For the record, PADI states that one must be a certified diver for at least 6 months before going to an IE.
I did my OWSI with a 5 star IDC center that does zero to hero programs. We have an intern here now who is doing the ZTH, and is going to his IE in July. He's already nearing 200 dives, has DMed our dive boat at least a few dozen times, has interacted with plenty of instructors, tech divers, students, and customers. He's assisted/sat in with plenty of courses. He's also done most of this in front of the course director.
Now, we could have a DM who's log book says he's got 101 dives, has done the bare minimum to pass his DM, and shows up to an IDC center and does his 10 day IDC and passes his IE. He's now an OWSI. But he's been a certified diver for 3 years...
Who do you think would be better qualified as an OWSI?
Zero-to-hero, if done properly, can be a good thing. Just something to think about.
I know the PADI six month rule and it is a bare minimum piece of sense! Your points are good but since once again we are singling out PADI, I think there are a number of things that should in theory already be done and others that could be introduced.
1. Maybe RD is not enough as a prerequisite for DM. Maybe it should be RD and say three "tough" specialties? Just an idea. Maybe it should be MSD before Going Pro?
2. If I remember rightly, when I did DM (which I did NOT do as an intern because I had already been helping out the center where I did it with equipment and organization and following up on students almost since I got rec certified) there was a DLD part. Very cleverly the CD sprang it on me at the last minute in a place I didn't know very well , sundown coming on real fast and guiding two divers. One was an OWSI (but I wasn't told that) and the other an AOW "with problems" (tendency to not use enough weights on his belt and so have problems at the end of the dive when there was less air in his tank: I wasn't told that either). When the dive finished, I find out that the CD had asked the OWSI, who I had never met before, for a full report.
3. PADI could start an electronic logbook system? The logged dives could be on a central PADI computer and therefore all PADI pro's could check the dives online introducing a keyword given by the diver? Maybe logged dives could be kept on a pen drive by the diver? Other agencies could share the system?
4. IE exists as a cut off. Last month there was an IE in Europe.11 candidates, only 3 passed. Sounds about right to me. The examiner is totally independent. So how do non qualified candidates get through IE?
5. I think students could get involved in the DM certification process. PADI could check anonymously with "senior students" say RDs that have been on course with a DM before processing the DMs paperwork?
Of course all of this brings up the question of what we all expect a DM or an OWSI to be, do, perform, etc. Maybe a guy is great as a teacher though not the best diver in the world? Maybe a great diver is a crap teacher? Look at business schools for example. It's pretty obvious that in the good ones the professors are great but are not great businessmen. Having said that, in other walks of life, effectively to become an Instructor or a Professor it is normally beacuse first and foremost you are real good at what you do and the professional organization you belong to invites you or asks you if you would like to be one.
Finally the ZTH problem has to take into account that there will always be people who excell at diving and have the leadership and dive skills that others may need more time to get to or may never reach. How do we sort the wheat from the chaff?
Thanks in advance.
sorry, mom and dad, I failed you...:11:
You are a FAILURE!!!!!!
