DIVE THE DRY TORTUGAS - Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine

Master SCUBA Diver,the “Black Belt” of DivingBy Pat HammerDIVING SCIENCEDIVE BUDDYCaptain Dale BennettWill take you Diving onLake Michigan or Teach You How!Charters and Training Info:P: 847.640.8113 C: 847.431.8113www.captaindales.comWhat do a Platinum Course Director, anAmerican Express platinum card, and a BlackBelt in martial arts have in common? They allrepresent special achievement and the highestlevel attainable. They distinguish you abovethe average as part of a special group.Master SCUBA Diver is the highest nonprofessionalrating a diver can earn. It is trulythe “Black Belt” of diving. Titles, membershiplevels and certification cards mean a lot. It’slike golfing. When you show your PGA cardwith a 5 handicap, the other golfers in yourgroup understand you play at a high level. Inorder to achieve the low handicap, you workedhard and stayed focused. To earn anythingworthwhile takes effort.When you are on a trip or diving locallyand show a Master SCUBA Diver card, youare making a strong statement. You are anexperienced diver who has completed OpenWater Certification, Advanced Open Water,Emergency First Response, Rescue Diver, fiveSpecialties and have logged over 50 dives.You are a customer of the diving industry witha serious commitment. Instead of carrying 5c-cards, this one elite certification defines youas a safe and competent diver.Participating in the “Master SCUBA Diverprogram” as a family has many benefits. Theysay the family that dives together stays together,or is that just my saying? Anyway, what is mostimportant is quality time together as a family,and the MSD program accommodates this.You can be on a dive practicing one specialtywhile your spouse is doing another. Computerdiver may be good for one person, while theother individual wishes to complete multileveldiving. Both training modules may takeplace on the same dive. Going out on weekenddive excursions is great for the family. Duringthe week, everyone has something to lookforward to. The kids just love it, and theyalso understand that when it comes time fora vacation, mom and dad will be taking themto locations that offer both adventure and fun(not to mention education.) It is a great wayto keep the kids focused on interesting andbeneficial activities.HOW TO PLAN YOUR MSD COURSE.CAREER OR RECREATIONAL?Your first step should be to decide what pathyou are going take. A professional path mayinclude specialties a professional diver willrequire such as night diving, deep diving,search and recovery, boat diving, equipmentmaintenance and repair and navigation.The recreational path may include peakperformance buoyancy control, fish ID, multileveldiving and photography or videography.Of course, with either path, you should takecourses that interest and excite you. The MSDmodules will enhance your diving. Experienceis important and having the MSD rating willmake you feel special. You will be moreconfident about your ability. If you are on theprofessional path, the MSD certification willassist you in obtaining employment withinthe diving industry. It is always great to havecareer choices.Your second step will be making a plan toobtain the MSD rating. Obtaining a high level,such as MSD, is very challenging. Qualifyingfor the MSD rating is a great accomplishment.Look at the Master Scuba Diver Challenge andhow it is the first promotion you see when youenter a dive center. Many recreational diverswant to obtain this elite certification and thenslow their involvement in dive training, butwe have those that accept the challenge ofbecoming a Master SCUBA Diver Trainer.So in the big picture there is another levelof training. Is the MSDT part of your bigpicture? Are your intentions or goals to be aProfessional Dive Educator? Once you havea direction, write out your goals, and consultwith an instructor to map out your trainingor career path. Your instructor will be able toassist you in taking advantage of the optionsthat are available to expedite the completion ofyour training. For instance, when the watersof the Midwest become frozen over and openwater-training stops, the eager Open WaterDiver can plan to complete the classroom andpool portions of the Rescue program (you donot need to start rescue training as an advanceddiver). Then in the spring, or on a winter tripto Florida, you can complete the Advanceddives as well as the Rescue dives.You will notice Professional Dive Centerstreat the MSD with respect. You have put ina lot of time to earn this rating and deserverecognition. I know there are Dive Centersthat honor this rating with a nice award,such as a plaque, at their awards dinner. Ialso know many Dive Centers give out anMSD jacket. MSD is a special rating and youdeserve respect for your dedication. If youwere awarded a plaque, certificate, or jacket,display it proudly. You are in a special group.Congratulations on your achievement. Youhave earned the “Black Belt” of diving!Snapshot: Pat HammerPat Hammer is owner of the ScubaEmporium at 16336 S. 104 Ave.Orland Park Illinois. He is a PADICourse Director and has been in thediving business since 1974. Pat canbe reached at 1-800-778-DIVEpatrick@scubaemporium.comwww.scubaemporium.comVoted #1 Scuba Training Agency in the Midwest.“The safest and most comprehensivecurriculum of any training agency”.Sports Marketing Research 2005773.732.8972www.divemaxscuba.comNovice toTechnical toTri-MixEXPLOREA WHOLE NEW WORLD22 MIDWEST SCUBA DIVING SPRING 2007 23 MIDWEST SCUBA DIVING SPRING 2007SPRING 2007 MIDWEST SCUBA DIVING 23