Divemaster & Instructor Qualifications: Your Opinion

[on_two_wheels]

I agree...it's not the quantity that should matter, it's the quality. There should be an independent evaluation of new instructors. Leave the curriculum as it is. However, for final certification he/she must travel to agency headquarters for the final exam, practical demonstration of teaching several skills in water and perform several skills of their own (such as rescue procedures). If they fail, they return for additional training before trying again. Three failures results in denial of future consideration. Upon signing up, they sign off acknowledging that they are ultimately responsible for passing unless they can conclusively prove a failure on the part of the instructor. Sure....there's some details to be worked out but something like this IS possible.

 

[Walter]

it takes more than knowledge and experience to be an effective teacher.

I have absolutely no argument with that. I was merely pointing out that proficiency is not the only reason why experience is necessary. I was not trying to make the case that experience made one a teacher.

 

[Leejnd]

I have absolutely no argument with that. I was merely pointing out that proficiency is not the only reason why experience is necessary. I was not trying to make the case that experience made one a teacher.

No worries - I get that. I should have worded my response better, to indicate I was only adding to what you were saying.

The recent thread about the f-bomb-dropping instructor I think drove home the importance of having traits beyond dive experience and skill in making a good instructor.

 

[tomfcrist]

There should be an independent evaluation of new instructors. Leave the curriculum as it is. However, for final certification he/she must travel to agency headquarters for the final exam, practical demonstration of teaching several skills in water and perform several skills of their own (such as rescue procedures).

Well some agencys do that for Tech instructors, but for Rec instructors i have to disagree.

That is why we have Course Directors, and IT's. If THEY fail to adhere to the standards for their Inst. candiates, then they should be censured....But to send Every Instructor Candidate to HQ for a checkout???? How much would that cost not only the Candidate, but also the CD/IT? The CD definatly couldnt charge as much for his course if it isnt all inclusive.

Just a few thoughts from my peanut gallery.

 

[RU4SKUBA]

Diving skills mastered with excellent buoyancy control from a horizontal trim in their working conditions; organizational skills and the ability to manage class time; some teaching experience with the ability to effectively evaluate and correct problems; excellent swimming skills with the ability to use a backboard, rescue equipment, and swim 400m utilizing one continuous and one gliding stroke; fitness to carry out an emergency action plan.

If they can do that in 100 dives then I frankly don't care how long they've been in the business or how many total dives they have.

 

[Kingpatzer]

The number of dives is probably only a moderate indicator of an instructor's ability. It compares to hours logged for a pilot or captain of a vessel. How would you quantify the ability of an instrutor to effectively teach? School systems are still trying to figure that one out.

Probably the number of years actively teaching is the best indicator. That shows the instructor likes it enough to stick with it, and the public has supported the instructor.

The job is "instructor" it is not "commercial diver."

The key requirement is not their own personal skill, or even their own experience level. The key requirement is the ability to instruct.

 

[Leejnd]

The job is "instructor" it is not "commercial diver."

The key requirement is not their own personal skill, or even their own experience level. The key requirement is the ability to instruct.

Well...I think it's important to have all three. No matter how good a teacher you are, if you don't have a solid grasp of what you're teaching, you won't be very effective.

 

[weidelk]

Can someone, ANYONE present any actual evidence that there is something inherently unsound about being taught to dive by someone with only 150 or so dives? So many people on this board have complete delusions of grandeur about what they do, here's a little secret I'll let you in on - 90% of divers don't give a damn about your 4000 dives or your super-duper customised BPW set up or your endless boring anecdotes about how tough diver training was in your day.

We like to dive because it's FUN. If an instructor can get the message across whilst ensuring I have fun then he / she is a good instructor.

According the DAN stats, the two groups most at risk whilst diving are: a) those undertaking inherently dangerous things such as cave diving; or b) fat Americans in their 50s and 60s who have been diving all their lives and think this makes them 'safe' divers but whose hearts give out after one too many cheese burgers. So lay off those of us who are happy with our PADI training, and are also happy with the fact that we are safer & more comfortable in the water than all of these self-proclaimed legends of the sport (you know who you are). All I can say is thank goodness you don't run the ski industry, if you did we'd all be forced to sit through 4 weeks of intensive avalanche survial training before you'd let us on the bunny slopes.

Rant over, thanks for listening.

 

[Peter Guy]

Leej wrote

Note that some certifying agencies are pretty rigid about NOT allowing their instructors to teach beyond what's in the course...EXACTLY what's in the course, no more, no less. Instructors don't necessarily have the option of teaching above the minimum standards - they can get in trouble for that.

I only am familiar with the requirements of a few agencies, PADI in particular, and the statement is/maybe misleading. I'm quite sure that ALL agencies have limits on what an instructor may teach in "X" class (no staged decompression in a basic Open Water Class for example). But I'm unaware of being able to "teach above the minimum standards" -- again, in particular for PADI.

At the margins, this can become a very fine line only found, perhaps, by Jesuits!, but I'm allowed, no encouraged, to expand on topics/skills within the curriculum, but it is true I'm not allowed to introduce "new topics or skills" (or words to that effect) -- unless, of course, it happens to directly pertain to local diving conditions. HOWEVER, if an instructor states she may only teach to the minimum standards, I submit that instructor is not doing her job.

 

[TEArrington]

I agree that instructors should have solid knowledge, both depth and breadth of dive experience, good teaching skills (including time management and interpersonal relations), and be passionate about diving. I'm not sure I agree with what I think is the OP's suggestion that someone with 150 dives is definitely not ready to be a DM candidate. I think I understand why he feels that way, and I used to feel that way too. Now I don't, and here is why: I think a DM should approach performing those responsibilities in the same way that any diver is supposed to approach any dive -- you should dive well within the limits of your training and experience. If a person who only dives at a local quarry is sufficiently knowledgable about diving there, has the right skills & behaviors and completes DM training, I believe he could do a good job working as a DM on dives at the local quarry. That doesn't mean he should move to another state and immediately begin work as a DM on a dive boat, because those conditions are outside not only his DM experience but also his personal dive experience. If you want to DM in new conditions, first you have to become proficient personally. Then you can incorporate the DM activities.

Each person learns and develops skills at a different rate, and therefore I don't know that any set of minimum standard prerequisites will guarantee every candidate for DM or Instructor is ready and will be good when finished. But we have to start somewhere, and hope that folks who train DMs and Instructors will guide and coach individuals who pursue these certifications to ensure they don't put other students at risk.

This summer I decided I wanted to get a DM certification not because I wanted to work as a DM, but because I wanted to learn more about dive physiology and improve my dive skills. I love learning. Well, I will tell you that the DM class kicked my @$$, and I have not yet completed it. And that is ok, because I learned a lot and I will likely complete the class sometime within the next year. And that still does not mean I will immediately begin working as a DM any class any time. I don't think I'm ready yet. But I do think it was valuable that I could take this class now because it has helped me realize what I am good at in diving and prioritize what I want to work on next. I plan to never stop learning, regardless of whether I am just another diver, or become an instructor or a course director.