Dive master training - lds or down in the keys?

[reikonyc]

I am thinking of doing the dive masters through PADI. I have Rescue and some Nitrox, Drysuit, etc, but I want to take the next big step.

Here's the question: I was thinking of going down to the Keys to do a one week intensive with a dive shop in tavernier that I like in summer of '07. But I heard it might be better if you do it with your local dive shop where you spend 6 months working/volunteering slowly over time because you're more likely to get work later.

My job is pretty demanding time-wise so it would be a lot easier for me to take the one week off, but I thought that might be a dead-end since I don't live in FLA. Can you get a divemasters down there and use it back home? I'm not looking to do this full-time right now, but I may one day...

Anyone have any thoughts, comments? What are the things you can do with a Dive Masters anyway? Thanks in advance.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

In my opinion you will be a better Dive Master if you do it at your LDS and take your time.....The DM course is an intense, very interesting course, that teaches you another side of diving and I dont feel that doing a one week crash course teaches you all of the other aspects of being a DM

Just my $.02

 

[beautybelow]

That would be a very intensive week to jam the padi dm course into. I would think you would miss out on a lot of diving that usually goes along with it. The dm certification is good anywhere you go, just like the open water, adv and so on.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

I would have to agree with Dive Right, not to mention that the assisting with students will be more realistic for you in the enviroment that you will be functioning as a Divemaster in as compared to the keys which can often be more of an "ideal" place conditions wise.

 

[Footslogger]

Can't comment on the differences in program quality but if you're pressed for time an IDC down in the Keys might be a better choice.

I went the LDS route back in the early 90's and worked on it over a 5 - 6 month period of time. Gave me a lot of time to absorb the knowledge and really practice the skills.

 

[divemaster_jim]

I'd offer that you'd better served by going thru your LDS, may take more time but you'll get "real world" experience. I went thru a similiar thing with my DM course, but I did it with my LDS prior to my moving to Virginia from Michigan, I missed alot doing that,
Plus alot of shops, including the one I work at now, aren't to hip to "shake & bake" Instructors or Dms'.

 

[herman]

I agree with the rest, you really are not going to get the best training in a quickie week course. "Simulated" students are nothing like the real thing, both from a "doing stupid things" and "the excitement in their eyes" perspective. At home, figure on at least 6 to 8 months and a year is not uncommon if you get good instruction.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Our course is a minimum of 6 months............

 

[Tienuts]

One thing to consider, is how many hours of instruction and how many training dives you do in each respective class.

My LDS offered what I considered to be a half-arsed DM over a few months. The class would have been 1-2 people at most, and met the bare minimum PADI standards. Having taken my advanced and EANx with this LDS, I'm sure they would have shortcut the standards.

For this reason I elected to take the weeklong class. We did 7 days straight 10 hour days - 30 hours of classroom, and 10 open water dives, 2 4 hr pool sessions. They drilled us on all sorts of things, until it was burned in our heads. Not only that, but since we had a class size of 6, we got experience leading guided tours. The other students would be our "Tour group" and intentionally try to recreate common diver mistakes for you to catch.

In addition, we were lucky in the fact that all DM students were from out of town and stayed at the same hotel. We all studied after hours. It was hard, and not for everyone, but I feel I got a class my LDS certianly could not have given.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

At the shop I instruct for the dive leaders we train ourselves work out much better than those who go to another area for their card. The cards the same, the training usually isn't. I know I want my assistants to do things "the way I like it". You only learn than by actually helping with classes.