. There was no real brief and they didn&#8217;t even check the levels of the people.

2nd crew were totally professional, checked everyone&#8217;s levels, full dive brief, air checks, etc. They even took us on a harder dive than the 1st company but because of their professionalism both my wife and I were more than comfortable with them.

 

[BeenThereDoveThat]

What do I expect from a DM?

How cute is he?

 

[bjexpat]

I think the number of dives and interval between them changes ones expectations of a DM. For example, I had only 4 dives from my OWD cert last year before my trip to Koh Tao last week. I did a refresher with the DM and discovered that I had definitely forgotten a couple details of equipment setup and underwater skills. But after 7 dives this week, and confidence with my equipment setup and I really only want the DM to show me cool stuff and keep me safe.

I doubt there's any particular general guidelines for a DM other than communicate and be receptive to the needs and concerns of the divers prior to departing.

 

[bheide]

Safety first! A DM must keep you safe. As new divers a DM must also continue you education in all aspects of diving(dive briefing etc.), from there cool stuff and fun will follow. A DM who is experienced in the dive sites is also important.