Any advises for a DM internship?

[Sea Reindeer]

Hi!

I really need some help, so I decided trying to ask here for some advise:

I am looking for a place to do my DM. I took my OW and AOW in Thailand, and I was thinking of something new. I would like to do it in Australia or New Zealand, rather than SE Asia, but depending on several things:

- Price is one of my concerns, I took a look at prices in NZ and Australia and some of them where way too expensive for me, and for what I know in Thailand it was around 800 euros, which I find very ok.
- Another thing is that, for what I know, during the 3 months that takes a DM in Thailand or other places in SE Asia, you get to dive all the times you want during the duration of the course, meanwhile I read that in Australia and NZ they promise to finish the course with 60 or 100 dives, which is way very few compared to SE Asia.
- Last thing is the duration of the course, I saw some courses in Australia and New Zealand lasting 2 weeks, which I found very short compared to the 3 months I have heard it lasts.

So, basically: I want to make the most of my DM, I know it´s an important decision so I want to analyze all the options. I know cheaper is not the best sometimes, so I don´t mind to spend a bit more for a quality course that will educate me as a proper diver, but I don´t want to pay a very high price ( I saw some courses for 6700 $ and lasting only few weeks.... one thing is paying a bit more, but I don´t want to feel cheated). I would like to dive around 3 months and I want to dive all that I can dive and learn all I can learn during the course duration, I don´t want to have a low number of dives when I finish knowing that I could have done more in another place.

Hope you can give me a hand, since I am finding myself so lost...

Thank you very much!

 

[dwhthediver]

Much of dive master is self study, so time it takes to do knowledge reviews and exams is up to you. Once your skills are demonstration quality, time is influenced by class schedules, so you can do your confined water requirements, and your open water requirements. And the watermanship skills can be scheduled any time during the training.

 

[oreocookie]

If your profile is correct and that you have 0-24 dives, I'll say go do some more dives and get a bit more experience first. Go have some fun that is completely unrelated to any course.

That said, to answer your questions... some of what you may be seeing in Australia and NZ are courses, not internships, which is why they take 2 weeks as opposed to 3 months. They're also more expensive because you're not providing the shop with cheap/free labour during an internship, and because courses are probably generally more expensive there than Thailand (but I could be wrong). I'm curious how many dives you would expect to be doing in SE Asia if you did an internship there? I recently did a DM internship in Roatan, Honduras for 2 months and did just under 100 dives during that time.

My advise is when comparing places, figure out exactly what you're getting for the money, then you can compare apples to apples. Then figure out what kind of impressions you get about the shop and the instructors you'd be working with. From that you can decide where you'll get the most out of your money. No matter how good of a price, it's not a deal if you don't get along well with the instructors or they don't teach well for your style of learning.

Good luck.

 

[NorCalDM]

I agree with oreocookie and if you have 0-24 dives get some more dives in as many different enviorments as you can. Also with 24 dives you can't start your DM yet. One thing you need to ask yourself is why do want to be a DM if it is just for the title don't bother just go diving if you are going to work as a DM do your internship were you will be working. The quality of your education is going to come down to the quality of your instructor. I've done all my classes through DM with the same instructor because we work well together and he went above and beyond the standards and I now DM for his classes. Do your homework on the instructors as well not just the area.

 

[Sea Reindeer]

I know that, and since I need to take my Rescue Diver, I want to make some dives before and then go for Dive Master, with more experience and more dives in my Logbook. I will head before a place to make my Rescue Diver and get some dives. I want to become a DM because diving is a thing I always have liked, since I was little I always enjoyed snorkeling and spent hours looking at everything. I love the sea and I studied Biology, so I think it can be a good complement for my studies and this way get more serious in this field.
I don´t know exactly how many dives are usual during a Dive Master, but say at least that from 3 months you dive during two months almost everyday at least one dive, that is like 60 dives, starting with 40 dives a DM that would make minimum 100 dives, that´s what I thought finishing with 60 or even 100 dives is not much dives... But as said i don´t really know.
Thanks for the advises!! I will try to keep on investigating

 

[Dave1981]

The busy schools that way can be really fun, dive every day and haul tanks around, be a general dogsbody. You'll average way more than a dive a day.

There were between 15-20 dmt's at the shop I went through at any given moment, great fun to be around and it's an excellent way of diving for free if you have the time. Most of the guys I did this with never became an instructor, even guided again after they finished up.

I'd say go for the long internship, I'd almost go back and do it again just for fun!

 

[supergaijin]

Thailand DM courses generally take a month or more for a variety of reasons. Many DM trainees are still learning to dive themselves, which of course takes hours... hence the 1-3 month courses.

If your diving skills and theory are already solid, you simply don't need a whole month to do the exercises and exams.

If money is a concern I would look towards another 'cheap' country to do the DM course. South America can be an option. Consider Egypt's Red Sea. Although more expensive to live, the diving is fantastic and there is a wealth of knowledgeable instructors to learn from. Consider Dahab or further north towards Nuweiba for slight cheaper accomodation... but the diving is 'better' in Sharm el Sheikh in my opinion.

Wherever you go, start studying now, expanding your knowledge base. Get a copy of Mark Powell's Deco for Divers and start reading it again and again. Watch old Jacques Cousteau movies etc.