In your Opinion, what are the responsibilities of a DM?

[underH2Oman]

A divemaster may have many have many tasks assigned by their employer. They may get in the water to assist in locating the marine life that the diver is looking for. They may even be required to stay on the boat to assist the captain if a problem arises. The fact is that they are working for a facility that you are a guest. Trying to make your visit enjoyable while limiting the risk to the employer is their job.

There responsibility in regards to the dive is as a supervisor. They are to advise the diver of the conditions and give a general area orientation, then let the diver dive. It has always been the divers responsibility to determine if the dive is within there abilities. They should know the general site characteristics before they get on the boat. Yes the DM would render assistance if requested to make your visit enjoyable or if needed due to an incident.

The question of duty of care could go either way. If you are paying a divemaster to attend you in the water there is most definitely a duty of care. If you are diving with a buddy and the divemaster went in the water to point out marine life to the group there role for the dive is not to attend the diver but to assist in locating marine life, a duty of care is not implied.

 

[KeithG]

there are 2 different answers.
a) are you diving with an operation that requires mandatory guided dives led by a DM?
OR
b) are you diving with an operation that provides an "optional" DM?

we no longer do group dives or any dives that require a mandatory DM, but all of our boat dives provide a DM if you want to make use of them. so for me, all the DM needs to do is give a good pre-dive briefing. we also make sure that the DM knows we are not going to follow the group well before we hit the water. we dive as a buddy team, not part of a group, so the DMs responsibility ends before we hit the water.

it is a bonus if the DM has a tray of fresh cookies ready when we get back to the boat...

 

[Lorenzoid]

As someone else said, there have been many previous threads on this topic. A Google search on "divemaster responsibilities" reveals these:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/7145-divemaster-responsibilities.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/503829-divemaster-responsibilities.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ving/318088-dive-master-responsibilities.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/287029-divemaster-responsibilities.html

That should give you a few hours worth of reading.

 

[Adobo]

Hi All, I recently posted a story in the Accidents and Incidents Thread: http://2sb.us/513277
**I'm not asking for feedback on this particular incident as I think we've already beat the dead horse (is there a better idiom for that??)

Our discussion naturally opened up another question and I'd love to hear some input from divers, DM's, Dive Ops, et al.

I pretty much only dive when I travel , so for the most part, I'm referring to vacation/destination diving, not the DM who is certifying a diver for OW....Whether correctly or incorrectly, I have always regarded a dive master as a sort of "Tour Guide" for the dive. Because I am a mere visitor and can't be an expert on every dive site I visit, I expect the DM to know the dive site front and back, know the conditions, and have a dive plan in place for the group. I expect the DM to ask about my qualifications and to lead me on a dive that is appropriate for my skill level or if it is not appropriate for my skill level, give me the necessary information so I can make that judgement call.

I believe that I am responsible for my own safety as diver, but if there wasn't a certain amount of guidance I expected from a DM, I would just rent a boat and take myself on a dive!

In your opinions, What are the professional (or even legal) responsibilities of a Dive Master leading a paying customer on a dive?

-I am responsible for my own safety, but to what degree are they responsible for a diver's safety?
-To what extent should a DM describe a dive site?
-Should a DM ever take divers to a site that is outside of recreational limits?
-etc., etc....?

You might get a lot responses in terms of what PADI might describe as the responsibility of a DM are. Or you may get some "legal" interpretation of what a DM's responsibility should be. The problem with any of that is none of it is enforceable outside the United States. And even within the United States, its enforceability is questionable.

A DM has priorities that can and does conflict with a vacation diver's safety. For example, it is in the DM's and the boat op's general best interest that your dive be as memorable (in a good way) as possible. This means that the DM and the boat op has a motivation to take you to their "signature" dive. The recent example that you have talked about is Devil's Throat which is both deep and has a swim through. They take you there, not because it is necessarily a benign dive but rather because, if all goes well, it is a memorable experience. Then again, if something goes badly, it will also be a memorable experience. One thing you can count on is that if there is a sketchy "signature" dive anywhere in the area, there will be a boat op and DM who will take you there irrespective of your ability and comfort to dive it.

Another example is that dive ops are trying to maximize profits, which I don't blame them. This means that they will assign multiple divers to one DM if possible. 4 or 6 divers or even more are not unheard off. It's not unusual to be on a charter where a bunch of divers who don't know each other will be diving together. Some of whom will have minimal training and barely any proficiency. So now, divers trained to dive in buddy pairs are diving in a gaggle while being "supervised" by a DM whose attention is constantly going back and forth between navigation, looking for stuff to show guests and then managing the safety of several divers.

I personally look at boat ops and DMs the other way. One one on one or privately chartered dives, I dictate the constraints by which I am willing to dive. (And I figure that out based on the equipment on hand and the level of experience/training of the people diving). This means, I tell them the max depth I am willing to go, whether or not overheads can be introduced, the amount of current I will tolerate, etc. I also dictate the pace I am willing to go. Meaning, I will not be zipping from one structure to another. I take my time, look carefully and move on only when I am ready.

On open charters where there are a gaggle of other divers and I am unfamiliar with the dive op, I ask a lot of questions up front. I expect that the dive op will put me in a situation that is a fuster cluck and so I look for red flags before I sign up.

Finally, I don't trust that a DM will have my gear in "ready to dive" status when I am about to splash into the water. That is, if they put my gear together, I double check that it is put together as it should be. That the cam bands are properly tightened, that the weights are where they should be, that there is gas in the tank. Oh, and I do not trust that a boat op has given me gas that is suitable for the dive. I analyze the tank before I go diving. And I instruct the DM not to touch my tank valve once I have done my gear checks. If someone touches my valve as I am walking to jump off the boat (a usual annoying occurrence), I sit back down and check that they did not inadvertently turn my valve off.

So you see, in my view, it doesn't really matter what I can and can't expect from DMs or dive ops. In the end, if something bad happens to a diver, it is of little consolation that we can blame the dive op or the DM. And in most cases, there are no recourses anyway. In my experience, both in real life and reading others' accounts on scubaboard, that dive ops and DMs will happily contribute to your demise if given the opportunity.

 

[scubadada]

Hi scoobajay,

There are many definitions of DM responsibility, it is up to you to find which is applicable at your dive location. Clearly, it is in your best interest to become more self sufficient with regard to your diving skills so that you can maximally enjoy the dives wherever you travel.

Good diving, Craig

 

[scoobajay]

As someone else said, there have been many previous threads on this topic. A Google search on "divemaster responsibilities" reveals these:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/7145-divemaster-responsibilities.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/503829-divemaster-responsibilities.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ving/318088-dive-master-responsibilities.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/287029-divemaster-responsibilities.html

That should give you a few hours worth of reading.

Thanks! Very interesting how standards vary so greatly depending on what part of the world you are in and what kind of diving you are doing. One day, yall, I'll be an experienced diver and won't have to ask these questions anymore

 

[redacted]

Thanks! Very interesting how standards vary so greatly depending on what part of the world you are in and what kind of diving you are doing. One day, yall, I'll be an experienced diver and won't have to ask these questions anymore

So, what are your intentions for completing the medical form in the future?

Note the question on mental health, panic, and confined spaces.

http://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/forms/pdf/10063-ver2-0.pdf

 

[scoobajay]

So, what are your intentions for completing the medical form in the future?

Note the question on mental health, panic, and confined spaces.

http://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/forms/pdf/10063-ver2-0.pdf

Full Disclosure!!!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks! Very interesting how standards vary so greatly depending on what part of the world you are in and what kind of diving you are doing. One day, yall, I'll be an experienced diver and won't have to ask these questions anymore

I agree that is interesting. As I guess you read, in some places, even in the US, there is often no divemaster in the water with you. The boat's divemaster (or crew member) gives the divers a briefing, and then the rest is up to you and your buddy. Once I had a few dives like that under my belt, I came to view the DM's role in ALL places--including resort-like tropical destinations where they DO normally lead divers around--in a new light.

 

[TMHeimer]

A DM or Instructor is a professional leadership position. In any in-water activity, the principle responsibility of a DM or Instructor is DUTY OF CARE. This means -- to protect the less knowledgeable diver from harm. Fulfillment of this duty is achieved through the following:

1. Conducting routine risk assessments before, during and after open water dives, This means that the variables are evaluated and reevaluated often as some of them (such as weather and water conditions and diver state of mind) can change quickly. A DM or Instructor must always be vigilant, aware and watchful for factors that can contribute to putting divers at risk.

2. Exercise sound judgment.

3. Have appropriate safety equipment available, ensure that divers are properly equipped, and be prepared to respond in an emergency.

4. Follow Standards and local practices that are in place.

That's about the best one I've read. I'm sure the links provided a few posts back will allude to lawsuits and DM responsibilities as far as safety in local conditions and situations. I also like RJP's posts on finding out ahead of time what is expected from a DM--in the water guiding, etc.? I can't recall a DM acting as guide on any charter I've taken in NS or the Southern U.S. On my week in Panama the DM was a guide (just me & him 4 of the 5 days). He took me to where the shells were and I learned things (a DM Candidate myself then). He also once jumped in with an empty tank (by mistake of course...) and we did alt. air source ascent... I learned a lot but expected nothing.