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

[Thalassamania]

It's not a biggie but it's there in the background. It's not the sort of thing one complains about more than a roll of the eyes when some physician insists on being called Dr. so-and-so, with happens less and less often these days. I expect that it will be a none issue in the not too distant future. Face it, lawyers have a JD or an LLD and no one calls them Doctor.

 

[drrich2]

A lot of which has to do with modern social customs. I've known many Physicians, all addressed in the workplace by the professional title 'Doctor,' except by personal intimates such as family and colleagues. This is done not so much out of vanity as to identify and recognize the role played. Sort of like calling an on-duty cop 'Officer.'

In a similar way, Judges are addressed as 'Judge <insert name> or 'Your Honor' in court. But probably not all the time in line at the grocery store.

I'm guessing you were referring to Physicians encountered outside the work setting. I've never seen a Physician in the work setting habitually addressed as 'Mr.' or the like.

I did a little poking around in the Wikipedia article on the 'doctor' title; turns out it predates Ph.D.s, so your Physicist doesn't have an uncontested exclusive on it, either.

Richard.

 

[DevonDiver]

This is all pointless. 'Master' Scuba Diver is a level of certification, not even a qualification, and does not entitle any use of the word 'master' in relation to the person's form of address.

 

[Suian]

I tend to have a higher level of respect for someone that is a "Dive Master" then a "Master Scuba diver".
MSD rating is essentially an extra card, it is not a professional qualification and isn't worth the plastic that states it. This isn't to say that a diver with one is useless or unexperienced, but simply they just have an MSD card.

A dive master, is a professional rating and for someone to earn it they must have learnt and demonstrated a set of skills that make them worthy enough to be employed, not just as a diver but also as someone that can lead and organise a group of divers and keep them safe.
This is essentially the same for instructor, the only difference is, that students aren't qualified in the field of diving (or the sub specialty they may be doing) and thus the instructor must also be able to demonstrate relevant skills required to teach them and be able to keep them safe.

As a Dive Master in training, I have spent a large aspect of my training learning when someone really is a master at diving or whether they just have a fancy card that says they can scuba dive.

 

[parrothead600]

I tend to have a higher level of respect for someone that is a "Dive Master" then a "Master Scuba diver".
MSD rating is essentially an extra card, it is not a professional qualification and isn't worth the plastic that states it. This isn't to say that a diver with one is useless or unexperienced, but simply they just have an MSD card.

A dive master, is a professional rating and for someone to earn it they must have learnt and demonstrated a set of skills that make them worthy enough to be employed, not just as a diver but also as someone that can lead and organise a group of divers and keep them safe.
This is essentially the same for instructor, the only difference is, that students aren't qualified in the field of diving (or the sub specialty they may be doing) and thus the instructor must also be able to demonstrate relevant skills required to teach them and be able to keep them safe.

As a Dive Master in training, I have spent a large aspect of my training learning when someone really is a master at diving or whether they just have a fancy card that says they can scuba dive.

I would have to agree with this logic. Someone could go thru the Rescue/EFR class & do 5 specialties & get thier MSD card. Does this mean that they are a proficient diver? Not nessesarily. Some of the specialties have next-to-nothing to do with improoving a divers skill level. This is one of the problems that I see with the current recreational certification program. In my case, I chose specialties that would improove my skill level based on the type of diving that I do.
As others have said: This is recreational diving that we are talking about, not professional, not technical. Maybe the MSD card should say "Master Recreational Diver".

 

[DevonDiver]

Does this mean that they are a proficient diver? Not nessesarily.

The exact same sentiment could be made about Divemaster, or even instructor, status.

The relevance of any card held by a diver is attributed by what they have learned... and what they demonstrate in the water.... not the card itself.

 

[Suian]

The exact same sentiment could be made about Divemaster, or even instructor, status.

The relevance of any card held by a diver is attributed by what they have learned... and what they demonstrate in the water.... not the card itself.

That is true with any profession, not just diving.
However when you enter a professional level of scuba diving and especially if you also have a job as a Dive master or Instructor you are expected to set an example to your fellow divers. When I am working on the charter boat as part of my DMT, I know I may be outpaced in experience by a factor of 10 by some divers, however I must set an example to them, because 1. I am a professional and 2. I have to make up for my lack of experience another way.
Even if I am doing a recreational dive, I still try to set the example to my buddy.

As a master diver, yes you may be a good diver, yes you may have a lot of dives. I just don't believe that an MSD has to uphold the same standard as a DM or instructor. There will be people in the industry that disagree with this, but thats just my $0.02

 

[scubadada]

So much time debating such a trivial issue. I'm a Rescue Diver with more than 5 specialties and EFR, I'm a MSD. I'm also an avid scuba diver with nearly 500 dives and reasonable skills. Who cares but me. Give it a break. If I want to spend $50 for a one concerted card, including my nitrox cert, that's nobody's business but mine.

Good diving, Craig

 

[TMHeimer]

This is all pointless. 'Master' Scuba Diver is a level of certification, not even a qualification, and does not entitle any use of the word 'master' in relation to the person's form of address.

Absolutely.

 

[TMHeimer]

So much time debating such a trivial issue. I'm a Rescue Diver with more than 5 specialties and EFR, I'm a MSD. I'm also an avid scuba diver with nearly 500 dives and reasonable skills. Who cares but me. Give it a break. If I want to spend $50 for a one concerted card, including my nitrox cert, that's nobody's business but mine.

Good diving, Craig

Absolutely.