Too easy to become a DM??

[Wreck/Tec]

MikeFarrara has a few good points. Personally I feel money is the driving factor. I'll say first that lumping all shops, and or agencys in this is unfair. There are some places that do a respectable job of training and subsequently issueing DM cards. By the same token there are individuals that are upwardly mobile and posess the right stuff to be appointed a DM. On the other hand, I have seen, on numerous occasions, people ascending to a DM stattus that are nothing short of an embarassment as teachers go, and potentially dangerous to the entry people, or customers they are entrusted to watch over. This has the makings of a liability disaster! Old timers will tell you diving is experienced based as a rule, and we all know there are exceptions to rules of course. However, and I mean no offence to any one please. 60 dives is hardly enough experience to capture the essence of the number of situations you may find yourself in to be teaching others. Thats not to say you need a billion dives to be qualified. You wouldn't want a doctor or lawyer with a years experience working on life threatening issues for you would you. My point is this, wether it's diving, driving, or sex, experience counts. ( that was kind of crude, wasn't it )

 

[Wreck/Tec]

I stopped short of going for a dive con position because I wasn't willing to give up weekends for classes. Do you feel you, as a Dive Master, have sacrificed your diving pleasure at the expense of teaching? This has nothing to do with the students, merely not being able to do the diving you were doing before classes became your routine, and consumed your time. Or have you found other rewards in the classes that have filled this void?

 

[chickdiver]

EZ-

I did a PREP (way back when) even though I was a NAUI AI at the time. It was a great expereince. My PREP was run byt he same group of instructors who ran my ITC, and they were a group that I had been working intensivly with for about aq year. My PREP consisted of a full ITC. I was treated exactly like the "real" candidates and expected to perform to the same standard. I did my PREP 6 months prior to my ITC, and I knew exactly what to expect, what would be required of me, and what my individual strengths and weaknesses were going into my ITC. The PREP gave me the opportunity to judge whether I was really ready for an ITC or not. Far from being a waste of time, I would recommend the PREP program to anyine who is interested in attending an ITC (provided, of course, that it met the quality program that I had ).

 

[Wreck/Tec]

Dive Masters, do you feel the shops are treating you fairly? I hear alot of grumbling that free air, and discounts on gear is hardly adiquite compensation for the investment of time, and money you have in your pursuit of Dive Master stattus. Is that true?

 

[ElectricZombie]

chickdiver,


I did the same thing although I never signed up for the PREP class. I had been working with students for a long time before my AI or ITC so, I knew exactly what to expect. If you have never had any experience working with students, or are unfamiliar with the ITC process, I suppose a PREP class would be ok.

 

[MechDiver]

Wreck/Tec once bubbled...
Dive Masters, do you feel the shops are treating you fairly? I hear alot of grumbling that free air, and discounts on gear is hardly adiquite compensation for the investment of time, and money you have in your pursuit of Dive Master stattus. Is that true?

I got paid for my DM time. 10% off the top of the course plus profit sharing. Equipment at keyman prices. We didn't have to pay for air so it was free anyway.

I would have done it for free though, as I really enjoyed it.

Phil

 

[MechDiver]

sheck33 once bubbled...


I have done PADI DM and AI. I have also done the TDI deco procedures course, i have the card but considering what i had to do to obtain it i will NOT do (staged) decompression diving until i pass GUE's Tech 1.

You're a DM, AI, have done deco classes, and you're not comfortable doing staged decompression? To me, that says more about your faith in your diving abilities than about the instruction you received.

 

[MechDiver]

ElectricZombie once bubbled...
chickdiver,


I did the same thing although I never signed up for the PREP class. I had been working with students for a long time before my AI or ITC so, I knew exactly what to expect. If you have never had any experience working with students, or are unfamiliar with the ITC process, I suppose a PREP class would be ok.

That's one big difference I see between PADI and NAUI. PADI will not allow anyone in the water with students unless they are at least a DM-in-training, and that is with constant supervision.

There is also no way I am aware of to bypass the DM cert to get to instructor.

Phil

 

[chickdiver]

The PREP course program is designed primarily for potential caondidates with Leadership certifications coming from other agencies. However, NAUI will allow other candidates to take a PREP course if they meet specific criteria, yet posses no Leadership training. This is done with verifiable documentation and at the Instructor's discretion. FWIW, I was trained NAUI all along, and I started assisting with other classes as the "demo model/ extra set of eyes" immediately after my OW cert, at the age of 16.

 

[ElectricZombie]

chickdiver once bubbled...
FWIW, I was trained NAUI all along, and I started assisting with other classes as the "demo model/ extra set of eyes" immediately after my OW cert, at the age of 16.

I did the exact same thing. I'm glad I did because it really helped me. The "Internship/Apprentice" method really works.