Take a DM course locally or at a destination

[edoralive]

I am hoping to complete a divemaster course this year, and am wondering if it makes more sense to do it locally with one of the shops here, or go somewhere known for their divemaster/IDCs, and perhaps how to evaluate a DM course to see if it's offering a good product. I gather that a local shop will work with DMs they've trained, which makes it seem like it's important to link up with a shop that offers a lot of courses, but that may not be the shop that offers the best DM course

My goal with the course is to eventually complete an IDC to teach SCUBA in Twin Cities schools, and, even more hopefully, eventually leave the midwest for a coast to do the work more intensively.

Ideally it seems I would spend time with a local dive shop assisting lots of courses to get a sense of how it all works, which makes me think that working with a local shop is the way to go.

The downside is that I live in Minneapolis, and the lake all the shops use for instruction is a silty, low-visibility, cold bucket of swamp garbage... in my humble opinion. A body of water I'm fine visiting for a purpose, but not one I'd want to spend much free time in. I try to do all of my own training in the ocean. I'd prefer to get out of town for an intensive program, if it made sense from a learning perspective and would still help me work with local shops.

Anyway, advice/wisdom would be appreciated. I've been going back through previous posts, as well.

 

[drakcheslav]

As a lake diver, who dives clear sunny salty water once or twice a year I can tell you this.

When you learn to dive in low visibility, and lear to DM and lead groups in low vis and cold. Anything else looks and is a walk in the park.

Also, I don't know what a DM internship is in the US. But in Europe you're basically a worker in a dive center, where you learn the ins and outs of being a DM along side the course and classes needed.

 

[edoralive]

As a lake diver, who dives clear sunny salty water once or twice a year I can tell you this.

When you learn to dive in low visibility, and lear to DM and lead groups in low vis and cold. Anything else looks and is a walk in the park.

Also, I don't know what a DM internship is in the US. But in Europe you're basically a worker in a dive center, where you learn the ins and outs of being a DM along side the course and classes needed.

Really solid point about training in tougher conditions.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I'm neither a DM nor instructor, but the wisdom I have heard repeatedly goes like this: It's best to learn in conditions similar to the conditions where you intend to work.

 

[Marie13]

I’ve known a few folks in the Midwest who did their DM training tropical. Wanted to work at local shops, but they hadn’t done a ton of local diving and were really at a disadvantage.

If you want to DM locally, then do your training locally.

 

[CanadaDan]

Do it local and take your time. I've been SLOWLY doing my DM just north of the boarder from you in similar conditions... wouldn't trade the experience for the time ever. Yeah it's not the best diving but it makes you a better diver, DM and ultimately instructor.

And second to drakcheslav's post... if you can do the led dives in cold 10' vis then you can lead anywhere.

 

[edoralive]

Do it local and take your time. I've been SLOWLY doing my DM just north of the boarder from you in similar conditions... wouldn't trade the experience for the time ever. Yeah it's not the best diving but it makes you a better diver, DM and ultimately instructor.

And second to drakcheslav's post... if you can do the led dives in cold 10' vis then you can lead anywhere.

Do you think it's essential to do your DM with the shop you want to work for?

 

[Zef]

If your goal is to teach diving then skip the DM cert and enroll in instructor certification training. As a DM you will have lots of accountability with little reward. You will be expected to do manual labor for peanuts in compensation, and if you are given the "privilege" to help with classes, you will find that you are limited in what you can do/teach with student divers. If the ultimate goal is to teach diving, take advantage of the training pipelines that permit one to become an instructor without being a divemaster.

There is little about the divemaster program that makes one a "better" diver, and one does not need to be a divemaster to lead dives or be a more well rounded diver. Also, other than learning to demonstrate specific basic skills taught to new divers, there is little about the divemaster program that is about teaching....in fact, the PADI divemaster course is basically the instructor program minus the "how to teach/how to set up and control a class" aspect and all of its nuances.

You DM as an instructor, but not the other way around...and you are more versatile to a dive center with an instructor credential.

Don't waste your money or time unless your ego demands to hear you say you are a divemaster when the subject of certification comes up. There is a joke from the ski instructor world that applies equally to divemasters:

Q: How do you know who is a divemaster at the cocktail party?
A: Don't worry, they'll tell you!

Good luck with your diving endeavors, but seriously consider your goals and put yourself on a track that allows you to attain the credentials to support them.

-Z

 

[edoralive]

If your goal is to teach diving then skip the DM cert and enroll in instructor certification training. As a DM you will have lots of accountability with little reward. You will be expected to do manual labor for peanuts in compensation, and if you are given the "privilege" to help with classes, you will find that you are limited in what you can do/teach with student divers. If the ultimate goal is to teach diving, take advantage of the training pipelines that permit one to become an instructor without being a divemaster.

There is little about the divemaster program that makes one a "better" diver, and one does not need to be a divemaster to lead dives or be a more well rounded diver. Also, other than learning to demonstrate specific basic skills taught to new divers, there is little about the divemaster program that is about teaching....in fact, the PADI divemaster course is basically the instructor program minus the "how to teach/how to set up and control a class" aspect and all of its nuances.

You DM as an instructor, but not the other way around...and you are more versatile to a dive center with an instructor credential.

Don't waste your money or time unless your ego demands to hear you say you are a divemaster when the subject of certification comes up. There is a joke from the ski instructor world that applies equally to divemasters:

Q: How do you know who is a divemaster at the cocktail party?
A: Don't worry, they'll tell you!

Good luck with your diving endeavors, but seriously consider your goals and put yourself on a track that allows you to attain the credentials to support them.

-Z

I appreciate the feedback. I’m under the impression that do complete an instructor course you must first complete DM, no?

If that’s true, do you mean find a program that lets you complete everything all in one go?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

All of the DM classes, including mine, were six to twelve months long. There was no way I could afford to move to some tropical local for at least six months. I'm sure there are shorter courses, but you get out what you put into it.