Am I mad to try to go from virtually no dive experience to divemaster?

[loughman]

In response to peterbj7 about the amount of dives I had. I have dived twice. I did a shore dive six years ago while on holiday in Turkey and last Saturday I did the Paidi Discover Scuba Diving programme in a pool with my nearest dive centre

 

[peterbj7]

A tad early to be worrying about progression....?

 

[String]

I've often heard people say they want to become a DM because it's part of the progression. My response is always that unless you want to work in diving don't do it. Do an intro-tech course instead.

Agree entirely. DM in my view is only worth doing if you want to teach. If you dont then you'll get a far better personal skill workout doing a technical course.

DM is all about looking after others, tech courses are a lot more about looking after yourself and getting your own skills up a notch.

Also, if you dont feel you are ready to lead divers then there is no point in doing the DM course yet. The whole point of the course is on complete you are able to do that. So if you think it needs a few hundred dives then do those few hundred divers BEFORE signing up to it.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm sure its possible but with all due respect,I would not want you to be the Divemaster looking after my wife until you have a few hundred more dives.

I'm not reading this entire thread to see what everyone else said. It should have been a poll so we you voted...

Am I mad to try to go from virtually no dive experience to divemaster? Yes!

Ianr summed it up pretty well in his brief remarks. I've been on trips with groups that included a couple of Insta-DMs and I just tried to avoid them as a courtesy, cuz I know I won't take kindly to them telling me how to do things.

 

[vshearer]

Hey DD! Good to see you back!

10 dives in dark water equal 500 dives in the clear tropics.

 

[RonFrank]

It is possible to go from zero to DM in six weeks, but the question becomes, what type of DM would you be? Likely one that is seriously lacking experience. If you do choose to do this, all I can suggest is dive your tail off whenever you get the chance so your experience can increase so you do become a good DM.

Another approach is to take things slower, take OW, than AOW, then rescue, and once you have at least a hundred dives, go for DM. That may be more expensive, so it's your call.

A guy in my OW class was moving to Hawaii, and when I was at the Hole I ran into him (about 2 months out after our OW cert). He had completed his DM with maybe 50 dives or so, and had earned his DM rating. I asked him to check my air, and he turned it off! Don't be that guy!

 

[DandyDon]

A DM without open sea experience is qualified to assist an Inst maybe?

Another approach is to take things slower, take OW, than AOW, then rescue, and once you have at least a hundred dives, go for DM. That may be more expensive, so it's your call.

Or ask why he still wants to be DM?

A guy in my OW class was moving to Hawaii, and when I was at the Hole I ran into him (about 2 months out after our OW cert). He had completed his DM with maybe 50 dives or so, and had earned his DM rating. I asked him to check my air, and he turned it off! Don't be that guy!

Too many of them out there.

 

[Hank49]

Hey DD! Good to see you back!

10 dives in dark water equal 500 dives in the clear tropics.

Interesting conclusion. Where did you get these numbers from?

 

[diveguy1]

(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVEDIVE DIVE DIVEDIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVEDIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE
(take a class) DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE!

...and in a few years, you'll be a great, safe diver, a great dive leader, a great future instructor, and a great dive buddy!

- Chris
.

 

[3000psi]

Prior to me posting my question on this forum I was under no illusion that just because I might gain a dive master certification that meant I was going to be a master diver. There is no way I would consider leading out other divers until I had the experience of several hundred dives. I would treat other divers the same way IÃÅ wish to be treated i.e. IÃÅ prefer to be lead out by an experienced diver rather than a novice. I wouldnÃÕ take the chance with other peopleÃÔ lives.

Seems you have the right attitude but you could possibly be selling yourself short. Your original question really has many variables and people's responses are weighted toward their own life experiences. Several responses indicate that with the number of dives this would involve (for six weeks I would expect a minimum of 80 but 100 should be doable) they in no way would feel comfortable with you looking after a loved one. Most have argued one needs several hundred dives to gain the skills / experience to be a DM.

I for one agree with most of the advice given you but I am vaguely familiar with at least one DM course internship in Central America. I would be surprised if a graduate of their program could not hold their own with a good percentage of DMs out there (maybe this speaks volumes about our industry).

Let me put it this way. If by taking a internship at a dive resort where you get to observe on eighty dives a large cross section of divers from all over the States / World all receiving various levels of training from all kinds of instructors from all the agencies would you think you had a better reference point to evaluate a diver than say a small group of divers from the same shop and instructor who had made two hundred dives together ?

Who would you feel more comfortable with leading a group of divers, someone who had five hundred dives to their credit and had just completed his DM course or someone who had completed a six week course while working in the tropics but during that time had already safely handled three panic stricken divers ?

I for one think the DM is too generic as it has a tendency, as others have mentioned, to denote experience in all types of conditions which is simply not true. Regardless in your case you seem to have the right attitude and as long as you don't feel comfortable with assuming the duties of a DM that is your prerogative no matter what the card in your pocket says.