How prestigious is the PADI divemaster rating?

[Lead_carrier]

The professional diver's that I became friends with in Mexico seemed to be of the opinion that the diver with the fanciest gear and a string of certification cards to go with it, was the one they needed to keep the closest eye on in the water. I heard quite a few humerous stories to back up those opinions.

Tha's usually because us old "gaseous individuals" have done figured out that fancy doesn't always work. Plus, usually we only pull out a EANx or Advanced card or whatever to get diving. The less they know about us the happier we are.

 

[Cudabait]

You asked about "prestige" so I'll stick to the question.

Absolute Certification Agency Training Fact #327: Hot bikini-babe divers swoon over Divemasters... it sounds better intrinsically than a mere "Instructor"

(NOTE: Specific agency is seen as irrelevant with a ±3% deviation of the sample, principally noted amongst French girls because of CMAS, who are generally quite appealing until... but this is not really important because they still don't shave their armpits.)

N.B.: Go with the agency that has the best patches... just a personal tip.

Prestige? There you have it.

Sometimes you amaze even me, Doc.!!!

 

[MarineResearch]

Being a PADI DM means that you are amongst the premier tank haulers and gear washers in the world. It is also an indication that you MIGHT be competent.

 

[Cudabait]

PS: You know what they call a divemaster in the bay islands without a girlfriend? HOMELESS!!

 

[boulderjohn]

From your experience, are there any certification agencies that consistently have better divers than others?

Of the main recreational certification agencies, I don't think anyone can say anything except about the divers they have seen, which reflects on the individual instructors more than the agencies.

There are agencies you have probably never heard of that have classes and certifications that take existing divers to some very high levels of skill. If you keep diving and keep learning, you will be able to sort that out. For now, find a very good and knowledgeable instructor from any of those agencies, get some good basic skills, keep your eyes and ears open, and you will learn about all the possibilities that await you as you get more advanced. There is no problem switching from one agency to another later on.

From what you wrote about dive equipment in another thread, I would guess that the instructor you want for now will not be found in that shop.

 

[tbone1004]

as far as prestige, no recreational certification really carries "prestige" any more
The technical/cave certs have some sort of prestige if you're diving with recreational divers, but if you're looking for prestige you're looking in the wrong place...
No organization has any more "prestige" than the others. GUE may have a bit more within their own ranks and are certainly as a whole a much better training agency as far as minimum standards go. You'll also notice that they don't have a divemaster certification...
I'm not saying they're better than any others, but I'd trust someone who has passed a GUE fundies course leading a dive before I'd trust most divemasters from any agency sight unseen.

What was said earlier about those with the most expensive/new gear and slew of cards are usually the worst divers... There are exceptions
Most of my dive buddies, myself included have the following
NAUI Nitrox diver
NAUI Rescue
Full Cave-NACD and NSS CDS *just to support both groups

That's not much, but those are the ones that really count. Some of us have NAUI DM just because we were working in florida as a DM because it's a pretty sweet gig most of the time. Dive for free, get paid for it.


With you being a new diver, I would recommend waiting a LONG while before you get into the leadership stuff. Think about it like this. We train teachers for 4 years before we allow them to teach our children basic basic things that are not life threatening. As a dive master you are responsible for the lives of everyone diving and if you don't know those people, you have no idea how they may react. You are responsible to educate them of the hazards inherent in your particular diving location and make sure they don't eat it. You'll find that when the experienced divers are diving with charters they largely ignore the divemasters and although they'll cooperate with everything they do not feel "safer" because a divemaster is watching them. It's just a thing...
If you want to get good, do technical dive training, or at least training with the technical mindset. Currently the only recreational agency that is guaranteed to give you that is GUE. I have no GUE training, nor do my buddies, but we teach the same style of diving from day 1 at the university. You'll be much better off doing that.

No GUE instructors close to you though...
IANTD is also good although a little less strict in their standards than GUE is. I like this a bit better, but to each his own. None of them in your area either. Finding a TDI/SDI shop may also be an option but that depends a lot on the instructor as well. Best of luck

 

[spectrum]

In another thread, someone recommended that I start a thread about this.

I'm glad I'm getting my open water certification with PADI since it is the largest certification organization, so I know everywhere will accept my certification.

However, as I continue to dive, is PADI really that prestigious compared to other certification groups? In other aspects of life, popular doesn't always translate to best.

I know many people here are PADI certified Divemasters, and I'm not meaning to step on any toes. I was just looking for an honest answer. If I get into scuba diving, and I really want to become the best I can be, should I stick with PADI or are there other organizations that would better suit me?

Perhaps PADI is the best. I have no clue. That's why I'm asking. There was just another member that insinuated that PADI divemaster rating wasn't that great (comparatively), so I felt it was prudent to see how PADI is perceived by the diving community as a whole.

Thanks!

PADI is the most common, I have seen nothing to suggest it is the best.

If you want to be the best you can be then dive with a spirit of continuous improvement. Your efforts will be the single biggest contributor to your excellence. I have seen wany too many cards be granted with marginal performance to assign prestige to any. Let your actions speak for you.

This is not to ecshew further training. Take your time diving with experieinced divers. Progress through AOW and Rescue. If nitrox will useful to you then take that class. Once you get that far you can decide if you are content as a recreational diver or want to follow a technical or profesional path.

There are fast track paths to DM that can get you there way before you have the experieince to legitimately assume the role.

Enjoy the journey.

Pete

 

[merxlin]

May I ask, why do you want to be a divemaster?

• Are you interested in helping people learn to dive?
• Do you want to become an instructor?
• Are you ready for the responsibilities and liabilities of being a professional?
• Do you want to "work" most of your dives versus diving for pleasure?
• Do you have a great relationship with your dive shop, or with a shop in a location you want to work at?
• Do you expect to get paid, or expect other perks for being a DM?
• Do you have a diving philosophy? I.e. are you drawn to tech or wreck, or is general recreational diving your thing?

As already mentioned, being a DM may or may not make you a better diver, depending on your current skill level. It will make you aware of how others dive, and change your roll when you dive. The certifying agency should match your goals. Then you need to match your instructor to those goals as well.

If you are just after a card that says "Divemaster", then all of the above is a moot point. Any agency will do.

 

[tbone1004]

other quick bit.
Take Nitrox, it's pretty much required that every diver have it now, especially on the charters as a lot of places are banking it very cheap now, it has a lot of advantages over air... I wouldn't consider that an optional cert any more...

I have also seen basic Open Water divers be higher quality divers both from a mental aspect as well as overall skills than many instructors from all of the agencies... Keep that in mind as well. Cards mean nothing in the real world

 

[DennisS]

I'm glad I'm getting my open water certification with PADI since it is the largest certification organization, so I know everywhere will accept my certification.

However, as I continue to dive, is PADI really that prestigious compared to other certification groups? In other aspects of life, popular doesn't always translate to best.


Thanks!

You got your cert, (you're getting your cert) don't worry about the prestige of your certifying agency, just go diving and enjoy being underwater. That is why you got into diving, isn't it?