PADI DM finished, hints to others

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endurodog

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Messages
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Location
Aurora Colorado
Last weekend I finished my final Dive Master requirements. Now I just need to submit my application and wait for approval and pay my insurance. All I can say is what a journey.

I started the process in the beginning of April when I picked up my crew pack and paid my fees. After looking at the class stuff and talking with my instructor I knew it was a challenge but I thought I could finish it in a couple of month. I have a full time job and of course all the home stuff but thought I would fit it all in.

Let me say without a doubt, there is more to this than meets the eye!!! Took me 3.5 months to finish. Sure you can do it quicker and many do but working a full time job and fitting it all in this is what I had to do. I did work hard at it and devoted so much of my free time to completing it. Got frustrated even that it was taking me so long. But as I sit here typing this I realize this is what was best.

What I would like to do is give my experiences so other interested can have an objective idea of what to expect. I will also state right now that is all worth it.

To start out, a little about me. I certified in 1983 in the NAUI system. I dove off and on through the years and had not taken another class since then until the last few years. I live in Colorado now and there are no NAUI shops I could find locally so I switched to PADI. I’m now 46 years old, work full time in another field other than diving. I am involved in training in my day job and have many classes on instruction all ready under my belt.

SWIM TEST

This seems to be one of the topics I see most of the discussions about on the internet. I consider myself in decent shape. I ride bicycles, lift weights, and race dirt bikes at a fairly high level in endurance events so I figured the swim test would be no problem, wrong guess on my part. I had not did an actual lap in the pool since my certification in 1983. I did a few laps while at the pool one day and was convinced I really needed to do some practicing. My instructor told me the biggest problem he had seen is people starting off to fast in the swim and bonking, I understood that all to well after trying some practice laps. You need to figure out a pace so that you can maintain it for the whole test. Unless you do swimming practice your gonna have to do some practicing IMHO. I went to the pool for a month, 3 days a week, to get in swim shape. I’m not one of the Superman I keep reading about on the net but just an average guy and after doing this I was able to pass ok, always want better but it more than got me the points I needed.

So hint on this one, go to the pool a few times and figure out your stroke, and timing. Practice all of the swims including the tread water. I’m a sinker and had to figure out the hands out for the last 2 minutes of the tread water. I used the crawl for the 400 but figure out what works for you.

Gear exchange is a part of this. I did mine with another dive master, we gave hand signs for what breath we were on for the buddy breathing and it was a tremendous help I thought. Figure out what works for you.


INTERNING CLASSES

I helped interning more classes than is required. Class room, pool sessions, and open waters. I worked with 3 different instructors, all with their own styles. This was of great benefit to me. I saw things from each of them I would change and would copy. It gave me chances to work with lots of students. We had problem students that we were not able to pass and students that breezed through. Then the fun ones with students that struggled but were able to make the progress that allowed them to pass due to great instruction.

As I had said my day job I do lots of instruction in. It’s something that I enjoy. To be a dive master it’s going to be a big thing. You need to enjoy working with the people. If you don’t that may tell you something. Today I helped with a discover scuba thing and I had one lady that all she wanted to do is sit on the bottom of the pool and have me hold her hand. Didn’t want to let go. In the end she was really happy, she said it was so peaceful and while she didn’t complete the entire program she left very happy. Mission accomplished for the day.

I would suggest interning more classes than required. Work with the problem students and see what sense of accomplishment you get. That is the road your heading on if you take this challenge.


BOOK WORK AND TEST

I’m was on the new Dive Master program. Different test than the old program. 2 books you will get is the Dive Master book and the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving. The Dive Master book follows the same layout of many of the PADI books. The knowledge reviews are a little different in that they don’t follow the order of the chapter but skip around in the chapter a bit. The entire book and knowledge reviews went fairly simple for me. Then I got into the Encyclopedia and thought it would go even quicker, boy was I wrong. This book is so full of information and it’s just gonna take some time to cover the entire book. I read it from cover to cover.

The test is 2 sixty question test. They cover info from both books and besides doing the right thing you need to finish both books before taking the test. You will walk away with more info that will only make you a better DM in the end.


DEMONSTRATION SKILLS

This is one that my instructor was a stickler on, and I was glad about it. He picked ever skill I did apart and told me how to improve. Small things he picked up on like my deep water entry that I bounced slightly and how if a student did that they may hang up and fall face first into the water. He was really on this I enjoyed having him examine me at that level. If I decide to go to the next level I know the things I need to do to improve these skills further.

To study for this I watched the DM video numerous times. I listed the skills and all the steps. On the internships I would watch the instructors do the skills for students. I would stay in the pool at the end of the day and practice them. I would practice them out of the water and while driving one day I had a friend ask me what the hell I was doing while I was going through them, he was driving not me.


CONCLUSION

Was it worth it? Hell yes. I’m so glad I completed it. I hope that I can work in the capacity as a dive master often. I enjoy the working with people and just additional time under water. I have seen discussions asking the question “Does it make you a better diver?” I have to say hell yes again. How can additional training like this not. More time in the water, more training on the actual skills, more training on assisting in rescue and diver safety. Seeing others make mistakes and helping correct them has always been something that helps my skill level at anything I’m doing. Is there other ways to gain these skills if your not interested in the pro field, you bet but that is a personal choice.

So I would highly recommend the program if you want to help others learn scuba, you like the whole industry, you like teaching. But be warned it isn’t like the other classes up to this point. There is so much more to it, so much more time and dedication required. But it was so worth it to me.
 
All good stuff. I found the academics OK, with the physics toughest. A ton of studying since I hadn't done anything like that since H.S. But being a good "studier", I did fine. Course was harder than all of my other courses combined. Wish I had had the skills video(s), would've helped. Also, a pool closer than 50 miles would've helped both with the swim tests and actual classes. Would have been nice to get more than one OW class to intern. But you've heard all my whines before. Congrats. Now it will be fun to get your "black" card and all the stuff they send, and get ready to pay your money.
 
Welcome from someone who was just welcomed himself. Great advice. Your Swim advice was flawless. Hit every nail on the head. Don't forget drownproofing on the tread if you're negatively buoyant. We aced the equipment exchange-started out with each others gear on. Man I wish they had that demo skills video 2 years ago!
 
One of the things I found most useful in my DM class was to latch onto a DM who looks like the DM you'd like to be, and model him as much as you can. I was lucky to have access to someone who was phenomenal -- his demonstrations were clear and crisp and accurate, and I learned a ton from them. I also got many good tips about where to position myself and how to be most useful in a lot of circumstances. I would still be learning from him, if he weren't taking a year off from DMing :)
 
1. Know what is required of you as listed in the Instructor's Manual.
2. Just because the instructor did it this way during his/her DMC doesn't mean you can't do it a different way and still meet the requirements.
3. Think outside the box on some of the items.

For example, on the tread, you are allowed to bob, drownproof, float, or tread. Drownproofing for 13 minutes then treading for the last 2 with your hands out of the water is a lot easier (for me) than treading for the entire 15.
 
You can do the last 2 mins. hands out still drownproofing. Can't get any easier than that. And if I were ever actually boatless in the middle of a big freshwater body, drownproofing is my best (and only) chance to survive. No hands out of the water then....
 
Does the new DM program require a deep dive specialty and a search and rescue specialty?
 
Does the new DM program require a deep dive specialty and a search and rescue specialty?

I believe just one dive of each, not the whole specialty. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I believe just one dive of each, not the whole specialty. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks. I'd also heard that was the other option if you didn't have the specialties. PADI really wants to sell those add-ons. Oh well, should be fun dives.
 
Dive Master is probably the one course I see most people under prepared for. I dont think most people really comprehend how harsh the courses are especially for the occasional to rare swimmer. I went into it really knowing I would barely pass the minimums (And did I ever barely pass). Its not intended to be an easy course as it is designed to let you see that being in the stressful situations can be a physically demanding position.

Dive Master is a very rewarding course and one I am proud I took as I did trully learn alot from it!
 

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