To DM or not to DM, that's the question...

[littleleemur]

Lottie, it depends on what your future plans are & also on the type of person you are

Since you have a place in a nice tropical destination, by going pro you can it can be a value-added service to your operation. It also depends on the type of diver you are (your style of diving) & whether it is compatible with teaching others - otherwise it becomes tedious. Also on whether you like to teach in general & not just diving. By being in a position such as a DM, AI, Ins., you'll find that others will talk to you about other things in their life too.

As PB pointed out in this and in other threads, there is the liability part. Depending on the local laws, just be being a DM, working or not, would put you in the firing line.

Although I'm sure you are a good diver, many shops *need* to fill a PADI quota to maintain their PADI star rating. So they encourage almost everyone to become a DM and then later an Ins. This appeals to everyone's sense of vanity and there are many "shake n' bake" DM's out there. Some are excellent DM's naturally and some are better diving *solo*.

If you just want to help new divers but don't want the responsibility, there are many ways to do so without "going pro"

FYI, the DM insurance is about $2000-$3000 in the Toronto area. The upside is the freebies and if you saved all your receipts, all your gear can be written off

Now for the purely superficial part: Dive"Master" sounds way cooler, active, in-charge than "Instructor" which sounds almost bookish by comparison.

Good Luck.

[thalassamania]

If you think it will lead to employment that you'd like, great ... do it. If you think that it will greatly increase your diving skill and knowledge, IMHO, there are much better ways.

[bubbles]

Some people say PADI stands for Push Another Diver In and I would agree that althougth the training is good it is also basic and it is a little scary that OW which is only 4 qualifying open water dives in theory allows a diver to dive with only a buddy and not be guided by a professional. Although most of us are sensible and only go on lead dives but you will be responsible for people who have little or no experience - scarry thought!

There is a lot to be said for diving for your own pleasure and not to fit in with all the whims of your customers!

Hope you come to a decision which is right for you!

[frozenwarp]

Hey Lottie,
I was in a similar situation to you not but a fortnight ago, I WENT FOR IT.
I am now starting my Dive control Specialist (DM and Assistant Instructor) I did it for 4 reasons
1. Become a better diver
2. Free dives, basically a good way to get even more experience
3. Maybe get some work in the future
4. I like the feeling of teaching people things (more related to instructor but this is the first step)

I will also after completing my dive con do my instructors ticket.
I have been a swimming instructor for a number of years and i really enjoy teaching. My decision was decided when my friend asked me if i could take him out for a night dive (we got qualified together but since then he has done the occasional dive and i have gone all the way through to SSI Master Diver) as he had never done one, seeing the look on his face and his obvious enjoyment of this new experience made me decide that i wanted to be a part of that for more people.
so now im on my way
just my thoughts,
Brad

[hbh2oguard]

Although most of us are sensible and only go on lead dives but you will be responsible for people who have little or no experience - scarry thought!

I have to disagree, I've never gone on a lead. It depends where you are located. But I really like your padi saying

[bubbles]

Thanks.

[lars2923]

the DM insurance is about $2000-$3000 in the Toronto area.
Good Luck.

Holy Moly Batman... DM insurance in the states is like $400

[rubber chicken]

Holy Moly Batman... DM insurance in the states is like $400

It is only $350ish AUD here!

[seasnake]

I paid $220 CAD for NAUI sponsored insurance last year.

[hbh2oguard]

now those figures sound a lot better. A few thousand seemed WAY WAY too high.