Is Master Scuba Diver "worth it" in your opinion

[The Chairman]

I’ve done plenty of 100-130ft dives within NDL.

I've done hundreds within NDL. Caca occurs. Once we had an anchor stuck. I was one of two with sufficient gas to go get it. I was the only one with the training and experience. They sent their Divemaster instead and guess what? He got bent. He didn't dive for 4 months.

It's better to overprepare and get the training before you need it.

 

[The Chairman]

Hmmm ... almost happened.

When I first got my CPAP a couple decades ago, I put it on the floor by the bed as I had no nightstand. My Saint Bernard slept by the bed. She was, let's say, gassy. Great big dog farts. The CPAP sucked in said dog fart. Pressurized it. Further humidified it. And pumped it down a hose straight into my nose. It woke me up. I was convinced I was dying.

Huh, mine is filtered.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Huh, mine is filtered.

Mine is filtered too. But dog farts are awful powerful. Don't believe there's a filter for that.

 

[USdiver1]

dog farts are awful powerful. Don't believe there's a filter for that.

They have been known to burn corneas if released in close proximity to one's eyes.

 

[The Chairman]

Mine is filtered too. But dog farts are awful powerful. Don't believe there's a filter for that.

It's why I prefer cats. They don't fart like dogs do. They release pressure with their purrs, instead. They aren't nearly as needy, either.

 

[Diver-Drex]

They have been known to burn corneas if released in close proximity to one's eyes.

And the relevance to diving… keep your dog away from the compressor intake.

 

[Cthippo]

It's unfortunate because MSD  should be meaningful. It is a recognition that a diver has at least taken the core classes and a certain number of elective courses and it should be an indication that they are highly competent within their experience. Unfortunately the variability of quality of instruction lets this down and leaves it meaningless.

Status is a powerful driver of actilns and It would be nice if there were a meaningful certification of competence as a rec diver. Unfortunately, given how the industry is set up that seems unlikely.

 

[fred32176]

Isn't MSD a Boy Scout thing? Earn 5 merit badges and they given you a patch.

 

[boulderjohn]

Isn't MSD a Boy Scout thing? Earn 5 merit badges and they given you a patch.

Yes. When I was working on instructor certification, I had to read a number of historical documents, and I do remember that the Boy Scout merit badge program was the model. At that time, there weren't much more than 5 specialties in existence, so someone who got that many had pretty much exhausted the possibilities for instruction.

 

[The Chairman]

Comparing diver specialties to Scout Merit Badges is overly simplistic. First of all, most merit badges require far, far more work than almost any specialty course. Take the drift diving 'merit badge'. 2 dives, you drop off the back of the boat and get back on... twice. Big whoop. Sure, the student mike tote the flag, but they don't have to. It'd be nice if they were taught boat etiquette, but I haven't seen that being covered on the boats, and few divers ever try to keep their stuffola together and out of other people's way. In my eyes, it's a useless specialty.

Then there's peak performance buoyancy, where many students are taught how to float in a Budha pose. OMG x100,000,000. That misses the point, in that trim and buoyancy are a critical open water skill. When my son passed away, I cancelled one of my remedial trim, buoyancy, and propulsion classes. They went to a local shop, one I recommended. What did they do? They simply added a butt tonne of weight, and the student left in tears. I put aside my grief and got him sorted out. It's actually what I needed at the time. No, I'm not especially gifted, just competent. It's my opinion that once taught how, any instructor could have the same results. They just haven't been taught.