What is respectably professional gear for a new DM?

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Scraps

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Messages
1,003
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Location
Florida
# of dives
500 - 999
I am nearly finished with my DM program, and I know I need to upgrade my gear fairly soon.

I accept that looking professional is a valid requirement. My other main hobby is umpiring baseball. In baseball, showing up in a clean uniform with pressed trousers and shined shoes puts money in the "credibility bank" and makes coaches more willing to accept my authority, so I get it that a DM ought to look the part, too.

At present, I have an entry-level jacket-style BCD and regulator set.

I've come to dislike the jacket BC, so I'd want to get something less restrictive even if I weren't becoming a DM. I am inclined to get some sort of back-inflate like a Zeagle Ranger or ScubaPro Knighthawk. Open to ideas.

However, my bargain bin regulator has given me no cause for complaint, and I think it breathes just as easy and drier than more expensive ones my fellow students have. Should I replace it just because it screams "LeisurePro Clearance!" when you look at it? Are there safety or performance reasons I should know about?

I believe I will find Deep6 wetsuits under the Christmas tree tomorrow, so that part of my kit should be all set.

The instructors at the LDS where I'm training are cave divers, so they all have similar-looking Dive-Rite rigs. I don't expect to follow them into the dark places they go, so I don't see the need to imitate their gear.

I would be grateful to hear from instructors, charter captains, shop owners and other veterans of the business on what they want to see in a DM's gear, what's essential, what's not, what's a no-no, what's too "extra," what's a waste of time, what makes someone look professional, what doesn't. I'm especially interested in any related thoughts on safety and reliability--but general appearances and functionality are important, too.

Once I finish the DM program, I may try to do occasional gigs on local 6-pack charters, but will mostly be helping with classes and conducting Discover Local Diving trips for the shop where I'm getting certified. Warm water, open water stuff.

Also, IDC is a strong possibility, maybe as early as April, possibly under Capt. Wyatt and his team. I only want to upgrade gear once.
 
From a customer stand point, the gear worn by the guides don't matter to me. I've had guides wearing well-worn, even torn wetsuits, and very used BC's. Underwater, the good ones, have such amazing buoyancy, navigation, or finding critters skills that leave me more impressed than seeing sharp gear.
 
Glad to see you have the proper perspective.

I had a divemaster candidate who tried to go thru the course with an inherited too large for him low end bcd. The bcd was so big, the integrated weight pouches kept inverting and hanging out of the bcd by the buckles. Definitely not the example you want to set for students.

Needless to say, I could not nor would not allow him to continue the course in that manner.

He took offense when I told him that was not acceptable and never finished his divemaster course.

So you are doing your instructor a favor by realizing that these kinds of issues exist.

If you are planning on spending enough for a ranger or nighthawk, you are way out front getting a Diverite plate and wing.
 
The instructors on our boats wear what they want. (and I have. never heard any comments). Some wear rental, some BP/W, some Hydros Pros etc.

Unless the shop you work for wants you in gear they sell, wear the gear that you like.
 
Some instructors are finicky about the DMs that assist with their classes using a similar configuration as the students....meaning if the student is in jacket style with standard recreation setup then the finicky instructor would not want their DM in a BP/W with a long hose and octo on a necklace.

Some shops are finicky about the folks working under their umbrella using gear of the brands the shop sells as a way to market that line of gear to their students.

Outside of that...if your gear is in good working order you should be ok. Folks will be concerned about/watching how you dive more so than they will be concerned about your gear.

If you are not working for a shop/instructor then just don't be a s#$t show and you should be fine.

YMMV,
-Z
 
If you plan to work through the shop you trained with, what is their policy regarding staff gear?
I would use their gear for any pool work and dive your own while assisting open water.
 
I won't recommend a brand because it doesn't matter. Get something you like and works for you. Most divers won't notice or care. They will notice if it looks like your gear came from a dumpster so keep it in good repair. Brand new gear can make you look brand new too, especially if it is all new.
There is nothing wrong with using the rental gear from your shop. It shows customers the gear they rented is good enough for you to use.
The only time I ever remember what a DM used was when one of the DMs had a florescent orange wing. I thought that was a great choice for a DM... because of the color. I only looked at the brand because I wanted one for myself and never saw a wing that color before.
 
I always used the shop stuff when I assisted on OW. The reasons seemed obvious--
1. Yes, same stuff the students wore. When you demonstrate a skill it looks exactly the same.
2. The shop stuff is in good shape and looks good.
3. I'm not wearing out my own stuff (which is VERY old anyway).
4. Didn't have to rinse my own stuff-- so to be honest, I was not as thorough rising the shop stuff.
--even rinsed off a student's gear once, as the fee was $20.
5. Coincidentally, I did use my own wetsuit on the checkout dives, so I was diving wet just like the students (while all other DMs and instructors always dived dry). But that wasn't being dedicated, it was because I don't own a drysuit.

I wasn't planning on getting any new stuff until my stuff wore out anyway. Nor doing any upgrading. Especially since the DM pay was probably minimum wage at best.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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