Certified Finally

[2muchtq]

Finished OW course. Now I am a certified diver.


All three instructors cornered me after dive 4 and asked how far I thought about taking diving. They proceeded to make my head swell up by saying that I would make a great dive master (instructor) Called me a fish out of water.... stuff like that.

I finally had to tell them that I had a hard enough time finding a hood to fit my melon.

Felt good to have my ego stroked a bit.


As for further instruction.... AOW here I come. I always thought that SUBA would be a kick in the pants. I NEVER thought it would be this awesome. Being at the bottom of a body of water.... swimmin with the fish and NOT having to worry about coming up for air in the next few minutes is undescribable to most.

I am now officially addicted.


Next gear stop will be a dry suit.



Take it easy
Mark

[Tom Nic]

Congratulations!! :wav:

Keep diving... have a blast... the best thing you can do to be a better diver is dive... especially with good buddies who will mentor you.

I'm sure you'd make a good divemaster I'm also sure that stroking your ego may also stroke someone else's pocketbook! Don't be in too much of a hurry to tick off the certs... just continue diving, then do the certs as they come "naturally".

That being said, i'm going the same route later this Fall... I love helping newer divers and will continue that route...

Keep diving! and congrats again! What an amazing underwater world we get to dive in...

[Rack]

that stroking your ego may also stroke someone else's pocketbook!

Agreed passing the OW course is essentially introduction to your wallet for the scuba gear retailers.

[bnboly]

Congrats! I agree with Tom - hold off on the certs till you get a few dives under your belt. You need to hook up with Sparky and do some local diving. And rember we dont spend $$$s on gear - we spend SCUBA Units! 1 unit = $100

[Grateful Diver]

Finished OW course. Now I am a certified diver.

All three instructors cornered me after dive 4 and asked how far I thought about taking diving. They proceeded to make my head swell up by saying that I would make a great dive master (instructor) Called me a fish out of water.... stuff like that.

I finally had to tell them that I had a hard enough time finding a hood to fit my melon.

Felt good to have my ego stroked a bit.

As for further instruction.... AOW here I come. I always thought that SUBA would be a kick in the pants. I NEVER thought it would be this awesome. Being at the bottom of a body of water.... swimmin with the fish and NOT having to worry about coming up for air in the next few minutes is undescribable to most.

I am now officially addicted.

Next gear stop will be a dry suit.

Take it easy
Mark

Mark, first off congratulations on becoming a part of our favorite addiction ... you're fortunate to live in a part of the country that offers some fantastic diving.

Now, a bit of a reality check. Part of an instructor's training includes selling what we call "continuing education". It's drilled into us that we should encourage all of our students to take ongoing classes.

Some instructors are more aggressive about it than others.

I don't doubt that you did extremely well with your OW certification dives ... but I would never tell someone coming straight out of OW class to pursue DM training. In fact, I encourage my OW graduates to go out and get a few dives under their belt before thinking about AOW. The reason is that each class is going to focus on certain skills and experiences that build on what you were supposed to have learned in the previous class ... they're designed to be a progression. In order to get the most out of the next class, you should be completely comfortable with the things you learned in the last one ... and that takes practice.

Don't be in a hurry. Go diving ... build up not just your skills, but your confidence and the context that only bottom time can provide. Take some time between classes to enjoy just diving. You'll get way more out of the next class that way.

There's way more to being a DM than just the skills ... there are costs and responsibilities that need to be considered before even deciding if it's something you really want to do. Your instructors cannot tell if it's right for you ... only you can do that.

I've seen a lot of people pay big bucks to become a DM only to discover that it wasn't really what they wanted ... their goals went off in a different direction altogether. Take the time to learn what your choices are before making one ... in the end, it'll help you make a better decision before commiting the time and money to a particular program.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Zen Diver]

Totally agree with you there Bob. To be a good DM you need to have solid diving skills BEFORE starting the training, in addition to coaching skills, first aid skills, and the wisdom and judgement to know when and how to apply them.

Not meant to discourage you from going for DM, just another reality check.

(I was asked after I did Rescue, but having substantially less than 50 dives when I did that left me feeling woefully inadequate for such a task. I think I had about 600 dives when I started my DM training, 350 dives ago now.)

-Valerie

(and Congrats on joining the local dive community! )

[Tom Nic]

I do hear that it can be hard to find folks to dive with for "our" Oregon divers... I've talked with at least one other Oregon diver who took classes just to find someone to dive with. That's a pretty expensive "rent-a-dive-buddy" program, but I understand the desire to dive if you have the scuba units. Every safe dive you make in decent conditions with a good buddy will make every subsequent class you take that much more valuable! I was blessed to have a built in dive buddy (thanks Bassman!) that took OW with me and was able to dive with me and learn and progress together. Not having that would be tough...

I love the passion and excitement of new divers who are in love with what they are discovering in the underwater world! After only 130+ dives I think I'm still the same way! I really love it when I see the same excitement in the "grizzled old veterans" with a thousand or more dives that still have that same excitement! Again, we are such a privileged bunch to be able to enjoy the undwater world!

[Sergeant Pepper]

Ditto on Bob's comments. I thought the immediate comment about being a DM to be a little self serving and presumptuous. I'm just over 50 dives, and recently decided to take the GUE Fundamentals class. I became concerned when I saw the vid put out by 5thD and realized that my buoyancy is not that good... not to mention the comments by a diver friend of mine about all of the people who don't pass that class. Seems to me that NOT passing sounds like the rule, and not the exception.

I took my AOW immediately after my OW also. While not detrimental, it wasn't that beneficial, and I certainly wouldn't consider myself an "advanced" diver ... still don't. Take your time.

Congratulations on your OW cert.

[girldiver]

In agreement here...

I did the "fast track" into my DM program. Thankfully, it took me over a year to complete the DM piece, and during that time I helped with EVERY OW, most AOW and every Rescue classes that came up. So, I came out a good divemaster...but TOTALLY was not ready to enter the program when the offer was made after I completed a rescue class that I wasn't "ready" to take either.

Dive. Then dive some more. Get tied into the "larger" dive community outside just the shop you've been trained at. Decide what sparks your interest...there are SOOOO many ways to take your diving than just up the professional ladder.

There are people on this board who are passionate about Fish I.D. and assist with fish counts throughout the NW and the world. We have wreck diving, tech diving and retrieving lost treasures for people. There are loud scooters and silent rebreathers.

But for now...just enjoy hearing your bubbles as you discover the creatures under the sea. Work on your buoyancy and safety skills. And read... Maybe someday you'll be a great DM...or maybe you'll hit the 300' mark on mixed gases...or maybe...you'll just enjoy the sport as a recreation.

Cheers!

[dsteding]

I'm just over 50 dives, and recently decided to take the GUE Fundamentals class. I became concerned when I saw the vid put out by 5thD and realized that my buoyancy is not that good... not to mention the comments by a diver friend of mine about all of the people who don't pass that class. Seems to me that NOT passing sounds like the rule, and not the exception.

Just a minor correction (and I'm sure this is what you mean). Failing fundies is probably the exception, passing straight out is also probably the exception, getting a provisional (which gives you six months to polish your skills and do a check-out to pass) is probably the rule.

I'd say it is pretty rare to outright FAIL fundies, the standard is being a patently unsafe diver, and having no chance of getting up to speed in the six months allowed for a provisional. I've heard of it happening, but the majority (myself included) recieve provisionals . . . good luck with the class, and enjoy it. If you are taking it with Steve, I can vouch for him as an instructor, definitely first-rate.

[Joshua Smith]

Congratulations, Mark! Yeah, when I started diving, I knew right away that this was what had been missing in my life. I love it like nothing else I've ever done. I'll just echo what the others here have said- take your time on the DM stuff- if you decide to go that way, good for you! But don't fast track it untill you're sure it's what you want to be doing with your diving. I think Amy, PinkPadiGirl on our site, said that every diver ought to get trained up to the rescue diver level, and I agree with that, but many people plunge right on through DM without even considering stuff like liability insurance, and whether or not they even want to instruct.....

[2muchtq]

Thanks you all. Especially for 'de-stroking' my ego.


I figure they were makin me feel good. As for the diving.... a piece of paper in the pocket doesn't make a good diver. I realize that fully.


See ya 'round somewhere.


Mark

[lamont]

imo, focus on getting 100 dives and rescue under your belt...

[Sergeant Pepper]

I'm just over 50 dives, and recently decided to take the GUE Fundamentals class. I became concerned when I saw the vid put out by 5thD and realized that my buoyancy is not that good... not to mention the comments by a diver friend of mine about all of the people who don't pass that class. Seems to me that NOT passing sounds like the rule, and not the exception.

Just a minor correction (and I'm sure this is what you mean). Failing fundies is probably the exception, passing straight out is also probably the exception, getting a provisional (which gives you six months to polish your skills and do a check-out to pass) is probably the rule.

I'd say it is pretty rare to outright FAIL fundies, the standard is being a patently unsafe diver, and having no chance of getting up to speed in the six months allowed for a provisional. I've heard of it happening, but the majority (myself included) recieve provisionals . . . good luck with the class, and enjoy it. If you are taking it with Steve, I can vouch for him as an instructor, definitely first-rate.

Thanks, appreciate the heads up. I feel much more at ease.

[runamonk]

imo, focus on getting 100 dives and rescue under your belt...

Agreed. You had fun in OW, you're going to love the rescue class. It's a fricken blast!

Keep on diving man. Congratulations and welcome to the scuba addiction club.

[lamont]

Also, fundies should really be marketed straight-out as a split workshop / 3-6 months later evaluation process. Too many people "train" for fundies when what they should do is just take it when they've got around 25-50 dives and then practice for the evaluation 3-6 months later. It makes it *SO* much easier on the ego to just take it when you've got 25 dives or so, too. You know that you suck because you're inexperienced, and when you see the video evidence of that suckage you don't have anything whatsoever to be ashamed of -- and you've typically got good company with all the people taking the class with 10x or more the number of dives that you've got who are just as bad... Putting it off just makes it worse on the ego...

[ArcticDiver]

For another input to your decision process:
-Find out just what a DM actually does. Several folks I know looked at the DM certificate as a status thingy. They were really disappointed when they discovered that it is anything but.
-Do you really want to be a DM, or later, an Instructor? Several people I know who have been successful intructors/teachers in other fields have chosen not to "spoil" their fun by becoming scuba instructors.

Just another reason for taking some time to make the decision about what comes next. Ain't but one Wrong Answer about our addiction; the one that isn't yours.

[sparky]

Hey Mark:

Sparky here jotthis number down
( 503 ) 861-2611 my home phone

ill dive with ya and I know my usal dive buddy would as well

I live in Warrenton just south of Astoria but I am usaly diving out of the Tillamook area

i know of a few other Oregon divers we could hook up with for some grate diving

well if the diving is n ot grate the friends are always grate to hang out with

con grats and like every one siad dont be in a hurry to get the certs I have just over 300 dives and im still only OW ( yea yea I know a bit much
) instructors are far and few up here in my neck of the woods

Sparky

[Sergeant Pepper]

Also, fundies should really be marketed straight-out as a split workshop / 3-6 months later evaluation process. Too many people "train" for fundies when what they should do is just take it when they've got around 25-50 dives and then practice for the evaluation 3-6 months later. It makes it *SO* much easier on the ego to just take it when you've got 25 dives or so, too. You know that you suck because you're inexperienced, and when you see the video evidence of that suckage you don't have anything whatsoever to be ashamed of -- and you've typically got good company with all the people taking the class with 10x or more the number of dives that you've got who are just as bad... Putting it off just makes it worse on the ego...

[dsteding]

You know that you suck because you're inexperienced, and when you see the video evidence of that suckage you don't have anything whatsoever to be ashamed of

Hell, I felt that way at 100 dives . . .

[Pez7378]

And no one even mentioned the amount of gear you will buy, only to find that there is something else out there that you would rather have. How many of us has purchased several sets of anything before we finally found what worked? Choose wisely your instructors, and your gear. Dive often and dive with different folks. It all adds to the certification you have earned, Not a license to dive but a License to LEARN!

At the rate Im going, my Diving Equipment and Education will be the MOST espensive thing I own.

And welcome to the fold. You will encounter some wonderful folks here.

[Sounder]

It's true - the more you dive, you may start finding that you would have made different initial purchases. Before you make major purchases be sure to dive with many different folks and try out different kinds of gear. Collect as many opinions as possible and then make YOUR OWN decision of what is right for you.

[BASSMAN]

I love the Qote some one wrote on here:

"The more I dive the less I Suck!"

That is sooooo! Deep on several levals.

Air Consumption
Bouyency
Calmness
Skill
this list could go on and on...

[runamonk]

It's true - the more you dive, you may start finding that you would have made different initial purchases. Before you make major purchases be sure to dive with many different folks and try out different kinds of gear. Collect as many opinions as possible and then make YOUR OWN decision of what is right for you.

Amen. When my buddy and I started diving we both bought a bunch of gear (BC, Regs, Mask, Fins, Computer, lights, wet suits). Since we've started diving in a more tech oriented fashion we discovered that we didn't like the gear we initially purchased and have gotten backplates, tanks, hid lights and dry suits. We've sold almost all our original gear for a major discount of what we originally paid and all in less than a year. I do wish I had waited to make my purchases until I figured out exactly what kind of diving I was going to do. It's expensive to buy your gear, but it's really expensive when you do it twice.

[Sergeant Pepper]

It's true - the more you dive, you may start finding that you would have made different initial purchases. Before you make major purchases be sure to dive with many different folks and try out different kinds of gear. Collect as many opinions as possible and then make YOUR OWN decision of what is right for you.

Amen. When my buddy and I started diving we both bought a bunch of gear (BC, Regs, Mask, Fins, Computer, lights, wet suits). Since we've started diving in a more tech oriented fashion we discovered that we didn't like the gear we initially purchased and have gotten backplates, tanks, hid lights and dry suits. We've sold almost all our original gear for a major discount of what we originally paid and all in less than a year. I do wish I had waited to make my purchases until I figured out exactly what kind of diving I was going to do. It's expensive to buy your gear, but it's really expensive when you do it twice.

I'm experiencing this same problem. It seems to be a common theme. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell until you dive gear, and your likes and dislikes are sometimes not apparent until you have hit many many dives. Unless you have a buddy who has extra gear around, and is your same size, this is what your going to do. The other alternative is to rent, but I don't know many shops that have drysuits for rent, and if they do, that's probably not to cost effective either.