Having done the MSD route (just never paid the 50 bucks for a piece of plastic) and then DM, I agree with Cave MD. I would have been much better off before DM taking some tech training. At a minimum Intro to Tech, and a mixed gas of some type. Or a real overhead (cavern, cave, ice, advanced wreck) taught by a knowledgeable instructor. I am glad that before I did my instructor training I did just that. Intro and Helitrox with NAUI Tech. It is my firm belief that a tech course of some kind should be a pre requisite for DM or Instructor. Either before or done at the same time. I think that if some of the DM's out there today had gone through the actual discipline, dive planning, and team skills necessary for most tech diving and the accident/fatality analysis that a good tech course does before actually going into the tech training itself, there would be less goofy stuff being done that puts new divers at risk. You would also see less of the unsafe practices that take place on open water training dives.
Even if you never go the tech route beyond the course the gear configuration training that takes place (beyond here use this as it looks cool, is new, and has a nice profit margin for the shop), the dive planning, gas management, additional rescue and first aid information, and deco theory would have a major impact on the new "professional" and make them less likely to accept BS.
And the risks that are often glossed over in recreational training would see more recognition. And become more real. I honestly think that diving as a whole would be better off. From tech training you'll get a sense that this is serious fun. And not to be taken lighly. THis weekend I'm doing a Catastrophic Disaster workshop with Steve Lewis at Dutch Springs. Basically imagine the worst, analyze options, and then test them in the water. There will be sidemount, rebreather, backmount doubles, and at least one single tank recreational diver. While I am doing this for my own education and enjoyment, there is also the added option of adapting it to purely recreational settings. It fits right in with the way I teach and the workshops I now offer.
And that is an additional option. Forget additional certification courses. Find workshops specifically targeting your interests. These are becoming more available as instructors realize that many agency courses in their coookie cutter format are not for everyone and there is no need for a card that says you did it. More and more divers want the knowledge and could care less about a card. And for some things you don't even need an actual scuba instructor. Just someone who is very good at what they do.
For example, you noted an underwater photography class. Was your instructor a pro photographer and do they use it to make a living or partial living? I have four people I refer students to for UW photo since I don't care to teach it and am not a good enough shooter to teach it. Two are not scuba instructors but do make a living with their photos. The two that are have been published in print and on the net and paid for their photos numerous times.
That is the training you look for from an instructor. I try to take a course, workshop, or other con ed every year. My agency requires me to. I also try to get a course or instructor outside my own agency. I want to see different approaches and techniques. I don't want my training and background to be the same, from the same agency, or from the same instructor as the instructor or DM next to me on the boat. That, to me, is boring and short sighted. Variety brings additional knowledge and techniques I can use in my own classes and pass on to other divers.
