It's good that you recognize this.Diver_City Boys:You brought up very important point, having lack of both swiming and diving skills not only endanger others life but my own life also, and i know this
In my experience as a PADI trained DM, absolutely not. The 60 dive minimum is just that, an absolute minimum. The PADI DM program teaches you how to demonstrate basic skills and offers some instruction on how to deal with various problems. There is some theoretical classroom stuff as well. If you do the "internship" route of training, you will get a minimal amount of practical experience in leading dives and assisting with classes, mostly in ideal situations. But again, without actual dive experience outside of the training setting, you will probably find you have difficulty dealing with your own problems, much less dealing with someone else's.Diver_City Boys:Doesn't padi course material and nessecary logged dives cover teorical and practical experaince needed for one to self dive with few pro partner?
The folks in this thread are not flaming you or being critical, they are trying to let you know that although there are programs out there that will take you from OW to DM, it's not the most desireable way to do it... for your own benefit or the benefit of those you may ultimately be responsible for (which can inadvertantly happen if you happen to mention you're a DM, whether or not you're employed as one or not).
If you're just looking to gain practical diving experience for your own edification, there's actually no need to become a DM. You will learn far more about being a competant diver from good mentors than you will from a DM class.... in my opinion as well as in my experience.