Exactly what is required to be a DM?

[Jim Lapenta]

As a DM candidate I know what technically is required for DM certification. After reading alot of posts here over the past year or so I'm wondering if all requirements are the same. Not between agencies but with operators. Are DM's on all boats or at all resorts required to have DM certs? Especially in less developed areas. Or are they just "experienced divers" who know the area? Something to think about next time you go on vacation.

 

[Wildcard]

To be covred by PADI insurance, DMs must be DM or higher. Im assuming it would be a liability issue to have a non DM play one....Third world countries like Canada, JUST KIDDING! smaller countries , it may be worth asking to see a C card.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I can't imagine anyone hiring someone who isn't a professional. Many dive boats now want divemasters who have instructor ratings.

 

[Charlie99]

I can't imagine anyone hiring someone who isn't a professional. Many dive boats now want divemasters who have instructor ratings.

That's true in places like Maui, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Caribbean DMs have only on-the-job training.

On a related question, I wonder what sort of formal certification or licensing the typical dive boat captain has in a Caribbean resort.

Of course, just as with all divers, formal certifications or lack thereof are no guarantee of skill or professionalism.

 

[TheRedHead]

All of the DMs we dive with in Cozumel are instructors. The boat captians are at least Rescue certified or DMs themsleves. They are also the most professional and safety conscious guides I've dived with.

On the whole, I've found Caribbean DMs to be top notch. The resorts there attract a lot of American, Canadian, and European divers who want to work in the Caribbean and dive as well as local DMs.

Of course, I don't go with the cheapest charter and I do research to find the best charters to dive with. I've had nothing but good experiences in the Caribbean with DMs. Of course, one can dive without a DM shore diving - which I also enjoy.

 

[ghostdiver1957]

In some places the "Guides" are not anything but locals who have been diving the areas for a long time. They are in fact "Guides" not DM's or Instructors or anything else. They are there to show you things... find the little sea horses and nudibranchs etc... don't expect any help and don't think you're safe just because your near one of them

One dive I was on with a guide that spoke no english - saw a shark, swam to the surface and exited - leaving us all underwater. When we all finally got out of the water (about 30 minutes later) he looked at us puzzled (shaking his head no and putting his hand on his head (shark fin style) all the while mumbling. We came to understand that this meant "he no dive with shark."