Dive only on boats where the DMs are treated fairly and paid a living wage

[2airishuman]

In a thread where I had posted a review of a dive op, a former employee posted a follow-up stating that he had worked there as a DM and was not satisfied with the pay, and was displeased with various other aspects of the work relationship. (For anyone new to the sport, divemasters, or DMs, are people who assist divers with gear and entry/exit, or serve as in-water guides)

Working as a DM pays notoriously poorly. People do it because they enjoy it, or because they get free air or free dives or other perks, or because they need the experience in order to become instructors.

I offer these questions for discussion:

1) Are there ANY operators who offer good wages and working conditions to their DMs?

2) Should paying customers avoid operators who do not pay a living wage? How are customers supposed to be able to tell?

3) Is the practice of tipping $10 a tank or so sufficient to make up for the poor wages?

4) Are we better off without DMs?

5) Is it fair to the operators to allow their ex-DMs to criticize their employment practices in reviews on scubaboard and elsewhere, particularly since the whole industry has a problem?

6) Are the certification agencies making it worse by insisting on an instructor development process that includes a de-facto unpaid apprenticeship period as a DM? How should that change?

 

[Bubblesong]

Another question I have is:
Are DM’s covered by Shop Insurance as employees, or their own Insurance or no Insurance?
The DM’s are open to being sued if a dive goes wrong, so I wondered what protection they have in return for assisting Shop.

 

[Scuba Scott]

Another question I have is:
Are DM’s covered by Shop Insurance as employees, or their own Insurance or no Insurance?

Maybe

The DM’s are open to being sued if a dive goes wrong, so I wondered what protection they have in return for assisting Shop.

A DM is required to have insurance in many parts of the world and it is encouraged in others. I am currently in a country where nobody has insurance. (Well, not nobody. I do but I am the only American at the shop and the only one concerned with liability due to local laws.) If the insurance isn't provided by the shop it is provided by the DM.
The shop often carries insurance because they want to make sure the employees are covered and they maintain control of the insurance to protect the business. An individual instructor or DM may provide their own insurance for the same reasons.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

In California DMs usually are with the group that charter the boat, so they are not paid. I worked as a DM for a year and made $0. Tips go to the boat crew so all I got was a "free" boat ride. I usually got to make one dive, but not always.

 

[elbig]

I have no idea what "living wage" really means. No one is forcing anybody to work as a DM. I clearly do not think anyone should criticize in social media or publicly an existing employer because they "feel" they want higher pay. If they no longer work there then I think they are free to state the reason they left is related to compensation. It works on supply and demand like many other things. If a dive shop cannot find competent DM's for a certain compensation then they would be forced to pay higher wages (and charge higher prices). If someone want to open a dive operation and pay whatever they want to DMs then please do so. They can advertise that is the policy and maybe they will have a workable business model and maybe not. My guess is it would not be viable. I suspect a dive shop would be willing to pay more if they could charge more. They are limited to what their clients are willing and able to pay and what their competition is charging.

 

[Scuba Scott]

In a thread where I had posted a review of a dive op, a former employee posted a follow-up stating that he had worked there as a DM and was not satisfied with the pay, and was displeased with various other aspects of the work relationship. (For anyone new to the sport, divemasters, or DMs, are people who assist divers with gear and entry/exit, or serve as in-water guides)

He should move on and work somewhere that pays what he is worth.

Working as a DM pays notoriously poorly.

Yes, it does.

People do it because they enjoy it, or because they get free air or free dives or other perks, or because they need the experience in order to become instructors.

This is why it pays poorly. It is hard to demand a living wage to do something that someone else is willing to do for free. The shop or the "dive industry" is not to blame. It is the fault of every DM who works for free. If you are a DM working for free, you are the reason someone can't earn a living doing that job.

1) Are there ANY operators who offer good wages and working conditions to their DMs?

Probably. They would be in the minority.

2) Should paying customers avoid operators who do not pay a living wage? How are customers supposed to be able to tell?

You can tell if you pay twice as much to dive with one shop compared to all other shops in the area.

3) Is the practice of tipping $10 a tank or so sufficient to make up for the poor wages?

No, but it helps.

4) Are we better off without DMs?

Unless it is an extremely poor DM, I can't imagine any scenario where having a DM present would not in some way improve some aspect of the dive. The only exception would be if the DM is actually dangerous and you don't see that very often.

5) Is it fair to the operators to allow their ex-DMs to criticize their employment practices in reviews on scubaboard and elsewhere, particularly since the whole industry has a problem?

I feel people always get paid what they are worth. If you could earn more somewhere else then you should go do that if that is what you feel you need to do. For a DM to be "worth" more he would have to do something that would increase income to the employer more than what the DM is being paid. If he is unable to do that then he is not "worth" more. Does the DM bring in additional business or get people to buy more gear or sign up for classes they wouldn't have otherwise purchased? That is adding value and worth. If he is just making sure everyone is back on the boat then that is probably something the Captain could do.

6) Are the certification agencies making it worse by insisting on an instructor development process that includes a de-facto unpaid apprenticeship period as a DM? How should that change?

This is not the case with any agency I am aware of. The apprenticeships are simply a way to artificially increase the market demand for dive professionals in order to quickly move them through the certification process. The demand for the professional certification is currently much higher than the need for professionals so these programs fill the need of creating work for them where it would not otherwise exist. I am assuming the apprenticeships are the ones where people work for a shop for free for several months in exchange for training, not the process of meeting certification requirements while closely supervised by an instructor.

 

[diversteve]

I'm reasonably sure I don't know any DM's that are paid. I have two good friends who DM for a shop locally and they dive in SoCal so act as van drivers and gear sherpas on weekend shop trips in exchange for a free berth on the boat, free shared (they're a couple) hotel room if there's a shore dive day and since most SoCal boats the DM stays dry - they only get wet to help if there's a class. And get to dive when the pool is open - I've dove with one of my buddies a couple times.

And they get Keyman discounts. Both are actually independent instructors so carry their own insurance. Both also have day jobs.

Once my friend got to sherpa on a week long Bahamas liveaboard since none of the instructors could go. The crew on the boat handled all the diving - all he had to do was coordinate getting the guests and luggage to the boat. Easy because the shop also has an integrated travel agent for the flight bookings etc.

I dive in Carib dive destinations - most DM's I met are actually trainees in a program so paying the dive operation.

Most of the DM's I've met on group trips - we fill the boat - are actually instructors doing double duty as DM's for us. I've heard competition for jobs in some locations makes that necessary to live there.

One once gave us a detailed description of the best happy hours on the island - he lived on that for a couple years - and slept on an outdoor apt. porch.

I might've met a paid DM on a Myrtle Beach dive boat one week - he was not an instructor but helped with gear setup and dove first on each wreck to tie off and note the conditions he relayed in the briefing but I never saw him get in the water with customers. I hink their insurance covered him.

 

[northernone]

In Canada when we hire dive staff they are paid well. If someone wants to live in paradise and is happy with 2$ daily for the opportunity to earn tips, I feel it is their responsibility to either 1. Quit 2. Demonstrate their worth and get a raise.

I wouldn't want my bias of what's a living wage to ruin someone else's tropical dream adventure as a low paid DM.

It isn't forced prostitution, the dive professionals are willing participants and most enjoy the experience.

The dive master course can be delivered as a course, without a long free labor component.

Cameron

 

[BRT]

I have no idea what "living wage" really means. No one is forcing anybody to work as a DM. I clearly do not think anyone should criticize in social media or publicly an existing employer because they "feel" they want higher pay. If they no longer work there then I think they are free to state the reason they left is related to compensation. It works on supply and demand like many other things. If a dive shop cannot find competent DM's for a certain compensation then they would be forced to pay higher wages (and charge higher prices). If someone want to open a dive operation and pay whatever they want to DMs then please do so. They can advertise that is the policy and maybe they will have a workable business model and maybe not. My guess is it would not be viable. I suspect a dive shop would be willing to pay more if they could charge more. They are limited to what their clients are willing and able to pay and what their competition is charging.

Cockeyed capitalist. Has the right answer though.

 

[Steve_C]

[QUOTE="2airishuman, post: 8462942, member: 470361"
1) Are there ANY operators who offer good wages and working conditions to their DMs?[/QUOTE]

How can you tell? Often in NC the DMs are also instructors, help out in the shop, etc. so short of asking for their W2s how can you tell.

2) Should paying customers avoid operators who do not pay a living wage? How are customers supposed to be able to tell?

Not my job. I avoid operators who do not give me a good and safe dive experience and run their operations like cancelatoins, decisions to dive, etc in a way I like..

3) Is the practice of tipping $10 a tank or so sufficient to make up for the poor wages?

It must help. i know a fellow who is an asst principal who summer and weekends has been a DM for years on a local op. Must be sufficient for him. That does not include any guiding fees which are extra. Boat takes 16 with two DM. If everybody tips he would get $160 a trip.

4) Are we better off without DMs?

I do not see how this is possible. In case of emergency who is doing the rescue. Captain has to stay on the boat. Who is setting and retreiving the anchor that we tie in?. In bouncy waters who is helping geared up people to the back? And who is helping shlep my tanks from the bulkhead to the boat and back.

5) Is it fair to the operators to allow their ex-DMs to criticize their employment practices in reviews on scubaboard and elsewhere, particularly since the whole industry has a problem?

Allow? ex anything wives, friends, customers .... can say what they want. Question makes no sense to me

6) Are the certification agencies making it worse by insisting on an instructor development process that includes a de-facto unpaid apprenticeship period as a DM? How should that change?

Certification agencies, in US anyway, are profit making industries who get their money by selling books, course packs, registration fees, etc. What DMs are paid has nothing to do with their business or business model.