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

[flyboy08]

I just completed my AOW....already had my Rescue Diver, so next step would be DM.....for me, like when I first obtained my private pilot license, it was a ticket to continue the learning process, not the end of it.....40 years later and numerous advanced ratings, I'm still learning.

Diving certification should be no different. We can always learn more if we watch and listen. It's amazing what one can learn by just reading SB member posts!

Happy diving my friends.

 

[scubadada]

In response to TMHeimer: These were people who were certified in Southern California, the same as me. I'm guess they had all of their ocean dives from a boat.That means they paid more for their certification but apparently got less training for their money.

My mind is a bit foggy these days but I recall that some degree of rescue training was involved (both in 1969 and in 1983) plus they touched upon such things as cave and shipwreck diving and navigation with a compass. At the time I was also reading a lot about diving so I can't verify exactly where I got my information. We were also taught decompression dives but didn't actually do any during the course. Since I don't know what they don't teach now in a basic course it's difficult for me to say what all of the differences were. Of course we didn't have BCs so we learned about proper weighting. Everyone had to do a free ascent from about 35 feet. During the pool training all of our gear would be at the bottom of the pool and we jumped in, turned on our air, and put on all of the stuff. During one exercise our masks were blacked out with aluminum foil and the instructor would do such things as drop our weight belt, turn off our air, or yank the regulator out of our mouth. Hopefully all of the book-learning is still included in even the most basic course as I view it all as necessary. My original course even included a bit of survival training and how to make sushi before I'd even heard of sushi. Since very few people had a SPG we relied upon our dive watch to determine when to surface or head back to the beach. I now know that many of my dives could have been a little longer.

At last, switched from bashing MSD to, "training back in the day", another favorite.

I was certified as a Basic Scuba Diver in 1970 by the LA Co Underwater Unit.......

 

[Rhone Man]

I remember years ago someone suggested we renamed the MSD as "Scuba Lord".

I still kind of like that one...

Isn't it IANTD which uses the title "Elite Diver" instead of MSD?

 

[WildcatChris]

I would actually pay my money if I could be a "Scuba Lord"...

 

[JamesBon92007]

I have no need for any more certifications because I am already a GOD--Grumpy Old Diver

 

[boulderjohn]

I just completed my AOW....already had my Rescue Diver, so next step would be DM.....for me, like when I first obtained my private pilot license, it was a ticket to continue the learning process, not the end of it.....40 years later and numerous advanced ratings, I'm still learning.

There is no reason that DM is necessarily the next step. If you are looking for training that will advance your diving skill, there are countless courses you can take that will do wonders for you. To combine this issue with the "back in the day" issue, when you go back to when those certifications were around, there was nothing like the plethora of learning opportunities we have now. Think about what it is you want to do with your diving and plan a course of learning that will get you there. IMO, for most people, DM would not be the best choice.

 

[TMHeimer]

Absolutely. DM will fine tune your basic skills (not talking about basic buoyancy, finning,etc.-- you have to be able to do the 20 or so skills to demonstration quality--such as reg. retrieval, mask clearing, equipment on & off underwater, etc.). You have to be interested in the educational side of diving--such as assisting with courses or leading certified divers and giving advice about the sites, etc.--people skills of course. Otherwise, not much use for a DM cert.--better options (and usually less costly) to improve your diving.

 

[Shotmaster]

The practice of closely spaced incremental recognitions of improvement is a great tool when working with young people to keep them motivated in the learning process. Think about schools, the tons of trophy's given out in youth athletics and yes even the merit badges given out in my beloved scouting programs. PADI merely is using the same tactics in their marketing driven program to appeal to the masses.

The skills learned are valuable, but we have to remember for the most part they are not certifying that you have mastered the subject, only that you have participated.

Hahahaha, PADI is the Tae Kwon Do of diving, the belt of the month club!

 

[boulderjohn]

Hahahaha, PADI is the Tae Kwon Do of diving, the belt of the month club!

Can you explain to me why PADI is being singled out here? Can you name any agencies that do not have a series of certification levels as well as a number of specialty classes for different areas of interest?

 

[Shotmaster]

LOL, ok, I'll bite. I started diving in 1973. NASDS, all active duty UDT/SEAL dive instructors, we didn't have BCs, or safe seconds, pressure gauges were luxury items, we had J-valves, scubapro made the mk7 "Honker" that would vibrate alerting you that your air was at 600 psi. The training was rigorous as the instructors attempted to insure you were safe in the water in all conditions. If you weren't an accomplished skindiver (free diver), you weren't prepared to complete the course. I have made dives all over the world. On several occasions I have been refused recognition of my NASDS cert, and also been refused dive trips because I didn't have a PADI wreck diver badge, "night diver", or whatever badge you needed for their trip. So if I make fun of PADI and their mentality, and business model, it is not without merit. Especially when some 20's something "Dive Master" is questioning my skills and experience and my first steel 72 has a born on date stamp of 1974.