Zero to Hero in Phuket

[Mustard Dave]

Dive Master (DM) - A professional rating. Responsible for the lives of all divers in the water. If someone is hurt or dead it had better be you. A diver bolts for the surface you are required to risk life and limb to stop them from killing themselves. DM must have insurance and renew their DM certification card annually. This is a cost of several hundred US Dollars. Work long hours and make little pay. Doing a day of pleasure diving and not working, diver gets hurt, you could get sued (suit happy USA).
Some questions:
1. How passionate are you about SCUBA diving? If your not passionate about SCUBA you should not be a Dive Master(DM).
2. What is your motivation for being a DM? Why spend thousands of dollars to become a DM and you don't even know if you like SCUBA diving? It can't be the money because the pay is below low. Most DM's have a day job to pay for things like food and shelter and DM part time. Yes you can work in exotic locations and earn enough money to almost cover the cost of food, and maybe if your luckly a very low cost shack.
3. There are monetary and legal consequences for being a DM too. It cost a lot of money to become a DM and to maintain that rating. Lawsuits also happen (depending on where you live and work). As a dive professional you are held to a higher standardard.
4. What is your rush? A DM or Instructor should be someone who has spent a few years diving and has a few hundred dives under their belt. It is a leadership position with responsibilities. Take your time, become a Basic Open Water SCUBA diver. Do 25 to 50 dives, then take the Advance Course, do another 25-50 dives then take the Rescue Course. Then do another 100 dives and then considerbecoming a DM.

Whats your hurry. The only thing waiting for you at the end of the race we call life is a grave. Slow down and enjoy the journey.

Most of that is sound advice but I do have a few comments about point 4. I do not feel there is any merit in leaving it too long between courses. I did OW and my AOW immediately afterwards. I was signed off as RD on dive 24.

Being an AOW diver does not make you an advanced diver, but I found doing it this way served me well as I did more of my earlier dives under the tutelage of an instructor, giving me the opportunity to polish my skills without learning bad habits.

I have on numerous occasions said that AOW and RD are in the wrong order. I think more rescue skills should be taught as early as possible. After a handful of dives, a rescue diver is probably not going to be as polished with those skills as a more experienced diver, but an inexperienced diver with training in rescue techniques stands a better chance of rescuing somebody with no rescue training whatsoever.

For professional level courses it's a different matter. Anybody wanting to be an instructor or DM needs to be competent to ensure the safety of novice divers and should be a well rounded, experienced diver. My pet hate is toy DMs / instructors who have been sold the idea of the wonderful adventurous lifestyle of the PADI professional and rush into teaching others while they are still wet behind the ears.

Well I apologize for the bit of confusion there. I have no intention of working in the dive industry at all, I was just doing some reading up and a dive master would look like a pretty decent accomplishment for me to do in the 6 months over in Phuket.

I know some of you guys said that I might not even be that passionate about diving, but I'd still like to start of at somewhere decent. First of all, the shop wouldn't tarnish any first impression of diving that I might have. And secondly, be adequate enough for me to carry on my dive master should I so decide to do so.

Thank you kevrumbo! I'll look into your suggestions.

If you're not planning on working in the dive industry, I wouldn't bother with the DM course. Although you will certainly learn something from it, I think there are better courses to do. The only recreational level courses I have an interest in I have done - OW, AOW, RD, Deep, Nitrox. If you want something to work towards as a mark of achievement, why not work towards MSD instead, doing the specialities you want?

My advice is just get out there and dive. Do the courses you want as and when you feel ready. As you gain experience, you will get an idea which way you want to progress. Yo

 

[kathydee]

It's common for young scuba travelers to show up at a dive shop in SE Asia or other places and earn OW-DM certs. Some shops charge one package price for the training, do not limit the time required to earn the DM and offer unlimited dives during this period. Many of these "zero-hero" divers will never work as professionals. It's just a way young travelers afford diving for long periods (like 6 months)

I also suggest taking your OW training at Living Seas in Singapore before you travel, so you have a solid foundation. It's a very professional shop.

 

[Flodad]

Mustard Dave and Pasley... very good replys, thank you. I'll go get smarter on what a DM course will actually be taught as far as new skils or refining skills that were taught in preresiquite courses. I thought that a Dm course would certinly help you rfine the skills you are suppsoed to know and teach you some new skills. I thought the Instructor course focused on teaching the student how to "teach a course" and handle classes... So IM probably just not as informed as I should be. thanks again.

 

[MSDT476614]

Most agencies list out what is required to reach the DM level. A quick reference to WRSTC standards provides a good base reference though not exhaustive for the courses involved. Please note that 'minimum' number of dives in standards does not equate to sufficient / excellent dive skills / knowledge. That is highly subjective and can be reviewed in many other threads here on SB.

Most if not all DM courses teach you 'selling' as part of the curriculum.

Dive & diver logistics, management, problem identification and resolution in and out of the water as well as mechanical skill such as compressor operation and basic equipment servicing are what the better operators/instructors carry with them. Boat knowledge and operations may be possible with some operators as part of your knowledge 'pack.' Freelancers are usually not equipped to offer that scope of knowledge and operators in Singapore typically also do not possess the scale and scope to offer this knowledge (I am from Singapore). Remember, this is more geared toward your DM level. If you're just kicking off with diving, even the Galapagos or Mexico is fine as is the Canaries or South Africa as is Singapore.

As someone else pointed out, SSI's Science of Diving (or PADI's Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving) gives you a good heads up on some dive theory as well as science that can help you become a better diver. Doing a Z-H with one operation/instructor limits your horizon to some degree. No matter with which agency.

Going far beyond your mandatory First Aid course for your Rescue Diver certification and reading much more into dive medicine will place you well as a diver and a dive pro to be. Afterall, prevention is the key and knowledge is prophylactic (yes, its water proof too!).

I'd encourage you to try out several instructors/operators to try how they fit and how you fit.

As a prospective diver aiming for dive 'pro' I'd say keep some dollars aside for basic equipment as you progress through your courses. Approximately USD $1,500 is way good enough to start with for a decent basic set (not a technically oriented set with all the bells and 9' miflex hoses). Be wary of really cheap deals. SCUBA equipment is often considered life support equipment and you may shortly see why.

I'd consider going to Koh Tao if you were looking to stretch your dollar. Singapore comes highly recommended so far in this thread but there is no way you're going to doing the same number of dives in a given period. Quality is a different issue and is likely to be subjective.

There are limited diving possibilities in (only) Singapore. It is usually a training base where pool work (and limited water work in the sea particularly for tech courses and some specialties) and theory is done before jumping off into the South East Asian region (expenses in airfare among other things) for appropriate expansion of dive skills through actual diving particularly if you branch into technical diving even as a tryout. Google 'Pulau Hantu' for a take on local diving in Singapore per se.

Phuket 'closes' during the local Monsoon period of between approximately May through and including Octoberish or so. Koh Tao does not really close though November through and including February can see loads of rain even leading to some ferry cancellations though infrequent.

I'll make private recommendations if you PM me for both Phuket and Koh Tao. There are excellent Divemasters & Instructors you can learn from throughout South East Asia including Bali (and Lombok). In South East Asia, Bali presents divers with probably a greater range of dive experiences including waters with a temperature range from 16C to 28C and shore/boat dives, low to excellent visbility, tremendous amount of marine life.

The Phillipines may be considered too if you're willing. Similar to Bali. Greater range of diving possibilities in differing conditions and probabilities for more diverse marine life.

You might want to mind your trip timing as well. Knowing the local weather and diving conditions among a good dose of other useful and critical information should be part of a DM's retinue of knowledge beyond just being able to dive horizontal with your hands held in front of you and not kick up any silt.

Sobering time: dive pros also get lost at sea and perish (beyond the risk of being in charge of divers). Arm yourself with the appropriate knowledge and read what you can, ask if unsure. Take it slightly easier and keep your eyes open. Z-H might be for you but often the knowledge possible to impart in a Z-H course should theoretically be limited due to you being with 1 operator (though your instructors may differ depending on the op you're with).

If you're a critical thinker large ops might be good for you as they can provide breadth of experience while you plumb the depths of knowledge of in-house instructors. If have contact maintenance issues smaller operations might be your cup of tea though exceptions of course exist since all large ops have to start somewhere/somehow/sometime.

Champagne time: go enjoy the underwater world. Its magnificent and nothing on land can quite compare! Especially the English Channel and Poor Knight's Island in April/May!

 

[Khaled.Mel]

Well, since am one of the people who are considering Z-H programs I think it all depends on why are you doing it? why you need it now? and what you are going to do with it?

I am taking a similar approach as posted on the previous page by instructor Quero, simply took OW and couple of dives, after that AOW and couple of dives, now taking some specialities, and going to enroll in RD soon and some couple of dives after.


Why am I doing this? Because I can, right now I live close to sea (as opposed to 1 year ago), so for me it is a good time to get as much certification and courses as I can (hell i might continue to IA/OWSI if i had time) because soon I will be travelling to another city where access to sea will be limited, so hard for me to be comitted to a course, but easy to log couple of dives every other weekend (thus polishing my skills).


What am i going to do with it? for now (and probably for years later) nothing, I will never take the responsibility of other people or even "lead" a big dive, probably later after feeling more confident about myself and my skills, I might consider teaching.


as for Why do I need it now? well, basically it gives me some sort of accomplishment, and self confidence. If I passed DM certification and got positive feedback from instructors regarding me "leading" dives, this will make me more confident in water.

Also I dont like ceilings above my head, whenever there is something higher than what currently I am in, i try my best to get it. so I believe I will continue with professional courses until I hit the point where I actually have to certify divers to advance to the higher rank (I think it will be Speciality instructor).
My belief is, nobody knows better than an instructor (not limited to diving), so if I dedicate time and effort to it (not just pay to sign), am sure I will have better knowledge and thus more self confidence.

Is it considered wrong, or a mistake? Maybe, but heywe all learn from our mistakes.

Also qouting the Signature of the above poster.

... all dive instructors started new sometime somewhere

 

[Quero]

Phuket 'closes' during the local Monsoon period of between approximately May through and including Octoberish or so. Koh Tao does not really close though November through and including February can see loads of rain even leading to some ferry cancellations though infrequent.

Just a little note here to clarify. This statement is somewhat misleading. Some of the dive destinations in the Andaman region do close during the monsoon season--specifically the Similans and Surins national parks. This means that the scuba-centric town of Khao Lak pretty much closes down. However, Phuket doesn't close down at all, and our dive shops are all open year round. As for other islands, like Phuket, Phi Phi is open year round; Lanta is partly closed down; Lipe is mostly closed down. In fact, a lot of Tao ops also close during their monsoon, but not all. In other words, you can dive year round on either side of Thailand, though not at all dive sites.

 

[MSDT476614]

Just a little note here to clarify. This statement is somewhat misleading. Some of the dive destinations in the Andaman region do close during the monsoon season--specifically the Similans and Surins national parks. This means that the scuba-centric town of Khao Lak pretty much closes down. However, Phuket doesn't close down at all, and our dive shops are all open year round. As for other islands, like Phuket, Phi Phi is open year round; Lanta is partly closed down; Lipe is mostly closed down. In fact, a lot of Tao ops also close during their monsoon, but not all. In other words, you can dive year round on either side of Thailand, though not at all dive sites.

I stand corrected! Thanks.

 

[Tiptopperoo]

Way too much debate going on over this thread for my liking.

I did Rescue to OWSI on Phi Phi Island in 2008. Loved every minute of it and would recommend it to others. Unless you are setup with a car/scooter, Phuket is a little more difficult. You need to head out to Chalong pier every day and it is a full day on the boat so 6mths of that could grind you down a little.

Were I you I would go and check out Phi Phi Island. No cars required, you don't need to book in advance, no work permit required, just roll up on the island and go around talking to shops. Pick the one you got on best with or that you like the most. You will easily smash out zero to hero in 6 months. You will learn HEAPS about diving. You will dive the same sites 1 million times. You will get good at picking up backpackers. You will learn to function on 4hrs sleep. You will dive while hung over and or possibly drunk (I don't recommend this btw, and it's a great way to get bent, I'm just saying that the lifestyle takes hold...) you will begin to think banana pancakes and chang incorporate all 5 food groups. You will look back on those 6 months as some of the best in your life. EVER.

If you then also decide you want to work in the dive industry, well, so be it, but be prepared to learn how to dive again if you go somewhere cold.

 

[Quero]

Way too much debate going on over this thread for my liking.

But it's a discussion forum! By definition, members are encouraged to express a whole range of opinion. I found your opinions quite interesting to read, even though they don't match my own. For example:

I did Rescue to OWSI on Phi Phi Island in 2008. Loved every minute of it and would recommend it to others. Unless you are setup with a car/scooter, Phuket is a little more difficult. You need to head out to Chalong pier every day and it is a full day on the boat so 6mths of that could grind you down a little.

Depends on what kind of experience a person is seeking. A few people really do love it there and are happy to stay for long periods, but the fact is that there's huge turnover of dive pros on Phi Phi--they stay for just a few months--and there's a very good reason for this called 'island fever.' For a little while Phi Phi can be fun since it's such a party island, but eventually the partying gets old, and after a little while it actually becomes a pretty boring place to live. And given that food and lodging on Phi Phi is significantly more expensive than it is on Phuket, even with renting a motorbike it's generally cheaper to live on Phuket. So six months of Phi Phi could just as easily grind a person down from tedium. (Furthermore, it's possible to live quite near to Chalong Pier, as I do).

Were I you I would go and check out Phi Phi Island. No cars required, you don't need to book in advance, no work permit required,

Yes it's worth checking out, but make no mistake, the work permit is actually required by law. What this means is that many of the 'pros' there are not very professional at all since they don't even have the dedication to the profession to bother to get their documentation in order so that they can work legally.

just roll up on the island and go around talking to shops. Pick the one you got on best with or that you like the most. You will easily smash out zero to hero in 6 months.

That's the minimum since you can't certify as a DM until you've been certified as a diver for 6 months.

You will learn HEAPS about diving.

If one is starting as a non-diver knowing nothing, I hope one would end after a bunch of courses having learned a lot.

You will dive the same sites 1 million times.

And in what way is this a good thing?

You will get good at picking up backpackers.

What, off the ground when they've drunk or drugged themselves into a stupor? Or for transient "romance"? Or oh! maybe you mean busking on the footpath, wheedling customers for the shop?

You will learn to function on 4hrs sleep. You will dive while hung over and or possibly drunk (I don't recommend this btw, and it's a great way to get bent, I'm just saying that the lifestyle takes hold...)

Yes, that's pretty normal there, and highly unprofessional behaviour for a dive pro, even one only in a training phase.

you will begin to think banana pancakes and chang incorporate all 5 food groups.

And you'll actually have dreams about 'real' food--that's your body telling you something's missing in your diet.

You will look back on those 6 months as some of the best in your life. EVER.

That's probably true in a 'coming of age' kind of way that virtually everybody looks back nostalgically on their late adolescent and young adult years.

If you then also decide you want to work in the dive industry, well, so be it, but be prepared to learn how to dive again if you go somewhere cold.

If you learned to dive properly in tropical water, the transition to cold water diving isn't really a very big challenge--no more than learning to dive at night or in a current or any other environmentally different situation. If you have to learn to dive all over again for cold water, it's an indication you never really learned correctly in warm water in the first place.