I'm contemplating pursuing SDI Dive Master certification.
I am part of a non-profit group that conducts diving operations. Some for research. Some for fun, for members of the group. The group bylaws require that anyone leading a dive trip must be a DM or higher. My interest in being a DM is so that I can eventually organize and lead dive trips for the group. Initially, just fun, Recreational trips. I'm not interested in helping teach classes, becoming an instructor, or working at shop or for a dive charter operator.
I am specifically looking at SDI because, if I do it, the long term goal would be to get a TDI DM cert at the Trimix (or Adv Trimix) level and be able to lead dive trips at that level. The TDI requirements specifically say that a prereq is SDI DM and other agencies' DM cert is not accepted. A crossover from another agency's DM to SDI DM is required first.
From what I've seen and read, I have the impression that, in real life, there are two distinct approaches offered for obtaining a DM cert. Some shops/instructors expect/require anyone that is training with them to get a DM cert will do an internship. One tech instructor I talked to said that his DM candidates intern with him for around 6 months. I have the impression that many instructors who use this approach expect their DM candidates to be tank monkeys during that period. I.e. the DM candidates are treated as "the help" and expected to schlep tanks and do other grunt work. They are also expected to be available to assist their instructor with other (presumably, lower level) classes pretty much any time the instructor schedules a class.
The other approach seems to be that a person in training to be a DM is treated as a paying student/customer who is being taught a class. This approach is quite a bit shorter in terms of calendar time required to complete the DM certification.
Things that I wonder about are:
- Is it reasonable to want to go through DM training and expect to be treated as a paying customer, not the instructor's b!tch, even if the process is a longer "internship" kind of approach? I DO realize that part of the training involves working with OW divers and OW students (potentially) and those situations require a solid "do what the instructor tells me to do" attitude. But, that seems a bit different than "be at the shop at 7am and load all the tanks and gear for the class and meet me at the pool at 8. Then take all the tanks and gear back to the shop after class and rinse and stow everything."
- What happens when the DM cert is complete? Do I HAVE to become affiliated with a shop? If I don't affiliate with a shop, do I have to carry DM insurance? If so, how does that work without having a shop affiliation? If I'm not affiliated with a shop and not paying for insurance, what happens to my DM cert? Is it just listed in the SDI rolls as "Inactive" or something?
- If I want to be affiliated with a shop, but I don't have any desire to work for the shop in any capacity, what happens? Meaning, if I want to lead dives for my group, I have to be a DM. And, specifically, I have to be a DM that is affiliated with a shop. Presumably, that is for liability insurance reasons. How feasible is it to think I could be affiliated with a shop without doing any work for that shop? I just want to lead dive trips for my group. I don't want to lead trips for the shop or work as a DM helping to teach classes.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
I am part of a non-profit group that conducts diving operations. Some for research. Some for fun, for members of the group. The group bylaws require that anyone leading a dive trip must be a DM or higher. My interest in being a DM is so that I can eventually organize and lead dive trips for the group. Initially, just fun, Recreational trips. I'm not interested in helping teach classes, becoming an instructor, or working at shop or for a dive charter operator.
I am specifically looking at SDI because, if I do it, the long term goal would be to get a TDI DM cert at the Trimix (or Adv Trimix) level and be able to lead dive trips at that level. The TDI requirements specifically say that a prereq is SDI DM and other agencies' DM cert is not accepted. A crossover from another agency's DM to SDI DM is required first.
From what I've seen and read, I have the impression that, in real life, there are two distinct approaches offered for obtaining a DM cert. Some shops/instructors expect/require anyone that is training with them to get a DM cert will do an internship. One tech instructor I talked to said that his DM candidates intern with him for around 6 months. I have the impression that many instructors who use this approach expect their DM candidates to be tank monkeys during that period. I.e. the DM candidates are treated as "the help" and expected to schlep tanks and do other grunt work. They are also expected to be available to assist their instructor with other (presumably, lower level) classes pretty much any time the instructor schedules a class.
The other approach seems to be that a person in training to be a DM is treated as a paying student/customer who is being taught a class. This approach is quite a bit shorter in terms of calendar time required to complete the DM certification.
Things that I wonder about are:
- Is it reasonable to want to go through DM training and expect to be treated as a paying customer, not the instructor's b!tch, even if the process is a longer "internship" kind of approach? I DO realize that part of the training involves working with OW divers and OW students (potentially) and those situations require a solid "do what the instructor tells me to do" attitude. But, that seems a bit different than "be at the shop at 7am and load all the tanks and gear for the class and meet me at the pool at 8. Then take all the tanks and gear back to the shop after class and rinse and stow everything."
- What happens when the DM cert is complete? Do I HAVE to become affiliated with a shop? If I don't affiliate with a shop, do I have to carry DM insurance? If so, how does that work without having a shop affiliation? If I'm not affiliated with a shop and not paying for insurance, what happens to my DM cert? Is it just listed in the SDI rolls as "Inactive" or something?
- If I want to be affiliated with a shop, but I don't have any desire to work for the shop in any capacity, what happens? Meaning, if I want to lead dives for my group, I have to be a DM. And, specifically, I have to be a DM that is affiliated with a shop. Presumably, that is for liability insurance reasons. How feasible is it to think I could be affiliated with a shop without doing any work for that shop? I just want to lead dive trips for my group. I don't want to lead trips for the shop or work as a DM helping to teach classes.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
