cummings66
Contributor
Here's the deal. My LDS has asked me to become a DM and will pay for the insurance and all the training. All I have to do is buy the materials. I am an AOW diver and pretty comfortable in the water, like to help people and have said numerous times that I'll dive with anybody my shop asks me to. I don't have issues diving with new divers and as long as they don't try to kill me I'm fine with shorter dives etc.
I've already prior to this request decided to do the rescue diver course this fall so not much else changes in the schedule for my training except adding on the DM stuff later.
The deal is that they pay for training me and insurance and I'll work as a DM for them on their training dives for the next 2 years, they have about 10 - 15 classes a year and won't work me like a slave although I will do the normal gear setup, cleaning of the gear and stuff like that.
My long term goals are to become a wreck diver, nothing serious in the way of depths or penetration until after my daughter grows up. In other words I'm not doing anything that puts me at a higher risk beyond normal recreational diving until she's grown up. That's 15 years away right now. However I will pursue the training and skills to get me there, as well as acquire the gear I need. I have most of it now.
I don't want to become a slave to a LDS, but I do like to help and so I'm wondering what your experiences have been as a DM and how you got there.
My question regards diving skills needed. I have instructors comment on how well I do almost every time I dive with them, have never had fear issues in the water and plan what I'm doing before I do it. I'm not the kind to just jump off a bridge because it's there, but I can handle surprises without issues due to other training and experiences as a pilot. My concern is just like a pilot I gain some experience each time I dive, run into new issues and ways of dealing with things every time I go out and I know I do not know a lot compared to what I will a year from now, and a year from then. Nothing is static in diving or flying and if you don't learn from each dive you might as well hang it up. My concern is that even though the LDS feels I'm well suited to this I'm hesitant because I'm such a new diver with only 50 dives so far. The dives have ranged from 122 feet on up and various lakes and quarries, vis ranging from I can't see the gage in front of my face to wow, I can see 30 feet today. I've dove wetsuits up to 7mm thick and drysuits from various makers, I currently dive a Viking drysuit.
I have had some minor issues, nothing big and have never run low on air on my own. Before I practiced rock bottom times I did manage to run lower than expected when I donated air to my OOA buddy, but still had enough to handle the situation.
In the end the question boils down to how much experience do you think a person should have prior to becoming a DM?
It won't kill me to tell the shop I'm not ready for this yet, I've debated that for the last couple days just because this is out of the blue for me and not exactly the path I'd thought I'd take in diving. I have wished many times I could help out in the classes and understand this is one way I can do it, but at this point I'd like your opinions as a DM what you possessed prior to being a DM and what you wish you had now that you are one.
I've already prior to this request decided to do the rescue diver course this fall so not much else changes in the schedule for my training except adding on the DM stuff later.
The deal is that they pay for training me and insurance and I'll work as a DM for them on their training dives for the next 2 years, they have about 10 - 15 classes a year and won't work me like a slave although I will do the normal gear setup, cleaning of the gear and stuff like that.
My long term goals are to become a wreck diver, nothing serious in the way of depths or penetration until after my daughter grows up. In other words I'm not doing anything that puts me at a higher risk beyond normal recreational diving until she's grown up. That's 15 years away right now. However I will pursue the training and skills to get me there, as well as acquire the gear I need. I have most of it now.
I don't want to become a slave to a LDS, but I do like to help and so I'm wondering what your experiences have been as a DM and how you got there.
My question regards diving skills needed. I have instructors comment on how well I do almost every time I dive with them, have never had fear issues in the water and plan what I'm doing before I do it. I'm not the kind to just jump off a bridge because it's there, but I can handle surprises without issues due to other training and experiences as a pilot. My concern is just like a pilot I gain some experience each time I dive, run into new issues and ways of dealing with things every time I go out and I know I do not know a lot compared to what I will a year from now, and a year from then. Nothing is static in diving or flying and if you don't learn from each dive you might as well hang it up. My concern is that even though the LDS feels I'm well suited to this I'm hesitant because I'm such a new diver with only 50 dives so far. The dives have ranged from 122 feet on up and various lakes and quarries, vis ranging from I can't see the gage in front of my face to wow, I can see 30 feet today. I've dove wetsuits up to 7mm thick and drysuits from various makers, I currently dive a Viking drysuit.
I have had some minor issues, nothing big and have never run low on air on my own. Before I practiced rock bottom times I did manage to run lower than expected when I donated air to my OOA buddy, but still had enough to handle the situation.
In the end the question boils down to how much experience do you think a person should have prior to becoming a DM?
It won't kill me to tell the shop I'm not ready for this yet, I've debated that for the last couple days just because this is out of the blue for me and not exactly the path I'd thought I'd take in diving. I have wished many times I could help out in the classes and understand this is one way I can do it, but at this point I'd like your opinions as a DM what you possessed prior to being a DM and what you wish you had now that you are one.
