Diving Icons: Casio G-Shock



The Blue Collar Dive Watch!
Today I’d like to honour a legend in diving, and nearly every other sport and outdoor activity, a true worker’s friend – the Casio G – Shock.

From The Days When Digital Was King
In the Eighties and Nineties, digital displays adorned every available surface on any product that could power one. These displays were usually LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) seven-segment panels that became iconic in their own right because of their distinctive appearance and ubiquitous nature. These low-powered, poor resolution displays were terrible at displaying letters but were ideal for presenting numbers. This numerical prowess naturally led them toward the field of timekeeping.
In the late Seventies, right through to the mid Nineties the digital watch was the fashion accessory to have (right up to the point when they were cheap enough to be given away free in boxes of cereal – that killed their street cred’ a little). The reason for this popularity was not just because of the novelty factor (that wore off by the late eighties) but because the digital watch had many features that made it superior to the analogue watch, namely their durability, economy, precision, easy-to-read display, low power consumption and their appearance. The digital watch, although not as suave as an analogue chronograph, is better at the timekeeping job than its older brother.
However, by the mid Eighties the digital watch was loosing some of its initial “wow factor” being as it had been available for ten years or so. They were still insanely popular, but not to the same fashionable crowd. The answer was not to market it to the fashionistas, but to market the digital watch to gadget geeks (as calculator watches and TV remote control watches), to sports persons and to those that required high performance in harsh conditions (military, police, climbers etc.). The manufacturer that took specialising the digital watch to new levels was the now legendary Casio.

 What Geek Didn't Want A Calculator Watch? In My School, He Who Had A Calculator Watch Was King!
What Casio did was create a watch that utilised all the positives of the digital watch that I mentioned above, and maximised their potential in a single unit. This watch was cheap, feature packed (for the geeks), laser precise and tougher than any other watch on the market. Thus, the G-Shock was born.

Tough Enough
The G-Shock was a tour de force of near indestructible design and hardy materials. It has always been constructed from very hard plastics, although there have been some forays into metal and other materials. The G-Shock was built to be practical and hard wearing, which means its design focus was not on looking sleek and chic, but on ensuring it has a protected display (the most fragile part of the watch) and a big enough bumper of plastic around the outside to absorb shocks. Initially the G-shock was still a simple looking wristwatch that wasn’t particularly big, nor did it have a very distinctive design. However, the popularity of the initial model (the DW-5000C-1A) led to a frenzy of design evolution that strove to maximise the key attributes of this über-practical watch. The result of this constant development was a unique watch that oozed masculine design and oversized safety features.

 Nothing Says "Toughness" Better Than Ten Kilos Of Plastic!
To qualify as super-tough, the G-Shock was built to be durable in all aspects. It is everything-proof:

Shock Proof
Obviously, from the very first model to the current plethora of designs, there has been but one mantra – make it rugged and make it effective. The G-Shock has been worn in every harsh environment there is and keeps on going. It can take serious knocks, scrapes, bangs, crashes and all the other onomatopoeic words that suggest serious punishment, in its stride. This is due to two major design attributes, first it is because there is an almost caricature-ish amount of super-strong plastic around the rim of the display. On top of that there is often a frame wrapped around the body of the watch that acts like a set of bull-bars to protect the screen from bashes. As if that wasn’t enough (and it is) the actual innards of the timepiece are simple, non-moving circuit boards that are also made of plastic and silicone. They are almost entirely unaffected by motion, unlike an analogue watch, which gives the watch extreme shock resistance.

Waterproof
This is, of course, the real reason why we divers love this watch so much – it is highly water resistant. The standard G-Shock is depth rated to two hundred metres which, although this isn’t record breaking, is plenty deep enough for the average diver. Also, most depth ratings are theoretical, or are tested in ideal situations, the G-Shock has been tested to absurd levels and has rarely given up – I trust a G-Shock depth rating. On top of this robust pressure endurance, the G-Shock is also exceptionally corrosion proof too, being as there is very little exposed metal (if any). This makes it a much better option than other metal dive watches that require careful rinsing after a dive, especially if you are like me and just want to get on with your day rather than messing around with soaking your watch after every salt exposure.

Temperature Proof
The original G-Shocks were always able to handle a fair deviation in climate – they have been proven to work in deep cold and sweltering heat – though they were never designed to be fully climate proof…but now they are! The most recent G-Shocks on the market are now being constructed with extreme temperatures in mind. They are able to function in climates that will have you passing out with heat exhaustion and in environments where you’ll be slipping into cold comas – in effect they’ve built a watch that will still work where your body wont!

Feature Filled
To appease the geeks (like me) the gang at Casio have managed to cram in a number of innovative features (though some of them are old school now), that make an outdoors person’s life easier:

Stop Watch – This was the coolest thing you could find in a watch when I was a boy, though it’s now beyond standard – it’s a given that a digital watch will have one built in. However, when G-Shock was first created this was the ultimate in sports equipment. A good stopwatch is used daily by sports people and scientists alike. The G-Shock usually has split time too, to make timing multiple athletes easier. 

Solar Powered – This is another old technology that I still love. By incorporating a robust solar panel in their watch, Casio have extended the battery life of the G-Shock from around two years, to about four or five. This is pretty remarkable if you ask me, being as a lot of feature intensive watches are on their knees after one year. The Solar Series Has Made The G-Shock The Longest Lasting Digital Watch On The Market

Atomic Radio Set – For me, this is one of the most clever features of the G-Shock because it allows a very cheap timepiece to perform better than the most expensive of Rolexes. In essence the G-Shock has a radio receiver built into it which allows it to scan for a specific signal that is widely available, in the signal is the perfect, exact microsecond precise time which is set by an atomic clock. This simple bit of technology means that the G-Shock has perfect time, all the time, without ever needing manually set! 

Special Editions – This is where the G-Shock, and Casio, shine. Because Casio realised the potential for the digital watch to fulfil numerous timekeeping roles for many different people doing different tasks all those years ago, they have continued to advance and differentiate the watch into thousands of different models. The model which is most relevant to us, divers, is the Frogman. The Frogman is a full dive computer which has been crammed into a G-Shock. There are all the usual G-Shock goodies in there, but there is also a depth gauge, bottom time calculator, logbook and other dive specific treats. I wont say that it is the best dive computer on the market, but I’d definitely not bet against it for being the toughest! They are, naturally, much more pricey than the standard G-Shocks being as they are much more advanced bits of gear, on top of this they are also unbelievably collectable, which adds to their price tag immeasurably which is why I will stick to owning a dive computer and a standard G-Shock.  Ahh, The One And Only Frogman! Truly A Diver's Best Friend!

Future Proof!
There is one last proof that this G-Shock has nailed better than any other digital watch and that is future proofness (a word I just invented for this occasion). The standard G-Shock has undergone countless revisions and had many features added to its lineup over the years, but fundamentally it is the same piece of amazingly practical plastic that seems to be virtually unbreakable, it has managed to retain it’s G-Shockness with pride!
 With So Many Different Fashionable Brands Associating With The G-Shock, It Has Become A Living Legend That Shows No Sign Of Going Away!

Final Thoughts
I doubt I’ll ever find another watch that can provide me with the same level of dogged and determined functionality that the G-Shock gives me. It is a faithful friend, despite the abuse I throw at it, it just stays put and works, which is more than I can say of many of my expensive timepieces!

Sleep apnea: diving Au Naturel

What Is Freediving?

Freediving is the act of diving down under the surface of water with no air source, ie holding you breath. Freediving is at once the logical evolution of snorkelling, the predecessor of scuba and its own separate entity. It’s not correct to see freediving as just another term for snorkelling because, as we’ll discuss later, freediving is a different way to enjoy water, with its own goals, techniques and community. Freediving is a sport, hobby, competition, keep fit regime and cheap way to enjoy the coral – it can be all of these things and more but it does tend towards the sport side of things because freedivers are, for lack of a better term, competitive.



A freediver will compare and brag about the depths that they have achieved, along with their breath hold times and the booty they’ve collected. They are going down deep with nothing more than a mask, a pair of fins and a lung full of air, yet they achieve some awesome depths and shocking bottom times. It would be wrong to say that freediving is just a breath-holding competition (though it sometimes works like that) because many freedivers are simply after the same things as a scuba diver, they just want to enjoy it their way.
 Freedivers Are Often Down There For The Same Reasons As The SCUBA Guys, They Just Don't Want To Do It With A Tank.

Why Freedive?
The question we must next ask is” “what is their way”? Freediving is a rapidly expanding and evolving sport that has captured the imaginations of the extreme sport crowd. This has meant that a very large body of young, healthy men and, to a slightly lesser extent, women are grabbing masks and going deep. This new influx of thrill-seekers has brought with it a new set of priorities and techniques to help these sportsmen and women achieve their personal goals. Some of those goals are listed below:

Challenging – This is the main reason why freediving is considered a sport rather than a pastime. Freedivers are constantly striving to beat others on a whole new set of measurable objectives. On top of this battle with others they aim to beat their own personal bests – freedivers are their own toughest competition! They prepare themselves to push their bodies to the limit so that they can take on and surmount a challenge which gives them a rush and rewards them with great satisfaction. 

Risk – This follows on from the point above because the only thing that can make a challenge really exciting is if there is some risk that you will fail. If the act of failing is dangerous then it adds yet another element of thrill to the pursuit. A large portion of freedivers are adrenaline junkies which propels them on to take more risk so they can get a more intense buzz. This can be a dangerous cycle to be stuck in, but we’ll look at the dangers later.



Requires Little Training – This is a double edged sword in that freediving is amazingly easy to pick up – just hold your breath and swim down…viola, you’re a freediver! However, this is only safe when you are just playing at shallow depths, if you plan on getting into the sport properly then it would be wise to look into the procedures to freedive effectively and safely – it’s not as simple as you might think.

Free – I’m not sure how many people have complained to me that they’d love to learn to dive but their budgets don’t stretch to the expensive courses and the prohibitive price of dive gear. For those people who desperately want to explore the sea then freediving offers a different (inexpensive) path to the aquatic adventures they desire. 

Hunting/Foraging – This is an interesting development in the sport; clearly the freedivers were not content to simply pit their bodies against the sea, they had to also challenge the fauna that resides there too. Freedivers have made an entire subdivision of their activity devoted to either catching game fish or collecting molluscs. This added challenge and skill to learn (not to mention the machismo involved in using spear guns and knifes to hunt things) has made the sport even more attractive to the young male group. Everybody Knows That The Key Way To Make A Pastime Even Better Is To Introduce Guns!

Adventure – This is probably a universal aspect of underwater based pursuits, from snorkelling to tec diving – everyone wants to experience an environment they aren’t familiar with. This is no different with freedivers, they want to immerse themselves in the surroundings and appreciate what the sea has to offer.

Freediving Vs Snorkelling
You might be sitting there thinking: “yes, ok so it’s not scuba diving, but it looks a lot like snorkelling to me!”. And you’d be right but for a couple of minor differences. First off, snorkelling is usually a passive engagement with the underwater domain which means that a snorkeler simply peers into the world of coral and fish from the surface (almost like a voyeur). Whereas a freediver will actively seek out the things he wishes to see, hunt or challenge. The freediver will feel a tangible sense of pride in his activities of the day (beating his best depth, hauling up a big fish or spotting a big ray) but a snorkeler simply enjoys the view – they will certainly enjoy it but they probably won’t feel proud of their achievements.



Freediving Equipment
Freediving, at first glance, would appear like the kind of sport that shunned equipment. The very essence of freediving is the challenge of using what you were born with to beat the trials of the sea. Yet, there is a very quickly growing market of equipment to fill the gear bags of freedivers (so much for being cheap!):

Freedive Fins – As with any young specialised sport the first freedivers used normal dive fins to get them where they wanted to go, but fin manufacturers saw that there was a market developing and created fins that were specially designed for freediving. These fins are usually full-foot pocket fins (wear them like slippers over a bare foot) with very long flexible blades. These comically long blades give fantastic speed and acceleration but would be almost useless to a scuba diver because they’d constantly bang them off coral and wrecks etc. The other avenue to go down when selecting freedive fins is to pick a mono-fin, which is basically a short wide blade with two foot pockets. It turns the wearer into something of a mermaid!  There Are Many Types Of Freedive Fin, Some Are Long Fins, Others Are Wide Mono-Fins, They Are Great For Speed, Terrible For Walking!

Watertight Mask – The inclusion of the word “watertight” might seem a little odd here being as all masks are meant to be watertight. The reason I mention it here is because a freediver doesn’t have an air source which means that when they exhale they don’t have very long before they require a breath. This prohibits the clearing of masks underwater, which is unlike a scuba diver because he can clear his mask as much as necessary. A freediver must find the perfect mask to ensure they don’t end up blind halfway through a descent. 

Snorkel – This is not a vital piece of gear but it makes the experience more fun in two ways; it lets the diver keep him head in the water constantly which is useful for tracking a buddy’s progress, swimming to and from the shore or boat, scoping out new dive sites and hunting fish from the surface. The second use for a snorkel is when the sea gets choppy, sometimes it’s tough to keep your mouth from being sprayed with salt water – a snorkel with a splash guard will help in this situation enormously. 

Torch – A torch is really useful to a freediver who is hunting shelled creatures as they often hide in holes and other inconvenient places. Especially when there might be a Moray eel in that hole, you can check before you start putting your hand in! A torch can also help in poor viz, though I strongly recommend you don’t freedive in water that you can’t see the bottom and surface at the same time (if you want to go ten meters deep – make sure the viz is ten meters plus). 

Knife – I have always been a promoter of dive knifes as safety tools – I’m doubly passionate about freedivers wearing easy to access knives. If you get caught in kelp in scuba, you can take your time and free yourself. If you get stuck in kelp or rope on the ascent of a deep freedive then you my only have seconds to free yourself. A large portion of freedivers have a knife anyway to use as a prying tool for shelled prey. 



Spear Gun – This is obviously only for our testosterone-filled hunters but it’s an interesting piece of gear. A spear gun can be spring-loaded or gas propelled, and usually has a tether from the spear to the gun (lightweight line on a free-spinning spool). This makes finding a wayward spear much more likely and allows you to reel in your catch. They are real killing weapons and so should be given the same reverence as a gun on the surface. Never joke around with it, and be absolutely sure that there’s not a diver/snorkeler/coral reef behind what you’re shooting at. If the viz is not great, then don’t go shooting – you wouldn’t shoot a shotgun in a park in the fog! 

Buoy Float – As a freediver you probably won’t have any form of buoyancy compensator like a scuba diver has. Often you will be neutrally weighted with a weight belt. This means that if you have just been on a scarily deep dive in which you almost didn’t make it to the surface, when you reach the surface you will have to tread water to stay afloat. If you compound this with a long swim from the shore, an hour of freediving and fighting a current then you will realise that you will need something to collapse on after the dive. Ideally you’d have a boat to get onto, but freedivers usually stray from the beaten path where no dive tours operate. In which case a prudent freediver tows a surface buoy with him, he can use the buoy to warn boats that he is in the area (he surfaces a lot more than a scuba diver – making him at more risk of getting the hull of a boat in the face). It also gives him a rest between dives, gives him a place to store gear and his catch. He can also anchor it and use the line as a reference. 

Weights – If you are like me and are very positively buoyant on the surface, or wear a thick exposure suit, then you will require either loads of effort to swim down or you will use a weight belt to get yourself neutrally buoyant. Remembering that you might wish to perform an intricate task on the bottom means that you have no option but to ensure neutral buoyancy prior to the dive as it gives you much more control over your position in the water. Don’t overweight yourself either because this could lead to a difficulty in staying afloat on the surface.  This Clever Belt Has Both Weights And A Built In Buoyancy Compensator Which Is Fed From A Small Bottle Of Compressed Gas.

Tips and Tricks
These are a few of the freediving techniques and dangers that you may not be aware of, or are only partially informed about. This list is not exhaustive and if you wish to undertake freediving as a serious sport then I suggest that you do further research and seek out professional tuition.



Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation is the act of “over breathing” (rapidly breathing three or four very deep breaths before descending) in order to purge the body of carbon dioxide. This process works to extend a diver’s breath hold time because the body stimulates the breathing process when it detects that there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood. It is not because the body thinks there is not enough oxygen, this is a misconception.
This process must be used in moderation, a diver must not take more than four breaths before the dive because if he exceeds this number then he runs the risk of “shallow water blackout” (SWB). SWB occurs when a diver has hyperventilated excessively and then descended deep. Once the diver is down at his maximum depth his body is able to access plentiful oxygen (because the oxygen gets pressurised) from the lung of air.

The diver’s body, because of the extra hyperventilation, doesn’t stimulate the breathing reflex, so the diver thinks he’s got plenty of time left. The problem arises as he ascends because the oxygen becomes harder to access (it reduces in pressure) which means there is a shortage in oxygen. The diver is not aware of this (because the body monitors carbon dioxide, not oxygen) and so he is prone to spontaneous and immediate blackouts as he reaches shallow water. This is obviously very dangerous because he is underwater and will quickly drown. It is even worse when he is weighted because he may not float to the surface.
The way to avoid this is by limiting yourself to only three to four breaths before the dive, don’t overdo it in the pursuit of the motherload of abalone!

Look Where You’re Going!
This is might seem a little patronising at first, but it is with good cause that I implore every freediver to pay good attention to where they are going. The reason for this is that a freediver is on a running clock when he dives. This time limit causes some careless freedivers to bolt down to the bottom, with their massive fins and weight belt, in poor viz and crack their skull on a rock or piece of coral. The same is true for the guys who cut their dive a little close and have to rush to the surface for air, they rarely think about boats, or swimmers that might be above them – and head butting a boat is not enjoyable. A scuba diver can take their time when they move underwater, which means they are less likely to bump into a jellyfish’s tentacles, piece of coral or rock but a freediver needs to be more focused because of the speed of their movements.

Pressure Related Injuries
Despite freediving not requiring any formal training to enjoy, there are a few very important risks that apply equally for a scuba diver and a freediver:

Ear Barotrauma – Despite a freediver having less worries than a scuba diver with regards the possible ailments that could affect him – he still has the physics of nature to deal with. Namely the way in which an airspace underwater is forced to compress and to expand as it is taken from the surface down, and then up to the surface again. This pressure can be felt in the ears and sinus of a freediver when he is changing depth. This pressure build-up can, if left unchecked, lead to ruptured ear drums and other nasty injures. The way we avoid this is by equalising our ears (usually by swallowing, moving your jaw or your tongue) which ensures the pressure on one side of the flexible drum is the same as on the other side. Some divers require time to equalise which can make freediving difficult, and others will have problems if they make many ascents and descents in quick succession (the ear drum begins to swell). 

Decompression Sickness – Before those of you in the know rush to write an email to complain that I’m talking nonsense – “freedivers don’t breathe compressed air so they don’t load up on any significant nitrogen levels, therefor won’t suffer DCS…” I agree with you! If you’d let me finish…jeez, a guy can’t get a word in edgeways with these imaginary readers complaining all the time! Anyway, if you imagine the situation where a scuba diver has been on a dive trip and gets back to the boat early after his second dive of the day and he decides to go for a snorkel while he waits for the other dive groups to surface. Then, when he’s out snorkelling, he sees a big turtle at twenty meters and decides to freedive after it. In this situation the diver still has all the nitrogen in his body from the last two dives, which when added to the extra nitrogen he picks up on his freedive, can lead to a problem when our diver bolts to the surface when he realises he’s not the young, healthy lad he was and that a twenty meter freedive was a bit ambitious at his age!



Dive With A Buddy
There are very few scuba divers out there who would ever think it smart to dive without a buddy. Especially when you consider that if you have a problem underwater, nobody will know unless they are within visual range. Shouting for help isn’t much use at fifteen meters deep.

So why should it be any different with freediving? The difference is that a freediving buddy team will work in a different manner to that of a scuba team. Whereas a scuba buddy will ensure they are close by their partner and try to maintain the same depth as them, a freediving buddy will stay on the surface, next to the float with a snorkel in their mouth and watch their counterpart make their dive. This way he is fully rested and has a full lung of air if he sees his friend get into trouble. If they dived together they might find that they are both at the edge of their limits and would be unable to assist their amigo. This can work in bigger groups than two, you could have a group of four with a two up, two down alternation which would provide double the cover should an issue arise.

 The Only Way You Will Survive A Blackout Underwater Is If You Have A Buddy Watching Out For You From The Surface.

Don’t Try To Break Records!
This is general advice that you can apply to almost any pursuit, but it is particularly relevant to freediving because of the element of competition involved. If you are new to the sport then it is obvious that you should take your time and gain experience in the techniques involved before you attempt any wild maneuverers.
It is also true for those for those who are comfortable with the practices of freediving, they should plan and prepare at least as much a scuba diver. This means preparing a first aid kit for the float or boat, having emergency oxygen available, suspending one or more tanks with regulators at various points of the freedive attempt.

If the attempt you are doing is at the edge of your abilities (in training for instance) then it would be wise if you could get an experienced scuba diver or two to support you underwater so if a problem arrises they can provide you with their alternate air source. Freediving doesn’t have to be dangerous if you take the appropriate precautions.
 The Amount Of Planning And Preparation That Potential Record Breakers Put Into Their Attempts Is Enormous, Make Sure You Follow Their Lead And Prepare Yourself Before Going Under


Final Thoughts
I hope this article has gone someway to unveiling this exciting and flourishing sport for those who were curious but uninformed. There is still a whole lot more to learn about freediving than was covered in this article, and most importantly you need to get into the sea and start experimenting – just take it slow at first! Get a friend, fins, mask and float and enjoy a Saturday exploring Earth’s final frontier.

"Going Pro" – a career in diving

Let’s face it, every job has it own significant drawbacks…nobody really likes working in an office, nobody likes dealing with colleagues who are just as miserable as you are and I’ve never met anyone who thinks that wearing a shirt and tie is more comfortable than wearing shorts and T-shirt. Well, what if your job didn’t have any of those drawbacks? What if your office was the sea, your colleagues were all young, happy and energetic and your normal dress code was shorts and T-shirt or a wetsuit?



 It's Safe To Say That Shorts And T-Shirts Are Better Than Shirts And Ties...
I am, of course, referring to working as a recreational diving professional. A job heralded by many as a “dream job”. I wanted to write this article to ensure that the reader fully understands what is entailed in the job description, so that if you decide to “Go Pro” then you will be much more informed than if you take all your information from a PADI poster.

 What's It Really Like To Turn The Passion Into A Career?
For the purposes of this article I will be referring to the PADI system of professional progression because it is the largest organisation in sport diving tuition and thus the one you are most likely to encounter. The PADI system is also copied by a few of the other major recreational dive companies, so much of this will sound familiar if you’re in their system.

The PADI Ladder
At each level I will aim to give you a thorough breakdown of what you require to get there, what the duties are when your there and what the perks of the job are. Obviously diving is massively global and so most of my experience might not directly relate to your situation (especially pay and specific responsibilities) but it will hopefully enlighten you to the full realities of turning your passion into your job.

Divemaster (DM)
I have split the DM into two distinct parts for two reasons: 1) the DMT is very different from the actual job of being a DM and 2) there is a large portion of people who go for the DM certification but have no intention of ever working as a DM (kids going for college credit, people looking for prestige, etc).

Divemaster Trainee (DMT)
So, you’ve decided you want to become a professional recreational diver – I am being specific here because it is possible to be a professional diver in other fields which have little or nothing to do with recreational diving – commercial, military, police etc.

First off, what do you require to start your professional career:
20 dives logged by the time you start your DMT.80 dives logged by the time you end your DMT.PADI Open water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue (or equivalent) before you start.Emergency First Responder course (plus Secondary Care) before you start.Fitness Medical for diving (required for all levels hereafter).Be at least 18 years old.

If you have all the above, then you are ready to start what should be one of the hardest endeavours of your life. That is not to say it won’t be fun, nor is it necessarily sadistic but it is likely that you will find it very demanding mentally, physically and possibly emotionally.



The DM training is a fully inclusive course that is designed to be practically led, with the theory following. In my opinion a good DMT will last around six to eight weeks, though it can be successfully completed in as little as three weeks with the proper preparation. The reason that I suggest that a DMT last at least six weeks is because the training process is not just about achieving training goals, it is about absorbing as much as you can from the instructors as possible. Although you are not yet training to become an instructor, a DM has all the foundations to teach, they are simply not given the responsibility or the tools to do so. It is for this reason that you should use your DMT period to keep you head down and your eyes and ears wide open.

A DMT will probably feel like they are slaves, they will be bossed around by every person in the dive school and will probably do all the dirty, sweaty and boring jobs. I won’t sugar coat this part, it does get a little tiring running around like a headless chicken for little reward, but this is where you learn your craft. A good DM will have learnt, from their time as a DMT, which instructors are helpful and who to avoid, what equipment gets the best attention and what pieces you want to avoid giving to your divers when your the DM, and other little bits of information that will be priceless to you when you’re the one responsible for other divers. If you’ve done your DMT well then you will be well prepared to make your life easier as a DM.

A DMT will probably do a little (or a lot) of the following during their training period:

Assist instructors in the pool and the ocean with students doing courses.Assist DM/instructors in guiding dive groups round dive sites.Set up equipment for yourself, your instructor and your students.Set up the dive boat or site with all the appropriate equipment (CESA lines, spare weight, O2 etc)Prepare the dive boat in the morning, often early starts.The course is ran by OWSI so you will have a briefing with them, probably at the end of each day, to assess your performance. You will also get a final debriefing at the end of the course when they sign you off.Get the customers fitted for gear in the morning and wash it all in the evening.Possibly work in the dive shop, learning about gear and how to sell it.Possibly service some low level gear.Possibly fill tanks, though some operations hire their tanks from other companies.Complete lots of exams, and do the appropriate study for them.Draw a map of a dive site, with appropriate features marked.



Design an emergency evacuation plan for your dive operation.Do a number of fitness tests and stress tests (please take these seriously and train for them – strive for a 5)Anything else the dive shop owner requires – you’re their lackey until they sign you off!On your qualifying eve you may be required to complete the snorkel test, this is a diving school specific test and is not sanctioned by PADI, though this doesn’t make it any less necessary for your training. In essence, you will be sat on a stool and you will put on a standard snorkel and mask. On top of the snorkel will be a funnel – into this funnel your peers will pour some kind of alcoholic beverage and you have no choice but to drink it (you cannot breathe until the snorkel is clear). The drink can be anything from a tame vodka and coke right through to a bucket of the worst cocktail imaginable (mine was a bucket of Thai rum and coke if you were wondering…it hits like a steam train!) You'll Get Used To Setting Up Gear...

Divemaster (DM)
Once you’ve qualified as a Divemaster (and survived the DMT party), the work load shifts from being really labour intensive to a little less headless chicken but with more responsibilities. A DMs primary role is customer care, they are there solely to ensure the customer has a great set of dives and is safe throughout the day. The way the DM does this is up to the person and the way they were trained. I have always believed that a DM should be a good listener, this is the key to achieving all that is asked of a DM. If you listen to your boss you will understand what she wants from you and how to do it, if you listen to the instructors (because you are always learning) you will pick up tips on how to deal with novice divers, if you listen to your customers you will detect their fears and be able to abate them, you will also hear what interests them and be able to tailor your dive plan to incorporate what they want to see.

A DM is also an organiser, he or she is there to make sure that there isn’t a logistical angle that they haven’t already thought of and prepared for. They should be planning for events that have never happened and events that you ensure will never happen. In some diving organisations the DM doesn’t actually dive with the clients, they simply offer assistance in planning the dive and then keep track of who is in the water and who has surfaced. This is not a particularly fun job, but it is vital (especially when the boat or shore is busy) that you know precisely where each buddy team in going and when they expect to surface – even though you’re not in the water with them they are still your responsibility.  DMs have an obligation to think about people other than themselves, that is what makes them professional – this is a character attribute more than something that can be trained into a person. Bare this is mind if you are considering becoming professional – selfish people simply do not make good DMs.

Remember that being a DM is often a thankless job. You might have put in 100% throughout the day and went out of your way to make sure the dives went smoothly but it is quite possible that this will be lost on the customer and your boss – a DM is expected to go further than the bare minimum. Make sure you are not a proud person because you might go weeks without a compliment for the work you do. You will also notice that you wallet will not swell with cash, a DM is very poorly paid wherever you are. It is not a job you take to become rich, even with tips it is a lousy salary. You must also remember that diving is often seasonal, so from your merge earnings you need to save some to get you through the low season.

Assistant Instructor (AI)
For those of you that managed to make it through the DMT and found that being a DM was exactly the sort of life you then you may consider moving on from just supervising certified divers to assisting non-certified divers become fully qualified. Being an assistant instructor normally isn’t considered a goal in itself, usually people go for this qualification purely to gain access to full instructor level. This doesn’t mean that assistant instructor is a useless qualification though, it does give you a few more privileges, a little more responsibility and quite a bit more training in the art of diving tuition.

An AI is a much more valuable asset to an instructor than a DM because they have been given a grounding in the educational system they use, and so they are more capable of preempting the needs of the instructor. They are also useful in the classroom and the pool because they are qualified to present the theory lessons and demonstrate skills under the indirect supervision of a qualified instructor. This means that heavy workloads can be divided up among instructors and AIs as long as they remain under supervision.

 An AI Is More Useful To An Instructor In The Pool Than A DM
Another aspect of the AI that makes it a little more valuable in certain situations is the ability to conduct DSDs in confined water (you can do this as a DM but it requires extra training – DSD Leader) which can prove very profitable if your dive school uses DSDs as a marketing tool.

There are not many requirements to become an AI other than to be an existing DM and have been diving for six months. The course is organised and ran by Staff Instructors which means that it can be operated at anytime, usually it is launched in conjunction with the Instructor Development Course (IDC) because many people do the two courses together and jump straight from DM to OWSI.

Open Water SCUBA Instructor (OWSI)
Once you’ve got your AI in the bag you are already well qualified in the PADI ranks and should feel well versed in the teaching system PADI employs. The IDC is a two week program that elaborates on all the topics you learnt in your AI. There isn’t a huge jump between the theory from the AI and the IDC, it’s just that there’s loads more of it.

When you train to become an OWSI you will first complete the IDC which is where you will learn all the standards for each course, you will have time practicing your theory presentation skills, you will train in the pool and the sea to refine your teaching techniques and you will hone certain special skills (rescue skills, search and recovery knots etc). Once you have studied your brains out (the IDC is absolutely exhausting and you will surely suffer from sleep depravation plus abnormal stress levels – make sure there is nothing else in your life that will add big distractions as you will simply not manage the anxiety levels otherwise) you will probably have a few days for a break before it’s time to go to the Instructor Exam (IE) which is a two day package of tests which fully assesses your abilities in every field from skills to in-water teaching to classroom presentations. If you worked hard in your IDC then this will be surprisingly easy, a good Course Director is much more of a hard ass than a good Examiner.

OK, so you’ve passed your IE and you’re now a fully fledged OWSI, what do you do now? Well, an instructor’s workload is very different from a DMs, though no less challenging, please remember that you’re paid to do this – which makes it a job, and like any job you’ve got some serious responsibilities:
An instructor’s primary role is to teach (duh!)As a PADI OWSI you have the authority to teach all the PADI courses from Discover Scuba Diving right the way through to signing off on Divemaster courses.You will be held completely responsible for the wellbeing of all of your students.If a student you have been training gets hurt and you are found to have not followed the PADI standards then you will not be protected by PADI and you will be legally liable for the damages (this can go to criminal court and lead to real life criminal consequences).

There are moral and ethical decisions to make that will affect you regularly, you will be pushed to bend and even break the PADI rules by many different people (bosses want you to take too many divers, clients want to skip parts of the lesson and your partner wants you to cut corners and come home early – always remember that it’s YOUR PADI license and it’s YOU that will loose it).It can sometimes be a difficult decision to make when presented with a DMT who simply isn’t ready to be signed off, yet he’s paid his money and worked hard and his time has ran out on his holiday – the decision can sometimes be very vexing.

On the plus side, an instructor’s life is a little more varied than a DMs or AIs. You are able to meet a huge variety of people, often from all over the world. You will learn a huge amount about diving that you never would have had access to (teaching is often the best way to learn). Your pay will go up significantly, though please ensure you understand that a dive instructor will never be “rich”, but you might be able to save some money now which makes your quality of life much better than a DM’s. The job itself is more demanding mentally than being a DM, and obviously you have a much higher level of responsibility than if you were taking out certified divers. Being an OWSI conforms to the old rule that with greater wealth comes greater responsibility, but also great fun!

 Lot's More Responsibility, But This Is Matched With Greater Rewards
The requirements to become an OWSI are fairly simple:
You must be an Assistant Instructor.Have 100 dives logged by the start of your IE.Been trained to Emergency First Response Trainer level.

Master SCUBA Dive Trainer (MSDT)
A MSDT is a strange qualification because it doesn’t really mean anything concerning your authority within PADI. Technically it is simply a milestone to denote those instructors who have attained a certain level of expertise. An MSDT is an instructor who as been qualified in five specialties and has certified twenty-five divers.

The specialties in question are like mini courses that an instructor can take under the supervision of a Course Director (or by applying to PADi directly, but that’s a pain) which authorise the instructor to teach specialty courses to their students. These courses range from digital underwater photography to deep diving to equipment specialties. They are not particularly intense but they are informative and allow you to give a good introduction to a certain specialty area.

One plus point for applying for your MSDT is that it is often synonymous with “experienced” when a dive school is posting a job in a classified. To put it simply, if you have five specialties and have certified at least twenty-five divers, you are more employable. It is also necessary to become a MSDT before you can progress to Staff Instructor, so for that reason alone it is worth applying for it.

IDC Staff Instructor (SI)
By this point in the game you are a fairly experienced and wise old instructor and you might be looking for the next level of challenges. The next level comes in the shape of Staff Instructor which puts you in the position to start training the trainers. A SI is given the training necessary to fully sign off an AI and to assist a Course Director in training instructors during the IDC. This new level of instruction provides you with two benefits; first, you will reap much more fruitful financial rewards at this level – if you can assist in regular IDCs then you can make quite a decent salary, the first real money you make in diving. Second, in the process of becoming a SI you will vastly improve your diving technique and your instructing technique even more so.

To be eligible to train for Staff Instructor you must be nothing more than a Master Scuba Dive Trainer which means the only thing that really decides when you make your move from MSDT to SI is your own self confidence…and your wallet, because these courses aren’t free!

Master Instructor (MI)
A Master Instructor is another odd qualification in that, like the MSDT, there is little to be gained from it other than the prestige of being a very senior instructor. It is a very shiny embellishment for your CV but it counts for very little other than the certificate. The only thing that makes it valuable to you is that it is a prerequisite for becoming a Course Director.

To be classed as a Master Instructor you must (this is the abridged version, for the full technical details you should see the PADI site):
Be a Staff Instructor.Have been an OWSI for two years minimum.Have certified one-hundred-and-fifty divers (though those one-hundred-and-fifty certifications must be split into a specific group, i.e. So many Open waters, so many DMs etc).Been to three PADI seminars.Know everything about the PADI system.Have no Quality Assurance violations in the past six months.

Course Director (CD)
It is possibly a little early to be looking at Course Director but it’s important to have a goal to aim for when undergoing a challenge. The CD is the head honcho, he is the guy who fully trains the teachers. There is almost nothing he doesn’t know about diving and there is absolutely nothing he doesn’t know about PADI. He will eat, sleep and breathe PADI and he will encourage his IDC candidates to do so too. He is the person who signs off whether a diver is ready to go for his IE and so he heavily influences the destiny of all of his students.

A good CD, as I said in the OWSI section, will put his students through such a rigorous training and testing schedule during the IDC that the candidates on the other end of the IDC will be over-prepared for the IE and will walk through it with their eyes closed, and will leave them asking “was that it?”. His job is to firmly instil the PADI way of teaching and of thinking into normal dive professionals. If he does his job right then they will go on to be the best dive instructors in the business.
To become a CD you need to have:
Been a Master Instructor for six months.No Quality Assurance violations for twelve months.Staffed two full IDCs as a SI.Have two-hundred-and-fifty logged dives.

Closing Thoughts
Joining the PADI machine and going professional in recreational diving is seen by outsiders as an automatic key to paradise on earth where you are well paid, well respected and blissfully happy all the time. Unfortunately this isn’t the case, the average professional diver will probably feel fairly poor, fairly under appreciated and will have hard days that make him question his career choice. There will be days when very hard choices are required to be made that will make a difference to people’s lives, and possibly their wellbeing.

However, as a career path it beats the hell out of sitting in an office or working in a factory, and the feel-good hit you get when you sign off a proud diver is quite a rush. There is also a tangible sense of accomplishment from scaling the PADI ladder and overcoming each challenge as it is presented to you. I love being a PADI dive instructor and don’t regret it for a minute (even though I’d love a pay rise!)
When The Day Comes Together, It's All Worth It... Maybe It's Not Such A Bad Job After All?