Question about Going Professional
- Thread starter medic_diver45
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Lets keep it freindly. ok folks?
Stephen,
get your butt down here to the sun and Ill make you and instructor before you can say "rotomilled resort course" and dont listen to the spewing venom.
get your butt down here to the sun and Ill make you and instructor before you can say "rotomilled resort course" and dont listen to the spewing venom.
(Just a quick aside to say that my post above is not directed at any particular individual; I was simply commenting that we often see too many cyber-divers flying passed on Scubaboard, throwing credentials around, but not having the real-life experience to back it up....)
Most do not stay around long...
Hi,
Great to have you interested in a professional career in diving. A couple of suggestions.
1. Make sure you really like diving. It should be something you enjoy. Its not about the accumulation of credentials. While PADI requires 60 dives for the DM and 100 for the OWSI, my experience tells me that you should have at least twice or maybe three times these numbers before you practice professionally.
2. Make sure you accumulate this experience in a variety of environments cold water/ warm, boat and shore, salt and fresh under different conditions.
3. The demand for DMs is somewhat less than for Instructors who are willing to DM as well. So my guess is that an actual paying job at the DM level will be hard to come by unless you have considerable experience that is of interest to a lds or boat operator.
4. Diving is part of the tourism and hospitality industry even the teaching end ultimately. So people skills and a genuine interest in seeing others have fun, become more skilled and generally stay with the sport is important in maintaining a strong student or client base.
5. Finally the money is really lousy the hours are odd and long, and the work is hard its more about gear rinsing and tank hauling than in the water hours on an hour-by-hour basis. (Only a slight exaggeration) so you really need to enjoy what you do and find pleasure in becoming a better diver and teacher that is the process rather than the money or the credentials are what will make you an effective DM or Instructor.
Good Luck
Great to have you interested in a professional career in diving. A couple of suggestions.
1. Make sure you really like diving. It should be something you enjoy. Its not about the accumulation of credentials. While PADI requires 60 dives for the DM and 100 for the OWSI, my experience tells me that you should have at least twice or maybe three times these numbers before you practice professionally.
2. Make sure you accumulate this experience in a variety of environments cold water/ warm, boat and shore, salt and fresh under different conditions.
3. The demand for DMs is somewhat less than for Instructors who are willing to DM as well. So my guess is that an actual paying job at the DM level will be hard to come by unless you have considerable experience that is of interest to a lds or boat operator.
4. Diving is part of the tourism and hospitality industry even the teaching end ultimately. So people skills and a genuine interest in seeing others have fun, become more skilled and generally stay with the sport is important in maintaining a strong student or client base.
5. Finally the money is really lousy the hours are odd and long, and the work is hard its more about gear rinsing and tank hauling than in the water hours on an hour-by-hour basis. (Only a slight exaggeration) so you really need to enjoy what you do and find pleasure in becoming a better diver and teacher that is the process rather than the money or the credentials are what will make you an effective DM or Instructor.
Good Luck
Delta_P
Contributor
medic_diver45:
Are there actually people out there who get paid cash money for DMing? I thought it was usually an indentured servant type of thing to pay for one's diving expenses.
A demand valve does not have to come equipped with a positive pressure button. The one I used on my Rescue course acted just like out regs do. I agree, even us paramedics in Canada don't use that style any more, at the point rescue breathing is require, a Bag Valve Mask or a pocket mask with O2 port should be used on a 12-15 liter flow rate.
Nomaster
Guest
Tollie and Delta,
Thanks for bringing me back to the water.
I read the string... oops, thread, entirely with interest (even through the heat), but for my needs, the best part was the reminder of what SCUBA is about.
Tom
Thanks for bringing me back to the water.
I read the string... oops, thread, entirely with interest (even through the heat), but for my needs, the best part was the reminder of what SCUBA is about.
Tom
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