How does one get a career in recreational diving

[subaquaman]

If you've a good LDS talk to them and let them know your long term goal, they may help you on an internship basis. Entirely their discretion though.

 

[waterbearer]

no doubt biscuit7!!!!!! step 5 is extremely ridiculous! i am in the mix of doing an idc right now, and i can't believe the cost. every time you think it's over, and then they hit you with, oh, and you need to buy a ...

aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggg!!!!

Amen to that!

 

[waterbearer]

Good stuff people, but you all seem to be saying the same thing(which I understand and agree with), I know the way through to it certification wise, I just wanted to know if there is a cheap way to get from rescue diver to DM, like an internship or something like that and if so what options are available?

I really like the boating idea, I have been trying to find a way to become proficient in boating skills, but the only thing I could find was either along the lines of Major Shipping or online multiple choice tests for state license thing. Any good ideas on boating courses?

As someone else mentioned...talk to your LDS. Chances are, if you show the desire and initiative, they will be willing to take you on an internship basis and "work out" a payment plan for your course/s. By "work out", that could be anywhere from getting free work out of you (filling tanks, distributing rental gear, helping out on the boat if they have one and if you're lucky) to letting you take the course and pay for it later. I had a similar agreement worked out with a shop when I decided to become a DM. Do the internship (dedicate myself full-time) and when the regular DM went on vacation, I was going to fill in for him. Instead of getting the $$ per trip from the shop, they were going to take that off my tab and all I would make was tips. However, I decided that I wasn't so comfortable with their "we'll certify you as a DM in eight days" approach and I decided to go with another shop that did not promote this fast-track perspective. I watched shop A certify a DM this way while I was doing my rescue course. I was not impressed with this person's 1) diving ability, 2) people skills or 3) diving knowledge. While diving skills will improve the more diving you do and it is possible to learn, there isn't a whole lot you can do about number 2. I also noticed that during classes, the instructor would all but give the person the answers to the reviews and applications.

 

[Trinigordo]

WB, Could you also ressurect a person from the dead, or are your skills just for really really dead threads?

I don't actually have a decent LDS around, so alas that won't work. I have been trying to convince my parents to let me go to Thailand and do it there, but for some reason they don't like the idea of me stopping school for a while to go diving. I even thought of just saying screw it and doing it anyways, but I couldn't afford it, so education it is.

Parents, can't live with them, can't pay your way without them.

 

[waterbearer]

Didn't realize it was a dead thread. I was stalking someone. j/k

 

[Trinigordo]

You were stalking me? Oh you are such a romantic

 

[waterbearer]

:sappy: Well, you know the old saying...

If you love something, set it free...if it doesn't return, then stalk the hell out of it using internet message boards posing as someone else until you get them to fall in love with the "real" you and then when they are so emotionally attached to you that they can't stand to live without you, reveal your true identity as their estranged ex, release the restraining orders and live happily after after.

 

[Trinigordo]

And they said the era of romance was behind us, what do they know right?

 

[TheRedHead]

Trini, you told me yesterday that you don't dive over 68 feet and don't worry about your buddy going OOA and you want to be a DM? You've got fantastic diving near your home in Tobago. You've got it made. Why Thailand?

 

[Trinigordo]

Trini, you told me yesterday that you don't dive over 68 feet and don't worry about your buddy going OOA and you want to be a DM? You've got fantastic diving near your home in Tobago. You've got it made. Why Thailand?

I didn't mean to lead you to believe I only dive to 68 feet I was using that depth as an example, I have been down past 100 feet about 10 times. Just because I don't like being a dive buddy doesn't mean I cannot be a responsible one when I need to, in group situation I am solo diving, pair me up and I am very attentive to the buddy system. Because I can always dive in Tobago, it is the "home reef" for a lack of a better expression. So while Tobago is absolutely incredible, there is a whole other world out there. Also the program I want to do, would have allowed me to dive dive dive and dive some more.