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bamamedic
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Becoming a DM?
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I really just need to hit the pool and practice a ton...
Good stuff...
My wife and I (both over 55) used a similar but less structured method... we set "floors" rather than high goals. Basically we went out and swam want was "comfortable"... then quit. That became our 'floor'. The idea was to go out each day with the intent of swimming your floor distance... ie, you KNOW you can do that much... so you're garanteed not to "fail" in your effort and you can succeed without pain. Any amount you swim over the 'floor' amount is just bonus...
After a fairly short while you'll find that you're routinely doing more than the 'floor'... and that's when you raise the distance for the floor. Don't raise it all the way to what you CAN do... just a comfortable distance...
Years ago when we first did this I was a smoker and could barely do 100 yards ( low impact strokes...)... as I kept at it... the floor went from 100 yards... to 300 yards... to a quarter mile... etc.
When I decided to get my DM we started swimming again... I found that the quarter mile was a good floor to start with... at this point we have a 'floor' of 3/4's of a mile but actually swim 1.25 to 1.5 miles (... and it doesn't hurt!!!)... each time out. We're about to raise our floor to the mile mark.
We don't swim fast... but swimming for 2 hours straight is doable...
... and I've managed to go 2.5 miles non-stop.The secret, at least for us... was to keep the carrot in the equation while getting rid of the stick...
... just another technique to consider...
Rabbit -- I don't know where one needs to "set the bar" or what is "enough" when it comes to experiences. As has been said many times, you can have 1000 dives or 1 dive 1000 times. What is needed? Something in between.
Bamamedic, I really recommend getting the Total Immersion book and their Freestyle DVD. Although I knew how to swim and wasn't uncomfortable in the water, I never got the freestyle. I did my Fundies swim test sidestroke, and the cave 1 test as well. I barely made the times, and Danny sent me home to improve my swimming. I wasn't willing to spend the money for one of their weekend seminars (I don't care about my swimming $400 worth!) but I found the book and DVD very helpful, and I now have a quite serviceable freestyle stroke. I'm hoping to be able to pass the Cave 2 swim test in "Danny time"!
There are often different reasons for why people do a DM course.
I was very happy being a Rescue Diver and I took it very seriously. Maybe just because of the way I am I was always helping other divers to kit up/ kit off in the boat, keeping an eye on people other than my buddy as well and so on. I would also put in an extra effort with loading, unloading, cleaning up and so on. I like to meet new people and open up conversation. So frequently in places I was diving where the Instructor knew me he would say "And Leapfrog is going to go behind the group to keep an eye on things". After a dive, I would often get comments like, "How did you become a DM?" "Or thanks for helping, it's so good to have a DM like you around". Well that of course made me very pleased with myself. Eventually one of my mentors, a PADI Master Instructor said:" Look, you better do the DM Course because everyone already thinks you are one and one day it could mean trouble if something goes wrong". So I did the course and suddenly I found myself as a role model to the non professional divers but at the bottom of the PRO ladder, so it was also a humbling experience. It was by taking this step that I realized that I wanted to be an Instructor (full time). Suddenly, I looked at my life and decided to do what I wanted to do and not what others thought I should be doing. So I went to work for a LDS and I got involved in everything including managing the biz, operations, sales, DMing, the works..... most of the people I had to coordinate were OWSI, MSDTs, Captains and so on, so I had to do all of this humble as pie (that was a good experience in itself). I also got a chance to teach under direct supervision mainly OWD and Nitrox courses. Recently I did my IDC, my IE and here I am, starting life as a freelance instructor.
The theory you will learn as a DM will make you a better informed diver (not a bad thing).
The practice you get by actually being a DM should make you a better diver.
Who knows, you may find out you want to be a teacher...............God help you!
I was very happy being a Rescue Diver and I took it very seriously. Maybe just because of the way I am I was always helping other divers to kit up/ kit off in the boat, keeping an eye on people other than my buddy as well and so on. I would also put in an extra effort with loading, unloading, cleaning up and so on. I like to meet new people and open up conversation. So frequently in places I was diving where the Instructor knew me he would say "And Leapfrog is going to go behind the group to keep an eye on things". After a dive, I would often get comments like, "How did you become a DM?" "Or thanks for helping, it's so good to have a DM like you around". Well that of course made me very pleased with myself. Eventually one of my mentors, a PADI Master Instructor said:" Look, you better do the DM Course because everyone already thinks you are one and one day it could mean trouble if something goes wrong". So I did the course and suddenly I found myself as a role model to the non professional divers but at the bottom of the PRO ladder, so it was also a humbling experience. It was by taking this step that I realized that I wanted to be an Instructor (full time). Suddenly, I looked at my life and decided to do what I wanted to do and not what others thought I should be doing. So I went to work for a LDS and I got involved in everything including managing the biz, operations, sales, DMing, the works..... most of the people I had to coordinate were OWSI, MSDTs, Captains and so on, so I had to do all of this humble as pie (that was a good experience in itself). I also got a chance to teach under direct supervision mainly OWD and Nitrox courses. Recently I did my IDC, my IE and here I am, starting life as a freelance instructor.
The theory you will learn as a DM will make you a better informed diver (not a bad thing).
The practice you get by actually being a DM should make you a better diver.
Who knows, you may find out you want to be a teacher...............God help you!
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