Divemaster in Roatan

[Bah]

Hi,

I've got six-eight weeks of vacation time coming up this summer and I was thinking about doing a divemaster course in Roatan (or someplace similar - requirements being cheap, warm, sunny and good diving). I'm a PADI AOW, with about 50 dives logged. I'm looking for someplace to travel solo, have been to Belize and Mexico before. Both nice places, but Belize is a little on the expensive size (I'm a student, so budget is a major factor) and I would like to see some new places.

If anybody has any advice on doing a divemaster course in general, or suggestions for other places to look into other than Roatan/Utila, then I'd appreciate it. As I said, I only have 6-8 weeks of vacation time and don't intend on ever working as a divemaster in the future (although that could change) so it's mainly just the experience I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can give me.

 

[peterbj7]

If you just want to improve your diving and have a good time, why don't you go to Playa del Carmen and do an intro-tech course? And dive the cenotes at the same time. The DM course is aimed squarely at people who DO want to work in the industry.

 

[caflynn]

Hey Bah,

I am currently doing my DM training at Coconut Tree Divers in West End, Roatan. I am having a fantastic time and highly recommend doing the course regardless of your future plans. Why say no to 2 months of pure diving and learning the ins and outs of something you are interested in?

West End definitely meets your requirements - I find it a great place to live and dive

My general advice would be to check out a dive shop in person before you commit i.e. give them money. I learned the hard way that a website does not always give an accurate impression of a shop. I ended up basically paying $1,000 for an AOW course and 5 nights lodging as a result. Then I moved to West End and spent about 2 weeks checking out the different shops there before choosing my favorite.

In your situation I recommend narrowing your choices down to one island or one town that has multiple dive shops, and then just going there. In your first day or two you can visit the different shops, meet the instructors, and find the one that best fits you. I think finding people you get along with is especially important in your case, as you are looking more for a fun experience than a stepping stone to employment.

So that's my advice, hope it helps. PM me if you want any more info.

Clair

 

[halocline]

Hi Clair! I'm still in mourning for having to come back to TX and do some work. Your advice is right on the money. One thing I'd add is that Utila is a really popular place to do your DM class, especially with younger students; it's supposedly a little cheaper than Roatan, but I can't say for sure because I've never been there.

I also really like the west end and Coconut tree.

 

[peterbj7]

You asked for advice on doing a DM course in general. Let me give you my views. I'm now a PADI Staff Instructor and technical instructor, and I did my own PADI DM course well over a decade ago.

Working as a DM is a very responsible job. Whether you're working with students on courses, or as a dive guide with certified divers, you are with people who look up to you and rely on you for their safety. If you don't respond appropriately you could ultimately be responsible for their lives. Working as a DM is NOT just fun. Now, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy the course that makes you a DM and your subsequent work, but you must never forget your responsibilities. I know some good DMs, but I also come across some I regard as dangerous because they have little experience of life-threatening incidents and they don't know how to act. It's pure serendipidity that they've not already been involved in a serious incident that they could have (helped to) avoid.

I also notice that many DMs and early instructors have deficient personal diving skills. I believe that before you become a DM you should be a nitrox diver, have experience diving doubles, have both warm and cold water experience (the latter in a dry suit), and generally have good rounded diving experience. Then before you graduate as a DM you should have worked on lots of courses at all levels, and helped to guide divers of all experience levels in a wide range of conditions. In England it's pretty normal for a DM course to be an internship lasting a year or more. It's also common for intimate knowledge of the Instructor manual to be required before you're certified - I bought my manual when I started my DM internship.

IMO, it is WAY too easy to become a DM. Sure, a short course can be a lot of fun as others have already said, but what sort of a DM does it make you?

Intro tech diving, on the other hand, is focussed on you improving and extending your own diving skills. Because the "card" doesn't have the market value of the DM card there's less hype surrounding it, and there's correspondingly far more substance. It can also be very great fun, but you'll be worked to your limits and maybe beyond them. With a good instructor you'll be significantly stretched, and at the end you'll know you are a much better diver. If you want, THEN you can go off and become a DM.

 

[CODMAN]

BAH, you've got some great info here, especially by peter. This said, I'm in exactly the same position as you: experience wise, budget wise, and no intention to ever work as a DM wise (although, I will be able to apply the knowledge from the course to my job).

I finally decided on... The Philippines! Yes the plane ticket is more expensive... But the courses are about the same price and cost of living over there seems to be the same, or less (depending on how cheap you want to be). And from what pretty much everyone had been telling me, the diving blows away anything in the caribean. Not that I didn't like the caribean (I liked Roatan a lot), but I'm going to be spending 5 weeks in the Philippines doing the DM course (I know Peter, you don't agree with this :14: sorry!) so I wanted the best dive location for a vacation/ great diving/ good quality course. The hardest part was: 1- finding where in the Philippines to go (there are too many good places to dive there), and 2- to find a good place to do my DM course (get a good course; not just a factory DM assembly line). I finally settled on an instructor who is very reputable there and who gives mainly Tech courses (he teaches them all). Apparently, I'm in for one hell of a ride doing my course with him as he apparently pushes you hard to improve... So I hopefully will be getting a quality course, while having fun in paradise.

Anyways, it's just food for thought! No matter where you choose, still remember it's not just the location or the price that counts. It's also the quality of the course you'll receive, even if you don't intend pursuing a career as a DM. I'm leaving in 3 weeks. Contact me after I return if you want to find out how it went...

Cheers!

 

[Bay Island Diver]

I think there are two interesting things coming out of this thread.

FIRSTLY visit the dive shop and meet the instructors BEFORE you part with any cash!

SECONDLY the DM course needs to have a decent amount of time devoted to it. 6 Weeks really is the minimum time you should spend doing it to get the most out of the course. Even after you have obtained your DM rating there is still a lot to learn. You are not instantly a dive god, and when you dive in unfamiliar conditions or with unfamiliar equipment you need to consider getting additional training to adapt to these changes, EVEN as a mighty DM. I don't agree that you should have to have dived in every environment known to man with all the different equipment configurations available to man before you can qualify as a DM though, just knowing where you knowledge gaps are and therefore what your limitations are is more important.

I think training at operations that also offer TEC training is a definite bonus. The market seems to be moving in that direction, so an instructor who also teaches TEC is an instructor you may want for your DM course, any exposure you get to that side of diving during your DM training is going to beneficial.

On Roatan, the only shop offering both Tec Training, Rec training and Instructor Development is Coconut Tree, Utila has UDC and i believe BICD also offers both.

 

[Bah]

Thanks for all your responses so far.

If you just want to improve your diving and have a good time, why don't you go to Playa del Carmen and do an intro-tech course? And dive the cenotes at the same time. The DM course is aimed squarely at people who DO want to work in the industry.

I have been to Playa del Carmen before, but think it'll be out of my budget for a trip longer than a few weeks. I enjoyed it while I was there, but I do prefer the more laid back, less developed places, like Caye Caulker in Belize and (from what I hear) the Bay Islands. I haven't looked into any kind of intro-tech courses before (I'm assuming you're referring to the NAUI introductory tech diving courses, right?)

I am currently doing my DM training at Coconut Tree Divers in West End, Roatan. I am having a fantastic time and highly recommend doing the course regardless of your future plans. Why say no to 2 months of pure diving and learning the ins and outs of something you are interested in?

West End definitely meets your requirements - I find it a great place to live and dive

Thanks for the advice Clair. I have been looking at some of the dive operators in Roatan, but the only ones who have spaces on any divemaster course in May/June are Reef Gliders. Like you said, it's difficult to judge quality soley by their website, so if you have any info/advice on this shop then feel free to PM me! Also, roughly how much did it cost you to do your divemaster course and how much prior experience did you have?

Working as a DM is a very responsible job.

Thanks for your response (excuse the edit, but I didn't want to make the response too long.

I appreciate the responsibility side of the job - I have experienced some very poor divemasters and instructors before (even with my limited experience) and I definitely recognise the inherent dangers. I have experience working as a lifeguard - while the work is completely unrelated (other than being in the water and learning CPR/first aid skills), it does instill a sense of responsibility and caution. If I were to take up a divemaster course it's not something I would take too lightly.

Re the experience side of things - obviously with only c50 dives, I'm not going to be hugely experienced. Doing this course appealed to me in part because of the huge amount of (cheap) experience it would give me. I wouldn't say I'm an expert diver, but I do have the basics. I trained about 8 years ago Ireland, during the winter (in a semi-dry suit). While I agree that cold water diving is a lot more challenging than warm water (especially in the poor conditions off the Irish coast), I don't find it very enjoyable and have no real intention of ever diving in Ireland/the UK/anywhere with water temp less than 20 degrees!

The prospect of a long term internship does sound great - but it's completely impractical for me. I'm starting work at the begining on August and won't have any more than a week off (two at a push) for the forseable future.

As I said above, the Intro to Tech Diving course does sound good - but doesn't fit in with my budget/timeframe. I'm more interested in general experience rather than different mixes/wreck/cave/other tech diving skills.

Codman - I'll pm you in a few weeks to see how you're finding it - I was diving in Vietnam and Thailand last year (I know it's very different and very far from the Philipines, but I can't see how you won't love it. I heard plenty of reports of great diving and cheap too!)

Bay Island Diver - thanks for your advice. Visiting the dive shops and instructors is definitely a must for me - but it's also something that might completely mess up my plans! Trying to arrange flights and accommodation means that I could have a serious mess on my hands if I turn up and can't get a spot on a course! I also agree with your comment on DMs needing consistent and regular training. Like I said above, I don't intend on using my DM qualification after this trip, so it's really just a means to an end for me (getting lots of dive experience, meeting new people and living someplace warm and sunny for a few weeks!). I think I'd enjoy it while I'm doing it and work at it and I would love to spend a year or two working as a divemaster(/instructor eventually), but with finishing university and starting work, it's not going to be something I can do for longer than 6 weeks.

 

[peterbj7]

I'm assuming you're referring to the NAUI introductory tech diving courses, right?

I was actually thinking of the IANTD Advanced Nitrox course, preceded (if necessary) by their Nitrox course. Teaches an awful lot about gear handling and task loading. If you go to a rec/tec centre you may be able to do your DM course and the Adv EANx course concurrently. Doesn't have to be IANTD, though their syllabus and philosophy are particularly good - TDI would also do. I'm not sure if the NAUI courses haven't been watered down a bit too much, though they used to be excellent.

I don't know where you dived off Ireland, but I've had some wonderful dives off the west coast. You may find if you go back after you're got a fair number more dives under your belt that you appreciate the area more.

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Helo Bah,

You've been to Thailand, so why not come here to do your DM? Cost of living is ridiculously low and here in Pattaya were a bit more urbanized, comfortable and convenient than most dive areas in the Philippines.

We offer an all-inclusive divemaster internship that lets you go from your current level to DM over the span of 2 months. During that time you get UNLIMITED diving. Go 7 days a week if you like! You also get 3 months accommodations, a full set of equipment to own (or a discount if you have your own gear already), your courses & certification fees, your choice of 3 packages of bonus courses to round out your experience plus a year of job placement services with our Jobs4Divers.com diving jobs employment agency.

Or, make the leap and go for instructor. It takes only 1 month longer!

Full details are on our website at DivingInstructorTraining.com. There you'll find a lot of information that shows why Aquanauts is the best choice for a PADI DM or Instructor internship.

Pattaya also has the advantage of being a well-developed resort city. Basically, you get the enjoyment of living in a tropical beach town with the conveniences of city life, including 2 recompression chambers, 2 world-class hospitals, lots of cinemas, shopping and restaurants, and all at the very low prices Thailand is famous for.

Have a look at our site and see how it compares. We also have a toll-free number on the website to reach us at to ask questions.