Going DM or Tech?

[b1gcountry]

I second the opinion that vacation diving, dive master, tech diving, and cave are all different. You can transfer some skills between those, but the experiences are not very similar. You can progress as a recreational diver as much as any of the others, but it is more experience based rather than achievement based.

 

[Edward3c]

Hi, all, I have been watching this forum but just now decided to create an account. I have started recreational diving 5y ago and it has quickly become my new passion. I try to fly somewhere to dive at least twice/year, basically all my finances started to revolve around planning and achieving these dive trips. I own my own gear, I dive when possible with my two kids one of which has high functioning autism. My current level is rescue, certified by PADI but I love a lot cavern/cave diving (although I only got a glimpse of that this year while diving in Mexico cenotes for 2 weeks). So I am also very interested in becoming cave certified. It is a big decision to be made, including from the financial point of view, as I am planning a 2 weeks trip in Egypt in November and in theory my next, natural step towards personal development, if I continue to recreational diving would be the DM course. On the other hand I did enjoy caverns and caves much more. I was wondering if those of you that have more experience could give me some advice. I really appreciate you all and this forum and Thank you all in advance!

For your trip to Egypt in November you might want to consider BSAC Egypt to advance your diving. BSAC training includes mandatory decompression in core training, it isn’t an add on.

 

[Whitrzac]

If the place you're doing your tech training is local. Being a DM for the shop comes with a lot of extra benifits and discounts on gear(usually)
Otherwise there's no reason to become a DM if you're not planning on teaching/working inthe dive industry.

 

[Lifesupport]

I’ve done both. They are very different so it depends upon your long-term goals.

DM is the first step into the dive industry as a professional. You will learn to be highly self-sufficient to the point where you can competently guide & supervise others. It is a required step before becoming an instructor.

In Tech training you will perfect your core skills, learn new ones, learn new concepts & use new equipment. The goal is to prepare you for more advanced, riskier diving that typically has some sort of a ‘ceiling’ be it due to a deco obligation, a cave or inside a wreck.

So choose the one that better aligns with your goals.

Thank you fore the explanations, really useful.

 

[TMHeimer]

As has been pointed out, going the DM route logically means you want to get into the teaching side of things. The only other real benefit is that you need to really polish your skills (unit removal, reg retrieval, etc. what you'd be dealing with as a certified assistant). Tech. has many advantages even if you remain a recreational diver most of the time (so I've heard, not having any tech, myself). Perhaps the biggest factor here for either is that you don't have a large number of dives for 5 years. Are you able to dive locally in Romania? Black Sea shore diving?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I recommend people take a couple tech classes always before dm. That way they learn the real risks of diving and can let the portion of bs in most dm classes go in one ear and out the other. DM is about money. In some cases how to waste it and get others to waste theirs.

 

[Germie]

I did dm first. With cmas, so then you don't pay a yearly fee. I never ever did anything with my dm card, no single guiding, no dsd, nothing.
When I got my 3*/dm, I started technical diving, I thought that time that 3* was needed to become a technical diver as in cmas you cannot do decompression diving before you have your dm cert. But other agencies do teach tech after aow.

If you don't want to pay fees etc, look for a cmas 3*/dm course. Then you are a dm, but don't need to pay, or guide or whatever. This makes costs lower.

After I did all the technical courses, I decided to become instructor. Still never guided any diver officially, never teached any dsd (but of course teached intros to friends in open water, etc).

So I think if you don't know what you want to do with dm, do only tech. If you maybe think about becoming an instructor later, do a dm course. Which one is not important, also with a cmas 3* you can sign up for every instructor course. Experience in guiding is not needed and will not give a higher risk of failing. You have to learn the tricks for teaching, and dive experience brings more. Technical dive experience also makes from you in most cases a better diving, with better awareness. And the awereness is needed when you teach or guide.

 

[Sevenrider860]

The OP is in Romania, so who knows what the insurance costs are there.

Good point @Marie13. I did not catch that. I don't know what the professional liability insurance requirements are in that region.

 

[Germie]

In Europe, in the Netherlands, I pay 206 euro per year with DAN, there is 1 cheaper plan. With cmas I don't pay anything, just be a member.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

In Europe, in the Netherlands, I pay 206 euro per year with DAN

I paid US $900 to DAN this year. That is 830 euro I think.