What is the difference between a PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor and Open Water instructor?

Answer 1

A dive master can serve as a dive guide. A dive master can take any individual qualified diver or group of divers diving whenever, wherever, without an instructor. A dive master cannot teach nor certify a diver in any discipline (OW, Advanced or otherwise)

An OW instructor is qualified to certify divers in their Open Water course...(and so on).

If you want to dive unaccompanied but do not wish to teach others how to dive, then you just need to attain Dive Master level.

Answer 2

OK i agree with both of the guys, in their answears, i was going for my assistant instructor and according to IDEA, the asst inst has as much pull as the dive master , but he/ she cannot take out others to dive. In most instances the asst.dive instructor is given the same respect as a dive master...I know i had to learn how to fill tanks, learn equipment, boat prodcures, safety inspections on equipment, assist students with their dive gear, help in the pool with students and go through procedures with them, basically the same thing as a dive instructor

Answer 3

.......About $1000. A Divemaster knows about the same as an AI and an OWI. But obviously you are not qualified to instruct without taking the test and passing as an OWI.

Answer 4

go with leorys answer thats the right answer im sure everybody who answered here has some experince with diving

Answer 5

Lesroys answer is correct.

But I hope that everyone was taught the same...1st basic rule of diving that I was when I was certified in 1975. Never, repeat NEVER, dive alone...always have a dive buddy. There are simply just too many things that can happen when you go down...it is foolish to not maximize your safety under water.

I starting my SCUBA diving in San Diego. I still recall at least 3 times when divers had died because they became tangled in the kelp beds (primarily off of Torry Pines Beach) and in each case they were diving alone. Would having a dive buddy guaranteed they wouldn't have died in the kelp...no. But a responsible dive buddy would have been there to advise, demand, force and / or refuse to join in going into the kelp bed with the other diver. Or any other potentially dangerous situation.

I remember to this day what Gary S.; the Open Water Dive Master that taught me to SCUBA dive told me regarding diving with a buddy and keeping him or her safe.

Do what ever it takes to keep your buddy from endangering himself or you. Never mind if it will pi** him off. If he swears that he will never speak to you again....live with it (besides, if he really is a friend he will speak to you again beginning with the word thanks). If he tells you that you are a coward, screw off and he will never dive with you again tell him fine...but still stop him from diving alone.

And how do you stop your dive buddy from diving alone if he or she igrones every thing you have said and your pleas that he or she not dive alone are ignored?

[And if you have to do this your friend will probably not be your friend any longer. Plus...make sure you buy him a new regulator.]

HOW? .... In my experience 95% of all SCUBA divers carry a dive knife strapped to either their leg or arm. If all else fails....cut his or her oxygen hose...remember; typically that's the rubber hose that connects the regulator to the tank. If you don't have a dive knife and you buddy does or a member of your group does...use one of theirs. No one in your group has a a knife or sharpe object (even a spear tip from a spear gun can work)? Then attempt to rip the regulator hose from the regualtor or the air tank. But do something to stop your buddy.

And in response to those non-SCUBA divers...no because your dive buddy with not die from drowning due to lack of oxygen. Remember one of the basic rules of physics...compressed air (which a diver uses) expands as the pressure on that air in reduced. And since pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch at se level...as a diver rises the compressed air in his lungs expands. Again, the laws of physics this means that regarless on how deep you start your ascent you will never run out of air prior to reaching the surface. Dive instructure prove this to you by taking you down to 40-60 (60 feet in my case) below the surface, have you remove your regulator after taking 1 normal breath from you tank / cylinder and then hold you arm as you acend. Never rise faster then your air bubbles (rule of thumb) or you will get an air embolism in your lungs. Near the end of you acent you will feel like you are just about out of air and make an attempt to dash to the surface. Big mistake....that's way your instructor holds your arm, to avoid you hurting yourself. See...a perfect example of never diving alone.

What are the odds of a diver dying if they go diving alne? Very low....very, very low. But if your friend or dive buddy dies going alone and you didn't try every thing within in your means to stop him....how would you feel?

My apologies for the long response. But too many people have died by diving solo. If my long winded preaching, pontificiating on what should and is obvious might help to save just one diver's life...writting this response to your question was well worth the tme.

And hey, remeber...SCUBA diving is great fun!