How to become a PADI Divemaster

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How to become a PADI Divemaster

The first stage in PADI’s professional scuba diving program, a Divemaster qualification could help to fulfil your dreams of spending your summer at a scuba-centre in Malaysia, leading dives in a Caribbean resort, or finding a position on a Red Sea liveaboard. But what exactly does the training involve, and where could it take you?

The Training
As with all PADI training, the Divemaster qualification involves both practical and theoretical elements. After studying the Divemaster manual, trainees are tested in a series of eight Divemaster exams, on the following topics:
Physics.
Physiology and First Aid.
Equipment.
Decompression Theory and the RDP (Recreation Dive Planner)
Dive Skills and the Environment.
Supervising Activities for Certified Divers.
Supervising Student Divers in Training.
PADI Divemaster Conducted Programs.

In addition, trainees are required to design an Emergency Assistance Plan, which sets out the procedures for evacuation and assistance in the event of a diving accident or emergency.

Logging at least 60 dives by the end of the training, Divemasters must have experience in a diversity of different dives types, including night diving, deep diving and underwater navigation, as well as passing skills, stamina and rescue training.

Rescue abilities are assessed during a pass or fail emergency simulation, similar to that experienced during Rescue Diver training.

Stamina and water skills are assessed using a point system, and include:
A 400 metre surface swim
Treading water for 15 minutes
Swimming 800 yards wearing a mask, snorkel and fins
Towing an inert diver at the surface for 100 metres

Skill demonstration is also assessed using a point system, and will cover PADI’s 18 basic scuba skills, in a series of training exercises, which may include:

A mapping Project
Dive Skill circuit
Equipment Exchange

The role
As a qualified Divemaster, you’ll be able to work alongside certified dive outfits around the world, and could find yourself working from exciting and diverse locations, such as Red Sea live aboards, Maldivian dive resorts and private yachts. Divemasters are often unpaid but instead benefit from free diving, discounted kit, tips from clients and the experience to take the next step towards assistant instructor.

Within your role as a Divemaster, you’ll be able to assist instructors and take responsibility for certified divers, but you won’t have the authority to train and assess. Instead, you could be carrying out a whole spectrum of responsibilities, such as:

Conducting and leading recreational dives
Planning and organising dives
Assisting instructors with training programs
Performing day-to-day duties at the dive shop, such as filling tanks and checking equipment
Supervising any non-training dive activity

Tags: Red Sea Liveaboards, Red Sea Live Aboards, Maldives Liveaboards, Maldives Live Aboards, Red Sea Diving, Maldives Diving, Egypt Diving, Egypt Dive