Stick it out or settle for Rescue Diver?

[Tennessee Slim]

I need advice from the instructors and divemasters of the forum.

When I moved to Curacao last summer, I’d been sitting on the same OW cert since 1982 (actually, I’d been out of diving for quite a while following a financially disastrous divorce). I thought to take advantage of the locale so I already have added up to Rescue Diver w/EFR1 & 2.

A couple of weeks ago I walked out on my job and I only have to the end of April as a resident of the island. As long as I was adding merit badges, I thought I’d throw divemaster into the mix as well

My reasons for wanting to do DM were pretty flaky. In the years I’ve been diving, I’ve seen a lot of ‘certification creep’ and I doubt it ever will stop. I mean, what use is a ‘basic’ certification, except as a stepping stone? Now I see dive shops restricting certain dives to divers AOW and above, or base their dive experience requirement on the diver’s cert: OW +100 dives or AOW + 50, like that. So I thought the DM would keep me forever above that fray.

Plus, I’ve made fast friends at a few of the dive local shops and a couple have extended me the offer to come back sometime as a working divemaster. I have no interest (at present) in instructing but the DM does present the opportunity to have the occasional “working holiday.” And I can foresee possibly leading dives once I get back home.

I already have done three days of DM class, which is when my dilemma arose.
First, I don’t enjoy the taste of the PADI kool-aid.
Second, I hadn’t expected the course to be so centered on teaching.
2.B. I’m finding I have the most meager of talents for the demonstration skills.
And third, I’m not enjoying the class.

How ironic that a class where you’re taught to keep the training fun is so not fun. I was doing class every day (class all day, homework all evening), which was one point that made the training so not enjoyable. So after the third day of class, I begged off and told the instructor I needed to take a break because I was falling behind in packing and selling off household goods and other matters related to leaving the island.

I’ve told the instructor I’d like to resume class on Wednesday. The only thing is, I don’t. Want to resume, that is. Maybe this is an island full of quitters but I’ve found a couple of other Ex-Pats who undertook the DM class – and from the same instructor -- but bailed because they just weren’t enjoying it. And shouldn’t diving be fun?

So I’d like to hear what the Pros think. I’m down to a bit more than three weeks left on the island so finishing up the DM course would take a serious chunk of my remaining opportunity for fun diving. But I think it’s reasonable to presume that once I’ve left here, I’ll never again be motivated to try the DM course again.

Your thoughts? (…and flame away)

 

[fisherdvm]

If you are collecting merit badges, then finish it. But if you want skills, perhaps look at the Naui master diver class, which is not a "pro" course, so you don't have to do the demonstration and teaching stuff. I don't think any one here would flame you. But if you don't enjoy being in the pool teaching, then perhaps doing "badge" granting specialties like navigation, recovery, drysuit, etc.... and you might get more hands on learning.

Maybe you actually have a good DM course, where they actually are making you do alot of teaching. To me, that sounds like a good program. I might even consider it a notch above the rest. I just simply did my demonstration skills to the instructor, and not to the students. I actually chose a DM course without any formal classroom work, as I don't like to sit in classes.

Sorry to hear about your divorce, it can take a toll on anyone. Mentally, and financially. With all the experience that you have gotten, you might not get too much teaching from any courses - in my opinion. With over 500 dives, you probably can be a great teacher or DM.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I too did not enjoy the padi kool aid but turned pro with another agency.

Think of DM as a stepping stone. I'd finish the class, get your cert and see what happens next. Demonstration of skills is an over exaggeration of skills and most of us get away from that once we're teaching. When I first turned pro I found my students mimicking my over exaggeration and that's not what I wanted so I simply did a thorough explanation of the skill and then did a mask clear or whatever exactly the way I wanted them to do it. That works very well.

There are certain perks with turning pro and you've mentioned some. I suggest going for it.

 

[Tennessee Slim]

The ‘collecting merit badges’ remark was a bit of tongue in cheek. If that were my motivation, it probably wouldn’t have been a quarter of a century since my last badge.

I appreciate the even-handed opinions. Since this is admittedly pretty whiney, I’d expected more hostile responses.

I don’t fault the instructor, BTW. I think he’s doing a very competent, very by-the-book job. I picked him specifically because he has a reputation for being fair but tough. If I stick it out and make DM, I think I would be justifiably proud of the accomplishment.

But I’m still waffling.

 

[fisherdvm]

Good luck, Slim. Perhaps once you start the pool sessions, you would enjoy it more. I envy where you are, enjoy the weather, the sea, and the beaches. I wonder if you are waffling because of the bookwork. It is a pain in the butt, isn't it? You really have to read the last 4 chapters of the encyclopedia well, learn the wheel INSIDE OUT, and memorize all the conversion units. But if you go the Naui master diver way, it is still lots of book work, and lots of memorization.

 

[pir8]

If you don't enjoy it don't do it, but I would recomend giving it another chance. The classroom is a necessary evil that must be done to get through. DM is supposed to prepare you for Instructor enough so that when /if you do that all you are supposed to need in the IDC is how to teach.

 

[Joe-Diver]

Divemaster is not easy, nor should it be.

Divemaster is a change in paradigm. Before it was all about you and the quality of your dives. Now, as a pro, it is all about your divers and the quality of their dives. You are to provide that.

Sounds like you are not ready, or just do not want to do this. Fine, it's not for everyone. Don't force yourself to be miserable. Just drop it, take care of your personal life business, get off the island, and consider it again when you're ready and where you land next.

Now you know what you're getting in to.

 

[300bar]

I don't recollect my DM classes NOT to be fun.Whitch I did btw on Curacao in 1993.
Maybe it's just the instructor.

 

[Tennessee Slim]

We’ve been doing pool sessions intermittently since day one. The demo stuff is one of the things I’m finding stressful. I have little talent for it and I find my lack of progress frustrating.

I figure it’s like dancing. Show some people a step one time and they know the dance. Some people just can’t dance. And my instructor does very elegant demos. Doing class every day compounded the problem because, after all the reading and answering the knowledge reviews, I had no time at night to practice the demonstrations. If I resume, it’ll be just every other day, which should help some on that account.

The bookwork is time-consuming but not much worry. I still have a pretty good short-term memory, remnants of my days of cramming for college exams.

...Now you know what you're getting in to.

Yeah, regardless, I'll definitely file this one under the heading of cudda shudda wudda.

 

[TSandM]

It seems to me that, if you don't have ambitions to do the things that a DM cert will allow you to do, it's silly to beat your head against a class that isn't fun.

My husband has done his DM class over more than a year (lots of scheduling issues with the instructor) and from less than halfway through, has wondered exactly WHY he was doing it. But he DOES like to work with students, and he wasn't in a pressure cooker, and he didn't have all the fun diving of Curacao out his front door and about to disappear.

I think you've answered your question.