What makes a master diver?

[Paco II]

Ok, so I know that I said this thread has gotten a little too much for me, but after some thought, I will put on my flame resistant suit and say the following: Regardless of how poorly named (or not) the SSI Master Diving rating is, if it's existence encourages even one more person to take the SSI Stress and Rescue course than would have if it didn't exist, than I am glad the rating does exist. I wish all divers had to take that course.

 

[Thalassamania]

i think the master diver course shouldnt even be offered, its not like anyone gets any use out of it other than the agencys,

I agree with respect to the PADI and SSI Master Diver courses, but I'd be interested in your enlarging on how you come to that opinion with respect to the NAUI Master Diver Course?

 

[MikeFerrara]

I've been diving with certified Dive Masters that I felt were atrocious divers.

Yes, but to understand this it helps to read the standards of the agency in question. Speaking of PADI because I'm familiar with the standards, being a good diver isn't required. The dive skills that are tested are primarily the OW course skills and lots of it is usually done kneeling. That's isn't much of a diving test and don't I see anything about it that would give me a reason to expect a DM to be a good diver.

The instructor course finds the diver again primarily being tested on presentation OW skills (lots of kneeling) along with 100 dives and 6 months of being certified. Either a DM (at 60 dives) or an instructor (at 100 dives) is just a novice diver that's been trained to administer PADI programs. There isn't anything in the standards that provides a reason to expect them to be a highly skilled or experienced diver. I'm not at all surprised when I see an instructor or DM that's awkward in the water.

 

[45yrold_newbie]

So as a new diver reading this thread I have come to some conclusions:

1. Any $$ spent for training is a waste. Getting cerified is only good for the purpose of getting equipment and air fills.

2. The only agency that is worth spending $$ with to get certified is NAUI

3. Unless you were trained by the military there is NO WAY one could ever hope to be a Master Diver.

4. PADI is the anti-christ and should be banished to hell for even trying to expand the sport and make it somthing more of us common folk can enjoy.

You all can worry about your definitions. Me I'm gonna continue to dive and adavence my skill and certification levels and in spite of what some may think I'll be damn good at it! Hopefully someday I will get to the point that I can consider myself a Master at recreational diving. What is that and how will I know? I'll pattern off of the one truly master diver I know of and if another thread poll is to be believed so do a lot of others- Jacques Cousteau. Or maybe he didin't certify with the right agency! Damn!

 

[spectrum]

OR....
1. The best way to be a better diver is to dive, dive dive.
2. It's not the agency, it's the instructor that makes the course worthwhile.
3. Dive with a spirit of continuous improvement.

Pete

So as a new diver reading this thread I have come to some conclusions:

1. Any $$ spent for training is a waste. Getting cerified is only good for the purpose of getting equipment and air fills.

2. The only agency that is worth spending $$ with to get certified is NAUI

3. Unless you were trained by the military there is NO WAY one could ever hope to be a Master Diver.

4. PADI is the anti-christ and should be banished to hell for even trying to expand the sport and make it somthing more of us common folk can enjoy.

You all can worry about your definitions. Me I'm gonna continue to dive and adavence my skill and certification levels and in spite of what some may think I'll be damn good at it! Hopefully someday I will get to the point that I can consider myself a Master at recreational diving. What is that and how will I know? I'll pattern off of the one truly master diver I know of and if another thread poll is to be believed so do a lot of others- Jacques Cousteau. Or maybe he didin't certify with the right agency! Damn!

 

[Thalassamania]

So as a new diver reading this thread I have come to some conclusions:

1. Any $$ spent for training is a waste. Getting cerified is only good for the purpose of getting equipment and air fills.

I don't think that anyone suggested that, the issue was people who are quite qualifed by are not recreationaly certified.

2. The only agency that is worth spending $$ with to get certified is NAUI

In the case of the "Master Diver" course I suggest that theres more truth in your statment than you know.

3. Unless you were trained by the military there is NO WAY one could ever hope to be a Master Diver.

Perhaps the best way would be to become a Master Chief.

4. PADI is the anti-christ and should be banished to hell for even trying to expand the sport and make it somthing more of us common folk can enjoy.

I don't believe that, I'm an Athiest.

You all can worry about your definitions. Me I'm gonna continue to dive and adavence my skill and certification levels and in spite of what some may think I'll be damn good at it! Hopefully someday I will get to the point that I can consider myself a Master at recreational diving. What is that and how will I know? I'll pattern off of the one truly master diver I know of and if another thread poll is to be believed so do a lot of others- Jacques Cousteau. Or maybe he didin't certify with the right agency! Damn!

Do the LA County Advanced Course, the NAUI Master Diver Course or any of many university 100 hr. Scripps Model courses and I'll gladly consider you a Master at recreational diving.

 

[MikeFerrara]

So as a new diver reading this thread I have come to some conclusions:

1. Any $$ spent for training is a waste. Getting cerified is only good for the purpose of getting equipment and air fills.

There is an awful lot of worthless training out there and tair fills and seats on dive charters is exactly what the certification is good for. While you might need it to rent equipment, you don't need it to buy equipment. Also if you buy your breathing gas someplace other than a dive shop, you won't need a certification either.

2. The only agency that is worth spending $$ with to get certified is NAUI

I don't know enough about NAUI standards to say, one way or the other.

3. Unless you were trained by the military there is NO WAY one could ever hope to be a Master Diver.

Unless you're in the military where it's a rank or job description, it just doesn't matter.

4. PADI is the anti-christ and should be banished to hell for even trying to expand the sport and make it somthing more of us common folk can enjoy.

I see no evidence that anyone at PADI is the antichrist and I don't see anything wrong with trying to expand the sport. I am, however, very critical of their standards and while there are some good instructors who offer PADI classes, there is no PADI course that I can recommend on the basis of the actual standards of the course as defined by PADI.

You can be as sarcastic as you want but if you're really interested in learning or understanding this stuff, you can pick a PADI course, and I'll tell you specifically what I think is missing or just plain wrong working right out of the instructor manual. Whether you agree or not, you'll have an idea of what you might learn someplace else.

You all can worry about your definitions. Me I'm gonna continue to dive and adavence my skill and certification levels and in spite of what some may think I'll be damn good at it!

That's just it. Taking courses without really understanding what the course is and how it stacks up against others is no way to learn, though it's great for badge collecting. You certainly can't say that you'll be "damn good at it" because you don't even know that you'll even have the chance to see what "damn good is".

Hint: What you see in the text and videos isn't "damn good". It's "damn funny".

 

[Tigerman]

Im getting pretty tired of certain people that assume that if you train with whichever agency youre not going to learn crap and you wont know what a good diver is because you never saw one Im starting to get sick. Some people sound like the only good divers around are themselves and everyone else is worthless because either theire too young, theire too old, theyve got too few dives, theire certified with the wrong agency or whatever... :l:

 

[45yrold_newbie]

I don't know enough about NAUI standards to say, one way or the other.

Then how can you say they aren't good? I have seen some of your other posts blasting standards from all agencies.

You can be as sarcastic as you want but if you're really interested in learning or understanding this stuff, you can pick a PADI course, and I'll tell you specifically what I think is missing or just plain wrong working right out of the instructor manual. Whether you agree or not, you'll have an idea of what you might learn someplace else.

Based onyour own expeirence or the agency you are certified by. BTW What agency is that I didn't see it listed in your profile?

That's just it. Taking courses without really understanding what the course is and how it stacks up against others is no way to learn, though it's great for badge collecting. You certainly can't say that you'll be "damn good at it" because you don't even know that you'll even have the chance to see what "damn good is".

I suppose I could die first. Otherwise who else would be the one to judge my skills and levels. The agency makes the standard. The individual will make the diver.

Im getting pretty tired of certain people that assume that if you train with whichever agency youre not going to learn crap and you wont know what a good diver is because you never saw one Im starting to get sick. Some people sound like the only good divers around are themselves and everyone else is worthless because either theire too young, theire too old, theyve got too few dives, theire certified with the wrong agency or whatever... :l:

 

[Tomeck]

4. PADI is the anti-christ and should be banished to hell for even trying to expand the sport and make it somthing more of us common folk can enjoy.

Is not YMCA the anti-christ?