Posted by Karl S. on September 29, 2001 at 12:24:08:
In Reply to: Divemaster Class; Does this sound kosher to you? posted by msblucow on September 25, 2001 at 23:10:21:
Hi, MsBlucow. You will find a lot of hangups with OWSIs as you progress as a D/M. Yes, you apparently found one that is problematic. Sounds like he/she needs more revenue from scuba. That is a common problem of many instructors. I am surprised this particular person of whom you speak was so blunt about it.
Here are other ways that similar problems creep up. After or during your D/M training, the OWSI may try to get you to sign up for classes you arent particularly interested in yet or not personally ready for. Examples might include: Dry Suit Diving, Peak Performance Bouyancy, NitrOx, High Altitude, Salvage & Recovery, Civilian Rebreather, etc. The list goes on. Those are all really good to know, but you may or may not be interested yet. You may prefer just to focus on the D/M manuals and materials, rather than pick up all these additional skills that are very nice for a D/M to have.
The problem arises when that instructor views you as a possible additional revenue source.
I am sure this is an area that Mike Kane can rip to shreds when it comes to Putting Another Dollar In.
In your case the issue was "getting interested people together to start scuba so that there can be a class for you DMC with." Sure, thats problematic. However the problem is a little bigger than you think, although not always as bluntly phrased as that.
Find yourself a dive center that does a lot of business. Then you wont have to worry about feeding the money meter.
Then you can graduate to worring about lax standards for civilian diving instruction, just like Mike Kane and some of the rest of us do.
seahunt-MikeB (small-s, never capitalized!) does not get all worried about lax dive standards. He realizes there is nothing much anyone can do about it. seahunt instead tries to improve the diving skills of others by diving with them and engaging them in kindly dialog over butter-fried abalone and fresh sea urchin uni.
What a guy!!!