Master.........Really?

[TMHeimer]

Looks like someone hasn't read the entire thread... Funny nonetheless.

Well hey, my old freind Don Bador really did get his Masters.

 

[BDSC]

So I would like to ask this question again.

What is the difference between an "Instructor" and a "Master Instructor"? I have seen the title "Master Instructor" before. Is it just another vanity thing? Is it something you pay the money for and get the rating or is there something that really sets apart the Instructor from a Master Instructor?

 

[Kingpatzer]

So I would like to ask this question again.

What is the difference between an "Instructor" and a "Master Instructor"? I have seen the title "Master Instructor" before. Is it just another vanity thing? Is it something you pay the money for and get the rating or is there something that really sets apart the Instructor from a Master Instructor?

It is a rating that recognizes a diverse experience base:

For PADI, the key points:
- been an instructor for a minimum of two years.
- have certified at least 150 Divers, of which:
-- At least 50 of the certifications must be for AOW, Rescue or DM
-- At least 15 of the certifications for specialties
-- At least 5 for Rescue Divers
-- At least 5 for Divemasters
-- At least 5 for Assistant Instructors
-- No more than 75 of the 150 certifications may be from credits earned for conducting DSD
-- No more than 50 of the 150 certifications may be from credits earned for staffing IDCs.
-- No more than 25 of the 150 certifications may be from non-diving specialty certifications.
-- No more than 10 of the 150 certifications may be from Childrens' programs
-- Have trained at least 10 students in CPR/Emergency First Aid
- Have participated in at least three PADI Instructor Development Seminars
- Issue PADI as the primary certifications
- Have no verified Quality Assurance violations within the past six months
- no open quality assurance inquiries in progress.

 

[BDSC]

So is there a fee for this rating?

 

[theduckguru]

So is there a fee for this rating?

There is no letter I in team and no F, R or E in PADI.

 

[BDSC]

There is no letter I in team and no F, R or E in PADI.

Good one.

I just didn't know if when an instructor had met all the requirements of a Master Instructor, as listed above, they were automatically considered a Master Instructor and received that rating.

 

[String]

Master Instructor under PADI is just a staff instructor who's met the above requirements - its not a course as such where something new is taught. (Kind of similar to MSDR).

Generally people going to MI have their sights on course director - there's not a lot of point being one otherwise. Its a stepping stone.

 

[Thalassamania]

MI is the "loyalty oath" you take prior to becoming a CD.

 

[40Fathoms]

I fully respect people who dive a lot, and do specialty courses to improve their skills, but I do think that PADI's Master Diver requirements are too light. It seems like just another to ask divers to cough up a certification fee. The lightness of the MD was actually what made me switch from PADI to NAUI, whose Master Scuba Diver (the comparable certification) required classes, training dives, etc.

It still doesn't make you a new Costeau or anything, but it still has more validity than PADI's. I like the idea of a level system, though, much like what CMAS employs. So for instance, OWD -> AOWD Level 1 -> Rescue Diver ->AOWD Level 2, for instance.

 

[chazrich]

I am a Master Scuba Diver. Quick, get me a bucket of water and I'll show you!