Open Water To Dive Master How Long?

[gearbow]

I have a drysuit speciality and Nitrox. What is the least amount of time to get my DM (Dive Master)
I have plenty experience diving I just want to get the prerequisites done so that I can do the IDC later.

 

[Bob DBF]

From a couple of sites advertising PADI training. I was shocked but...

"In total you will need at least 8 weeks to reach PADI Divemaster level." (already having OW)

"PADI requires Instructor Candidates to have been certified at least 6 months before becoming an instructor."



Bob

 

[divad]

From a couple of sites advertising PADI training. I was shocked but...

"In total you will need at least 8 weeks to reach PADI Divemaster level." (already having OW)

"PADI requires Instructor Candidates to have been certified at least 6 months before becoming an instructor."



Bob

That must be for rabbits........and squirrels.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

It also depends on who your instructor is. Mine had his DM candidates intern with OW classes for a year.

 

[Bob DBF]

Don't get me wrong, I do not think it is a good idea, but don't shoot the messenger. I was as shocked as you guys were about the minimum time Zero to Hero requirements.



Bob

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I have a drysuit speciality and Nitrox. What is the least amount of time to get my DM (Dive Master)
I have plenty experience diving I just want to get the prerequisites done so that I can do the IDC later.

Depends on how much time you're able to commit. Technically it's achievable in a couple of months from Rescue Diver if you're at it full-time (5-6 days a week) at a busy dive shop, or say 6-8 months if you can only do weekends. Be wary of places that offer to get you through too quickly especially just to sign you up for an IDC.

Your dive experience should definitely put you in good stead, but you want plenty of contact time with real-life students. Beforehand I'd suggest refining your skill circuit and revising theory.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[TheCoolBeans]

I was on a holiday a few years ago when i started diving and found out that our Diveguide was also a recently passed DM, this gave me loads of confidence that, as a beginner, i would be in safe hands. The guy was a shockingly bad diver and was erratic and all over the place. At one point i thought he was having a mild seizure or sneezing fit underwater because he was twitching so much. Then he got us lost and we surfaced 800metres from the boat/shot line.

Back on the boat I'm gently quizzing the DG/DM about life in general and training etc, and he said, "10 weeks ago i could even swim confidently let alone scuba dive, I moved over to here when i left my office job and always wanted to be a scuba diver".
He had almost 100 dives in those 10 weeks. Quantity not Quality.

Please don't be like this guy. I hated diving with someone so new, Someone who had only slightly more overall time underwater than me, Someone i had no confidence in.

Thesedays i would be fine diving with someone so unpredictable because I'm confident and self-reliant, But back then as a noob i remember it shook me quite a bit.

 

[yle]

Technically...

You would need:

AOW... one week or a weekend. Two or three days of diving, depending on the schedule.

Rescue... one week. Again, depends on the schedule.

DM... two weeks.

Technically, the only requirements for these steps are the previous course and 60 dives to become a DM. If you already have 60 dives, then you just have to take the three courses. And technically, they could be done within a month.

But you would need to find a shop that has the courses scheduled in a way that works for you, and especially with the DM course you would need to find an instructor willing to put you through the course. As others have hinted at in this thread, many instructors have higher standards for their DMs than the minimum standards imposed by PADI.

If you have an instructor in mind, share with them your plans for when you would like to take the IDC. They can give you their advice and possibly suggest a schedule for the DM course that would better benefit everyone involved (you, the instructor and the students you would work with.) No reason to rush this... you'll learn more about being an instructor during your DM course than you will during the IDC.

 

[yle]

I have plenty experience diving I just want to get the prerequisites done so that I can do the IDC later.

To follow up on my previous post... while the DM course is a prerequisite to the IDC, that can be misleading. You might be tempted to think that the DM course is something to get done quickly so you can get to the real training of the IDC. But it's actually just the opposite.

Done correctly, your DM course will provide you most of the training you need for teaching, managing students, handling their problems, coordinating their dives. And you'll have an experienced instructor with you to provide mentoring and advice.

Take your time on the DM course, gain a lot of teaching experience, and you'll sail right through the IDC.

 

[jlcnuke]

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