poll: DM everywhere?

[Thalassamania]

I like my BC
And I'm not really in a position to get a new one anytime soon anyway. But even if I were, the rental ones I used before I got my own, which didn't have integrated weights, were always too big, and the one I ended up with was the only one I could find that was small enough (and even so it takes some effort to adjust it small enough, which is as small as it will go, when I don't have a drysuit under it), so finding a different one might be easier said than done. Although I suppose it would probably be easier if I only needed it to fit over a drysuit. But in my BC's defense, the only reason I can't fit enough weight in it is that the smallest sizes have fewer weight pockets -- if I could wear one two sizes bigger I could fit more weight than I've ever needed...

... and if my Grandmother had two wheels she'd be a bicycle.

 

[DevonDiver]

Edit: DevonDiver, I am not assuming that you don't know how to deal with a free-flow. This is general FYI information for newer divers.

Sure To be honest, at the time that incident happened to me I didn't have much experience - only 80 dives and AOW qualification. I just did what I had been taught on my OW course, but it didn't work very well under those circumstances (sub-zero temperatures).

 

[orm]

We're all trained in one environment (usually). We are not trained to dive in other different environments. I couldn't go dive in an arctic lake without taking on local knowledge orientation and associated training if needed.

So as a diver, any diver that's trained in one environment doesn't automatically enable them to dive everywhere.

But a DM, should a DM work in environments not similar to where they've been trained? Well no, because of the point above.

Wether it's a DM, Instructor, Staff Instructor, Course Director, Cave Instructor, tec Deep instructor, Rebreather instructor... and on and on. The same applies right down the train to the most basic diving cert.


But there's a lot more to a DM than just knowing and dealing with local diving conditions.
I've said Yes because I'm isolating the point that all divers need to acquire the relevant skills to dive in their environment, but you have specifically singled out a DM, so I'm throwing my hat in the yes ring because having gained the local skills required to do the job, there's no reason why they can't work anywhere they want.

In fact the DM is trained to recognise the knowledge and training they will need to acquire the skill sets to accomplish the job. Usually

 

[Crush]

Thanks for all the responses!

As I mentioned early on, this poll and thread were initiated because I found it confusing that new divers were choosing to go to beautiful, warm destinations to complete intensive DM training courses only to (in many cases) return to cold, murky water. My tacit assumption was that if they did not want to take DM training locally and gradually, they were at risk of assuming that they were qualified to DM anywhere just because they had a DM card. Can a DM, trained in warm water, learn to DM in cold water? I sure hope so. Will a zero-to-hero warm-water trained DM want to put in the necessary time to master his/her skills in a different environment before taking on paying clients? I personally do not think so.

 

[orm]

Thanks for all the responses!

My tacit assumption was that if they did not want to take DM training locally and gradually, they were at risk of assuming that they were qualified to DM anywhere just because they had a DM card.

Will a zero-to-hero warm-water trained DM want to put in the necessary time to master his/her skills in a different environment before taking on paying clients? I personally do not think so.

Pretty bold statements there.

Tell us why you think that Divemasters won't find time to master their skills to their new environment?

 

[Crush]

Pretty bold statements there.

Tell us why you think that Divemasters won't find time to master their skills to their new environment?

They were not statements - statements are assertions or declarations as fact, which is not the case in the text you quoted. Rather, they were my opinions, i.e., what I think about a person(s) or matter(s). Now, I could defend my opinion, but such a defence would be subjective and easy to attack by anyone whose opinion conflicts with my opinion.

Do your opinions differ from mine? If so, why?

 

[marinediva]

As I mentioned early on, this poll and thread were initiated because I found it confusing that new divers were choosing to go to beautiful, warm destinations to complete intensive DM training courses only to (in many cases) return to cold, murky water. My tacit assumption was that if they did not want to take DM training locally and gradually, they were at risk of assuming that they were qualified to DM anywhere just because they had a DM card. Can a DM, trained in warm water, learn to DM in cold water? I sure hope so. Will a zero-to-hero warm-water trained DM want to put in the necessary time to master his/her skills in a different environment before taking on paying clients? I personally do not think so.

Hi,
I moved to Sth coast of NSW just to cold water dive.
I felt after reading so much about the differences it was time to try it myself.
So I moved, and plan to be here for at least six more months to a year.
Threw in some study as well. Prior to diving here I had never been in water less than 24/22 degC.

It is not easy to dive in colder waters, lots of things are different.
In saying that, a good DM, should/would not take to long to get the hang of it.
Alternatively I feel it is very arrogant of others to suggest tropical waters are easy.
Let me take to on some dive spots in PNG and Nth Qld that are not easy at all.
They are very different from typical tropical dive, and one should have their wits about them.

Like anything really, there are very few jobs that you just walk into and not get some kind of induction. I do feel it is important that DM's have the ability to dive in a local area.

Also like most things some people take forever to adjust to new conditions and some people are very capable after just a few dives. I did struggle on my first couple of dives a lot. Mainly due to not wearing a hood, the extra weight, and a thicker wetsuit.
Tell you the truth I felt like Michelin Man in all the extra gear.
Absolutely hate the hood.
But I am now very use to it, and actually wonder what I am going to do without one in summer.

 

[DevonDiver]

Tell us why you think that Divemasters won't find time to master their skills to their new environment?

Most of the DMs that I saw training in Thailand only do so because they are on gap-year etc. Only a very small proportion of 'zero-to-hero' DMs progressed on to Instructor level. Of those, only a tiny minority are full-time dive instructors after a couple of years.

Certainly, very few of the DMs or Instructors I know in Asia even express a desire to dive in temperate waters, let alone work there.

 

[orm]

Most of the DMs that I saw training in Thailand only do so because they are on gap-year etc. Only a very small proportion of 'zero-to-hero' DMs progressed on to Instructor level. Of those, only a tiny minority are full-time dive instructors after a couple of years.

Certainly, very few of the DMs or Instructors I know in Asia even express a desire to dive in temperate waters, let alone work there.

True, there's an incredible amount of people going through their Divemaster globally. Some only want to do it there just to stay and work for a bit of money and don't intend on working anywhere else.

Thailand's a great place to do it because it's cheap to live, the lifestyle is great and the diving's pretty good.

But just because they did a 'zero to hero' course doesn't mean they're any less of a Divemaster or they can't work anywhere else. A good DM is a good DM, it doesn't really matter where they were trained.

Plus, more over DMs are being squeezed out as the amount of OWSIs roaming the planet has increased massively, it's incredibly difficult to get DM work now, unless you're super experienced and speak four languages.

 

[xjeslesx]

It all comes down to comfort.
Do I feel comfortable in 34F water and 2' of viz, yes.
Do I feel comfortable inside a cave, no.
People should only dm in conditions they are comfortable with, and that decision is up to each individual dm.