Divemaster Roles and Responsibilities

1
Divemaster Roles and Responsibilities
2
Objectives

• Identify and discuss the roles of the NAUI
  divemaster.
• List and describe the duties of the NAUI
  Divemaster.
• Distinguish between the roles and duties of the
  NAUI divemaster.

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Definitions

• Role
• A function or office assumed by someone
• Duty
• Conduct based on moral or legal obligation.
• Any action, task, etc. Required by or relating
  to ones occupation or position.
• (Taken from Websters New World Dictionary)

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Divemaster Roles

• NAUI leader role model
• Promote NAUI promote yourself
• All Assistant Instructor Roles
• When acting as an AI
• See later slides
• Emergency management leader
• As long as you are the most qualified
• Dive activity Organizer and coordinator
• Certified divers only

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Divemaster Roles

• Dive trip Organizer and leader
• Certified divers only
• Diving Advisor
• Private/recreational
• Professional
• Transfer Responsibility
• Underwater guide
• Arranged in advance
• Business contract

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Divemaster Duties

• All AI duties and responsibilities
• When assisting
• Planning, organizing, promoting and coordinating
  diving activities for certified divers.
• Conducting pre-dive equipment inspections
• Transfer responsibility
• Announce everyone is responsible for his/her own
  equipment
• You are all certified divers
• Perform inspections
• For everyone or no one
• Only by request
• Not at all

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Divemaster Duties

• Helping divers estimate weighting requirements
• Transfer responsibility
• Provide estimates
• For everyone
• For no one
• Only by request
• Not at all

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Divemaster Duties

• Helping divers prevent or resolve problems
• When is the best time to do this
• Suggested techniques
• Get to know your divers
• Listen
• Ask open ended questions
• Be approachable not judgemental
• Anticipation/Advanced visualization
• No undue pressure

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Divemaster Duties

• Guiding certified divers underwater
• When pre-arranged
• Managing emergency situations
• Until instructor or more qualified individual
  takes over

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Acting as an Assistant Instructor

• Objectives
• Describe the relationship between the divemaster
  and the instructor.
• Describe the relationship between the divemaster
  and the students.
• Describe who other than instructors, may escort
  entry level students, when they may do so, and
  the maximum allowable ratio.

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Divemaster/Instructor Relationship

• Instructor is in charge
• Teaching/supervision Style vs Technique
• What if the instructor is unsafe?
• Standards
• Burnout
• Job description
• What does the instructor expect of you?
• Challenging students
• Compatible styles and personalities

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Divemaster/Instructor Relationship

• Divemaster/Student relationship
• Responsible for teaching
• Skills demo must be teaching quality
• Knowledge of scuba theory
• Equipment knowledge and comfort
• Responsible for student safety
• Role model as a diver

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Instructor / Student Ratios

• Maximum ratios apply to ideal conditions!
• Entry Level
• Instructor alone
• 8 students
• Instructor with 1 active-status assistant
• 10 students
• Instructor with 2 or more active status
  assistants
• 12

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Instructor / Student Ratios

• Courses beyond entry level
• Instructor alone
• 10 students
• Instructor 1 Active status assistant
• 16 students
• Instructor 2 active status assistants
• 20 students
• Instructor 3 active status assistants
• 22 students

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Active Status Assistants

• NAUI Instructor
• Active status
• Sustaining with insurance
• NAUI DMs active status
• NAUI AI active status
• NAUI Skin Diving Instructor
• Scuba certified
• Rescue certified
• Other agency members with corresponding ratings

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Escorting Students

• Certified assistants may escort students during
• Surface excursions and exits
• Ascents and exits
• Temporarily attend to students while the
  instructor conducts a skill with other students.

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Touring

• During the second or subsequent open water dives,
  pairs of students may be escorted on tours
• The instructor must evaluate the following skills
  for each student before that student is allowed
  to tour with a certified assistant

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Touring

• Student skills to be evaluated
• Regain, replace and clear a regulator
• Regain primary regulator from behind the shoulder
• Mask clearing including removal and replacement
• Hover without support or significant movement
• Give, recognize and respond appropriately to
  common underwater communications

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Touring

• Share air with another diver as both donor and
  recipient
• Monitor air supply and, upon request, communicate
  amount remaining

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Training Assistant

• Does not count toward ratios but may escort 2
  students on underwater tours
• Requirements
• NAUI Advanced or Equivalent
• NAUI Scuba Rescue or Equivalent
• CPR and FirstAid
• Navigation
• Reciprocal course within 10 feet
• Square pattern within 10 feet

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Training Assistant

• Assist divers simulating
• Muscle cramp
• Anxiety
• Breathing difficulty
• Signs of pre-panic
• Assist/escort a tired and an incapacitated diver
  to safety
• Be in charge of and satisfactorily act as an
  escort during an open water dive for 2 other
  divers
• Demonstrate a satisfactory scuba diver rescue