Are you ready to Go Pro?
You’ve just finished your Rescue Diver course and already thinking of the next step. You have 2 choice of route. First route is the Recreational one. Where you complete Rescue Diver and 5 different specialties, you eligible to sign up for the PADI Master Scuba Diver. The second one is the Professional route. The PADI Divemaster course. This would be a big decision for you to be a PADI Professional. The requirements for the PADI Divemaster course is a minimum of 40 dives and PADI Rescue Diver certified. That’s not too hard isn’t it? But before you actually decide on it, here are some of my advises.
Challenge yourself.
You need to dive more and make sure you are capable to cope with the different dive situation. Try more challenging dive sites. This does not mean you go beyond the recreational dive limits but a dive sites that may be prone to strong currents, different wrecks or bottomless dive sites. By exposing yourself to this conditions, you give yourself more confidence to handling situations.
Anticipation
You may already learn these during your Rescue Course. I would usually teach my Rescue students the importance of preventing dangers. Now, you need to give it a few practice on it. By doing some leisure dives, you will see a lot of different situations and how different dive instructors react or manage the situation. Ask yourself, can i do it better? can i prevent this from happening? can i help? You have to remember, the next time that if you were to be a PADI Divemaster, you need to be able to take charge and handle the situation yourself and are you confident enough that you are making the right one. The leisure divers or students that you will be handling once you turn Pro, will be looking up to you for advises and actions. You need to me mentally prepare for all kinds of situations.
Attitude
This would be the most important factor when becoming a PADI Pro. I have a saying. If you can’t dive, i can teach you. But if you don’t have the heart or interest in it, don’t bother me to teach you more. What i’m saying is that your attitude needs to be right. You can be the best skilled divers out there but if you do not have the heart or interest to concern of other divers/students, you will never make a good PADI Divemaster. You need to understand, being a Divemaster is not about how many Mantas or sharks you’re gonna see on this dive. The most important reason is the lives of the divers that you’re watching over. Your decision can jeopardize everything. I have seen Divemaster completely ignoring someone diving at 55m down and just continue to search for some barracuda. When i asked for his explanations, he said the diver is responsible for his own life. Well, this is the wrong kind attitude that can lead to fatality. As Divemaster, you have the authority to stop a diver from diver if you think that he/she is jeopardizing their or the other divers life. In your Divemaster course you will be assisting with an Instructor to watch over new Open Water students. Your Instructor depends on you to be the extra helping hands and eyes for the students. You also need to be a team player. Not to be an extra liability to the Instructor. A certain maturity and a lot of attentiveness is needed.
