divemasters and instructors course..where, when, how much?!

[kooysty]

Hiya,
Me and my boyfriend are looking to do our advanced, divemasters (and eventually instructors) course. We have planned to travel to Australia to do our dive courses in about 5 months time, but are also considering maybe stopping off in Thailand to do our courses there instead, as we have heard they are much cheaper than Australia. We completed our open water course last year in Thailand.
Does anyone please have any advice/recommendations on this? and also a rough estimate of how much it costs to go from the open water certificate through to the divemasters (and eventually onto instructors)

Thanks!!

 

[Rocio]

hey!!!

Wow that's great!!!! Australia is beautiful but like you said is very expensive..Thailand could be a little bit over rated but have good instructors. Have you considered the Philippines?? Its cheaper and you can dive all year round and everybody one way or another can speak English...beaches are awesome!!! check out this website PADI TDI 5 Star IDC Facility, Scuba Diving Courses / Training and Tours - diveph.com

 

[SubMariner]

Hiya,
Me and my boyfriend are looking to do our advanced, divemasters (and eventually instructors) course. We have planned to travel to Australia to do our dive courses in about 5 months time, but are also considering maybe stopping off in Thailand to do our courses there instead, as we have heard they are much cheaper than Australia. We completed our open water course last year in Thailand.
Does anyone please have any advice/recommendations on this? and also a rough estimate of how much it costs to go from the open water certificate through to the divemasters (and eventually onto instructors)

Thanks!!

Oh well... guess I'm going to be the first one to rain on your parade: It takes more than just a few months to go from OW to DM to Instructor.

Why not just go out & get some dive experience while enjoying yourself? Then revisit your dive goals in a couple of years.

 

[dhuskins]

Kooysty,

That sounds great. Ignore any flames I will get in this reply. The two of you wanting to do this is great. My wife and I became divemasters so we could be better divers.

Some information you will want to know: It takes 60 dives to be a divemaster and 100 dives to be an instructor. If you are not there yet, you may want to consider spreading your goal out over more time to get the bare minimum. Additionally, both courses involve a significant amount of coursework/studying. You can read the material ahead of time so that you don't waste the beautiful vacation days with simply reading/studying. Start with the divemaster stuff as the instructor stuff will be changing very soon.

Are you a rescue diver? If not, then you will need to do that as well (before divemaster).

The PADI website has a pdf file about going pro. It has some useful information about what you need and what you do.

Lastly, ask yourself why you want to do this. It is not cheap and the pay is low. I did it to become a better diver. My diving improved greatly after my DM class. My breathing is in more control, my buoyancy improved, and my overall sense of confidence in the water went up. I did it to be a better diver.

On the same lines, I also understand that the best way to learn something is to try and teach it to someone else. At some point, I will become an instructor. I want to know what I don't realize I don't know. Having taught other things in my life, I clearly see that teaching makes a better student. If this is your philosophy, then, by all means, go forward.

On the other hand, if you are thinking to live off the profit of teaching diving to others, lower your standard of living, or find a patron to support you in your love of being a dive instructor.

 

[Splash-X]

we have heard they are much cheaper than Australia.

Price isn't everything, while one location may be cheaper than another some places go above and beyond in teaching, just like some OW classes teach far more than others.

If you are serious about climbing up the ranks you should value the instructor and training over the price

a rough estimate of how much it costs to go from the open water certificate through to the divemasters (and eventually onto instructors)

Far more than you're going to expect. Consider this, if you don't have the number of dives required to start your DM training you're going to have to dive some more. Often times that means heading out on a charter boat and paying for the trip.

If you're traveling abroad for these classes you need to factor in not only the cost of training but also food, lodging, travel, etc.



What are the reasons you and your boyfriend want to be dive masters or instructors?

 

[Protist]

I want to become an instructor as well. I love teaching. At least, I enjoy helping my fellow classmates understand certain material. One of my instructors told me the other day (for PADI) you can enter the DM program with 30 dives. But you need at least 60 to "graduate."

 

[NorthernShrinkage]

Welcome to Padi world you got the cash we got the plastic (skill is optional)

 

[Splash-X]

Welcome to Padi world you got the cash we got the plastic (skill is optional)

PADI = Pay And Dive In?

I love teaching. At least, I enjoy helping my fellow classmates understand certain material. One of my instructors told me the other day (for PADI) you can enter the DM program with 30 dives. But you need at least 60 to "graduate."

In all honesty, do you really think a diver with just 30 dives under their belt has mastered their own skills let own teaching someone else? I understand that you can start the program at 30 dives and require 60 to complete but you'll be working with students prior to "graduation" and thus could interact with students with as few as 30 dives under your belt.

Joining a dive club may be a better fit for you if you only have 30 dives. That way you can not only help out new divers but you can also look to those with more experience than you for the things you haven't learned yet.

I'm not discouraging anyone from persuing DM or Instructor levels but what good are you as a leader if you yourself have not mastered what it is you are trying to teach?

Practice what you preach, if you're telling students about neutral bouyance but you haven't mastered it, you're only going to show them more of "what not to do".

I'm not picking on anyone, I'm just giving examples.

 

[*dave*]

Sorry, I don't have any useful info for you, but I do have a question. Where do you intend to instruct or DM? I ask because I see you are from England and it's not clear whether you intend on working there or in the tropics.

Thanks!

 

[OldNSalty]

Why are all these training centers in distant lands? I mean, I would love to go to Australia, even though everything there is poisonous and dangerous including the world’s only venomous gerbils but can’t you get trained in the states? The question is just academic, I really have no desire right now to become a DM or instructor for any agency.