Rumor control - DM logged dive requirements?

[Red_5]

I heard a rumor the other day that PADI was going to up the number of logged dives for DM from 60 to 100.

whats the buzz?

 

[Kingpatzer]

that would be more than a good thing in my opinion.

I'd also like to see the performance standards upped significantly, or at least spelled out in much greater detail. What can constituted a passing grade for some of the skills is pathetic.

 

[DevonDiver]

I hadn't heard that from PADI yet..... but if it was, then it would be a great improvement.

I hope it would also lead to the intructor min dive requirement being raised substantially from the current 100.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hopefully, NAUI and other agencies would follow suit ..

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[scubadiver888]

Is there anyone who could get a DM job with the minimum requirements? Even if you can get your DM with 60 dives, doesn't the industry compensate by not hiring you as an actual DM until you proved yourself?

I would have thought that a DM with 60 dives would get hired to fill cylinders and clean gear. Or are there dive operations that will hire these inexperienced DMs so they can add a few more students to the Open Water class?

 

[DevonDiver]

I wouldn't hire a DM who had less dives than my average customers

 

[SailNaked]

Why is number of dives a criteria at all? I am certain that you can dive poorly for hundreds of dives, and that thousands would not improve it much.

I would think what you would want would be thoughtful people with a skill set that met a standard like any other job in the world.

I have talked to a few instructors that have never dived anywhere except the local mud hole, and while I am certain they meet the requirements to teach I would think they lack a bit of perspective on diving in general.

that said I think the skills needed to teach are not necessarily learned through diving. before someone can demonstrate perfect buoyancy control they have to know what it looks like and have it explained a little, then a little practice. Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. and some people can learn it faster than others so number of dives is a BS metric for defining a DM or instructor.

Yes I know this must have all been said in other threads.

 

[scubadiver888]

I wouldn't hire a DM who had less dives than my average customers

Yes, if the customer is more experienced than the DM, they are not going to pay for him as a guide. If the customer is less experienced then you want someone who can handle trouble. Only DMs who have been around a bit know how to head off trouble before rescue training is needed.

I am fairly confident when I complete my DM training my shop will happily let me volunteer to fill cylinders, maintain the website and get free cylinder fills when I join DSD and OW classes.

 

[scubadiver888]

Why is number of dives a criteria at all? I am certain that you can dive poorly for hundreds of dives, and that thousands would not improve it much.

I would think what you would want would be thoughtful people with a skill set that met a standard like any other job in the world.

I have talked to a few instructors that have never dived anywhere except the local mud hole, and while I am certain they meet the requirements to teach I would think they lack a bit of perspective on diving in general.

that said I think the skills needed to teach are not necessarily learned through diving. before someone can demonstrate perfect buoyancy control they have to know what it looks like and have it explained a little, then a little practice. Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. and some people can learn it faster than others so number of dives is a BS metric for defining a DM or instructor.

Yes I know this must have all been said in other threads.

Number of dives is required because you cannot legally define the REAL requirements for becoming a DM. Sensibly, the minimums should not cut off qualified people. The industry should just avoid hiring the people who are not qualified but met the minimums.

Case in point, I started driving a car when I was 12. Legally I couldn't drive until I was 16. When I went to get my driver training (age 16) the instructor panicked on black ice and crashed the car. He had no idea what happened. I had to explain to him what he did wrong (he locked the wheels). He learned to drive in a tropical country but he met the minimum requirements to be a driving instructor in Canada.

People have been trying to put common sense in writing but we always end up see things like 'minimum number of dives'.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Why is number of dives a criteria at all? I am certain that you can dive poorly for hundreds of dives, and that thousands would not improve it much.

I would think what you would want would be thoughtful people with a skill set that met a standard like any other job in the world.

I have talked to a few instructors that have never dived anywhere except the local mud hole, and while I am certain they meet the requirements to teach I would think they lack a bit of perspective on diving in general.

that said I think the skills needed to teach are not necessarily learned through diving. before someone can demonstrate perfect buoyancy control they have to know what it looks like and have it explained a little, then a little practice. Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. and some people can learn it faster than others so number of dives is a BS metric for defining a DM or instructor.

Yes I know this must have all been said in other threads.

There's a lot more to being a DM than skills. Judgment is a huge component, and in scuba diving as in a lot of other activities, you acquire good judgment over time by experiencing things and integrating how to respond to them into your skill set.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)