SSI "Master Diver"......or not.

[boulderjohn]

I don't have the Master Scuba Diver certification, and I do not qualify for it.

 

[Steve_C]

I don't have the Master Scuba Diver certification, and I do not qualify for it.

Cute. Out of curiosity why not?

 

[boulderjohn]

Cute. Out of curiosity why not?

You have to have earned 5 specialties. My stack of certification cards is more than 1.5 inches high, but that stack does not include 5 specialties. It has technical diving certifications, cave diving certifications, and numerous instructor certifications. Those instructor certifications include the ability to teach many specialty classes, but the rules for being able to teach specialty classes do not include having that specific specialty yourself. You can get the knowledge and skills from other sources.

 

[Steve_C]

SDI has the "or equivalent" clause in their descriptions. You might be able to get a MD through SDI and correct this glaring gap in your professional qualifications.

 

[kelemvor]

I am generally not one for titles. I don't normally care for adjectives that are in ways given out somewhat arbitrarily. Master Diver being one. Seems like some big words that would need some big backing up. The sculling that I still do with my feet keep me a long ways from what I would consider having this stuff even close to "mastered."

So to rub salt in my aversion to titles, during my 50th dive (the last SSI req for my journey to the title of "Master Diver"), yesterday, I lost my bucket hat that I use on the surface for sun protection. It came un-stowed from a slot behind my weights. Master Diver, uh-huh. Then on my 52nd dive, specifically taken to run S patterns to look for said hat, I lost (forgot) the gloves from the top of my head that I was using for solar protection on the surface!!! Master Diver.

Got the gloves, did not get the hat. Maybe it was Davy Jones or the ghosts of SCUBA pioneers keeping me humble. Anyway, some chuckle fodder for anyone that might need it this AM.

Yours truly,
tx "decent diver with a long way to go, but enjoying the scenery" goose

Maybe I'm missing something. Wouldn't the master diver class help you improve your skills if you feel they need improvement? Or.. does SSI just grant any SSI diver a "master diver" title after their 50th dive without a master diver class to go with it?

 

[Steve_C]

At least for SDI, there is not a separate master diver class. Supposedly the skills have been improved by taking the different certs and doing the 50 dives. It is designed to encourage taking more courses and doing more diving. With SSI I believe you can get a 100, 200, 500 dive card to if you want a souvenier or something to aim for.

 

[txgoose]

Maybe I'm missing something. Wouldn't the master diver class help you improve your skills if you feel they need improvement? Or.. does SSI just grant any SSI diver a "master diver" title after their 50th dive without a master diver class to go with it?

Sounds like SSI is similar to SDI, it is AOW with four specialties, then rescue, then 50 dives. In theory it is a path to Master Diver, rather than a class. I guess the case could be made that AO and rescue combined are the class.

 

[kelemvor]

Sounds like SSI is similar to SDI, it is AOW with four specialties, then rescue, then 50 dives. In theory it is a path to Master Diver, rather than a class. I guess the case could be made that AO and rescue combined are the class.

That's disappointing. However, my understanding is that there isn't much involved in crossing over to other agencies for recreational classes. He could probably go to a NAUI instructor and take the master scuba diver class if he wanted. Not that I'm suggesting it's necessary, but some people do enjoy classes.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

I'm about the take the NASE Master Diver course, which is of course required for Dive Master. For NASE you have to have 25 dives minimum or 500 hours of bottom time and rescue certified. Funny that the number of dives is so low and for being a "master" course I'd actually expect quite a bit more to even qualify for it. Is anyone really a "master" at any aspect of diving after 25 dives? I'm just past the 50 point myself and I don't feel I'm a master just yet. There are still plenty of things I can work on, like NAV, peak buoyancy, etc. But it's required for the DM certification so I'll shell out the $600 for the class and materials and keep on truckin'.

I think probably everyone that dives has lost something to the abyss at one point or another. Just part of playing the game. We get in a hurry, get excited, get a little careless....it happens. At the end of the day, you made it safely back to the surface without need a chamber ride so I'd call it a successful dive.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I'm about the take the NASE Master Diver course, which is of course required for Dive Master. For NASE you have to have 25 dives minimum or 500 hours of bottom time and rescue certified.

Five hundred hours? I'm nearing 300 dives, and I've got nowhere near that amount of u/w time racked up.