DIR setup for DM certification??

[Albion]

If the shop or Instructor will not allow you to dive a BP/wing, you really should not be taking a class with them. Take your business elsewhere if they start acting stupid.

Im not really DIR but would like to add my piece. You need to think about what your duties would be as a DM. During my training period i used a jacket for the pool work with conventional hose rig so the skills could be performed in a nice PADI way without any confusion to the students. Having a B/p wing can also be a pain in pool work where a lot of time is spent bobbing around on the surface explaining and talking over skills. Also a conventional rig is less threatening to new divers.

Most of my roles as a DM is often leading newly certified or not so confident divers. As such one of the biggest problems usually for first dive of the weekend is getting the weighting right, yeah they should know, but there is always one. So i make sure my B/P or my transpac has some pocket space on it for extra weights, usualy one or two spares to pass out or possibly but not often to take off them. As a DM you need to be comfortable diving what you are happy with, and that you can easily control. You may not be able to perform a nice DIR horizontal ascent with someone who has spooked themselves and need to be able to adapt.

You may think you are a good diver, but helping to teach that ability to others is a different skill set and not everyone is learning to dive as a first step to buying a shed load of gear. They just want to be able to dive, and seeing you hovering in perfect trim in B/P wing is not going to help them in a rental jacket.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Im not really DIR but would like to add my piece. You need to think about what your duties would be as a DM. During my training period i used a jacket for the pool work with conventional hose rig so the skills could be performed in a nice PADI way without any confusion to the students.

I never had any trouble demonstrating skills in a bp/wing and it sure never confused any one. What's the trouble?

Having a B/p wing can also be a pain in pool work where a lot of time is spent bobbing around on the surface explaining and talking over skills.

My bp/wing is no trouble at all at the surface. In fact it's orders of magnitude more comfortable at the surface than any bc I ever used since it stays put and isn't wrapped around me.

Also a conventional rig is less threatening to new divers.

Maybe someday what's conventional will change but I never noticed any of my students being threatened by my wing. In fact I prefer it if my students are wearing one also.

Most of my roles as a DM is often leading newly certified or not so confident divers. As such one of the biggest problems usually for first dive of the weekend is getting the weighting right, yeah they should know, but there is always one. So i make sure my B/P or my transpac has some pocket space on it for extra weights, usualy one or two spares to pass out or possibly but not often to take off them.

Most divers are overweighted but the answer isn't to put their extra weights in your own pocket. You can't dive well and set a good example (also a major role of a DM) if you have your pockets stuffed with extra weight.

As a DM you need to be comfortable diving what you are happy with, and that you can easily control. You may not be able to perform a nice DIR horizontal ascent with someone who has spooked themselves and need to be able to adapt.

The equipment that you are most comfortable in and have the the most control in will best enable you to respond to problems. It's funny though how we expect these divers to be spooked though isn't it? It says a lot about the way we teach diving.

You may think you are a good diver, but helping to teach that ability to others is a different skill set and not everyone is learning to dive as a first step to buying a shed load of gear. They just want to be able to dive, and seeing you hovering in perfect trim in B/P wing is not going to help them in a rental jacket.

Why have students in a rental "jacket"? Also I beg to differ but having students see you hover in perfect trim does more to teach students than anything that you can say. Teaching is very much a monkey see monkey do kind of thing and the first step in getting students to dive well is to dive well yourself.

As far as buying a boat load of gear...a nice hogarthian rig is going to result in less gear purchases not more. It's very simple, streightforward and does away with most of the useless crap that so many recreational divers clip all over themselves.

 

[bwerb]

As far as buying a boat load of gear...a nice hogarthian rig is going to result in less gear purchases not more. It's very simple, streightforward and does away with most of the useless crap that so many recreational divers clip all over themselves.

I think perhaps we've hit the nail on the head with this one!

 

[Dan Gibson]

I disagree. You are supposed to be a role model. Many, if not most of the students I'm around do try to immitate what they see. Even in a jacket they can get horizintal. It's not as easy as a BP/Wing, but it can be done. Give the students a little credit. They are capable of a lot more than you think.

They just want to be able to dive, and seeing you hovering in perfect trim in B/P wing is not going to help them in a rental jacket.

 

[Dan Gibson]

Take it a little farther. I think if the shop demands I wear a specific brand as an active DM, that I am in fact advertising for them. Now that shop had better pay me because I don't advertise for free. My advertising fee is pretty steep. Besides, just helping out in a DM role is helping them make money. We aren't really paid to do it. We get discounts (not that big of a break) and free fills. Mostly, we do it because we like to help. Seems to me if I'm forced to use the shops gear, I ought to at least get it at cost. In fact, a better deal would be for the shop to outfit their DMs at the shops costs. If in fact we are selling for them, it's an investment for the shop. The gear remains property of the shop, but you use it. If you are worth anything to the shop, they will strike up a deal. They can't afford to let you go if you really make a difference in their sales.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Whatever system you teach with, you should be able to go with the system you believe in from the beginning. I don't think it is wise to start with one gear configuration and then already be planning for the chance that the student will work up to changing to backplate and wings.

I also think that at least a five foot hose should be from day one.

 

[ams511]

This is an interesting thread, but I have kind of an ignorant question. What does a diveshop divemaster do? I have been on many boats which have divemasters and I know what they do. Also do you need to pay for this training or does the store provide it for free?

 

[Dan Gibson]

A lot of things if they are worth anything. You pay for training. For those that actually intern instead of just take a class where you do the minimum requirements, you will usually be helping out in the shop and you are not paid for several months. That's free labor for the shop. Once you get your cert, you may be compensated in some small way. Duties run from getting new students sized, hauling gear each week, filling tanks, helping in the pool, helping at checkouts, leader in clubs, lead people on dives that are new and may not be familiar with a site, lead trips, helping customers with new purchases (i.e. sales), being a mentor, helping divers when the gear they have is broken, supplying other divers with spare gear at times, and on and on and on...

Basically you need to be able to anticipate and provide. This is something interning under a good instructor will accomplish. Many who don't really intern, never quite figure it out.

This is an interesting thread, but I have kind of an ignorant question. What does a diveshop divemaster do? I have been on many boats which have divemasters and I know what they do. Also do you need to pay for this training or does the store provide it for free?

 

[bcsean]

Bwerb, I'm with ya now. I guess my problem is that I was pretty much skipping by the training and looking at what the situation will be when working for the shop. The actual DM course we are taking doens't really focus on gear at all. I asked to make sure the instructor wasn't gonna have a problem teaching someone in a BP/wing due to stories I've heard where this is going to be an issue.

And I wanted to make sure they didn't have an issue with me working for them, not representing the products they sell, cause if that's the case, I'll DM for another shop. I guess I just went into this with the intention to be working at my shop once I'm done. This is where all these questions came from. I'll post here if the DM course becomes about selling gear, cause I'd be quite upset if it was.

 

[sharkmasterbc]

Quote

"Duties run from getting new students sized, hauling gear each week, filling tanks, helping in the pool, helping at checkouts, leader in clubs, lead people on dives that are new and may not be familiar with a site, lead trips, helping customers with new purchases (i.e. sales), being a mentor, helping divers when the gear they have is broken, supplying other divers with spare gear at times, and on and on and on..."

Dan hit it right on here...