Course Review : PADI Divemaster (Part 1)

About the Course (from the PADI Website)

During the PADI Divemaster program, you learn dive leadership skills through both classroom and independent study. You complete water skills and stamina exercises, as well as training exercises that stretch your ability to organize and solve problems as well as help others improve their scuba. You put this knowledge into action through a structured internship or series of practical training exercises.
As you progress through your Divemaster course, you’ll expand your diving knowledge, hone you skills and increase your confidence. Then, as a PADI Divemaster, you’ll use these attributes to lead, mentor and motivate other divers and experience the joy of seeing them transformed by the majesty of the the acquatic realm.

After becoming certified as a PADI Divemaster you will be authorized to:

• Supervise both training and non-training-related activities by planning, organizing and directing dives
• Assist a PADI Instructor during the training sessions for any PADI Diver course
• Conduct the PADI Skin Diver course and PADI Discover Snorkeling program
• Conduct the PADI Discover Local Diving experience
• Conduct the PADI Scuba Review program
• If qualified as a Discover Scuba Diving Leader, independently conduct the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program.
• Earn the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty Instructor rating to be able to teach the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer specialty.
• Independently guide Open Water Diver course students on the tour portion of Open Water Diver course Training Dives 2, 3 and 4 at a ratio of two student divers per certified divemaster.
• Accompany Open Water Diver students under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor during:
  • surface swims to and from the entry/exit point and during navigational exercises
  • when the instructor conducts a skill, such as an ascent or descent, a Divemaster can remain with other student divers (with an individual student or buddy team)
• Accompany student divers during Adventure Dives or Specialty training dives under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor.
• Conduct the PADI Seal Team Skin Diver Specialist AquaMission
• Conduct subsequent dives under an instructor’s indirect supervision for Discover Scuba Diving participants after participants have satisfactorily completed the first dive with a PADI Instructor.
• Teach Emergency First Response courses after successfully completing an Emergency First Response Instructor course.

About me

At this point, I had worked my way up the PADI ladder from my Open Water course in 2006 to meeting the pre-requisities to be a PADI Master Diver in TBD. With regards to my personality, I have helped out various clubs with try-dives and even just telling friends about SCUBA diving I got a few hooked and so teaching something I love has become part of what I want in my future.

Having experienced other "systems", such as British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) and the Scottish Sub-Aqua Club (SSA) and mostly been put off by them, it was a very easy choice for me to go the PADI Professional route.

My Dive Centre

I have chosen to start my Divemaster course with Buckland Dive Centre (BDC).  At the time I was living in Essex and I had struck up a good relationship with BDC and got on very well with all the staff. I had provided rescue diver support for courses in the past which also gave me a taster to the role of DM.

Course Materials

Buying all the materials like the Crew Pack I had bought from a previous, but now defunct, dive center, but all in all is about £120. From reading the DM manual, I actually found myself buying PADI RDP tables, the Wheel, the eDRP etc because I was expected to be familiar with all of these. This did add additional cost, but thankfully very little due to the wonders of eBay.

Course Instructor

My Instructor was to be Chris Martin. For me, he was the perfect choice. Chris is very tech diving aware (and is a tech diver himself). I wanted to learn using my familiar harness and wing system and Chris had no problems with this (not something many Instructors share however).

The Course

Background Reading and Knowledge Reviews

The PADI learning system involves reading the excellent course manuals. The DM manual has a rather heavy NINE (9) chapters and at the end of each chapter is a Knowledge Review - essentially a short quiz to try and ensure you have grasped the salient points of the chapter. The main points of the chapters and quizzes are :

1. The role and characteristics of a PADI Divemaster
2. Supervising Diving Activities
3. Assisting with student divers
4. Diving Safety and Risk Management
5. Divemaster-Conducted Programs
6. Specialised Skills and Activities
7. The Business of Diving and Your Career
8. Awareness of the dive environment
9. Dive Theory

Knowledge Review Reviews

Every Wednesday night would be a training session. We would meet up at the pub which is where the pool was located, and whilst we waited for our slot, we discussed the knowledge review. The first six sections were passed through easily.

Pool Sessions

The second part of the Wednesday night training would be practical work. In the practical sessions your skills are tested and score. All of your skills are assessed on a points scale of 1-5 where 1 is very poor and 5 is excellent.

In the first session we started the first two stamina tests, out of a total of 5. For the stamina tests, I had to get at least 15 points, that meant 3 points per test on average.

The stamina test one was a grueling 400m swim, or 16 lengths of the pool.  For the 400m swim, this meant I had to do it in less than 14 (?) minutes. I managed, but on the last few lengths I was starting to struggle and so Chris swam with me to help keep the pace up and we did it. Much to my relief I scored the average score of 3.

The second test was a 15 minute float. I had been training for this as well by treading water for 15 minutes and I found I could do it, not easily but it was doable. Talking with Chris, I actually found out I could just lay on my back and float! Result! So I got a 5 for that!!

Open Water Session

Whilst at BDC supporting a Wreck Diver speciality, I conducted two more stamina tests. The first was an 800m snorkel swim. This was both difficult and not at the same time. The problem I had was that my fins were quite floaty so they kept slapping the water surface massively reducing the effectiveness of the kick. Frustratingly I was 2 seconds over the time requirement for 3 points, and so only got two for this.

The next stamina test I did was a 100m tired diver tow. I did a tank valve tow and absolutely went for it. But I was struck my the two second misfortune again and by two seconds I was over the requirement for 4 points so only got 3. Not too bad. I'm fairly happy. As long as I get a two on the last skill : equipment exchange, then I've passed.

Practical Application

The final set of practical skills that I am working on are the following :

1. Dive Site Set Up and Management
2. Mapping Project
3. Dive Breifing
4. Search and Recovery Scenario
5. Deep Dive Scenario

Fortunately for me, being PADI Deep Diver speciality diver, I get out of number 5. Setting up the dive site is fairly simple, there is a routine to go through.

Conclusion

During 2012, I managed to cover about 40% of the required subject areas. At the end of the year however, I moved to Scotland and so could no longer finish my DM course. I am hoping to continue my training with another Dive Centre in the near future, at which point I'll document that too.