To DM or not to DM that is the question

[Venom]

Got certified (PADI) about two years ago and want to further my education but have no desire to become an instructor.

So my question is: Should I enroll in a DM course or just purchase the materials and try to increase my knowlege.

 

[Rhone Man]

My vote: yes. I did my DM for the skills, and then stopped paying PADI and so was "relegated" back to Rescue Diver. But I still value what I learned.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

My vote: yes. I did my DM for the skills, and then stopped paying PADI and so was "relegated" back to Rescue Diver. But I still value what I learned.

What did you learn that you value?

There are other ways to further your education, but it may be if the orignal poster wants to work with students that the DM program would be perfect.

 

[W3tWilly]

Rather then going the DM route you could go the Master Scuba Diver route, they claim its more geared for those who want to increase their knowledge and skill but not go the professional route. I don't know the exact differences but the link to the padi site about it is: PADI Master Scuba Diver Course Details

 

[Rhone Man]

I forget exactly...

No, just kidding. I think there is just a lot more thorough teaching that goes into the theory part of the DM. I remember really having to study for the exam, which was a bit of a novel experience after earlier certification courses. I remember one question on the exam that I got wrong: broadly, what is lipoid pneumonia - and thinking, freck, should have studied harder!

I felt like a much more complete diver after finishing the course, even though I never planned to go pro. That said, it was 17 years ago so it is a bit hazy now.

 

[Rhone Man]

Rather then going the DM route you could go the Master Scuba Diver route, they claim its more geared for those who want to increase their knowledge and skill but not go the professional route. I don't know the exact differences but the link to the padi site about it is: PADI Master Scuba Diver Course Details

For what it is worth, I did the MSD too, and didn't feel I got as much out of it. They call it the "black belt" of scuba diving, but it is more of a dark grey...

 

[mig_diver]

I go for the DM (and am). At the very least it'll give you some free dives and the opportunity to claim your diving gear off tax

 

[ianr33]

A few years ago I was kind of getting bored of diving and briefly considered the DM thing.

Fortunately I soon saw the light and went the trimix/cave route instead.

Much more fun!

 

[emttim]

Rather then going the DM route you could go the Master Scuba Diver route, they claim its more geared for those who want to increase their knowledge and skill but not go the professional route. I don't know the exact differences but the link to the padi site about it is: PADI Master Scuba Diver Course Details

The PADI MSD cert merely requires 50 dives, 5 specialties completed, Rescue Diver status and some money to PADI for the cert...it requires no theory or further training outside the specialties of course, and in my opinion, is rather pointless. The only reason I'll get the MSD rating myself is as a byproduct of getting more specialties. The reason behind that is because once I'm a DM or higher, when I'm on vacation, they're seeing my MSD cert instead of a pro-rating cert because I'm on vacation and I plan to keep it that way.

For what it is worth, I did the MSD too, and didn't feel I got as much out of it. They call it the "black belt" of scuba diving, but it is more of a dark grey...

They actually call it that? Well, from what I hear maybe for NAUI, but definitely not PADI. I like PADI, they issued my cert to go dive, but I'll still be the first to say their MSD cert is useless...

 

[ae3753]

If you want to further your education, I would not recommend the PADI DM course. Now, if you want to help people or perform guided tours, then the DM path is the right one. It's a very rewarding thing to do, but you have to want to help people.

The skills I learned were to have "demonstration quality" skills and to identify potential issues in other divers. The latter skill is quite useful actually, but it doesn't require a DM certificate for this. Just dive with a lot of new and different divers.

Depends on what education you're looking for, but for me, a technical course was much more educational than the PADI DM course. The DM education is primarily from PADI's Encyclopedia of Recreational diving. Granted there's a new edition now, but the edition I learn from was a complete waste of paper.