Zero to Hero in Phuket

[Jus]

Hello,

I would like to pick up diving as part of my time spent in Phuket, as I'm going to be there for about 6 months, I'm considering getting myself qualified up to a dive master level - currently non-diver. Can anyone of you experienced divers out there recommend a suitable shop for me to go with? Or should I take things step by step and figure things out only when I get there?

 

[fjpatrum]

I think you will find most folks here recommend against the zero to hero route. 6 months, even diving every day won't really be enough time to get real experience, especially considering you'll probably hit the same handful of sites every single time. Having a lot of experience in one environment/place simple doesn't make one qualified to be a "real" DM. It can be a good foundation, though, so if you do it, just remember to get more experience in other places also.

This is all from a newb with no professional diving experience, though, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

I will second what fjpatrum said... And add, why would you want to commit to that with out even knowing wether or not you like scuba diving??? Not to mention the fact that you would be assuming the role of a professional while your still on training wheels... That's kinda like putting the cart in front of the horse.

 

[pasley]

Dive Master (DM) - A professional rating. Responsible for the lives of all divers in the water. If someone is hurt or dead it had better be you. A diver bolts for the surface you are required to risk life and limb to stop them from killing themselves. DM must have insurance and renew their DM certification card annually. This is a cost of several hundred US Dollars. Work long hours and make little pay. Doing a day of pleasure diving and not working, diver gets hurt, you could get sued (suit happy USA).
Some questions:
1. How passionate are you about SCUBA diving? If your not passionate about SCUBA you should not be a Dive Master(DM).
2. What is your motivation for being a DM? Why spend thousands of dollars to become a DM and you don't even know if you like SCUBA diving? It can't be the money because the pay is below low. Most DM's have a day job to pay for things like food and shelter and DM part time. Yes you can work in exotic locations and earn enough money to almost cover the cost of food, and maybe if your luckly a very low cost shack.
3. There are monetary and legal consequences for being a DM too. It cost a lot of money to become a DM and to maintain that rating. Lawsuits also happen (depending on where you live and work). As a dive professional you are held to a higher standardard.
4. What is your rush? A DM or Instructor should be someone who has spent a few years diving and has a few hundred dives under their belt. It is a leadership position with responsibilities. Take your time, become a Basic Open Water SCUBA diver. Do 25 to 50 dives, then take the Advance Course, do another 25-50 dives then take the Rescue Course. Then do another 100 dives and then considerbecoming a DM.

Whats your hurry. The only thing waiting for you at the end of the race we call life is a grave. Slow down and enjoy the journey.

 

[Flodad]

I dont understand the pushback of a person wanting to go through DM course as a beginner. I didnt see in his/her response that they were going to "work as a DM". If they can afford the course, any beginner would reap tons of benefit from studying and completeing a DM course. Telling them to go get a lot of experience and then get your DM certification is like telling a beginner golfer to go play for 2 years and then go take lessons. By the time that 2 years is up, that beginner golfer has a bad swing, leading to no consistiency, gets frustrated that they cant break 100, and basically has to be retaught all of the basics once he gets in the hands of a good instructor to fix his game.

I only use that analogy because too many of you are quick to tell somone not to get a DM right away. Why not? Why not learn all you can learn as eraly in your diving as you can? Whats wrong with that? It seems to me that most of your comments are more in the distrust of a beginner going straight from 0 dives to DM or Instructor and then actually working in the industry. Those points are very valid. I think the issue is, when should a Dm be able to "work as a DM"... Maybe PADI ought to update their certification and offer DM and a seperate certification when you want a job in the industry. Not having to go to more schools but it might be that you have to have 100 dives or more in the area where you intend to be employed. If a DM wants a job in Roatan then he/she should have some level of experience in that dive area.

But back to the original intent of my post... I would encourage anyone who wants to be a better diver to take as many opportunites to learn (in any manner that they can afford) whether you intend to work in the industry or not.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I agree with all of this in one way or another. Main point is to get training that is good to start with and get proficient in what was just covered before moving to something else.

Zero to Hero often means Zero to Zero Hero. I've seen more than few of these and with a rare exception here and there none are what I would consider a knowldegeable or skilled diver. Buoyancy and trim often suck. Little to no real knowledge of proper dive planning, and most are just parroting what they heard in the course. They don't actually KNOW it.

There is nothing wrong with getting more knowledge and training. But it needs to be done in a way that will actually benefit the diver. And if going a pro route then it needs to benefit the persons that will be under the care of that diver. A DM that knows more about how to sell a course than they do about deco theory or planning a dive from the moment the decision is made to dive to completion of that dive is someone I don't want anywhere around me.

And that is what many of these course are about. How to sell diving and diving instruction. Want to really learn? Take OW, rescue, a specialty or two, then take some tech courses or a Master Diver course along the lines of NAUI's or SEI's. Not collect a few cards and then pay for another one that says Master on it.

Then decide if you want to teach or assist with classes. If that's the route go for DM. If there are no plans to teach or assist with classes the DM rating is mostly useless. No matter what agency it's with. DM is about teaching, assisting, and unfortunately marketing. Not so much about diving. You should be an exceptionally skilled diver before starting DM. Not expecting to become one during the course.

 

[kmurray719]

I dont understand the pushback of a person wanting to go through DM course as a beginner. I didnt see in his/her response that they were going to "work as a DM". If they can afford the course, any beginner would reap tons of benefit from studying and completeing a DM course. Telling them to go get a lot of experience and then get your DM certification is like telling a beginner golfer to go play for 2 years and then go take lessons. By the time that 2 years is up, that beginner golfer has a bad swing, leading to no consistiency, gets frustrated that they cant break 100, and basically has to be retaught all of the basics once he gets in the hands of a good instructor to fix his game.

I only use that analogy because too many of you are quick to tell somone not to get a DM right away. Why not? Why not learn all you can learn as eraly in your diving as you can? Whats wrong with that? It seems to me that most of your comments are more in the distrust of a beginner going straight from 0 dives to DM or Instructor and then actually working in the industry. Those points are very valid. I think the issue is, when should a Dm be able to "work as a DM"... Maybe PADI ought to update their certification and offer DM and a seperate certification when you want a job in the industry. Not having to go to more schools but it might be that you have to have 100 dives or more in the area where you intend to be employed. If a DM wants a job in Roatan then he/she should have some level of experience in that dive area.

But back to the original intent of my post... I would encourage anyone who wants to be a better diver to take as many opportunites to learn (in any manner that they can afford) whether you intend to work in the industry or not.

Divemaster courses are not designed to help you to be a better diver, they are designed to teach you to manage groups of divers and assist in teaching classes. The expectation is that you already have decent dive skills, and are there to learn how to lead others. The pushback about "zero to hero" is not about discouraging anyone from seeking to improve their own diving, but discouraging them from being in charge of other divers when their own dive skills still need improvement.

There are courses designed to improve the dive skills of a beginner (a decent AOW course, Fundies, others) and there are non-professional courses that offer the same information as the divemaster academics (SSI's Science of diving, NAUI master diver course). If the goal is to learn as much as you can to be a better diver, there is no need to seek a professional rating to do that.

 

[Flodad]

So ... to kepp on topic of this thread, the orginal poster wanted to know where to take a Dm course and basically asking for opinions on rputable diveshops in the area. What I read into his rationale for taking a DM course was that he was going to be there for 6 months and was willing to spend the money to get the DM traing (and no mention of working in the Industry). Right?

So if he was going to be there for 6 months, and his intent was to take courses while there to become a BETTER diver, then you'd not recommend the DM course but take OW and Advanced and resuce (BTW all included in the DM price) but instead of following on to DM - take a few technical or specialty dive courses and then just go dive. So what diveshops would you recomend that would provide good instruction?

 

[FinnMom]

* Mega run-on sentence ahead *

Why does a person think it's perfectly normal for them to ask around and try to find themselves a dive shop & instructor known to be exceptionally good at teaching, someone who has learned to particularly teach well and who can give them as a student the value of the instructors significant experience
YET
the same people don't seem to realize that others might want the same thing, even in a basic open water class and its divemaster?


You wanted a better than average training experience. It's only fair that you don't make youself a part of anyone else's training until you have the experience & depth of experience to do the job well.

 

[Flodad]

not sure Im following your point??? trying to keep this thread on the original intent of the question..."recomendations for a good dive shop that can provide good training while he/she is diving for 6 months in Phuket. I think thats a fair question to ask. He/she gave us no indication that they were wanting recomendations to go get certified and then teach or even work in the industry.


what point are you trying to make Finnmom? just not following