Divemaster vs. Tech Certification

[Paul Guzewicz]

I am currently a middle school teacher and have been diving for about 22 years. Recently finished my SDI Rescue course and have about 12 years till I can retire from my current career.

I am thinking ahead to my post-teaching career because I am not a person who can sit still and I would like to work in the dive industry. This could be as simply as working in a shop and going out on some trips to going the instructor route since I have a background in education.

My question is this, what would you recommend pursuing first Divemaster or starting to work my way through the technical classes.

I am interested in both and from what I have been told the Divemaster one will prepare me to work in the industry whereas the technical one will help to make me a stronger diver. Would you agree with this statement? Is one looked upon more favorable from an employment standpoint?

Thank you for any thoughts! I am wanting to knock out a class or two this summer and want to start lining up what I will do.

 

[grf88]

If you want to improve your skills then technical training is the way to go.

 

[akrizan]

I would also add that tech training also pushes out the diving that you can do. Part of the reason I did mine was after seeing the Spiegel Grove the first time I wanted to be able to do more bottom time in the 120ish FSW range. If you decide that it's something that you want to do later, I believe that SDI/TDI has a good system for upgrading your SDI divemaster or such to the tech side.

 

[lowflyer]

You have 12 years to go before retirement. Do the DM course when closer to retirement if you still think you want to go pro. It won't do you much good until then, and you will be paying yearly fees to keep it active. Do tech now, and dive a lot.

 

[Ben_3]

I agree with the statement. Divemaster is for working with classes and leading dives and Tech would be to better yourself.

 

[JackD342]

Is one looked upon more favorable from an employment standpoint?

If you are talking about working in the water with customers and students, then there is no alternative to going the DM/instructor route. Operators don’t deputize DMs or promote someone to DM, they hire folks with the credentials and the insurance to work as such.

 

[Scraps]

I'm already retired and just finished DM (mailed in the package last weekend, waiting for the card). I'll probably take some entry tech or fundies courses next.

Your schedule permits you to choose.

One reason to take DM first would be your natural inclination to teach. As a DM you can help with classes. As for money, the LDS I'm with covers the dive site entry fees for DMs and DMCs. The opportunity to dive for free and a few occasional tips may make up for cost of keeping your DM status active. Personally, helping with classes was my favorite part of the DM program: I just love helping someone go from not being able to do something to doing it confidently. Seeing smiles replace anxious looks never gets old.

 

[shurite7]

I am interested in both and from what I have been told the Divemaster one will prepare me to work in the industry whereas the technical one will help to make me a stronger diver. Would you agree with this statement? Is one looked upon more favorable from an employment standpoint?

Yes, however, tech doesn't mean anything to many dive operators and shops. They want instructors who can teach a course. I've seen many places not even consider DM/AIs, because they can't teach a course.

My question is this, what would you recommend pursuing first Divemaster or starting to work my way through the technical classes.

Taking tech courses will greatly increase your diving abilities AND knowledge; both go hand-in-hand. Taking tech first will help prep for the DM/AI courses in terms of understanding academics (some call it dive theory) and diving skills (specifically buoyancy), but not for demonstration quality. It will not help in terms of dealing with students and certified divers.

Going DM/AI first will help prep for tech when it comes to building a foundation for topics such as physics, physiology, etc. (but, not for deco). This route will not necessarily give you the foundation for actual in-water skills needed for tech, primarily because of gear configuration. Starting with DM/AI will give your more time to build experience dealing with students and certified divers.

Each route has its pros and cons. If you are looking for employment, you will most likely need to go instructor, therefore, starting with DM makes sense. If you are wanting to improve your diving abilities and knowledge then start with tech. At this moment in time, which is more important to you - gaining experience working with students and certified divers, or improving your knowledge and diving abilities? Only you can decide which route to take. Good luck.

 

[hroark2112]

If you want to become a better diver, learn more about deco theory and physiology, and generally have a lot more fun for the next 10 years, go tech.

When you’re 2 years from retiring, start your DM. You’ll already be a kick-ass diver at that point, so all you’ll need to master is demonstration quality skills and then learn the business side of things.

That’s my .02 for what I’d do if I were in a similar situation.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

I'm inclined to say if you have the desire to teach down the road after retirement, get your DM certification now. That will allow you to start assisting with classes and although you won't technically be teaching, you will be assisting students and fielding a lot of questions that students would feel more comfortable asking a DM than they would an instructor. At least that's been my experience thus far. You're still an authoritative figure or sorts and there to help them learn, but a little less intimidating than the instructor. Plus, they'll ask all sorts of questions about gear, travel, how to refine their skills, etc. The money helping with classes sucks and you certainly won't get rich doing it, but it's very rewarding to be able to give back to the scuba community and be looked up to as a "professional." Also, you have to spend some time as a DM before you can get an instructor trainer to do your IDC course and sign off on you. So it's in your best interest to start building a report with instructors now so that when that time comes they'll feel completely confident in your abilities and will have no trouble signing off on you.

And of course when you decide to go the Tech route, once you get those certifications behind your name, you can get a TDI Tech DM cert to make you even more well-rounded.
And yes, from an employable standpoint, you want the DM certification. Regardless of your diving experience, without that moniker, you aren't all that marketable in the industry. Of course with all your previous experience and years of diving, as DM, you're even more valuable than someone like me that's only been diving 5-6 years and has less than 200 dives under their belt. Dive experience in itself certainly doesn't define you as a DM, though. It's all about how you are in the water, how well you can practice your skill set and how well you interact with students. And since you're a teacher, I'm willing to bet you already have that down pat!

Whichever road you choose to travel first, I wish you luck and lots of diving enjoyment to come!