NAUI calls it "sustaining" status, as opposed to active.
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So being a DM is like being a police officer,your ALWAYS on duty.
Would seem to me that if you had the insta-buddy and something happened that as a good buddy you would try to help and do whatever you could. With you not teaching,leading or supervising that said buddy i don't really see how you could be held responsible just because your a DM.
I'm not saying you would actually be FOUND to be responsible, but rather that someone could sue you.
Now, if I become a DM and go on a holiday I could simply give the dive op a different c-card so they would not know I was a DM. Or, I could tell them I'm a DM but don't want to act in the capacity as one, as I am on vacation (and ask them not to tell the other divers I am a DM). Now, if something happened necessitating a rescue, I would, of course, morally feel obliged to help (much like a Doctor witnessing an accident--and we've seen that due to malpractice suites, som doctors actually would let the person die). But I guess a lawsuit could happen anyway even if you weren't a DM and offered help (ei.: Rescue Diver-all the training, no insurance). Glad I'm in Canada anyway, as it's real hard to sue for medical reasons, as most of it's covered by our excessive taxes.
Keep in mind that while not revealing your status as a DM might keep you out of situations where you are in some supervisory role, it does not necessarily shield you from being held to a higher standard should something happen. The lawyers would surely find out about your certification.
Back to the OP, with PADI, I think the phrase is "active, insured DM/AI/Instructor". If you are active and insured, then you can do the roles of a divemaster since you have paid your dues and have valid insurance on file with PADI. If either the "active" or "insured" isn't valid, then you techincally are not a divemaster.