Should I do a DM course or not?

[nscull]

Hi everyone,

I been thinking about doing the DM course for some time now. I've been reluctant though because my day-job and family obligations keep me busy and I'm really only able to devote 1 evening a week (about 3-4 hours) and 1 day on the weekend. I would really like to be able to do the course but I'm afraid that this isn't enough time to devote to it. What do you think? Is this enough time to make reasonable progress in the course (i.e., less than 6 months)? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[scubamarketing]

Less than 6 months may be the tricky part. You have book work, pool work and an internship to do for the course. It's kind of a checklist, so an instructor (at their discretion) could allow your schedule to work, but getting everything done in one night and one day a week might be pushing it for a quality course.

 

[merxlin]

Why do you want to do the course? If it is to become a better overall diver, there are better ways to do that than a DM course in my opinion. If you want to work with students, on a boat or at a resort, or move on to be an instructor, then it is an obvious necessity.

I have been fighting with a limited schedule to complete my DM course. I could never have done it in 6 months as my shop is not that busy with classes. We got the academics out of the way quickly, but since then I have not been able to do enough hands on classes to finish.

If you are working through a local shop, check with your instructor and see if your schedule would allow you to finish in that time frame. That is really the person with the most control over your completion time. It would also be a good time to make sure you understand the instructors expectations and training methods.

 

[ScubabunnyCR]

with only the 1 dive day a week and 1 evening a week, academics no problem if you are focused on your goal but dive experience, I would preferably want one of my students to have more hands on dive time. Class number and frequency will be the factor as well with your LDS, plus you want to get as much different class experience as possible e.g. Rescue, advanced, OW specs...As merxlin mentioned above, have a real good think about why you want to complete the course, if you are looking at going dive career then you will need to find more time which may be the tricky part for you. Have fun with your diving with whatever you decide.

 

[*dave*]

I'd have to agree that there are better ways to improve your diving.

If you're considering actually working, I'd recommend you take a serious look at your availability. I found the hours working a class are far greater than those spent preparing for the DCS/DM cert.

When I use an assistant in class, I usually call on those I haven't worked with before. If they aren't available, they usually go to the bottom of the list and aren't called again unless nobody else is available. That's just me, but having to work around an assistants schedule isn't part of the plan and availability is often key to being used as an assistant.

 

[String]

Why do you want to do the course?

Is the most important question to ask. DM isn't for everybody and there's a choice to be made here.

Do you want to teach people? If a yes then a DM course is probably for you.

If no and you want to improve your OWN dive skills, your own theory and your own diving then it isn't.

A DM course is geared almost entirely to preparing someone to look after other divers. Its got very little to do with their own diving or teaching new dive skills.

If you want to improve your own diving an entry level technical course from the usual agencies like TDI/IANTD/GUE-F and so on will do a far better job of doing that for you than a DM course will. All of these courses beast and polish basic skills to a far higher level, teach a lot of required theory and whatever your level on entering these courses it will be far higher on leaving.

If you do decide to do the DM route and have limited time then maybe wait until 2011 when the new DM course will have a lot of e-learning options to cover the theory side of things.

 

[TSandM]

You don't give us very much information about yourself, so please forgive me if this post is inappropriate.

Although I agree with the posters above who ask WHY you want to do the DM class, I'll add another thought: What do you have to BRING to a DM class? I know what the minimum requirements are for the class; I also know what kind of DM I see who gets the training with the minimum amount of dives and experience. Take a look at the 5thD-X YouTube videos. If that kind of control makes your jaw drop, are you ready to serve as a role model for students? Are you ready to handle significant issues in midwater for guests you are guiding?

I was going to do my DM class and then head for instructor, six months after I got certified. Then I got to dive with some folks who really knew what they were doing, and I put all those ambitions on the back burner and went and got some training to learn to dive well -- and got some experience to fill things out. I finally did do my DM this year, and I feel now as though I really bring something to the table for the students with whom I work.

 

[Crowley]

Agree with the sentiment that the DM class will not improve your diving per se. It will, however teach you to improve your skills in terms of the fact you have to be able to demonstrate 20 open water skills to a high standard. This will inevitably improve your dive skills, however there are less time consuming recreational courses which will give you a better basic background.

As has been mentioned earlier - the DM / DiveCon / whatever certification is designed to give experience, practical and theoretical knowledge to those that wish to work in the industry, however many people choose to do it to expand their capabilities underwater and their knowledge of dive theory. This can of course be learned independently and if you're not planning to work in the business then one or two nights per week plus the practical application experience is both possible and valuable.

In my opinion, there are very few courses that can teach you how to dive. Whether it be PADI open water or GUE fundamentals, just like any course, they provide the theory and knowledge and skills that might enhance your own abilities through the application of knowledge and skill development. What you do with that is up to you, but the only way to learn diving is to dive. The more you do it, the better you will be. Understanding what you are doing helps a great deal, of course, but practice practice practice is the key. No course will make you a better diver without the practical application of the knowledge provided.

If you want to do it - go for it.

C.

 

[TSandM]

Whether it be PADI open water or GUE fundamentals, just like any course, they provide the theory and knowledge and skills that might enhance your own abilities through the application of knowledge and skill development. What you do with that is up to you, but the only way to learn diving is to dive. The more you do it, the better you will be. Understanding what you are doing helps a great deal, of course, but practice practice practice is the key. No course will make you a better diver without the practical application of the knowledge provided.

Beautifully said.

And, at the risk of opening a hornet's nest, I do not think that learning to flood and clear your mask with exaggerated gestures while sitting on your haunches on the bottom of a pool improves your diving skills much at all.

 

[nscull]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to advise me. After considering your input, I think the best thing for me to do is speak with the instructor about my concerns regarding scheduling and time. If he thinks it's doable, I'll go for it. Thanks again.