Divemaster or just Dive!!!

[tangfish]

Enjoy diving and don't rush through the certifications. If you feel that becoming a DM is a practical way to work and dive, or that you'll become a better diver or buddy, then do it. But I wouldn't rush through it or get the cert just because it exists.

 

[DevonDiver]

8 Days? That would be a waste of an opportunity to benefit from a really in-depth and developmental course. Regardless of your starting skills, you couldn't hope to reach a high standard of DM capability in 8 days.

Go and enjoy the diving. What other courses are available?

You can do a lot of worthwhile diving and/or training in 8 days... but not Divemaster.

 

[waterpirate]

I think the world needs more instant dm's and instructors. Go for it.
Eric

 

[Dirk P.]

I'll start my DM-course shortly. We are planning to spread the course over approx. 6 months. Taking our time to learn all the aspects and tag along with as many different instructors as possible.

I know some people who did their DM while on holiday and did it in a few days. Does that make them a less of a DM? Not always, but in general the DM's I have seen which seemed more experienced were those who did the course spread through a longer period of time.

 

[openmindOW]

I know some people who did their DM while on holiday and did it in a few days. Does that make them a less of a DM?

Yes.

Excellence takes time.

 

[Dirk P.]

Yes.

Excellence takes time.

Agree, but not all wannabe-DM's go from certification to certification. Some of them already have hundreds of dives. As I said, in general I think the better DM's are those who take their time for the course.

 

[40Fathoms]

Agree with all of the above. I spent about 8 months on my DM, and there's loads of theory you need to study, aside from training dives and supervised guided dives, etc. Would you really want to spend you time in sunny FL doing this? Spend the time diving, and if you want to do a DM, take the course at a time when you can take your time.

 

[Buoyant1]

I'll ask you the same question a friend of mine asked me when he finished his course

Do you eventually want to teach? If so, take it, if not take something else.

 

[j yaeger]

...and don't forget...
once you go pro
ya gotta pay annual dues!!!!
now thats a perk!!!!!

 

[DevonDiver]

When you look at the full criteria for the DM course (there's a lot of stuff to cover) and divide that by 8 days...or even 2 weeks... then it is easy to identify that the timescale would allow nothing more than a very superficial covering of those skills.

Basically, it would just be a case of ticking a checklist, as long as the diver could provide mediocre evidence of performing the skills. There'd be no time for remedial improvement or ability (by either the instructor or the DM student) to repeat skills and achieve excellence.

The chance that a DM candidate would achieve excellence in every aspect of the DM course, on their first attempt, is highly unlikely.