DM or Master Diver????

[ScubaCatgirl]

That's because there are more reasons NOT to do it. "Master Scuba Diver" is a certification driven by ego, and the sense of accomplishment. "I'm a Master Scuba Diver". It's the ultimate card collectors card. It proves your loyalty to your certification agency, and your devotion to taking classes and "learning specialties"

I went diving with someone in FL a few months ago. This person had a book full of cards, including MSD. This person had a collection of about 10 specialty cards, including "Shark Diver" and a few others I'd never heard of... AOW is my highest certification level... I showed this person the reef on this particular dive, since I was one of the more experienced people on the boat, and knew the reef. I gave this person a briefing on the reef, etc... We did the dive... Let me say that while this person looked pretty good in the water, that for someone with an underwater naturalist specialty, and a photography specialty, that their treatment of the reef was not superior in any way to someone without the naturalist specialty. Their finning technique on the bottom was awful, sand stirring viz ruining flutter kicks only inches from the bottom... they kicked sponges, and coral several times on the dive, used their hands to stabilize their trim, didn't really stay in a trimmed position much at all during the dive, and they had buoyancy control issues as well. Is this appropriate for someone who has "mastered the art of SCUBA diving"???

How meaningful is something when really anyone can get a card that calls them master, when their mastery is far from masterful.

I like Howard's analogy of the situation. There can be good MD's & bad MD's. I think it's all in what a person chooses to take his specialities in & whether he/she decides to excel or not. Personally I would go for the DM cuz the price is more economical (at least thru my LDS) & I gain much more knowledge than just taking a bunch of specialities. JMHO.

 

[HowardE]

I like Howard's analogy of the situation. There can be good MD's & bad MD's. I think it's all in what a person chooses to take his specialities in & whether he/she decides to excel or not. Personally I would go for the DM cuz the price is more economical (at least thru my LDS) & I gain much more knowledge than just taking a bunch of specialities. JMHO.

I wouldn't do DM - unless I planned on working as a DM. Also, from what I understand about DM, the skills you learn are more focused on "leadership skills" (at least this is what I hear from my DM friends in Florida)

 

[ScubaCatgirl]

I wouldn't do DM - unless I planned on working as a DM. Also, from what I understand about DM, the skills you learn are more focused on "leadership skills" (at least this is what I hear from my DM friends in Florida)

Nothing wrong w/leadership skills. I can think of many areas of my life besides diving that I could use leadership skills. But as I said before. DM is just my preference of choice for the money & who knows, maybe when I retire I'll move to the Carribean & work in a dive shop?

 

[TheRedHead]

James, Are you a PADI instructor? As I recall (I'd need to walk out to the garage to look it up), SAC is covered in the deep diving chapter of the AOW text. Obviously even PADI doesn't think that it's a "tecnical only" piece of knowledge. PADI just stops short of applying it to nay real gas management calculations. they also stop short of making the students demonstrate that they can apply that knowledge to a real dive.

The SSI approach is to use the "rule" of 100 psi per 10 feet plus 500 psi and if you do the rock bottom calcs of 1 cu ft per min per diver, it works out pretty close. If the student follows the rule, it will keep them and their buddy alive. I think a good instructor could take the basic SAC calc information and flesh it out and have the student understand why the rule works. I don't think a lot of causal divers can convert fsw to ATA and without that, you couldn't make a gas plan even if you got your SAC from the dive computer.

 

[Charlie59]

Glad to see my last post brought out the wild men.

I think you can do whatever you want with diving and that is half the fun. I do not think too many people could do DM level without having met the criteria for MSD. The DM course is very intense in both general diving info and physically. There is some beginning skill education for teaching, but not much.

You can pick up skills and knowledge to make you a better diver, but it does not replace experience. Due to the cost and time, I'm not sure it is for everyone. The liability issue is overblown here. If you don't want people to know you are a DM on a dive, show another c-card. If they don't know (and you are not leading a dive) how would anyone know to add you to a lawsuit?

Gee, I didn't know they gave you a backpack now for MSD! Can I apply for it again?

Master Scuba Diver card is like peeing in your wet suit, you get a warm feeling but no one really cares.

 

[Cacia]

lol, very good, Charlie.

 

[HowardE]

... is like peeing in your wet suit, you get a warm feeling but no one really cares.

I thought that was "everyone does it, but nobody admits it"

 

[Thalassamania]

Great line, I'll remember that one<G>.

 

[pir8]

I always heard that there are 2 kinds of divers. Those that admit to peeing in their wet suit and those that lie about it.

 

[Charlie59]

Sorry, wasn't trying to hijack this thread. Guess now this one is tied to the one about stink in wet suits.