Tom's Dive Shop- Trip to Balmorhea?

[Hemlon]

Is anyone planning to go on the trip to Balmorhea on April 12th-15th with Tom's Dive Shop?

 

[k-valve]

I'm thinkin' about it...never dove Balmorhea and would like to check it out. The two DiveCon's from Tom's who are leading the trip are a fun pair, so it should be a good time regardless.

 

[ryanpublic]

What are Dive - Cons? People who control your diving? People who talk you into diving?

Just kidding I know it's one of those SSI certifications. :shakehead

But seriously who are the Dive - Cons?

 

[daniel f aleman]

Lora Dame and Sam Holan will be your Dive-Cons; also there will be an instructor going, as yet unnamed, doing checkouts.

 

[WesTexDiver]

Dive Control Specialists. Just a bit more qualified than Dive Masters in that they can actually teach some specialties. It's an SSI rating as SSI does not have a Dive Master, but they do have a Master Diver, who is not certified to do anything special, just means they have X ammount of dives and certain number of Specialtis. Hope this helps the confused ^^

 

[daniel f aleman]

Similar to NAUI, which requires Assistant Instructor BEFORE Divemaster...

 

[amascuba]

Dive Control Specialists. Just a bit more qualified than Dive Masters in that they can actually teach some specialties. It's an SSI rating as SSI does not have a Dive Master, but they do have a Master Diver, who is not certified to do anything special, just means they have X ammount of dives and certain number of Specialtis. Hope this helps the confused ^^

PADI DiveMaster Duties:
Renewed PADI Divemasters who are in Active status are authorized to:
1. Supervise both training and nontraining-related activities by planning,
organizing and directing dives.
2. Assist a Teaching status PADI Instructor during confined water and open
water training sessions for any PADI Diver course.
3. Independently guide Open Water Diver course students on the tour portion
of Open Water Diver course Training Dives 2, 3 and 4 at a ratio of two
student divers per certified divemaster.
4. Accompany Open Water Diver students under the indirect supervision of a
PADI Instructor during surface swims to and from the entry/exit point and
during Dive 4 navigational exercises, as well as remain with other student
divers when the instructor conducts a skill, such as an ascent or descent,
with an individual student or buddy team.
5. Accompany student divers during Adventure Dives or Specialty training
dives under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor.
6. If insured (where required), teach and certify PADI Skin Divers
independently. This also includes conducting the PADI Seal Team
AquaMission: Skin Diver Specialist.
7. If insured (where required), conduct the PADI Discover Snorkeling
program.
8. If insured (where required), conduct subsequent dives under an
instructor’s indirect supervision for Discover Scuba Diving participants at
a ratio of two participants per certified divemaster, after participants have
satisfactorily completed the first dive with a PADI Instructor.
9. If insured (where required), conduct the PADI Discover Local Diving
experience.
10. If insured (where required), conduct the PADI Scuba Review program for
certified divers. or for PADI Scuba Divers who want only to refresh their
skills.
11. If insured (where required), conduct the skin diving skills segment of the
PADI Open Water Diver course during either Confined Water Dive Two,
Three, Four or Five.
12. Teach Emergency First Response courses after successfully completing an
Emergency First Response Instructor course.
13. If qualified as a Discover Scuba Diving Leader, independently conduct
Discover Scuba Diving (2003 revised program) in a pool or in confined
open water.


The SSI Dive Control Specialist duties are basically the same. There is probably some things with wording that DiveCon's can do without direct supervision over divemasters and vise versa, but it's essentially the same.

The specialties that DiveCon's can teach are:

• Boat Diving
• O2 Administration
• Equipment Techniques
• Snorkeling
• Kayak Diving
• Marine/Fish Identification
• Navigation
• Communications
• Photography/Digital Photography
• Videography
• Advanced Buoyancy Control

Having gone through both programs though, I can definitely say that the PADI DiveMaster course material is better. It explains the physics in clearer terms and in much more detail. The SSI DiveCon material just regurgitates a couple gas laws (Boyles, Charles, Daltons, and Henry's Law as well as Archimedes principle) and expects you to be an expert on them. The PADI DiveMaster exams are also more challenging than the SSI DiveCon exam.

Similar to NAUI, which requires Assistant Instructor BEFORE Divemaster...

Except with SSI you go from DiveCon to Open Water Instructor, then Rescue Instructor, then Specialty Instructor, then Advanced Open Water Instructor, and Finally DiveCon Instructor. lol

 

[ryanpublic]

:shakehead :11:
What did I get started?

All I meant to say was that Dive-Con didn't sound as cool as Dive Master.

And that PADI is number 1.

That's all I meant to say. :blinking:

Come on that goes without saying doesn't it?

Really look at all these emoticons I have on my side!

:huh: :14: :light: :mooner:

Damn Limitied to 15!

 

[amascuba]

I wasn't bashing either one. Both programs have good things and bad things.

 

[Hemlon]

Yep, I agree with Ryan. Dive master sounds so much cooler. Almost god-like.