Zero to Master Scuba Diver in 10 months

[TMHeimer]

A Master's of mathematics, or any number of other areas, does not mean that you have mastered the area. It means you have progressed beyond a BA/BS and nothing more. A PhD or any other doctorate does not mean complete mastery either but should mean more mastery than a MA/MS.

Master Scuba Diver is exactly the same. It means they have done some more than the first level of OW and done some courses. Doesn't mean they are instructor level.

People do not complain about the term Masters in degree programs. Why all the energy expended here?

Agree. I recall an old thread discussing what it means for an OW student to "master" the skills taught in the pool. Hard to define "master". Means someone did a skill smoothly, to perfection 10 times in a row? Not so perfectly but successfully 100 times straight? All instructors take as long as necessary for 100 times in a row, no????? I got my Masters in clarinet in 1981 and play in ONE band 7 weeks a year. Am I still a "master"?

 

[Lorenzoid]

A Master's of mathematics, or any number of other areas, does not mean that you have mastered the area. It means you have progressed beyond a BA/BS and nothing more. A PhD or any other doctorate does not mean complete mastery either but should mean more mastery than a MA/MS.

Master Scuba Diver is exactly the same. It means they have done some more than the first level of OW and done some courses. Doesn't mean they are instructor level.

People do not complain about the term Masters in degree programs. Why all the energy expended here?

I'll take a stab at that. Most people think of a Master's degree as requiring at least one if not two years of full-time additional study at an advanced level, and usually the writing of a thesis. Most people think of a Master's degree as requiring a lot of time, effort and brainpower--progressing a LOT beyond what's required for a Bachelor's degree. If the public has this perception of a Master's degree, what would they think if they were informed that a scuba diver could attain a "master" rating by simply muddling through a few specialty dives, filling out a few quizzes, etc., in a matter of weeks? If "Master Scuba Diver" required a year of full-time training, then I might buy into the name.

 

[NewbieScubyDoo]

Stuart,

I can identify with your diving accomplishments.

I achieved my Master Diver cert in 2.5 months.

I logged 80 dives in that short amount of time, as all I did was dive!

Three years later, I am diving as much as I can (average over 100 dives per year now) and the best advice I can give is this:

"Calm Seas make complacent Divers"

I go out of my way to dive in rough Seas. I go out of my way to dive and experience potentially dangerous dive situations WITH extremely knowledgeable divers who had been diving for decades; regularly. They watch over me, as I learn new tactics and quick decision making when most would start to panic. And always ready to intervene if warranted.

I also go out of my way and search out divers who been diving for decades and continue to do so regularly. After every dive, I ask a lot of questions as I watch them in the water column and often times mimic what they are doing.

I now, travel the world (just got back from a few weeks in Indonesia) and continue to learn and improve from other divers worldwide, and eager to make adjustments and add to my ever growing intellect of diving knowledge.

I wish you much success in your diving and never stop learning!

Guerrilla Diver

 

[dirkadirk]

Quite liking this thread, thanks stuartv

Congrats on the achievements

Thought I would chip in my 2 pence worth -totally agree with the already stated ambiguity with the title 'Master Scuba Diver'. It seems to appeal in part to the in-built hierachical part of humanity to be able to prove our worth to ourselves and others.

Just thought I would also provide some perspective to what I perceive the old v new argument postulated by eastenddiver. I may be recalling incorrectly but he stated 36 hours of training in 50:50 theoryool over 12 weeks. That equates to one 3 hour session per week. 90 minutes of theory and 90 minutes of practical. An intensive OW course (in the UK, at centres I have visited) takes about 5 days, as does the BSAC Ocean Diver grade. Now a standard training day to me is around 7-8 hours of mixed theory and practical (more theory at the start, more practical at the end of the week). At that rate a 4 day course is 28-32 hours long, a 5 day is 35-40 hours long. To my maths that is still about the same amount of training time, give or take an hour or two.
Now I understand that some centres go shorter, some students may learn quicker, but even so, a dispute over better training then instead of now is pretty much moot. Practices are more refined- the irrelevant has been removed, the basic has been refined, practices have adapted to the developments in equipment. Tables have been developed to calculate deco, thereby removing the complex maths that needed to be learned.
It's horses for courses really - personally I would rather have someone trained on modern equipment with me than someone who still extols the virtues of the horseshoe BC and makes their own wettie from random home stitched pieces of rubber, but then that's just me.


Safe diving to all

 

[bryanmc57]

I'll take a stab at that. Most people think of a Master's degree as requiring at least one if not two years of full-time additional study at an advanced level, and usually the writing of a thesis.

When I made my comment about the term master, I wasn't thinking of a master's degree. I was thinking along the lines of master carpenters, master electricians, and other master level craftsmen, people who have become masters of their craft.

 

[TMHeimer]

I'll take a stab at that. Most people think of a Master's degree as requiring at least one if not two years of full-time additional study at an advanced level, and usually the writing of a thesis. Most people think of a Master's degree as requiring a lot of time, effort and brainpower--progressing a LOT beyond what's required for a Bachelor's degree. If the public has this perception of a Master's degree, what would they think if they were informed that a scuba diver could attain a "master" rating by simply muddling through a few specialty dives, filling out a few quizzes, etc., in a matter of weeks? If "Master Scuba Diver" required a year of full-time training, then I might buy into the name.

Don't disagree, but bryanmc57 makes a good point. Though I talked about Master Degrees myself, comparing degrees from a university to anything in scuba is kinda apples & oranges. A good example is the years it takes of formal (daily) univ. training to become a teacher vs. the actual classroom training time it takes to become an OWSI-- including all the components of the DM course, First Aid instructorship, OWSI tests and even the required 100 dives...

Of course experience in both situations is of paramount importance--ask any 10 yr. veteran teacher vs. a newbie.

I agree with bryanmc57 in that when I got MSD with 50 dives I was not in the same ballpark as a Master Carpenter, etc.
But hey, it makes for good SB banter. Now, what are the requirements I must put in my log book....?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

So .. A guy walks into a bar.

A bunch of guys (all divers) are sitting at the bar. The guy is wearing a scuba t-shirt, as is one of the bar patrons.
They soon strike up a conversation about diving.

The guy introduces himself and says "I'm a Master Diver". Nobody at the bar laughs...

I know, I know... It would never happen, but it is a nice story.

 

[TMHeimer]

So .. A guy walks into a bar.

A bunch of guys (all divers) are sitting at the bar. The guy is wearing a scuba t-shirt, as is one of the bar patrons.
They soon strike up a conversation about diving.

The guy introduces himself and says "I'm a Master Diver". Nobody at the bar laughs...

I know, I know... It would never happen, but it is a nice story.

Depends if it's a "divers'" bar. One can impress people wearing one's MSD cap if they are not divers. "You're not really a Master Scuba Diver are you? It's just a patch, right"? "Well actually yeah, I am". Best not to wear that on dive boats, etc. though.

 

[JohnnyC]

So .. A guy walks into a bar.

A bunch of guys (all divers) are sitting at the bar. The guy is wearing a scuba t-shirt, as is one of the bar patrons.
They soon strike up a conversation about diving.

The guy introduces himself and says "I'm a Master Diver". Nobody at the bar laughs...

I know, I know... It would never happen, but it is a nice story.

Guess it would depend on whether or not seahorses were involved......

 

[Steve_C]

When I made my comment about the term master, I wasn't thinking of a master's degree. I was thinking along the lines of master carpenters, master electricians, and other master level craftsmen, people who have become masters of their craft.

There is a difference in time of course and depth but master level trades have a credential that certifies a skill set.

An academic master's degree is often not a professional degree in the same sense. It means that they have 29-32 hours of course work to at least a B average. They may or may not have a thesis. A masters of X degree is often just course work while say an MS in X often includes the thesis.

To be a professional engineer requires more than just having an academic degree.

So in some ways a Master Scuba Diver is the philosophical equivalent of a Masters of Scuba Diving in the academic sense. Not in time but in spirit. Note MOSD/MSD is not a professional degree/certification. It does not credential you to do anything.