Going For Your Divemaster Rating

When I decided to take my Divemaster course, I had a vague idea what I was getting in to. The more I asked questions, the more I realized that hell yeah - this was something I needed to do. It is a pretty big deal though. Suddenly you're going from a recreational diver, to getting into the world of teaching diving. It can be a daunting prospect when you're considering whether to dive in there and just do it (Heheh... Get it? DIVE in there? I'm awful. I know.). Just know this: you won't regret it. Becoming a Divemaster opens up a whole new world for those who are passionate about bringing others into diving, and can be an incredibly rewarding journey.

What Made Me Decide to Go for My DM

When I started diving, I was sure that I loved the sport, and that I would continue as far as I could with it. My childhood dream was to teach diving (actually, I wanted to be a friendlier version of Captain Nemo when I grew up, because I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as a kid and that seemed like a perfect career choice. Teaching diving was a more realistic ambition than being a Megalomaniacal Aqua-Villain). After completing my Rescue Diver cert and diving my booty off, I got an email from the instructor that did my Rescue (whose opinion I respected immensely - and still do) asking if I was interested in doing my DM. We went back and forth a bit, I asked lots of questions, he patiently provided answers. And then it hit me: Holy Crap, this could be the first step to fulfilling my childhood dream, and I'd be batshit insane to turn it down. Needless to say, I signed up.

Why do it though? I wanted to share my love of diving with everyone that I could, I wanted to bring others into the fold and show them the amazing underwater world that they were missing. On a selfish level - I knew that becoming a DM would make me a better diver, and allow me to hone my skills to be that much better in the water. Being a Divemaster is being a leader - you are responsible for those in your care, and you have an incredible opportunity to shape their future diving experiences. That's pretty exciting.

It's Supposed to Be a Challenging Course!

Becoming a Divemaster doesn't happen overnight. You have a pile of things you get to do, including:

-Developing a deep understanding of dive theory that allows you to explain it to students (you gotta sound like you know what you're talking about!)

-Working with students in confined and open water to learn teaching techniques

-Supervising divers to practice control techniques and appropriate in-water safety (seriously, some of the stuff you see - you can't make it up!)

-Developing your dive skills to be demonstration quality (I call this section Dive Skills: How to Look Like a Badass Underwater)

-Learning how to teach and guide students and divers

-Leading dives, setting up dive sites, mapping dive sites

-How not to be a twit (well, sometimes this can't be helped)

It's very intensive, and not to be rushed. I get asked 'Hey! How fast can I do my DM? I wanna be an instructor!'. Nope. You don't rush this course. If your DM course is shoddy, chances are you'll be behind when starting your instructor training. Your DM course is what starts you on that journey, and where you first start honing your skills in preparation for your future dive career. Enjoy the ride, and gain all the experience you can.

Some People Do Their DM Course to DM, Some Take It for the Experience

Not everyone wants to teach! Some folks take DM simply because they want the experience and the skills that go along with it! Some people may have a significant other or a good friend who needs a bit of extra help or may be nervous when diving, others may just want the skills to be able to better respond to emergencies when they happen. And, yes, some people want their DM so they can be all like 'Oooo! Look at me! I'm a DM! I'm so fancy!'. Note that this isn't the greatest reason for taking your DM course. Whatever your reasons for doing it, make sure that you keep that goal in mind as you go through the course.

If you want the experience but never want to teach - DO IT! Going through the DM course really changes how you dive, and changes how you interact with other divers. After completing my DM training, and even more so now as an Instructor - when I go fun diving with new people, the first thing that flies through my head is related to how big of a hazard the other divers are to me, and how I can best prepare to mitigate that hazard. Seems crappy? Not at all. I go through all the crazy scenarios that could arise, figure out solutions to them, and just add it to my regular monitoring I do throughout my dive. Makes me more relaxed, and if something were to happen - I know I'm equipped to react appropriately and prevent a negative outcome. Even if all you plan on doing is fun diving - the training and skills you learn as a DM will make your future dives more enjoyable on account of the fact that you have the skills needed to proactively prevent negative things from happening, and overall that will not only make you a better diver - but it will definitely increase the enjoyment you get out of diving.

It Will Open You Up to Further Opportunities as a Diving Professional

If you want to become an Instructor, becoming a DM is your first step. It's your first Pro-Level certification. It lays the foundation for your instructor course. All the theory and physiology, all the background info, all the skill practice and skill mastery - that's all done in your DM course. Once you start your IDC (Instructor Development Course), it's assumed that you have demonstration quality skills (because you did that as a DM), that you have expert knowledge of dive theory and its application (because you learned that as a DM), and that you have a baseline understanding of how to teach certain skills (again, because you did that as a DM). As a DM, you can start gaining experience with students, leading other divers, and taking on a leadership role - you'll likely naturally start wondering what it would be like to be a full-fledged instructor. And we all know what happens next...

You Will Have an AMAZING Amount of Fun, Open Up More Fascinating Dives, and You'll Love Every Damn Minute of it.

No matter how frustrating it gets, or how much you want to punch some divers - you will have fun becoming a DM. If you love diving, and you love the knowledge that goes with it, you will find a way to have fun. You will likely make some killer new friends in your DM group - a trend that continues as you start your journey as a real, legit DM. You'll have the opportunity to do cooler dives if you travel (some dive operators will only take divers with higher level certifications and higher experience levels to certain sites that might be more sensitive or trickier to dive). And this is an unexpected one - but you'll start to have your own little gaggle of diver-ducklings who you helped train, and who will look up to you as their fearless dive leader. It's an amazing feeling.

Above all, as a DM, you have the opportunity to shape a future generation of divers. Students connect better with DM's than they do with their Instructors a lot of the time, just because they see DM's as being more approachable (Instructors are scary, dontchaknow?). As time goes by, you'll find yourself enjoying the Divemaster life more and more, and you'll realize that you are now inspiring others to dive.

On an aside note, I just started training my first Divemaster Candidates (DMC's). You want an amazing feeling? There's one right there. I remember doing my DM course, and now I get to impart that same sense of fun and accomplishment to my DMC's. It's pretty killer.

Hugs and Fishes, Happy Diving!

#Training #Diving #ProLevel