Question Advice on Divemaster course in Philippines - April 2022

[hammerhead_sm]

Hey Everyone.

Excited to hear that the Philippines has opened up and am hoping to fulfil a long awaited goal of getting my Dive Master (+Rescue) certification.

Quick background - I'm AOW / Deep / Nitrox with ~150 dives across Asia, over the past 6-7 years. My goal of enrolling in the paid divemaster course, is not to consider going down the professional career track, but really to spend 3 weeks getting deeper into theory and scuba physics, and focus on intensively learning and practicing skills - hopefully becoming a more skilled and more aware diver, at the end of the three weeks. I did also consider if it would be better getting into technical diving instead, but given my usual dive locations, I'm not sure that would be be very helpful right now - and it was conversations with lots of DMs and instructors during my fun dives, which has nudged me down this path.

I also really enjoy introducing people to diving. Have taken around 50 people from my office, to do their DSDs and several of them have gone to get their OWs and AOWs. I'm quite passionate about the under-water world and love to evangelize it. I believe a DM course will help me be a better diver - navigation, dive planning, safety etc. - and additionally, will also give me an opportunity to help out more novice divers, a bit more confidently. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

That being said, diving in the Philippines has been on my bucket list for years, and I would love to get some recommendations on some of the best instructors / dive-shops, I should be reaching out to check with or locations to spend 3-4 weeks.

Hope to hear back. Thanks in advance!

 

[Wibble]

Quick background - I'm AOW / Deep / Nitrox with ~150 dives across Asia, over the past 6-7 years. My goal of enrolling in the paid divemaster course, is not to consider going down the professional career track, but really to spend 3 weeks getting deeper into theory and scuba physics, and focus on intensively learning and practicing skills - hopefully becoming a more skilled and more aware diver, at the end of the three weeks. I did also consider if it would be better getting into technical diving instead, but given my usual dive locations, I'm not sure that would be be very helpful right now - and it was conversations with lots of DMs and instructors during my fun dives, which has nudged me down this path.

Don't do DM -- it's a very basic course aimed at leading people around sites and being an instructor's slave. Do something with technical divers where you're learn the skills (which isn't pushed for DMs) and the physics (which isn't required for DMs), plus how to dive with resilient kit beyond recreational limits.

DiveMasters are pretty basic early skills. Technical diving -- for example doing your Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures is a much more in depth course.

Arguably look at doing GUE Fundimentals (with or without the KoolAid). Those are real skills.

 

[VikingDives]

My goal of enrolling in the paid divemaster course, is not to consider going down the professional career track, but really to spend 3 weeks getting deeper into theory and scuba physics, and focus on intensively learning and practicing skills - hopefully becoming a more skilled and more aware diver, at the end of the three weeks. I did also consider if it would be better getting into technical diving instead, but given my usual dive locations, I'm not sure that would be be very helpful right now - and it was conversations with lots of DMs and instructors during my fun dives, which has nudged me down this path.

If you only have 3 weeks, I don't think there's any way you could finish a DM course. IIRC, the intensive courses are ~6 weeks long. I agree with @Wibble, regarding skills. You won't learn a lot of skills in DM, you'll just practice doing skills to demonstration quality.

Depending on the agency, you won't learn dive theory and physiology either. PADI's course doesn't teach it. SDI's course does and covers it better than PADI's.

What DM'ing will give you is time in the pool/open water for practice. You'll spend a lot of time watching and waiting for something to happen. You can spend that time working on things like hovering, but if you aren't working with a dive shop near your home that's out.

I also really enjoy introducing people to diving. Have taken around 50 people from my office, to do their DSDs and several of them have gone to get their OWs and AOWs. I'm quite passionate about the under-water world and love to evangelize it.

This is what most instructors are looking for in a DM - enthusiasm. As a PADI DM, you can teach DSD (there's some additional requirements above the course).

I believe a DM course will help me be a better diver - navigation, dive planning, safety etc. - and additionally, will also give me an opportunity to help out more novice divers, a bit more confidently. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Navigation, maybe. Dive planning, yes. Safety, maybe. Awareness of panic and problems, certainly. As a practicing DM, you'll deal with pretty much everything you trained on as a rescue diver.

That being said, diving in the Philippines has been on my bucket list for years, and I would love to get some recommendations on some of the best instructors / dive-shops, I should be reaching out to check with or locations to spend 3-4 weeks.

Hope to hear back. Thanks in advance!

If you want to learn skills, check out Andy Davis at Scuba Tech Philippines.

If you want to go the DM route, find a place that has a high volume of OW students and lots of instructors. When I was a DM, the most exciting classes for me were the ones where the instructor was over-weighting his students and teaching large classes that never spent more than 60 seconds in a buddha hover.

 

[Centrals]

My personal opinion only:
1. DM course is mainly for people who is interested to become an instructor but there are exception. OP's enthusiasm on diving is probably one of those exceptional few.
2. 3-4 wks is probably too short for the course. Spend the time in diving or enrolling other courses/speciality. If the OP is thinking of tec dive in the future than deep speciality is practical.
3. Easter(15th Apr) meaning a lot of people will be moving around in the country. I always try to avoid to travel to the country around Christmas and Easter.
4. Puerto Galera is the first one came to mind suggestion because of its popularity and closeness to Manila.
5. Apr is a bit too early for typhoon but do pay attention to the news.
6. Make sure your paper is ready especially regarding on Covid vaccination proof. You do not want to be stranded at Manila airport because the authority does not like your vaccination proof!

Malaysia’s foreign ministry assisting 13 citizens stranded at Manila airport over vaccine certificates

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry is providing assistance to 13 citizens stranded at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport after being refused entry into the Philippines over their vaccine records.

www.channelnewsasia.com

 

[Mango's Dive Center]

Here is a link to our website page on our PADI Divemaster Course. It is an internship, and 4 weeks is a push, but doable with a motivated candidate. Please let us know if you have any questions. PADI Divemaster Course - Mangos Dive Center - Subic Bay, Philippines

 

[hammerhead_sm]

Don't do DM -- it's a very basic course aimed at leading people around sites and being an instructor's slave. Do something with technical divers where you're learn the skills (which isn't pushed for DMs) and the physics (which isn't required for DMs), plus how to dive with resilient kit beyond recreational limits.

Thanks a ton for your reply.

Yes. Going deeper into the theory was definitely something I was hoping for. This is a tad disheartening - also there are a few skills that I feel I am not improving on despite accumulating more dives, and I was working under the impression that the DM course would help solve for them.

The first is navigation. As a recreational diver, almost every dive is at a new site. Despite how much I try and study the dive-site map on the boat before the dive, once I'm underwater in 10 - 15 m viz, a few mins in to the dive, it is really hard to know where exactly I am and how to navigate my way around. I'm quite lost and hopelessly dependent on my DM/instructor. This is a huge gap in my skill set currently.

The second is safety, but it seems like the rescue course is good enough for that.

The third improvement area is to really perfect my propulsion techniques and buoyancy. While my trim, buoyancy etc. has certainly gotten better as I've gotten more experienced, I still look on with envy at some instructors I dive with, and really admire how elegant they look and move underwater. I tried signing on for a Peak Perf. Buoyancy course in Dahab, but they dismissed me, saying I didn't need it, and that I should just keep diving. I did do my Deep Dive and Nitrox with them though. I would however love to perfect techniques like back-finning etc. and the art of truly staying perfectly still underwater.

DiveMasters are pretty basic early skills. Technical diving -- for example doing your Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures is a much more in depth course.

I am definitely keen to get into tec diving, but I'm rarely at sites that allow for tec diving, or ever visit locations where there are dive shops that support tec-diving. That's why I figured I would push it out for later. But if tec courses impart far more rigorous skill development, then I suppose that's worth considering.

Arguably look at doing GUE Fundimentals (with or without the KoolAid). Those are real skills.

I've definitely considered the GUE Fundies course. But I'm a little apprehensive of the pre-req to buy and own all the equipment. I don't live near the sea, and with a flight needed for all my dive vacations, travelling with a full dive kit just seems a little much for a recreational diver.

 

[hammerhead_sm]

Thanks for your detailed response. Really appreciate it.

If you only have 3 weeks, I don't think there's any way you could finish a DM course. IIRC, the intensive courses are ~6 weeks long. I agree with @Wibble, regarding skills. You won't learn a lot of skills in DM, you'll just practice doing skills to demonstration quality.

Depending on the agency, you won't learn dive theory and physiology either. PADI's course doesn't teach it. SDI's course does and covers it better than PADI's.

Navigation, maybe. Dive planning, yes. Safety, maybe. Awareness of panic and problems, certainly. As a practicing DM, you'll deal with pretty much everything you trained on as a rescue diver.

As mentioned earlier, the primary goal was really to learn and improve on diving skills. All the feedback seems to suggest that the DM course isn't the best way to go about it, and maybe to spend that money on Tec courses? Haven't heard great things about most of the PADI specialization certifications.

Maybe instead of spending money on the DM course, I could alternatively just spend a few weeks at a particular dive shop with a good instructor and get another few dozen dives with a lot of feedback?

Little confused about the best way to take my diving to the next level.

 

[Marie13]

You can work with a tech instructor to improve your skills. You don’t have to get any certs. Just coaching. It doesn’t have to be Fundies. Research tech instructors in your preferred destinations and talk with them. If they’re used to dealing with traveling divers, they probably have rental kit.

 

[Centrals]

Little confused about the best way to take my diving to the next level.

Speaking for myself only.
I started gingerly in the beginning and had no goal at all. It was great fun and then realized there were so much to learn. So one course led to another and eventually finished at full trimix.
Experience, knowledge, skill/technique took time to progress so ......one step at a time.

If you really want to go to Philippines in Apr then you better start to plan ahead.

Good luck.

 

[Wibble]

I tried signing on for a Peak Perf. Buoyancy course in Dahab, but they dismissed me, saying I didn't need it, and that I should just keep diving.

This pretty much sums up the difference in attitudes between recreational and technical diving: good enough is fine for recreational diving, technical diving believes you can always improve and practice definitely makes perfect (along with mentoring, teamwork, etc.)

Technical diving is, IMHO, an attitude where you strive to be good and you put the effort in to get there.

The basics of technical diving are your core skills of trim (flat), buoyancy (stability) and finning (effortless, no hands). This is something that needs an excellent mentor that is very rarely found in recreational divers and instructors. Peak performance buoyancy is not going to give you the finning skills you need to keep your position without using your hands nor kicking up the silt, backwards finning away from the reef/threat/hazard, or just holding a camera.

Seeing someone demonstrating these skills is a joy to behold; you’ll know it when you see it.

Fundies is a great course — it changed my diving forever. It is very hard though, like nothing you’ve experienced before with PADI. But the quality and skills are invaluable for all your future diving, whether or not it continues with GUE.

Aim to be that person everyone admires for their in water skills.