PADI Master Scuba Diver requirements...can one of my specialties be SSI?

[azchipka]

Do any of you divemasters/instructors/dive shop owners or workers out there feel like when you made diving your job you didn't enjoy it as much???

There are days I wake up and the last thing I want to do is go diving. But even with the best job in the world there will be days you wake up and don't want to go to work.

Working in the dive industry has got me into exploring other types of diving that I would have otherwise never had the chance to try and brought me to destinations I never before would have been able to get to.

 

[highdesert]

I am not against training. I am against giving PADI unnecessary money for BS training and go about wave a card that has zero meaning.

Not taking a shot at you personally here, fnfalman, but at the idea behind this quote. Some divers may not have access to you or someone with your knowledge and skills to pass on. It could be their geographic location, their ability to step outside themselves, whatever.

I'm not arguing for or against MSD in general, but if the cert does anything at all to boost a diver's confidence, if only in the respect that they accomplished a goal, that is worth a lot to some people, and IMHO, it's anyone's place to downplay it, especially directly to them.

 

[jrc]

Save your money and go diving. I have the cert. and it is useless.

 

[firstdive2005]

Save your money and go diving. I have the cert. and it is useless.

I wonder what useless means in your context other than slaming Padi.
I have it. I am not a paid diver. I dive a lot now.
I remember after I got the cert., what now? It was kind of funny, someone told me to just start diving. doh!! I am not sure if other divers went through this, the feeling of-am I ready to dive now?. While I had the confidence of knowledge I didnt have the experience. This is when my diving started to feel like fun. Now it is hard to put into words what I feel when I dive. It certainly aint normal and I like that.
Anyway the Padi courses certainly aided that progression as there was seemingly no other way for me to learn. Now I like to help other divers if they ask for it.

 

[OldNSalty]

Because chicks dig it. Whip it out at the bars and honeys will swoon at your feet.

I love women who are easy to impress....hmmm. I should have stopped 2 words sooner.

 

[boulderjohn]

There are other certs I'd like to have but would never have a chance to use, like mixed gas deep diver, or ice diver. I have thought about going for my divemaster cert, but being a family man now I'd really rather use my yearly 1 week kitchen pass for a dive trip rather than make diving my job. I'm afraid I wouldn't like it as much.

Do any of you divemasters/instructors/dive shop owners or workers out there feel like when you made diving your job you didn't enjoy it as much???

You live in Hawaii, so your experience will be very different from many others, including especially me. For me, being a professional means that I teach a class a couple times a month, get to lead a trip occasionally, etc. I get a number of personal benefits being associated with a shop, such as the ability to use the pool for free when it is available, a place to store some of my equipment (doubles), free fills, etc. It has greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the sport.

For you, I suspect it will be very different, although I cannot be sure since I have not experienced it. You will have more options available to you, but you may find much more competition from people looking to fill those options. Thus, your options may actually be more limited than mine. I think you will have to pay more attention to the advice from people who live in places similar to yours than from people like me.

 

[mikerault]

I have AOW, Nitrox and Rescue and over 200 dives, I've dove in quarries, lakes and oceans (Atlantic, Pacific and the Caribbean sea) done low viz (less than 2 feet) high viz (>100 feet) warm (>80 degrees) and and cold (<47 degrees) done both caverns and cenotes. Done underwater photography and video. I don't think I need a card to tell me my skill level or validate what I know.

That being said, if it floats your boat, go for it!

It's not the number of dives in your experience its the amount of experiences in your dives!

Mike