matt_unique
Guest
While I respect the participants above, most of these responses are pretty much a bunch of horse ***** in my opinion.
First of all, many people confuse "pro" with "expert", these can DEFINITELY be mutually exclusive. I have several buddies who are instructors and DM's and they are top shelf. They don't have the common ego of "I am a pro, therefore I am an expert, bow to me, etc". To those who have not heard this before: "being an instructor/DM has nothing to do with how good a diver you are". That comes from experience in a given environment among other factors of course.
A PADI Master Diver certification does not mean you are an expert diver either, by any means. Like many things you can choose an easy path or really get something from it. I personally feel the requirements for all certifications beyond OW are WAY too low. I have written to PADI to express this as well. Back to point, I submit that a Master Diver is MUCH more likely to have more experience in multiple environments than a Dive Master. In most cases, a DM will be doing 30' shore dives assisting an instructor with brand new divers. This builds experience in that particular setting but it certainly does not produce a diver with skill extending beyond the scope of the most novice dives. This is not the case for all DM's of course but the reality is, the majority of students out there are in OW courses. Thus the majority of DM's will be working these courses. Some say Master Divers are 'merely those who purchased a card' but this is obviously not the case for everyone. As a Master Diver you could have chosen Deep, Night, Ice, etc. and have been exposed to a hell of a lot more challenging dive environments/conditions compared to a DM. A Master Diver could have chosen the easy path with "light" certifications like UW Naturalist, Photographer, etc. The requirements for Master Diver are earned by completing 5 specialties; the card/certification title itself is purchased. The bashers tend to explain this last part without recognizing the 5 courses required.
The point is, to say a Dive Master is in any way a better diver than a Master Diver by certification title alone is complete nonsense. It comes down to the individuals experience and path taken.
Here are requirements from the PADI website for both. Which is more likely, based on the minimum criteria, to have more experience with more environments? The DM is required to have 60 logged dives as I recall by the conclusion of the program.
PADI Master Diver
· PADI Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization)
· PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization)
· PADI Rescue Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization)
· 50 logged dives
· Five PADI Specialty course certifications
· Minimum age: 15 years old (12 for Junior Master Scuba Diver)
Dive Master
· PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or qualifying certification from another training organization
· PADI Rescue Diver certification or qualifying certification from another training organization.
· Medical clearance signed by a physician
· 20 logged dives
· 18 years old
--Matt
First of all, many people confuse "pro" with "expert", these can DEFINITELY be mutually exclusive. I have several buddies who are instructors and DM's and they are top shelf. They don't have the common ego of "I am a pro, therefore I am an expert, bow to me, etc". To those who have not heard this before: "being an instructor/DM has nothing to do with how good a diver you are". That comes from experience in a given environment among other factors of course.
A PADI Master Diver certification does not mean you are an expert diver either, by any means. Like many things you can choose an easy path or really get something from it. I personally feel the requirements for all certifications beyond OW are WAY too low. I have written to PADI to express this as well. Back to point, I submit that a Master Diver is MUCH more likely to have more experience in multiple environments than a Dive Master. In most cases, a DM will be doing 30' shore dives assisting an instructor with brand new divers. This builds experience in that particular setting but it certainly does not produce a diver with skill extending beyond the scope of the most novice dives. This is not the case for all DM's of course but the reality is, the majority of students out there are in OW courses. Thus the majority of DM's will be working these courses. Some say Master Divers are 'merely those who purchased a card' but this is obviously not the case for everyone. As a Master Diver you could have chosen Deep, Night, Ice, etc. and have been exposed to a hell of a lot more challenging dive environments/conditions compared to a DM. A Master Diver could have chosen the easy path with "light" certifications like UW Naturalist, Photographer, etc. The requirements for Master Diver are earned by completing 5 specialties; the card/certification title itself is purchased. The bashers tend to explain this last part without recognizing the 5 courses required.
The point is, to say a Dive Master is in any way a better diver than a Master Diver by certification title alone is complete nonsense. It comes down to the individuals experience and path taken.
Here are requirements from the PADI website for both. Which is more likely, based on the minimum criteria, to have more experience with more environments? The DM is required to have 60 logged dives as I recall by the conclusion of the program.
PADI Master Diver
· PADI Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization)
· PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization)
· PADI Rescue Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another organization)
· 50 logged dives
· Five PADI Specialty course certifications
· Minimum age: 15 years old (12 for Junior Master Scuba Diver)
Dive Master
· PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or qualifying certification from another training organization
· PADI Rescue Diver certification or qualifying certification from another training organization.
· Medical clearance signed by a physician
· 20 logged dives
· 18 years old
--Matt