In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: My first hand account of the accident on Sunday. posted by beachdiver on September 20, 2006 at 08:59:42:

PADI requires 20 dives in order to begin DM training. However, DM status is not confered until (in addition to tests, internships, watermanship skills, map, rescue skills, presentation) a diver has a minimum of 60 dives.

Too few? Personally, I think so.. but you gotta choose a number. Is 100 too few? 300? Also, not all dives are made the same. I've heard tales of instructor mills where people go to 20 feet for 20 mins, surface, lather, repeat. Also, some people insist on counting pool dives.

Would you like a DM with 500 dives that went to one of these tropical, calm water puppy mills and counted pool dives? I wouldn't trust the safety of anybody to these people.

Would I trust a DM with 60 dives trained in SoCA/NJ trained by an instructor that stands behind his name on cert cards? You bet.

Carlos Linares
OWSI-199722