Why is becoming a DM considered not worth it?

[TMHeimer]

I'm trying to figure out why this is a bad thing.

Also, I was very proud when I became a DM. I was not told, and did not think, I was suddenly a "better diver." What I was was a better instructional assistant, dive guide, buddy, and all-round scuba helper. I had more confidence in my abilities to be observant, to have situational awareness, and help out where needed. Those things DID make me a better diver, I believe, but were not related to some egocentric goal of holding a perfect stop in perfect trim.

Yeah, that's what I meant, you worded it better.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I'm trying to figure out why [to have fun for a month or more in tropical paradise with a bunch of like-minded people while diving a lot] is a bad thing.....

I hope you quoted my post because you thought others in this thread thought this is a bad thing, not that I did. As I mentioned somewhere upthread, after doing the Rescue course in Utila (another place with a reputation as a training mill) I along with my former Rescue classmates faced the decision whether to continue on to the DM course, and although the reasons in the quote felt compelling, I chose to just continue being a dive bum for a few more weeks (while still hanging out and having fun with the same like-minded people).

 

[Lorenzoid]

I had more confidence in my abilities to be observant, to have situational awareness, and help out where needed. Those things DID make me a better diver, I believe, but were not related to some egocentric goal of holding a perfect stop in perfect trim.

I can't speak for anyone else or for other possibly similar courses, but I did not take Fundies with the goal, either mine personally or of the course, and either "egocentric" or otherwise, of "holding a perfect stop in perfect trim." Rather, equally important goals in Fundies could be described exactly as you did: "to be observant, to have situational awareness, and help out where needed." That sounds a lot like what is taught in Fundies (only it's in relation to your teammates rather than clients).

Oh, and along with the above, they do teach achieving some precision in holding and controlling one's position in the water.

It occurs to me that, at least in the context of the kind of diving I do, holding and controlling one's position in the water could not be less egocentric, because the whole point of learning to do that is to help the team. In a course, you aim for a high level of precision, knowing that when the shyte hits the fan, you will get whatever precision you can muster, not necessarily as high a level as you practiced in a course, but the better you can handle yourself in the water column while attending to other pressing tasks the higher the probability of a successful outcome for the team.

I once sat in as an observer on what I believe was the first day of a GUE IDC, and one thing the instructor mentioned to his new students really stuck with me, and it was something along the following lines: Whenever you're learning something new, ask yourself, "How can I employ this to help the team?"

 

[Isa.nerwen]

Not quite sure exactly what you're saying there but it brings up another important point that I didn't consider when I was undergoing an interview to be a DiveMaster.

If there's an accident and subsequent lawsuit, every crew person is a potential defendant. And if the insurance is nonexistent, insufficient or not applicable then a potentially innocent DM is hanging his or head out.

I've got a good amount of assets and nothing is worth that sort of risk.

I mean, I got professional liability insurance from DAN for €120 per year so it's not really that expensive

 

[Isa.nerwen]

In your case, you also got a social life, which is easier when taking a DM course than solo traveling to dive.

That said, to become a really good diver, you also need to dive in many different conditions. By that I mean, at some point move on. Catch some wild currents, rough surface conditions, schooling sharks, etc.

Yes, it's definitely more an "experience" than solo travelling and only fun diving. That's also a reason why I wanted to do it.

 

[iliketopetsharks]

Those things DID make me a better diver, I believe, but were not related to some egocentric goal of holding a perfect stop in perfect trim.

How's that egocentrical? It's the opposite, being in control of your position makes life easier for everyone.

 

[Lorenzoid]

How's that egocentrical? It's the opposite, being in control of your position makes life easier for everyone.

As I pointed out in post #283 above. It benefits your buddy as well.

(I didn't mean to imply you had overlooked that post--just emphasizing here.)

 

[tursiops]

Whenever you're learning something new, ask yourself, "How can I employ this to help the team?"

This is nice, but is not the only criterion for the value of learning something new. Does learning how to control the power of my strobe to match the ambient light help the team? Does knowing that is a French Grunt and not a Bluestriped Grunt help the team? Does realizing that most of the life I see underwater is animal and not plant help the team? Does the skill set and equipment configuration to safely dive Solo help the team? The team is just one way to dive, and GUE teaches it pretty well. But it is not the only way or reason to dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

This is nice, but is not the only criterion for the value of learning something new. Does learning how to control the power of my strobe to match the ambient light help the team? Does knowing that is a French Grunt and not a Bluestriped Grunt help the team? Does realizing that most of the life I see underwater is animal and not plant help the team? Does the skill set and equipment configuration to safely dive Solo help the team? The team is just one way to dive, and GUE teaches it pretty well. But it is not the only way or reason to dive.

And I'm sure that the instructor who said that did not mean to imply helping the team is the only criterion for the value of learning something new. You're twisting it around. "Something new" is a tool or bit of knowledge, and I suppose it very well could be handling a camera/strobe, or marine science knowledge. Diving with at least one other person is the relevant context we're talking about here, not solo. It absolutely can't hurt, in learning something new, to consider how it might be employed to make your buddy's dive safer, more productive, more enjoyable or whatever, depending on what the goal of the dive is. Helping your buddy is certainly not the only reason to learn something new, but the instructor's suggestion to their IDC students to consider that reason in addition to the obvious ones really stuck with me.

The anecdote about what I overheard an instructor say was just a footnote to the main point of my post, which is that aiming for a high level of precision is not "egocentric." Being able to achieve a stable position and more precisely control one's position in the water without having to devote too much brain bandwidth and/or physical exertion to it enables a diver to better focus on whatever the task is at hand, whether that is sharing air, deploying a DSMB at a safety stop, or just taking photographs. Your point that "perfect" trim is not required for this is well taken, but as I said, aiming for this higher level of precision in a course or on practice dives is what may make the difference when something actually goes wrong and you revert to whatever level of precision you can muster.

 

[curamax]

In your case, you also got a social life, which is easier when taking a DM course than solo traveling to dive.

That said, to become a really good diver, you also need to dive in many different conditions. By that I mean, at some point move on. Catch some wild currents, rough surface conditions, schooling sharks, etc.

Exactly.

Isa.nerwen ,​

Become better diver its a journey not a destination. Be DM its not going to make you better diver, you are going to become better diver with the experience you got in the way.

In my personal experience i did my first dive in 1995, the 0W IN 2006, AOW in 2010, rescue diver 2017, solo diver 2018, and DM in 2020., and I got those certifications when I was ready for them,

I personally enjoy the rescue diver course, and the SOLO DIVER,

Just continue diving and thats it,