Mar Scuba PADI Divemaster Course

PADI Divemaster Course

Go Pro!

In the Divemaster course, you will learn how to supervise student divers as a certified assistant during training pool and open water dives, act as a dive guide on dive tours for certified divers, among over various challenging tasks. This course focuses on the practical side of the supervising and control of divers as well as an intensive review of important theoretical concepts of diving. Water skills as well as rescue scenarios will also be covered. The Divemaster is the first level as a professional in the PADI system, and upon completion of the course, you apply to become a pro member of PADI.

Academic Theory and Review

The first step in the course is the intense academic review of diving theory. As a Divemaster, you will be responsible to help certified divers plan dives and calculate dive profiles, as well as answer general questions from certified divers as well as student divers. Divers expect Divemasters to have a professional level of diving knowledge. The best way to review for the academics is to complete the Knowledge Workbook by using the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving. Then, during any necessary review sessions, we will cover the many topics of diving, such as physics, physiology, as well as diving equipment.

Practical Experience

In the pool or confined water, you will learn how to supervise students who are learning how to dive, how to help control groups of divers, and also learn how to demonstrate diving skills. Also, in one session, you will go through a full circuit of water skills. In open water, you will perform a full rescue scenario.

The hands on experience also comes from an internship where you accompany an Instructor on fun diving tours, open water and advanced level courses. You will learn how to manage and supervise diving tours as well as to lead underwater. The course is based on actual, real life diving experiences as well as practical training exercises.

Last, but not least, you will learn the basics of customer service, the business of diving, and how the Divemaster makes a diving trip/course more fun and enjoyable for all divers, not to mention the primary focus on safety. There will also be an overview of the retail side of the industry and the sales and marketing of dive courses and equipment.

Sound like a hard course? Maybe so. But the rewards are tremendous. The person who holds the Divemaster certification is a rare breed of diver. Less than 10 percent of certified divers reach this professional level. The Divemaster is well respected by fellow divers.

Special Note for Prospective Divemasters

We have a special note for future Divemasters. There are many resort locations that offer a quick one week course with no internship, only practical training exercises in a condensed course. Our opinion is that this type of course is good for those who are going to immediately enter the Assistant Instructor or Instructor course, because you do not get the real "hands on" experience of an internship and skill development over time. We offer a comprehensive course with both practical training exercises and a thorough hands on internship. Perhaps it takes a little longer, but you, as a future Divemaster, will be the one who benefits from this real life experience. For those with a limited time schedule, please e-mail or call to discuss the scheduling options. At the minimum, a full 3-4 weekends will be necessary to complete the course.

Philosophy

When you are ready to approach the professional level of Divemaster, it is important that you understand the philosophy and mindset of the dive professional. We strive to teach not only the basics and fundamentals of being a professional, but also go beyong what is required in the course requirements. With the entry level scuba diving courses, there is a fixed, rigid structure for instruction, and most of the training goes by the book. For the DM course, we have more time and many chances to develop and progress your skills. Once you start the DM training, you will quickly find that there is no one "right" way to accomplish something. There are many ways to approach a situation and solve problems that arise with student/certified divers and scenarios when diving.

Please contact us for further details and an opportunity to discuss this philosophy and whether we are right for your needs as well as a chance for us to assess your qualifications to enter the program.

Course Price

The price for this course is 42,000 yen which includes 2-3 confined water sessions. Open water dives are additional, please contact us for the costs. The Divemaster manual and slate crewpak is 10,500 yen. The Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving paperback version is 5,250 yen or Multimedia version which includes the Knowledge Workbook is 8,400 yen. The paper Knowledge Workbook is 3,150 yen.

We Need Good Divemasters!

After completing the course, many new Divemasters ask the question: where can a DM find full time work? It is difficult to find someone who will give you the truth about this situation. The straight answer is that it is rare for a resort type of dive center (in Thailand, Philippines, etc.) to hire a person who only has a DM rating. Turnover at these resort destinations is very high so they are continually looking for Instructors rather than DMs. There are a few positions that come up from time to time, and one of the benefits of becoming a PADI Divemaster is the access to their professional members site with postings of new job offers.

Here at Mar Scuba, we are always looking for a few good Divemasters to help us with courses and go on dive tours, as well as promoting our services. Are you the right person for the job? Do you love to dive? Do you mind working hard? Contact us for more information.

Questions?

The Divemaster program is a comprehensive course, and we only have the brief details summarized here, especially our philosophy and way of running the course. There are many other facets of the program which are better explained in person during a face to face consultation. Please call or e-mail to schedule an appointment if you are interested in going Pro and becoming a PADI Divemaster.

Updated: May, 2007