Mr 100 Dive Wonder Instructor

[TSandM]

This could easily have been me.

When I took OW and AOW, and was so clearly hooked on diving, everybody at my LDS more or less expected I'd go directly through the training pyramid to divemaster and instructor. I remember being quite startled to discover that one of the DMs helping with our class had barely been diving a year, but later, I found out that's not unusual.

I have more dives now than some of the instructors I know, and I don't feel even remotely ready to teach diving. I'm so glad I got a "heads up" from Bob and others, so that I realized how much more there was to know about diving, both from an intellectual and a skills perspective, and I didn't end up a 100DWI.

 

[Adobo]

I can assure you i'm not confessing to a past sin.
I probably have a few past sins from my early days as a Divemaster. If I think long enough I could come up with some. Would that make you happy?

I think it's more fun to laugh at "I'm stupid" stories than to laugh at "he's stupid" stories. So feel free to confess away.

 

[anakin]

wow, you should never post again....that was effing long, i didnt even finsih reading it.

 

[Hoosier]

100DWI..... Nice word.

It isn't only limited on the number of dives that instructor has. The attitude and contineous update are also a very critical factors. My OW and AOW instructor had a typical "I am" sydrome and always mentioned 15 years experience. If I recall his skill and class works, LOL~~~.... Even, he couldn't handle his own body weight.

 

[Azza]

This could easily have been me.

When I took OW and AOW, and was so clearly hooked on diving, everybody at my LDS more or less expected I'd go directly through the training pyramid to divemaster and instructor. I remember being quite startled to discover that one of the DMs helping with our class had barely been diving a year, but later, I found out that's not unusual.

I have more dives now than some of the instructors I know, and I don't feel even remotely ready to teach diving. I'm so glad I got a "heads up" from Bob and others, so that I realized how much more there was to know about diving, both from an intellectual and a skills perspective, and I didn't end up a 100DWI.

Me too Lynne. I was hook, line and sinker in love with diving and wanted to go diving as much as I could.
My LDS managed to convince me to go straight through to Divemaster and within a year of diving I had become a DM and logged 140 dives.
I wasn't that confident in my first few courses as a DM at first but all the instructors I worked with assured me I was a great DM.
My LDS tried to get me to become an Instructor but then I got into Tech and found I was actually pretty average and no way should I be an instructor.
A mate of mine did and ended doing 30 dives in a lake, 6 a day, sitting on the bottom for 20 minutes at a time to get his dives up <shudder>

It isn't only limited on the number of dives that instructor has. The attitude and contineous update are also a very critical factors.

I agree completely. Attitude is THE most important part of being an Instructor and the second most important is being able to get information across.

I think it's more fun to laugh at "I'm stupid" stories than to laugh at "he's stupid" stories. So feel free to confess away.

Well unfortunately this story isn't funny. It's scary...to me anyway.
If I get some spare time over the weekend I will write up some of the stupid funny stuff I did as a new DM. I am having a few drinks tonight with some of the guys and Instructors I did my DM training with so will ask them to refresh my memory of the silly things I did.
I'm sure I am going to regret this...:shakehead

 

[Azza]

wow, you should never post again....that was effing long, i didnt even finsih reading it.

:shakehead No stamina these youngsters today...

 

[JeffG]

:shakehead No stamina these youngsters today...

Maybe it hit to close to home.

 

[letterboy]

:shakehead No stamina these youngsters today...

I know gosh I feel like i;m the only one who can . . . NVM . . .


Thanks For sharing Azza. . . . Glad you stood up for the defenseless students!!


I have to admit I was a 75 dive DiveCon. . .

 

[scubatexastony]

Maybe it hit to close to home.

 

[Packhorse]

Thanks for sharing your story Azza.
I recall when I did my SSI deep specialty I was buddyed with this guy by the instructor who told me to keep an eye on him. The buddy was overweight, slowest at gearing up and low on confidence. It wasnt till after the dives did I learn he was trying to finnish his DM course. I though he had just finnished his OW!!