So....what is a DM anyway?
- Thread starter Kim
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David K
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Kim:
Its a loft title used by certification agencies to extract $ out of their customers wallets.
OP
Thanks everyone for your answers, I think that Christi's answer was very good advice for what vacation divers should expect or not from their DM.
Personally I also tend to think that the job varies quite a bit according to where you are. I can imagine, for instance, that cold water drysuit diving calls for a slightly different approach to warm reefs and the more aquarium type dives.
I take my hat off to all DM's, because without them diving would be a much smaller scene, and probably a lot more dangerous. Imagine if every site you went to you were basically diving blind with no idea of the conditions or what was down there! It would be a very different story.
Personally I also tend to think that the job varies quite a bit according to where you are. I can imagine, for instance, that cold water drysuit diving calls for a slightly different approach to warm reefs and the more aquarium type dives.
I take my hat off to all DM's, because without them diving would be a much smaller scene, and probably a lot more dangerous. Imagine if every site you went to you were basically diving blind with no idea of the conditions or what was down there! It would be a very different story.
What is a DM? Well, could be a DM or instructor who acts as a guide.
Main thing? Loves diving, is willing to put up with an incredible amount of crap and abuse from people, loves diving, great people skills, loves diving, has the ability and knack to find the small stuff, loves diving, can keep track of people and ferret out skill levels in a short amount of time, loves diving, and most importantly can and will work for crap wages even with a smile on their face when putting up with abuse from people who think they know everything!!!!! :11:
(Did i mention i was a full time dive guide for 5 years...)
Main thing? Loves diving, is willing to put up with an incredible amount of crap and abuse from people, loves diving, great people skills, loves diving, has the ability and knack to find the small stuff, loves diving, can keep track of people and ferret out skill levels in a short amount of time, loves diving, and most importantly can and will work for crap wages even with a smile on their face when putting up with abuse from people who think they know everything!!!!! :11:
(Did i mention i was a full time dive guide for 5 years...)
Mike Veitch:
Well....obviously some people are socially challenged but on the whole I think that "crap and abuse" is really just the tension created when two parties have different expectations and don't express them.
Most people (in every kind of job) are really bad at managing expectations. I'm fortunate (or maybe unfortunate) enough to have a day job that involves a great need and many opportunities to manage expectations and all that practice helps a lot when DM-ing too.
Next time you're getting crap assume that the thing driving the other person's behaviour is an expectation and try to fish it out. It won't work for every situation but it works often and makes things feel less like crap and more like an attempt to communicate.....
R..
I am probably more proud to call myself a divemaster than an instructor or even course director. Divemaster is a tough job and most DM's out there deserve more credit, respect and pay than they get..
DM'$ = will Dive for More $ 
All kidding aside, what I've painfully realized through my DMC is that the DM is the guy/gal who lets you have fun, while often sacrificing his/her own, who will make sure you're comfortable on the boat, accounted for, and have a fresh tank for your second dive, who will help you on and off the boat, and who will, somewhow tell you what you can expect from the dive. What the DM won't do is sacrifice his/her safety for yours; your safety is your responsibility, and while the DM will usually monitor your dive (whether close or from a distance), he/she won't assist a diver in trouble if it means two victims instead of one. Perhaps that's my personal feeling!
All kidding aside, what I've painfully realized through my DMC is that the DM is the guy/gal who lets you have fun, while often sacrificing his/her own, who will make sure you're comfortable on the boat, accounted for, and have a fresh tank for your second dive, who will help you on and off the boat, and who will, somewhow tell you what you can expect from the dive. What the DM won't do is sacrifice his/her safety for yours; your safety is your responsibility, and while the DM will usually monitor your dive (whether close or from a distance), he/she won't assist a diver in trouble if it means two victims instead of one. Perhaps that's my personal feeling!
A good DM can be a real asset out there. Having someone knowledgeable of the area can make a big difference with your overall experience. I went to Bimini in December and had a fantastic time. I was amazed at her knowledge of the dive sites, the currents and her knack for finding diveable sites with good vis. Without her on the boat it would have been a gamble as to where the good dives were on any particular day. On the other hand, a bad DM can be a real thorn in your side.
My reply in a similar thread some time ago:
What I expect from a DM.... Well I expect them to help. In fact I introduce myself as a divehelper, not a divemaster. A good DM is a powerful knower of things that are about to go wrong, and speedy fixer of those things, or stopper of everything until they are fixed. A good DM is a noticer of things attached backwardly, or not at all, and a quiet and kind pointer-outer of such things. A good DM is a recognizer of someone who needs help but is afraid to ask, of someone who doesn't want to make the dive but is afraid of losing face, and of someone who shouldn't make the dive without the covert application of very close supervision. They are also recognizers of seasoned and salty divers that should not be bothered. They are wise in matters concerning the site and things to do and not to do and where one might find lobsters. They are loaners and fixers of equipment, and figurer outers of how to still dive even though something happened to something. They are sensors of critical seasickness levels in a person and helpers to the side of the boat to such a person, and getters of water to rinse their mouth with, and switchers over of their gear so that they can get back in the water if they want to. They are camera caretakers, mask rinser outers, jellyfish sting medicine getters, and flag letter outers. They are quiet, non fish scaring swimmers, and group keeper togetherers. They are also really good on air, just in case. They are understanders of aquatic life and its behaviours, and can tell you interesting things about what you saw, after the dive, and will stop you from pestering things best left unpestered. They are knowers of folks that have too much weight on, and of those who have not enough, and are suppliers of extra weights to them during the dive, that they carry for such an occasion. They are patient and never yell. They are also very happy, because they have the coolest job in the world. They're also very grateful and glad that you chose their boat because its you that have provided them with that job.
What I expect from a DM.... Well I expect them to help. In fact I introduce myself as a divehelper, not a divemaster. A good DM is a powerful knower of things that are about to go wrong, and speedy fixer of those things, or stopper of everything until they are fixed. A good DM is a noticer of things attached backwardly, or not at all, and a quiet and kind pointer-outer of such things. A good DM is a recognizer of someone who needs help but is afraid to ask, of someone who doesn't want to make the dive but is afraid of losing face, and of someone who shouldn't make the dive without the covert application of very close supervision. They are also recognizers of seasoned and salty divers that should not be bothered. They are wise in matters concerning the site and things to do and not to do and where one might find lobsters. They are loaners and fixers of equipment, and figurer outers of how to still dive even though something happened to something. They are sensors of critical seasickness levels in a person and helpers to the side of the boat to such a person, and getters of water to rinse their mouth with, and switchers over of their gear so that they can get back in the water if they want to. They are camera caretakers, mask rinser outers, jellyfish sting medicine getters, and flag letter outers. They are quiet, non fish scaring swimmers, and group keeper togetherers. They are also really good on air, just in case. They are understanders of aquatic life and its behaviours, and can tell you interesting things about what you saw, after the dive, and will stop you from pestering things best left unpestered. They are knowers of folks that have too much weight on, and of those who have not enough, and are suppliers of extra weights to them during the dive, that they carry for such an occasion. They are patient and never yell. They are also very happy, because they have the coolest job in the world. They're also very grateful and glad that you chose their boat because its you that have provided them with that job.
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