divestoclimb
Contributor
Those central america trips do sound like a lot of fun. Definitely do it, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to come back and lead trips or take charge of boats. You'll need some real experience first.
Am I mad to try to go from virtually no dive experience to divemaster?
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Hank49
Contributor
He may be a better diver doing the courses that you suggest. But, he wants to be a divemaster, not a highly skilled cave diver.
I agree that six weeks is fast though. But if you live in a tropical dive area with numerous dive shops, dive multiple dives every day, all your friends that you hang with are dive masters or instructors in training and you eat, think and sleep diving, you'll learn much faster then living in the Midwest, taking your courses on the weekends. Maybe after 3-4 months and 150-180 dives or so, one could lead divers on easy, no current, shallow dives.
Do yourself and everyone else a favor. Get OW certified and get some dives. Lots of dives in as many different environments as possible. Work with as many Instructors as possible. I'd say get a few hundred dives over at least 3 yrs. Then you'll have the experience and depth to really be a DM.
Zero to hero in 6 weeks, well many will not be impressed. You don't know what you don't know. Take the next class when you feel comfortable that you've mastered what you learned in the last one.
Zero to hero in 6 weeks, well many will not be impressed. You don't know what you don't know. Take the next class when you feel comfortable that you've mastered what you learned in the last one.
Hank49
Contributor
Why is it necessary to learn to dive in all environments if one is going to dive only in the tropics?
NorthWoodsDiver
Contributor
cause if you can dive in 3 foot of viz in 36 degree water at 150 feet deep and still do things like shoot a bag, maintain good buoyancy, hand off equipment like tanks, find your way out of a wreck or cave or handle a situation like an entanglement with no mask than your likely gonna be a pro in the tropics. compared to diving in a 3mm suit with a single tank at 60 feet all the time in 100 foot viz.
Hank49
Contributor
I won't argue that one who trains as you suggest may be a great, highly skilled diver. But given that there are hundreds...thousands of divemasters living in the tropics worldwide that have never seen snow, never dived in water colder than 78F, or in water with less than 60 feet vis, mostly in a skin or 3mm wetsuit, I would say that their training in those conditions was sufficient to lead divers in those conditions. It's more about knowing the specific area where you're diving anyway.
Warm water can have you screaming for your momma just like cold can. Big waves and strong currents have a way of humbling anyone.
Sound advice but he could also join the navy and train for deep water demolition. That would make him a better diver than any DM course as well.
I think the problem with questions such as this is the person asking them is unsure what their goal really is. Most people starting out don't know what a DM is or does. And we all know that DM means something different in most working environments.
As said before just slow down and get an OW card. Dive a great deal and the pace that is best for you will soon become apparent.
The more you learn the sooner you will know what you don't know, grasshopper.
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As long as the 6 Weeks is totally separated from your other commitments. If you try to do two things at once, you are mad.
We lost a real good Honduran DM when he thought that Colorado would be all John Denver and such. He went to Denver Divers.
I don't think he's ever considered a chainsaw as part of the dive gear. He was quite baffled about drysuits and the not peeing thing. He was shivering so badly his regulator kept free flowing and his head kept bonking the ice above him. I think he rented out a sauna for an apartment.
BDSC
Contributor
If you really believe that at some point you would like to work as a dive master, then I see no reason whatsoever not to go ahead and get you dive master rating. But understand that you probably wouldn't be hired right away to work as a dive master. I think it's obvious that you would need quite a bit more diving experience before you would be ready for the responsibilities that go with the job.
I don't see it making a big difference in going ahead and getting your dive master rating now and then getting in lots of diving experience as opposed to getting OW certified now......getting in lots of dives and experience...........and then getting your dive master rating. I think the end result will be the same. You'll be a DM with an ample amount of dive experience.
Also, I see no real need to gain experience in all kinds of diving environments unless you plan to be a DM or dive in all of those environments. If you plan to be a DM in the typical Caribbean places, then just concentrate on that environment. That will be good enough.
I don't see it making a big difference in going ahead and getting your dive master rating now and then getting in lots of diving experience as opposed to getting OW certified now......getting in lots of dives and experience...........and then getting your dive master rating. I think the end result will be the same. You'll be a DM with an ample amount of dive experience.
Also, I see no real need to gain experience in all kinds of diving environments unless you plan to be a DM or dive in all of those environments. If you plan to be a DM in the typical Caribbean places, then just concentrate on that environment. That will be good enough.
LOTS of different advice... so why not throw mine in the melting pot.
I think a 6-week course CAN be good. Back in college I took a Japanese Intensive Language course - 12 weeks, 20 hours a week. I came out of it knowing 2 major things.. 1) I knew a lot of Japanese, and 2) I knew I didn't know a lot of Japanese. But it piqued my interest and I went on to major in the language and culture. I did not come out as an expert, but after an intense crash course, I knew more than had I just taken 2-3 hours a week for a year or two.
People like to say holy cow zero to hero in 6 short weeks. no way, no how.. BUT... If you are eating/sleeping/living scuba for 6 straight weeks, you will likely get a nice amount of dives - say 3 dives a day, 5 days a week for 4 of the weeks, but only 6-10 the first week, and another 10 in week 2 as you ramp up. So after 6 weeks, you may have as many as 75+ dives in that short 6 week period. Meanwhile weekend warriors go learn to the same level in 2 years or so and still have ~75 dives themselves... So the fact that one guy took longer is absolutely no guarantee that that person is more equipped or more knowledgeable or more experienced than the diver who did it in 6 weeks. It is about quality, NOT quantity. I do understand the stance of not wanting your wife/loved ones/etc to be alone with the fresh/new DM, etc etc. When I dive through a shop, I talk with the dive leader (DM/Instructor/etc) and get my vibe from him or her before the dives. If I get an uneasy feeling, I skip the dives and go to another shop or with another leader. I could care less if they have been doing it 3 weeks or 50 years. Some people pick up the knowledge and experience at different paces.
So.... I suggest you go at YOUR speed. It is smart to ask the advice of other divers, but realize you are going to get one heck of a wide spectrum of opinions. I like Icebergs' response. Your skill/training will never be enough for some people. But the only person it really matters for is yourself.
Do the right thing in your mind, don't push limits on leading others until you truly feel comfort and have a blast doing what you do.
I think a 6-week course CAN be good. Back in college I took a Japanese Intensive Language course - 12 weeks, 20 hours a week. I came out of it knowing 2 major things.. 1) I knew a lot of Japanese, and 2) I knew I didn't know a lot of Japanese. But it piqued my interest and I went on to major in the language and culture. I did not come out as an expert, but after an intense crash course, I knew more than had I just taken 2-3 hours a week for a year or two.
People like to say holy cow zero to hero in 6 short weeks. no way, no how.. BUT... If you are eating/sleeping/living scuba for 6 straight weeks, you will likely get a nice amount of dives - say 3 dives a day, 5 days a week for 4 of the weeks, but only 6-10 the first week, and another 10 in week 2 as you ramp up. So after 6 weeks, you may have as many as 75+ dives in that short 6 week period. Meanwhile weekend warriors go learn to the same level in 2 years or so and still have ~75 dives themselves... So the fact that one guy took longer is absolutely no guarantee that that person is more equipped or more knowledgeable or more experienced than the diver who did it in 6 weeks. It is about quality, NOT quantity. I do understand the stance of not wanting your wife/loved ones/etc to be alone with the fresh/new DM, etc etc. When I dive through a shop, I talk with the dive leader (DM/Instructor/etc) and get my vibe from him or her before the dives. If I get an uneasy feeling, I skip the dives and go to another shop or with another leader. I could care less if they have been doing it 3 weeks or 50 years. Some people pick up the knowledge and experience at different paces.
So.... I suggest you go at YOUR speed. It is smart to ask the advice of other divers, but realize you are going to get one heck of a wide spectrum of opinions. I like Icebergs' response. Your skill/training will never be enough for some people. But the only person it really matters for is yourself.
Do the right thing in your mind, don't push limits on leading others until you truly feel comfort and have a blast doing what you do.
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