Talk to me about PADI Divemaster cert.

[hammet]

Been contemplating doing this. Not sure why... just winter doldrums I guess.

There's obviously some online work that it entails, but tell me about the other part of it. Lots of schools have a whole interning thing for a couple of weeks, but that is difficult for me as I work full time and I'd rather spend my vacations vacationing.

Been trying to talk to my LDS about it, but every time I stop in, the boss is out on some errand.

What type of classroom, confined, or open water work is required and about how many days?

I currently have about 300 dives, AOW and rescue.

 

[tursiops]

If LDS is too busy to talk to you about it, then you will never finsh. Find another shop.

 

[hammet]

If LDS is too busy to talk to you about it, then you will never finsh. Find another shop.

There really isn't any other options locally (I'm on L.I.) And the dive shop is good people... just dead this time of year so I get that he's not hanging around the counter all day long.

 

[MichaelMc]

Been contemplating doing this. Not sure why... just winter doldrums I guess.

What do you want to do with DM once you have it?

Other options for winter/doldrums: Nitrox, Buoyancy/Trim, AN/DP, Intro to tech (for the skills), pool time on skills, Photog, cavern (for skills and task loading stress).

 

[hammet]

What do you want to do with DM once you have it?

Other options for winter/doldrums: Nitrox, Buoyancy/Trim, AN/DP, Intro to tech (for the skills), pool time on skills, Photog, cavern (for skills and tank loading stress).

Have nitrox, don't care for tec (or deep diving, caves, or diving in anything else but warm water), and no interest in photo.

 

[saxman242]

Do you enjoy teaching/mentoring divers that have no clue what they're doing?

 

[MichaelMc]

Have nitrox, don't care for tec (or deep diving, caves, or diving in anything else but warm water), and no interest in photo.

All of them were more for the skills rather than the going deep, cold, dark, or under.

The big question is still "what do you want to use DM for?" Particularly if you do not dive local, which I assume is not warm water.

EDIT: maybe it is warm there. I misread L.I. as IL. But if that is Long Island, it is not warm there either.

 

[hammet]

Do you enjoy teaching/mentoring divers that have no clue what they're doing?

Yes I do. I make it a point not to offer unwarranted advice, but I'm always glad to help. Was on a group dive recently and I really enjoyed pointing some marine life to a couple of very young divers whose eyes lit up when they saw their first green moray.

 

[CanadaDan]

It will be hard to get a clear answer as the amount of time it takes depends a LOT on YOUR availability and the LDS's schedule of students.. but here's my experience

I'm doing mine in the frozen prairies of Canada which means limited pool time through the winter (one, maybe two evenings per week) and only summer weekends for open water. Most DMC's here start training in the early winter with several pool sessions over the winter and then several days doing open water work in the summer. Generally speaking if the candidate has weekends available in the summer they can be done by late July/early August. It's taking me a couple of summers to finish mine as I typically only have a few days available to get to the training lake in the dive-able months.

I love the training I got and how much my diving has improved during the training. Rescue was one thing but DM training is another level completely.

If I were you I would first talk to any DM's associated with your LDS for a better understanding of the time required in your area.

 

[Doppler]

You're asking for advice... so here it is.

If you're not interested in teaching, then DM is a total waste of your time and money.

If you have "winter doldrums" then use the money you seem prepared to invest in DM training to travel someplace and dive.

You seem to have written off doing something like a cavern or intro-cave program; however, the take-home benefits of this type of program is far, far more applicable to ALL forms of diving than a DM program.