Divemaster Responsibilities

[Thalassamania]

Good post, except for the disparaging remark about chess, perhaps the best training ground that exists concerning the many wrong branches that an occurrence can produce.

"The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess." - Benjamin Franklin

 

[Cave Diver]

Good post, except for the disparaging remark about chess, perhaps the best training ground that exists concerning the many wrong branches that an occurrence can produce.

I don't think that suggesting they take up chess was meant as a disparaging remark about chess. Just alluding to the fact that some people should be involved in activities with less physical dangers.

 

[Qnape]

I don't think that suggesting they take up chess was meant as a disparaging remark about chess. Just alluding to the fact that some people should be involved in activities with less physical dangers.

That is, of course, correct. Perhaps less physically demanding in this specific case as well; the lap swims and treading water were also an issue for 2 of the three. Our instructor's specific words were "like chess, or something, instead" if I recall - it was about ten months ago. Admittedly, he kinda pushed the envelope and set us higher standards than strictly required by PADI as I came to learn, for which I thank him.

I loved chess as a kid and its value to the strengthening of mind are indisputable. I had not thought of the application of this to situational analysis in SCUBA diving, but it is a great point! I became more of a backgammon addict eventually as was common in colleges in New England in the late 70's. Thanks everyone for your comments and contributions on this board; I've learned a lot here, enough to have an inkling how much I didn't know even immediately after getting our c cards and how much more I don't know yet, to paraphrase JimLap.

 

[pilot fish]

A cute movie I just saw about chess, Searching for Bobby Fisher. Have you seen it? I play chess online everyday .Do you know GameKnot.com?

Good post, except for the disparaging remark about chess, perhaps the best training ground that exists concerning the many wrong branches that an occurrence can produce.

"The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess." - Benjamin Franklin

 

[Qnape]

A cute movie I just saw about chess, Searching for Bobby Fisher. Have you seen it? I play chess online everyday .Do you know GameKnot.com?

That was a good movie. Let the kid play speed chess! I enjoyed those scenes in the park despite how bad the instructor thought such play was for the boy.

 

[Thalassamania]

We play both sorts (my boy is a much better speed player than I am).

I just remind him that when it's all on the line (e.g. underwater) it's better to think carefully.

 

[pilot fish]

That was a good movie. Let the kid play speed chess! I enjoyed those scenes in the park despite how bad the instructor thought such play was for the boy.

Years ago I lived right near that park but never once sat down with those hustlers to play speed chess.

 

[pilot fish]

on topic: I think ANY REASONABLE person would have the expectation that a person that is presented as a Dive Master has certain credentials that will lead to a safe and orderly dive, especially when presnted by a Dive Op that has a good PADI rating. It is purposely MISLEADING to have a person called a Dive master, that is ONLY a Dive Guide lead a dive. DM denotes extra training and SAFETY.

I think any Dive shop that calls the person leading the dive a Dive Master, that is not trained as such, nor holds that certifiication, should be held liable if an accident occurs.

 

[Qnape]

I think any Dive shop that calls the person leading the dive a Dive Master, that is not trained as such, nor holds that certifiication, should be held liable if an accident occurs.

Frankly that sounds like clear misrepresentation on the part of a dive operator / shop regardless of whether an accident occurs or not. It is more than misleading, it is bait and switch bordering on fraud. If a mountain climbing outfit represents that they supply a "mountaineer" for an excursion and instead supplies a guide familiar with the paths to be traveled but with no specialized mountaineering experience or skills, for example, their customers are not getting what they thought they were paying for. The customers may end up having to rescue the guide! ( I know nothing about mountaineering and have no idea whether there is an certification involved, but the connotation of the term is obvious and is the point here.) There is certainly a difference in expectation as to the level of training and preparedness of a trained and certified dive professional over that of a "guide". At the very least, a diver would expect a DM to be sufficiently trained to be able to take care of themselves and not endanger themselves or become a liability or hazard on a dive by suggesting an unsafe course of action; they might not necessarily assume the same of a person labeled a "guide". Many newer divers would assume much more, to their peril. I would not take a "real" DM's word and follow blindly into the abyss as I was taught to plan and conduct my own dives; but I would certainly be even more cautious, even suspicious, regarding the advice or directions given by a "guide". I've never come across a "Dive Guide" in my short experience; I would be very displeased were I to find that an operator told me that a dive I was participating in would be led by a "DM" that did not hold that certification. From what I have read here, it would seem more likely that an operator might employ a person with a Dive Master certification and call them a "Dive Guide" to avoid liability in the case of an accident.

I tend to think, however, that the mere occurrence of such a misrepresentation (a dive op supplying a "guide" without a DM certification but using the title DM) would probably not be sufficient to hold the op liable in the event of an accident unless it could be shown that the accident somehow related to something the guide did or failed to do that would reasonably be expected of a DM, IMHO.

To take the issue of safety out of it for a moment, consider a tour of Machu Piccu in Peru. I would pay more for a tour conducted by an "archaealogist" than for one conducted by a "guide". Why should be obvious - you are paying for a display of the experience, knowledge and insights that can be provided by a trained professional, not the memorized recitations of a guide. If a tour company duped me in this regard, I would trash them at every opportunity.

 

[Thalassamania]

The whole Dive Guide thing is a red herring. That is not a phrase that was has been in common use. It is, I believe, just another example of PADI-speak aimed at ex post facto reduction of liability. Virtually all people working as DMs or so called DGs are, in point of fact, Certified Instructors; holding them to a lower standard on some occasions is kind of like holding a physician to a first responder standard just because its not office hours.