Question True requirements to deserve the title of Master Diver???

[elgringoperdido]

I’ve got about 300 logged dives and eligible for “getting” a Master Diver card, which we all know is a meaningless.

Let’s hypothetically change that, tell me what requirements, training, and/or proof of skills would you propose would be required to EARN the deserved recognition of being a true Master Diver. For the sake of our discussion let’s say there are two levels of Master Diver, (1) Recreational and (2) Technical and let’s focus on Recreational for this discussion.

I would say that one earns the recognition of being a Master Diver when he earns the certification. I think that there is something called "master diver" from many agencies but from what I can tell most of them are very different than the course I did. So choose wisely.

I have a NAUI Master Diver cert and it was, by far, the most challenging of the courses I completed. I do have certs that are considered "higher" by CMAS. (For example, one of my TDI certs qualifies me as *** when I'm diving in francophone countries whereas the Master Diver is only **) But in my experience the Master Diver was a more difficult course.

I did nine dives, including one planned decompression. Only eight are required by NAUI but my instructor insisted on nine. Lots of navigation. He gave me a wrist compass and told me to practice with it at least an hour per day outside class. I also had to learn about 20 different knots and to tie a bowline within a matter of seconds.

We spent four days diving. On the fourth day, he had one of his instructors drop a Danforth anchor in about 80 fsw and I had to go down, find it, tie one end of a length of rope to it and the other end to a bag, then fill the bag using my primary second stage till it was neutrally buoyant. Then I had to take it up to 40 feet and keep there, in a swift current, for about 20 minutes, dodging hills in the terrain. I needed three hands for my depth gauge, mouthpiece, and relief valve on the bag but I only had two. Very challenging. I also had to plan my own decompression dive without software. (Eventually, I started using some software for that but for the course I had to do it the old-fashioned way.)

I also had to "rescue" my instructor in different ways and in different scenarios, even though I already had a rescue cert years prior. And he was a large man. He also had me doff, then don, all my gear, albeit in fairly shallow water. We did a bunch of other diving skills as well. Spent quite a bit of time on trim and buoyancy as I recall.

Oh, and the written exam! I made a 98%, so I must have missed one of the problems. I read every word in the manual, practiced every problem in the back of the chapters, and I generally do extremely well with objective multiple-choice tests. I also have a PhD in chemical physics and work on thermodynamics problems every day for a living so none of it was particularly new to me. I had scored 100% on all the other written exams for diving certs, but I missed one on that. I never found out which one either. Anyway, it was an extremely difficult and challenging written test and even though I prepared seriously for it I did not score 100%.

So I think if you want to be a Master Diver you should consider the NAUI certification. Instructors vary, of course. I used Don Labbruzzo at Deep Exposure in Cozumel. I have also had many other courses (extended range, trimix, advanced trimix, etc.) with him and I would recommend him if you want a very thorough and demanding course.

 

[Edward3c]

I’ve got about 300 logged dives and eligible for “getting” a Master Diver card, which we all know is a meaningless.

Let’s hypothetically change that, tell me what requirements, training, and/or proof of skills would you propose would be required to EARN the deserved recognition of being a true Master Diver. For the sake of our discussion let’s say there are two levels of Master Diver, (1) Recreational and (2) Technical and let’s focus on Recreational for this discussion.

If you want a Master Diver qualification that means something get the SSAC Master Diver.

 

[tursiops]

If you want a Master Diver qualification that means something get the SSAC Master Diver.

He does not apparently want the certification. What he seems to want is to know what it entails, so he can check off what he's done and see if he is a master diver.

 

[TMHeimer]

For Rec. Diver MSD -- I have no thoughts on what should be required, because being a true master diver is so subjective. I will say that (for PADI) specialty courses that have no real dive efficiency or safety factors should not be included-- such as photographer, videographer, fish ID, etc. Not saying they're not good courses, just that they don't fit my parameters. Yes, the photog course may teach you certain buoyancy/breathing techniques, but that's just a part of the course (I imagine). You can get those things in other courses such as PPB.

 

[BoltSnap]

I’ve got about 300 logged dives and eligible for “getting” a Master Diver card, which we all know is a meaningless.

Let’s hypothetically change that, tell me what requirements, training, and/or proof of skills would you propose would be required to EARN the deserved recognition of being a true Master Diver. For the sake of our discussion let’s say there are two levels of Master Diver, (1) Recreational and (2) Technical and let’s focus on Recreational for this discussion.

Take the NAUI Master Scuba Diver course with an experienced NAUI instructor and do the work and academics as well as take the NAUI rescue and advanced rescue courses. Do the DAN courses through a an authorized NAUI instructor as well and you should be there.

 

[BoltSnap]

I have a NAUI Master Diver cert

Who was your instructor, where and when?

 

[BoltSnap]

If you want a Master Diver qualification that means something get the SSAC Master Diver.

Is the "Scottish" SAC a new thing or has it been around for long like BSAC?

Is it very different from BSAC?

 

[Nemrod]

I’ve got about 300 logged dives and eligible for “getting” a Master Diver card, which we all know is a meaningless.

Let’s hypothetically change that, tell me what requirements, training, and/or proof of skills would you propose would be required to EARN the deserved recognition of being a true Master Diver. For the sake of our discussion let’s say there are two levels of Master Diver, (1) Recreational and (2) Technical and let’s focus on Recreational for this discussion.

I would just settle for an Advanced Diver card that meant the bearer thereof could actually complete a dive, stay off the reef, not run out of air and understand how to set their computer or even have one.

Oh, wait, I just met a Master Diver, he was involved in some sort of ex(military stuff) and did not need a computer, depth gage or a watch or even a spg. He could just feel the depths and the encroaching load of nitrogen in his tissues and time his dives perfectly. And he could just lay his hands on a tank and tell you the mix and the pressure! When you can just "feel" a dive you have become the Master.

 

[DANDM]

I believe a lot of people do the Divemaster course because they want to improve their diving skills, and not because they want to be professional divers. If the Master Diver course covered that need then it could be of more value to those divers than the Divemaster course. MD could be a sort of gatekeeping course, similar to GUE fundamentals, prior to DM, or maybe even tech.

Like if you did all the non-professional specific skills of DM and transferred them to MD as a form of practice and testing of strong foundational recreational skills. For example drag the following skills out of DM: the theory study and test (science of diving, etc.), fitness (maybe?), demonstration of all dive skills (the list of 24 skills) whilst neutrally buoyant and in trim, planning and leading dives. A deconstructed divemaster for the hipsters.

I'm just throwing that idea out as a fun hypothetical. But my point is if it had more of a defined goal, whether that's skill demonstration and/or gatekeeping to other levels, then it would have some value.

If you mean true *Master*, then a black belt and a long white beard must be a minimum requirement.

 

[elgringoperdido]

Who was your instructor, where and when?

I mentioned his name already, as well as the name of his shop, in my original post. It was about ten years ago. Just a little over ten years, as it was in the summer. July, I think.