New, lots of questions?

[open25hours]

Hi I'm new to Scuba diving and of course have alot of questions. I'm currently teaching english in Taiwan to save up enough money to get certified as a Divemaster, but I have a few questions. Can anyone recommend a country to get certified in? I've heard good things about Thailand and the Phillipines? at the moment I don't have a preference, I'm looking for good instruction but I dont' want to pay to stay at a resort for 3 or 4 months. How much should I expect to pay for the courses? from what I've found on the internet to take your open water and up to Divemaster I should expect to pay about 5-7 grand american? some places include equipment, is it better to purchase your own? I've also heard of places you can intern for 6 months and do it for free, but read a few websites that don't recommend this.

any help would be great , safe diving

dan

 

[Avic7]

The best place to get certified is in cold waters, such as Canada BC, not sure about the cost cuz i am still at advanced, but I was at taiwan before and now I live in BC. The water is colder in Western Canada, and it constantly changes. Your exposed to so many things in the water, more weights, more equipment, dry suits etc etc. I do know that it takes way less than a grand to get divemaster in Vancouver BC. Come to Canada to dive, you won't regret it.

 

[Arduous]

Why do you want DiveMaster ? Most of the time, DiveMaster = Dive slave. Most DiveMaster courses focus on the business of diving, with the physics of diving taking a back seat. Oh they do give you more info than the average diver, but you’d come out much further ahead by taking advanced specialty courses.

Now if your planning to go into the business of diving, ie, working for a dive shop or a resort, then by all means take the DiveMaster course. If you just want to be a better diver, take specialty courses.

 

[shugar]

how soon do you want to become a DM? i assume you just got your OW, do you think you'd be of a service to divers as a DM w/ (sometimes) less experience than your divers?

i hope you're not jumping in to DM just to have a nifty c-card or title... or have the money to spend... spend the money on your own equipment first and become a good diver, that's my 2 cents

that being said and to answer your question: www.scubaworld.com.ph has DM programs that don't require you to live for 3-4 months on the resort

or i can refer you to my instructors who can train you to be a DM, although what i know is that they require a serious series of internships and DM experience before they certify you - as far as i know, the internship is not normally required or as long as they run theirs...

hope you understand: a relatively noob diver like me too will rely on the skill, experience and professionalism of the DM for safety and the ultimate dive experience - if i'm diving with a DM who's about as experienced as i am... well... i can save up too and buy myself an OWSI card, right?

not picking a fight, just my thing on what's good for everyone

Jag

 

[herman]

DM is a lot of work, a big responsibility and is fairly expensive. Just the DM course with all the additional materials runs $700- 1000 by the time you are done. Do your self and your potential customers a favor. Get your OW, dive some, get your AOW dive some more, get your rescue and dive a lot more. And maybe throw in a few specialty courses along the way. Then if you still want DM, go for it. Your diving skills should finally be ready to handle being a GOOD DM.

 

[open25hours]

do you think you'd be of a service to divers as a DM w/ (sometimes) less experience than your divers?

Obviously not, I'm getting my Divemaster to get into the dive bussiness, and I expect to attain that level of proffesionalism where I could be a great service to the other divers I'm with. I don't expect it to happen in two months, I don't think any dive shop would put a noob DM with more experienced divers, unless they felt you were at that level and could provide that ultimate (safe) dive experience. I'm not getting certified just to have a cool title, I plan on working for a diveshop and making it a career.

 

[shugar]

well good for you... at least you know what you're doing and are thinking responsibly... i've got a similar goal for myself... i want to be a DM too, but not as a career move - more like a sideline that i enjoy doing

but i'd listen to herman... there shouldn't be a real rush for you to get your DM "wings"... dive, get experience, dive again, get experience... stick around w/ other DMs and pros (like what i do) and learn from what they do... see what they do that works and what could use improvement... ask them if you can assist a little when they're DM-ing (they should set your limits... like you buddy with a noob and guide them)... it should give you a taste and mentality for what's to come

i'm happy my DM friends allow me to do these... i can't wait myself till i've got the experience (and cash) to finally go rescue then DM

Jag

 

[open25hours]

Thanks for the advice