Difference between the PADI and SDI Divemaster courses

[Progen]

I've been doing some asking around and was told by agency specific instructors that the PADI Divemaster course was for 2 weeks whilst the SDI one was for 4 days. For those who've had done, seen or heard of both agencies' training, is there any difference or was the PADI one dragging it over a longer period to make it more relaxed in which case I wouldn't mind doing the PADI one then. Can't do any harm to get more dives under my belt and maybe even the chance to assist instructors or be a backup on guided leisure dives.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Where are you hearing such time frames from? A good DM course is going to involve assisting with classes, taking your own exams, studying dive theory, and learning to.teach. Only in a puppy mill can you cram that in in two weeks. My DM course lasted about six months. Maybe even a bit more. Dive Master should not be thought of in terms of ita.s another course. That is seems to be sold as such is why there are so many DM's that I would not trust anyone I cared about with. DM's should be selected. Not solicited.

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[drrich2]

Progen:

What's your ambition of the Dive Master course? Some people want to assist Instructors, some to become instructors, and some just want to advance as divers, which is more of what the Naui Master Diver course or GUE Fundamentals are about. Maybe some want to be tourist diver tour guides?

Are you specifically out to become a 'dive professional?'

Richard.

 

[Progen]

I was hoping to be an instructor initially after seeing so many tourist and casual local divers as well as some self proclaimed 'experienced' ones practicing lots of potentially life threatening acts as well as destroying marine life / structures but time and finances do not allow for now plus I'd like to set aside some money for technical courses to improve my skills and knowledge further. That's why I thought I'd start with the divemaster certification for the time being, take a break from further courses for a few months and then head for the technical ones when I've resettled in wherever I'll be next.

The main aim will be to guide tourist divers and try to help them to correct whatever areas need help in. Getting paid to dive is of course a bonus but that's not the aim.

 

[drrich2]

The main aim will be to guide tourist divers and try to help them to correct whatever areas need help in.

Laudable goal, but could be frustrating for you. Not everybody likes being critically assessed and 'corrected,' which can cut customer satisfaction and cause problems (for the dive op. and for you). And as 'pack leader' who may not have time to work 1 on 1 with customers who would like the attention.

I'm not saying it won't work out for you; just that you might not find management (or the customer base, or time constraints) as supportive of reforming vacation divers as you might hope.

Richard.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My feeling is a good DM will get some tech training first. Like an Intro to Tech and Adv Nitrox/Deco or entry level trimix (helitrox) before taking a DM course. It will open your eyes and teach you skills that a pro should have. Cavern and Intrl to Cave would work as well. Learn how to really dive before learning how to sell a course. Plus there are already more DM's than are needed. What is really needed are ones that actually know how to dive.

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[boulderjohn]

Back to the original question....

I agree that a DM course takes much longer than either of the given times. I believe it is possible to do it much faster, though, if you are in a dedicated program that makes the training essentially a full time job. If every one of your days is filled with training and experience, it is certainly possible to compress a program that normally takes many months into a much shorter time period. If you are headquartered in Malaysia, you are not far from some such programs.

The choice between which program to use should be based, in my opinion, upon what you expect to do in the future. Look down the road and ask yourself about your potential in an agency. Even if Program A is a little better than Program B, if you eventually want to be an instructor through Program B, that is the one you want to go with.

BTW, I am both a PADI instructor and a TDI instructor, so I am linked to both of the programs you are considering. My recommendation is not biased either way.

 

[abyss_scuba]

Wow Progen way to go! What could be better than whole heartdly trying to improve the way divers interact with the marine environment and in a place many people go to dive. You will have a captive audience for as long as they are diving with you. So go work on your skills so you can lead by example. As for agencies and training I will say go PADI. You can cross over to another agency down the road should you desire it and you will find the greatest number of possibilities to work -therefore to impact divers (btw I am NAUI and PADI, I am strictly speaking number of shops). As for technical training thats a great idea but don't forget you have to be a good recreational diver before tech. You have about a week to work with most divers. Pick and choose the things you can work with in that time frame. What habits do you see that bother you, how do you think you can help correct those habits in a way that will be rewarding and not seem like work. Remember these ppl are on vacation. Well thats my 25 cent, sorry for the long rant.

 

[Progen]

Laudable goal, but could be frustrating for you. Not everybody likes being critically assessed and 'corrected,' which can cut customer satisfaction and cause problems (for the dive op. and for you). And as 'pack leader' who may not have time to work 1 on 1 with customers who would like the attention.

I'm not saying it won't work out for you; just that you might not find management (or the customer base, or time constraints) as supportive of reforming vacation divers as you might hope.

Richard.

Understand that totally because some of my own friends don't ask me out on dives anymore. I'm not that young and know I should keep my mouth shut when my comments aren't needed but I just can't help it when I see supposedly experienced divers (as claimed by them) knock over corals, , wear freediving fins claiming that they can use those because they're 'good divers', tell me that pointers are way easier to use for maneuvering than to learn backfinning / helicopter turns, use their pointers to harass marine life for extended periods and that gloves are for amateurs who like grabbing on to things. Ironically enough, I wear gloves all the time to keep warm and for safety reasons unless I've forgotten to bring them along BUT I do not use my hands underwater for any other reasons than to check and deploy equipment.

Being certified on the 1st of January this year, that makes me a newbie as well so besides hoping to educate certified divers, I hope to pick up useful skills for my own benefit which will in turn be passed on to others.

---------- Post added December 6th, 2013 at 05:31 PM ----------

... Cavern and Intrl to Cave would work as well. ...

I haven't seen any Cave courses being offered where I am which is Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia but I did see a PADI Cavern course offered although that will require flying to another part of the state. I'm interested enough but will need some careful planning to avoid having my pets' daily routine being upsetted for too long and anything more than 2 days is too long.

 

[Steve_C]

In most areas of life the offering of advice is a delicate business. Some want to improve. Many don't. This is especially true once one gets past the introductory student phase. I usually talk with them a bit to try and assess how open they are and get a feel for what works best and also what is really needed. Some times your best course of action may be to lead them away from the good delicate stuff.

You might want to talk to a few people who know you about how you can best learn to give advice.

Listening and learning is needed by both "student" and "teacher"