Where To Do DM Training???

[rleslie]

I'm presently AOW with about 40 dives and want to take the Rescue, DM & IDC courses. The question is: WHERE. I'm fortunate in that I can go pretty much anywhere (I'm 56 and retired) to get the training. Searching the web, I'm finding exotic places like Thailand, Australia's Barrier Reef, Samui, Roatan/Utila, Canary Islands, etc.

~ Is all PADI training reasonably equivalent?
~ Why are the DM interships in some areas 3 months and 1 month in others?
~ Any recommendations or experience with specific schools?


Any insight will be greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thanks
Roger

 

[RJP]

~ Is all PADI training reasonably equivalent?

No. (I was going to say "Equivalent to WHAT?" but figured that was too easy.)

 

[fisherdvm]

I think the key thing is getting the reading out of the way first. There is a workbook that you should go through for the DM that will also be for the IDC. Get the wheel and go through the book that comes with it, until you are comfortable. Memorize conversion factors for Kelvin and Celcius if you are going to do imperial. You can not mix and match imperial and metric on the exams (which you can do in the book and still get the right answer). Read the last 4 chapters of the encyclopedia well. Skim through the first 2 chapters. Go and do all the questions on the DM book, and copy the pages. Once you have all the book work out of the way, then you can enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the wonderful exotic places better. Oh, yeh, get the rescue book work out of the way too. If your background is in science of engineering, the DM exam will be a breeze. If not, you might need help going through it. I did fine in all 6 DM exam after 1 week of study, but my background is in medicine and science.

From what I understand, in some countries, you have to have 5 specialties to get your DM. In the US, you don't need that, except for rescue. I think that some places, you can do your internship in 1 week (if they run enough OW classes to fullfill the minimum requirement). The ones that expect 3 months are hoping to get free help. The ones in 1 month are more realistic. As I roughly remembered, you need to assist in 5 pool sessions, 4 or 5 OW sessions, and perhaps do 2 to 4 "advanced level" dives for the DM. Anything beyond this is free labor, I think.

 

[resortdiver]

Study all the books listed for divemaster as well as the rescue book for a few months until you get 90% on all the quizes. Then go to some place like
easedivepro.com in florida
or
oceanencounter.com in curacao
for your training.
Both have real nice people!
I wouldnt go anywhere till your done with most of the academics.
Youll learn more and get through faster.
Study Hard

 

[aquaman_06]

I did my DM training at a dive school in Florida called the Eastern Academy of Scuba Education. Like fisherdvm said get the reading/work out of the way first. You will get a pretty in-depth education on dive physics, dive physiology and dive theory. There will be other exams as well but those prove much easier then the one's mentioned above. I hate math and am not very good with science so getting the material down took some intensive studying on my part. I studied for a good month before going down to the school and then worked w/ my instructor form there.

In addition to that make sure your in reasonable shape. You aren't going to be swimming marathons or jumping out of helicopters but you will have some endurance tests to pass once you are doing your DM training. One is an 800 yard swim with your mask, snorkel and fins with no wetsuit or buoyancy aid. The next is a 400 yard freestyle swim. Then there is a 100 yard tired diver toe where you toe a diver in full gear while you are in full gear 100 yards. Then the 15 min tread water and I think that may be it. Also you will have an underwater equipment exchange w/ your buddy while buddy breathing. We had to exchange mask, fins, weight belts, tank/bc. Then you swim several laps around the pool while still buddy breathing.

All in all the endurance stuff was cake the academics where kinda tricky.

 

[RJP]

Anything beyond this is free labor, I think.

And better learnin' perhaps.



Having done my DM over the course of about a year (day job and winter really made scheduling a challenge) I don't see how you could possibly do your internships in a week in a way that would provide a meaningful experience.

 

[fisherdvm]

Don't forget about these, you'll need to accumulate 12 points total. Most places will let you split them up over several days... The swim, from my understanding is made only in swimming trunk. I've heard some will let you use a snorkel... but to me, this is cheating. The fins/snorkel swim is with your legs only, otherwise I'd had an easy 5 points. The treading, zeez - you can do flat on your back - as long as you have the corner of the pool against your head, you can keep your hands out of the water for 2 minutes easily. The tow, you should have practice. I didn't, and still got a 3 pt, almost a 4. You should aim to turn your victim well before he hit the edge of the pool. As long as YOU touch the pool, you are fine. I should have easily trimmed a good minute off if it wasn't for the turn. Make sure your buoyancy is adequate... I think I had too much drag too. For me, at 44 y.o. it wasn't too demanding. But I swim 2 to 3 miles a week, and run at least 3 times a week.

400 yard swim:
Less than 6 minutes - 5 points
6-8 minutes - 4 points
8-10 minutes - 3 points
10-12 minutes - 2 points
more than 12 minutes - 1 point

800 yard snorkle swim
Less than 13 minutes - 5 points
13-15 minutes - 4 points
15-17 minutes - 3 points
17-19 minutes - 2 points
more than 19 minutes - 1 point

15 minute tread
Hands out last 2 minutes - 5 points
Hands not out last 2 minues - 3 points
Touched bottom no more than twice - 1 point

100 yards tired diver tow
Less than 2 minutes - 5 points
2-3 minutes - 4 points
3-4 minutes - 3 points
4-5 minutes - 2 points
more than 5 minutes - 1 point

 

[fisherdvm]

And better learnin' perhaps.



Having done my DM over the course of about a year (day job and winter really made scheduling a challenge) I don't see how you could possibly do your internships in a week in a way that would provide a meaningful experience.

I didn't say doing it beyond a week. I meant doing it FULL TIME for more than a month is free labor.

At least this is the minimum:

Divemaster candidates must assist an Instructor in at least 5 confined water sessions and 5 open water sessions from any of the following PADI courses: Open Water Diver, Advanced Diver, Rescue Diver or Specialty program. Candidates will also gain experience in supervision of certified divers not participating in a formal course.

Beyond this, since he is paying for it, shouldn't he do it so it counts toward his assistant instructor/instructor training? That's why I can't make sense of these 1 year internship. With your instructor rating, you still do menial DM work anyway - right? I can't see humping tanks and loading gears will add to one's experience as a DM or instructor, except to build biceps.

 

[rleslie]

Thanks for the suggestion of knowing the material prior to the course. A suggestion that I will most certainly heed.

Perhaps, I was too vague in my original question, so let me try again:

I have the $$$$ & time to go anywhere in the world, so why not go somewhere with incredible diving and a different culture OR is the training better in the US? All of these foreign shcools have been approved by PADI as Instructor Training Facilities (I'm guessing that PADI does not had that out like candy).

Do any of you have first hand knowledge of specific schools outside the USA?

Thanks

 

[fisherdvm]

~ Why are the DM interships in some areas 3 months and 1 month in others?

This might have to do with the logistics of their classes. Here in MI, most places do only 1 class a month in the winter. That means it woudl take you a minimum of 3 months to get your pool experience out of the way. If you start it in the spring, you'd have to wait till May to get the OW portion - which will take another 2 to 3 months, if they do only 1 class a month. In places that do it in 1 month - that means they have at least one OW class a week. In places that do it in 1 week - I think they must run the same hired students through to pretend to be students - so you can get out the door faster.