Why Be A Divemaster?

[durian]

Poor title. I am reading the Dive Master Book. I am a RESCUE Diver, but still a bit of a novice diver. I noticed that the Divemaster involves much more than furthering your diving skills. It seems to require a certain type of personality. It seems to advocate an easy going person who gets along with everyone and has an amazing degree of patience. A person who will cuddle the tourists??? Kind of a "camp counselor type?

I want to further my diving skills, but I don't think I am up to being PADI's poster boy. I am in no way condemning these Divemasters, I am amazed by them. If they have that personality, they must be quite successful as most people with such ppl skills are. I think the Divemaster is a primary point of contact in the PADI circles and seems to need to leave a continous good impressions so people will return and more money will be made. This is the impression I get from the book.

I do not know if I can wear a constant smile and be that patient all the time. Truly, being the Divemaster seems to be much more than diving skills, or so it seems.

Maybe I will go the Master Diver route? I do not think I am extraverted enough to do the Divemaster role.

 

[Atticus]

Durian,

I recall having some of the same thoughts when I started on my diver master course, specifically that I was not enough of an outgoing person and that I take a while to warm up to people. What I found was that in general these folks wanted to learn about diving, and that was something I could talk about with ease.

If you'd like to work on your dive skills and not take on the responsibility for others (and their enjoyment of the sport) there are other opportunities as well. Mostly just spend a lot of time diving in various different conditions.

Best Regards,
Merlin Rhoda

Poor title. I am reading the Dive Master Book. I am a RESCUE Diver, but still a bit of a novice diver. I noticed that the Divemaster involves much more than furthering your diving skills. It seems to require a certain type of personality. It seems to advocate an easy going person who gets along with everyone and has an amazing degree of patience. A person who will cuddle the tourists??? Kind of a "camp counselor type?

I want to further my diving skills, but I don't think I am up to being PADI's poster boy. I am in no way condemning these Divemasters, I am amazed by them. If they have that personality, they must be quite successful as most people with such ppl skills are. I think the Divemaster is a primary point of contact in the PADI circles and seems to need to leave a continous good impressions so people will return and more money will be made. This is the impression I get from the book.

I do not know if I can wear a constant smile and be that patient all the time. Truly, being the Divemaster seems to be much more than diving skills, or so it seems.

Maybe I will go the Master Diver route? I do not think I am extraverted enough to do the Divemaster role.

 

[scubablue67]

I think you're are wise to look at Masterdiver instead of DM. Dm is a leadership position. It does call for role model skills, yet that's only a small portion of the course. Masterdiver is the perfect next step from Rescue. You'll develop skills in specialties that are of interest to you. You'll get varied and exciting diving experiences. Most importantly you'll grow as a diver. Later if you get the itch to be hands on with the developing of other divers you can start the process of going pro. If you want to really push yourself you can look into Tech diving where there are even more challenges. The sky is the limit for the recreational side of diving.

 

[theskull]

Divemaster does involve much more than furthering your skills, it also involves learning to be more responsible for the safety of other divers--both before and after they enter the water. You may want to get more seasoning and experience before proceeding in this direction.

The divemaster may be a tourist-coddler, but will much more commonly be a teaching assistant and/or safety diver for an instructor conducting classes. Some do take the course mainly to further their skills and never actually work as a divemaster, but those who purchase insurance and go to work as a divemaster will enjoy free diving trips and perhaps even get paid for their efforts in addition to some great discounts on gear. Additionally, dive sites that may have become boring to you as a fun-diver take on a new level of interest when you get to help introduce new divers to the sport at these same sites.

Also, if you enjoy having some challenge to your diving, just wait until you see the stunts that some of the students (not to mention the experienced divers) can pull while in your care!

Do have fun with the course and the role if you go ahead with it, and keep in mind that you are putting yourself into the service of others, which does require a somewhat different mindset.

theskull

 

[baitedstorm]

Also, if you enjoy having some challenge to your diving, just wait until you see the stunts that some of the students (not to mention the experienced divers) can pull while in your care!

theskull

That's certainly the truth.... After the few months I've been going through the DM program I will complete it this Thrusday and just in a short time I've seen some pretty strange stuff.... I can't say I know how you feel (I'm the mother-hen, social butterfly type) (go ahead you can :l: at anytime.... ) but I do understand what your saying. It sounds like MasterDiver is the way for you to go for now, but only so you can focus on what's important to you and not some much the "feel good" leadership aspect of the DM role. There's nothing saying you can't go back and take the DM class if you want to at a later date.

 

[Atticus]

The PADI Master Scuba Diver (MSD) rating does not necessarily involve any training - it's been a while, but my recollection is that you need to show proof of 5 specialties + rescue and then just pay for the card and you get it.

Assuming you've already got the 5 specialties, and you mentioned you'd just finished rescue, it may not even involve getting wet.

Other agencies do requre inwater training for MSD (NAUI for example), but if you're happy with PADI then that probably doesn't help you.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes.

--Merlin

 

[matt_unique]

The PADI Master Scuba Diver (MSD) rating does not necessarily involve any training - it's been a while, but my recollection is that you need to show proof of 5 specialties + rescue and then just pay for the card and you get it.

Assuming you've already got the 5 specialties, and you mentioned you'd just finished rescue, it may not even involve getting wet.

Other agencies do requre inwater training for MSD (NAUI for example), but if you're happy with PADI then that probably doesn't help you.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes.

--Merlin

Rescue + 5 specialties are the requirements for the MSD. The MSD is not a course in itself but a PADI acknowledgement of courses completed.

I chose a similar path. I felt my diving goals were best served focusing on my own interests rather than DM.

--Matt

 

[scubadoguk]

Poor title. I am reading the Dive Master Book. I am a RESCUE Diver, but still a bit of a novice diver. I noticed that the Divemaster involves much more than furthering your diving skills. It seems to require a certain type of personality. It seems to advocate an easy going person who gets along with everyone and has an amazing degree of patience. A person who will cuddle the tourists??? Kind of a "camp counselor type?

I want to further my diving skills, but I don't think I am up to being PADI's poster boy. I am in no way condemning these Divemasters, I am amazed by them. If they have that personality, they must be quite successful as most people with such ppl skills are. I think the Divemaster is a primary point of contact in the PADI circles and seems to need to leave a continous good impressions so people will return and more money will be made. This is the impression I get from the book.

I do not know if I can wear a constant smile and be that patient all the time. Truly, being the Divemaster seems to be much more than diving skills, or so it seems.

Maybe I will go the Master Diver route? I do not think I am extraverted enough to do the Divemaster role.

Go away get some experience, do a class or ten get the guys in the store to dive with you or go along on check outs NOT to help but watch what they do and how they interact with folks how the DM works to get stuff there to make the class go better or help someone dive a bit better.
Don't do a course that takes a lot of time and effort if its done well just to have a badge, by the time you get a Master scuba rating you should have dive experience beyond the class settings found a groove you like then you can make a decision then ?

 

[MSilvia]

Maybe I will go the Master Diver route? I do not think I am extraverted enough to do the Divemaster role.

Since master diver doesn't (as I understand it) involve much in the way of actual training, have you considered just getting the divemaster course materials and learning the stuff you're interested in from there? If you aren't interested in the "leadership role" or in helping with classes, I assume you're mostly interested in improving your own diving.

Dive all you can, read all you can, and get yourself more experience. Certifications aren't everything, and Master Diver is a pretty expensive pat on the back.

 

[northcoast_diver]

Poor title. I am reading the Dive Master Book. I am a RESCUE Diver, but still a bit of a novice diver. I noticed that the Divemaster involves much more than furthering your diving skills. It seems to require a certain type of personality. It seems to advocate an easy going person who gets along with everyone and has an amazing degree of patience. A person who will cuddle the tourists??? Kind of a "camp counselor type?

I want to further my diving skills, but I don't think I am up to being PADI's poster boy. I am in no way condemning these Divemasters, I am amazed by them. If they have that personality, they must be quite successful as most people with such ppl skills are. I think the Divemaster is a primary point of contact in the PADI circles and seems to need to leave a continous good impressions so people will return and more money will be made. This is the impression I get from the book.

I do not know if I can wear a constant smile and be that patient all the time. Truly, being the Divemaster seems to be much more than diving skills, or so it seems.

Maybe I will go the Master Diver route? I do not think I am extraverted enough to do the Divemaster role.

Hang in there, and you will do just fine.

Any D/M course, whether PADIs or YMCAs or NAUIs or SSIs etc will make you a better diver and a more people-oriented person.