Has anyone done a Divemaster course that left them feeling less like a dive professional and more like the instructor’s gimp, released whenever a vast amount of heavy dive equipment needs to be loaded onto a van and then put back in the box until it’s time to sort all the urine soaked school wetsuits back into size order?
A DM orientation session begins
I’m constantly surprised by the attitude many instructors take towards their Divemaster trainees (DMTs), particularly in this country. It could be argued that overseas things can be a little different: For a start if you sign up to do a free Divemaster internship, then don’t start complaining when you get worked like a dog because there’s no such thing as a free dive.
Often candidates on zero to hero DM programs may be youngsters on gap years for whom a little ‘discipline’ might come in handy. But, wherever money changes hands that makes the DMT a paying customer.
In this country the vast majority of people signing up for a DM course are people with full time jobs who love to go diving as their weekend hobby. I ran a dive centre in London, which meant that most of my Divemasters had well paid jobs with long working hours. People like that don’t respond well to watching the instructor put his feet up with a coffee and laugh at them as they unload 30 tanks out of a van. All they do is not bother coming back the next weekend.
Here’s a few things that DMTs sometimes endure:
- Sitting under the water doing nothing, watching the instructor work.
- Being sneered at for turning up wearing split fins (I know, I know, but instead it’s a chance for re-education, not mockery).
- Unloading vast tonnes of equipment by themselves and then being berated at a later date for putting the BCDs back in the wrong order.
- Being made to wear rubber suits and hoods and assist the instructor with their ‘equipment’.
Now don’t get me wrong, there has to be a pecking order, it’s part of what drives people to continue. It’s a chance for you as an instructor to bring through your own qualified assistants. For example, I used to teach with someone who would go into the pool only wearing what appeared to be cycling shorts. He was a hirsute man and I would need to fight through a forest of chest hair to reach a BCD strap whilst demonstrating out of air. I was able to help him along the decision making process to purchasing a wetsuit by explaining that I didn’t want to feel like I was lovingly fondling his chest during skill demonstrations.
There’s plenty of time for fun and games but I think that some instructors confuse a lack of respect with ‘banter’. Banter is what you have with your mates down the pub of an evening. It’s not mocking someone who’s paying you to learn when they set up their equipment incorrectly. However when you undertake the DM course you do need to expect that there will be a fair bit of physical work.
Therefore a DM course is one where both student and instructor must meet half way. No-one wants a lazy DM and nobody wants his or her instructor to be a dick.
The DM course can also take a fair bit of time to complete. It’s to the benefit of both student and dive centre that it doesn’t drag on too much. If it takes too long, the candidates lose motivation and are less likely to progress onto instructor. Seeing as most dive centres I work with always seem to need instructors and active DMs this isn’t good.
Here’s a few tips for both parties to ensure that your DM course ticks along to a happy conclusion instead of falling apart amidst a sea of broken dreams, bitter recriminations and false promises:
- Make a plan: Schedule dates for the skill circuits and workshops. These must be planned and run by instructors, they’re difficult to fit in and around other courses.
- Stick to the plan: If you are a DMT then turn up! Cancelling last minute can drop the dive centre in it, so try not to. If it does happen then help with the re-scheduling.
- Make sure you get something signed off every time: This goes for the instructor and DMT. If you’re an instructor working with a DMT then speak to them before and see what you can get signed off for them. Even if it’s just a couple of skills, it all counts and makes sure they see progress from turning up. If you’re the DMT then don’t be scared to talk to the instructor before about what you can get signed off.
- Sign it! This goes for both parties. Make sure the DM evaluation form gets signed off. There’s nothing more dispiriting than a DMT asking how they’re doing after several months of assisting only to discover a blank document in the student record folder:
“I’ve done loads”,
“With which instructor?”
“Dunno, they had brown hair…”
- Do the theory as e-learning. It’s sooo much easier to get this done in your own time. Trying to schedule evening lectures, especially with the vagaries of public transport and people often having to work late makes this section drag on. It’s only a slightly greater cost than the books and is definitely worth the investment.
One final important point for the instructors: When you’re teaching in open water and you must directly supervise your students (ie any open water course) then your DMTs cannot supervise your students. Ever. This means during ascent skills like CESAs etc you cannot leave your other students on the bottom with a DMT. You must exit the other students from the water before returning to perform the required skills. More details on this can wait for another blog on another day.
Supporting a DM through their training and getting the course done quickly and efficiently should be the goal of every instructor working with DMTs. So the DM is not your bitch, that said, I’ve never shied away from a bit of bribery. Mine’s a white Americano please.
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