DM... Taking the plunge?

[r00onmac]

How many have gone all the way to DM on here.. i know that i have seen many of you that are master diver but not many beyond that...

reason i ask is because i want to get into student affairs (Higher ed) but the opportunities are slim where i will eventually live (bahamas, grenada, etc because my Fiance is from Grenada and ultimately the kids will be raised there for the british schooling)

so i figured that in the caribbean what better is there to do than teach "bubble maker" diving to a bunch of rich tourists and make decent money while exploring reefs for a living...

i guess my main questions are how long does it generally take? i dont want to rush anything, and i am of the belief that longer classes create better understanding... but we have some DMiT's here that have been at it at least a year past their master diver cert but so far no sign of any of them getting it done... granted they all pretty much seem like idiots to me but thats just my personal opinion..

i am already a NAUI certified scuba diver and will probably take my master, night, beach, nitrox, rescue, etc courses all at once (offered here at my university) fall of 07..


just looking for some experience stories...

 

[fppf]

We are not looking to be Dive Masters. I have no need to take some goof ball out for a dive, have them not listen, do something stupid, and then sue me for there own stupidity.

However, my wife and I are basic divers and working on our advanced. This fall we should be Master divers. This is a pretty agressive schedule but we are both becoming very good divers and we dive 3-4 times a week. After that next summer we are going to start Tech diving. Our shop has a VERY experienced tech instructor and we are going to take adavage of that knowledge.

 

[Glove]

Just something to think about..... comming from a diver- master diver, dive-master / instructor....
Once you start down the road if leadership you will no longer be diving for YOUR pleasure.

 

[r00onmac]

i suppose you have a good point with that... but i cant work 7 days a week so im sure ill get some diving in for me...

but how long did it take? was it worth it? is the mony as decent as i think it is? i figure with such a specialized position the money has to be at least decent (30k+) a year

 

[snorvich]

Leadership diving is no longer diving for your pleasure for sure. If you go the professional dive certification route, anything less than an instructor will not allow you to find a job. In any case, you may optimize life style by living in a warm location but you will definitely not make decent money for the hours that you work. My certfication number is OWSI 50773 but I have NEVER worked in that capacity. But as a way of truly understanding diving, I strongly recommend it. By the way, I have just over 2000 dives.

 

[r00onmac]

you really think i wont make enough money for the hours?

im used to that type of job, in fact its what im going into (student affairs - university housing) but i would think that with such a specialized job the pay would be decent. If i dont get paid well by another person i would gladly start my own dive operation it would just require a few extra years of working in the real world before i got to do it... As an instructor how much of that $300-400 goes to you and how much goes to the business that you work for?

 

[David P]

I work (for fun) at a local dive shop. We charge $495 for open water cert. This is all inclusive (except mask, fins, snorkle, booties, and gloves) Of this $500 per student, the instructor gets $100, a boat gets a little more than $100, ferry to Catalina Island $50, hotel $50, pool rental, gear rental (depreciation), materials, and then shop gets to keep the rest of the profit ~$100. That hundred bux helps pay for the air compressor, lights, rent...

I was amazed how little money is made on the certification of students. I think SCUBA is one of the more expensive (at least the way I do it) hobbies to get started in and yet there is not that much money being made. Iam just starting my DM class, I just finished all the bookwork, but my instructor is leaving tonight for San Diego for a few days then straing to the bahamas for a week....Bastard! I've spoke with others and they say the DM usually takes a few months.

 

[Armson]

I would say don't just go for DM, Go the whole way to instructor. You might not make any money at all..... But At least if you have the cert it will always be something you can fall back on and it will look good on a resume. What ever you do though don't just get a DM cert the Caribbean is loaded with DM, Instructors are a little harder to find.

My problem is the more dive certs I obtain, and diving I do the more of a Dive snob I become. I was in a boat in the keys about 2 years ago. (cattleboat) Where half the divers on it were putting their regs on back wards. I helped as many as I could and showed them how to properly set up their rental gear. Only to be horrified on the very next dive when they made all the same mistakes over again! I can't imagine having to deal with people like this on a weekly basis.


But clearly I am the moron because I am signed up for DM / AI training in the fall.


-B

 

[r00onmac]

i would do instructor, i just dont know if i can do that with my current program at FIU... but DM i know i can do...

is it a lot more to do instructor? can you do instructor without DM cuz then maybe ill just do master diver and then instructor...

 

[fppf]

I thought you were a master diver. How many dives have you logged?
Just wondering.

 

[maractwin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7592929#post7592929 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by r00onmac
can you do instructor without DM cuz then maybe ill just do master diver and then instructor...

With PADI, you have to do Divemaster first, then instructor. DM is the first leadership certification. Master diver is the highest non-leadership cert, and doesn't lead anywhere else.

-Mark

 

[r00onmac]

Im NAUI now and i think i plan to stay NAUI... i like their stuff...

 

[r00onmac]

fppf to answer your question... very few... about 16 after the next few weeks dives i have planned... really this is a fairly long term goal as i will be working in Student Affairs for at least 5 or 6 years AFTER my masters which wont be done for 3 more years... so were looking at 8 years from now i need to be done with instructor...

 

[snorvich]

Again, if you are doing this for your own personal satisfaction, it is a great idea. If you are doing it to make money, I would suggest other alternatives. Doing certifications and leading dives is the least of your responsibilities. Filling and lugging tanks, changing out tanks for a second dive, herding people under water, keeping them from doing something stupid (certified is not qualified by the way), and washing down the rental equipment is more like it. As a part time hobby, perhaps. As a full time career, I would not recommend it. Oh, and by the way, your malpractice insurance has a rather high deductible and a very finite limit.

 

[HornetMech242]

Is $495 the average price all over? I got mine here in Cali at Imperial Beach. It Was only $165 for classes, materials, five dives and equipment rental. I am in the process of my advanced course and that is only $100.

Chris

 

[Glove]

As an instructor I must carry insurance that costs me about 800 a year- thats a little less than I make from the classes.

Dont become a DM or instuctor for the money unless you plan to own a dive shop, a boat, all the gear for class and have some sort of merchandise. A typical DM might make 20 per dive / per dive in a resort setting.
Here in Indiana I get 6 per dive for each student as an instructor.
So lets say I have 2 students that do 2 dives on Sat and 2 on Sun. I will make 48 dollars. Its no way to get rich, thats for sure.

I do get free nitrox

 

[r00onmac]

well thats a good point of view to get because you are one of the first instructor/dm combos to give me specific amounts...

thing is i am not planning on doing it for the money but if i end up at a place that doesnt have a university for me to work at i would PREFER to end up doing that over any other job. I guess the best way to get some more exact figures would be to talk to DM/instructors in the areas i may end up living - bahamas, grenada, etc... they may make a little more because i am sure they charge extra for being trained on the spot