IDEA Divemaster training?

[mullannix930]

I'm trying to find info on the IDEA Divemaster and Instructor requirements. Also what are the testing and evals like? Is there a swim test (like with PADI)? I am trying to get all the info I can get before I start looking into it.

 

[BoltSnap]

I'd try to find out if IDEA is still in business and if it really exist in the market before worrying about its DM and Inst. training.

 

[mullannix930]

I heard back from them. They are still in business, in fact they are pretty big in Europe but don’t do the advertising etc here as much.

 

[oly5050user]

I heard back from them. They are still in business, in fact they are pretty big in Europe but don’t do the advertising etc here as much.

Plan on what to do after you are a DM. Any facilities in your area use this agency? Are they willing to offer you any work after becoming a DM or instructor? Getting a DM or instructor certification useless if no place to actually use it.

 

[mullannix930]

A friend teaches IDEA but I always ask around for info. I am the head of a volunteer group that manages a state owned dive area, and have been told I will be able to teach there if I want.

I will probably branch out to other agencies also but at a later date.

 

[Landau]

Hmmm... IDEA'S website is full of typos. Their home page calls their home state "Florid" and while it may have many flowers I don't think that is how it is spelled. You can also find "Upcoming trips for 2012"

I'd choose a different agency for your divemaster course.

 

[BoltSnap]

I don't understand the attraction of IDEA and not other mainstream or much better known agencies with MUCH better reputation and higher standards such as NAUI, PADI, SDI, RAID, etc.

 

[boulderjohn]

A few years ago, someone started a thread in the instructor to Instructor forum in which he complained about the fact that as a new instructor, he could not get a job with any of the local dive shops. If no one will hire you for your first job, he wondered, how can you get any experience? People asked him what agency he had used for his new instructor certification. It was not IDEA, but it was another agency with very few instructors and no affiliated shops that anyone knew of. Once he revealed that, the response was unanimous. What on Earth were you thinking? Shops that are affiliated with the mainstream agencies are not going to hire someone who cannot teach for those mainstream agencies.

If you choose to become an instructor for such an agency, understand that you will almost certainly have to work as an independent, and your ability to work as an independent will vary dramatically by location. In some places, it isn't all that hard--local dive shops are happy for your business and will provide services to you and your students (gear rentals, pool time, boat dives, etc.). In other places, dive operators see independents solely as competitors and will not provide a bit of help. You said you manage a state=owned dive area, and that will probably make things easier for you. What state?

 

[mullannix930]

I am not looking to get work with a shop or on a boat, in fact there is only one shop near me and I have no interest in working for them (bad business practices). The training I am going to be getting is through a friend in my area that does quite a lot of training, and once I’m done we are both going to start expanding to other agencies. The info I have gotten has the standards on par with NAUI.

 

[boulderjohn]

The info I have gotten has the standards on par with NAUI.

IDEA is currently listed as being in the European Council of the WRSTC, with its headquarters in Italy. IIRC, they used to be part of the United States Council, but they are there no longer. Members of the WRSTC agree to meet a certain set of minimum standards for OW courses, and those standards have not changed in quite a few years. NAUI is a member of both the United States and European councils.

Not too many years ago, the WRSTC OW standards were pretty much identical to the standards for PADI and SSI. I would guess the same would be true for the other members. (NAUI was not a member then.) A couple years ago PADI added a bunch of standards, so theirs now go beyond the WRSTC minimums. I don't know how the others related to the WRSTC standards.