How much for a divemaster?

[Santa]

I'm posting this enquiry for a friend of mine - a lady of 50+ who just took up diving and wants a personal divemaster for at least a couple of dives until she gets more comfortable. To quote Mccartney she wants to hold his hand.

How much, if anything, do you feel she should to pay to have a DM of her very own?

I mean - I've gone with other divemasters alone for no additional costs ever so many times because it was just a quet day customerwise - but I needed a buddy and they needed the business...

 

[ShakaZulu]

She needs to become comfortable without a divemaster and be in control of her own dive. That will give her the confidence, not holding someones hand. Why is she soo scared?

 

[Scottri]

I would ask around the area. I know here in the PNW if I were to do it I'd charge about $25 a dive. I would also charge any trip related expenses.

 

[Hochhauser]

My partner had the same concerns... she was very nervous diving and wanted to have an individual divemaster with us on her first dives...

We paid $50/day extra for the service .. that was the total for 2 divers 2 dives... We arranged for the individual DM for the whole week of diving.. but it was a slow week and we were the only divers on the boat for the week. The Dive Shop had high integrity and returned the money for every day except the one when we weren't alone and she had arranged a second DM. (Blue XTSea in Cozumel). It made all the difference in her experience.

One other idea is to look into an intro class. I took an "intro to wreck" dive with my LDS (Blue Water Divers, Ramsey, NJ). They do not charge extra but arrange for teams to each have an individual DM. --- which was fantastic with my first (and second) foray into Jersey Diving. (Thanks Blue Water!)

 

[Knavey]

She needs to become comfortable without a divemaster and be in control of her own dive. That will give her the confidence, not holding someones hand. Why is she soo scared?

Because different people have different tolerences for building up their confidence level. My wife felt much more comfortable on her first dives after OW class because she had a DM with her. We paid $20 for the service and I didn't question it one bit. It took her exactly 2 dives and then she realized that it was going to be fine and that she really didn't need anyone else besides her buddy.

Now she has about 100 dives and counting and would probably laugh at the thought of having a guide, but at the time she felt she needed one.

 

[Tom Winters]

There's no problem with her paying for a DM - she recognizes her limitations and can deal with it. Good for her. Women are a billion times better than guys are in this regard. You get these guys who have been certified for ten years with maybe 20 resort dives - THOSE guys were murder to take diving.
Wherever she is going diving - all she has to do is find an dive op and explain just what she wants. Any op worth its salt will set this up in advance. If they can't accomodate her, then they're a lousy operation and she's better off anywhere else.
She doesn't need analysis about why she needs a DM - she just needs a DM. End of discussion.

 

[wreckchick]

I would tell her to expect to pay $25 per dive, roughly. If the DM is through the dive op, then there probably won't be any additional boat expenses. If it's an independant, she may need to pay to get the DM on the boat. This won't include a tip if she feels that the DM has gone above and beyond doing a guided tour in the water. When I've done personal dives, I'll also carry gear, set up the kit, and rinse everything when we get back. Of course it all depends on who you're guiding and why.

Rachel

 

[do it easy]

even better would be to get a DM that would make her do just about everything, and just lend a professional set of eyes to keep her out of trouble. this way, she'll get the advantage of planning her own dives, tables, checking gear, etc. without the risk of making dangerous mistakes...

 

[Knavey]

even better would be to get a DM that would make her do just about everything, and just lend a professional set of eyes to keep her out of trouble. this way, she'll get the advantage of planning her own dives, tables, checking gear, etc. without the risk of making dangerous mistakes...

That's what my wife wanted...just that extra pair of eyes watching over her when she was just starting out.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

25 bucks a dive is reasonable. if boat fees are xtra or admission fees to different areas are involved these should be picked up also. But agree on this ahead of time. Make clear also what services are needed. extra eyes, pair of hands or the whole shooting match(carry and setup gear,actually hold onto throughout the dive, disassemble gear and rinse)No surprises are a good thing in this situation.