About the Course

Learn how to lead underwater tours, assist with scuba classes and inspire others to care about the ocean. Hone your skills and be the diver everyone admires.

PADI Divemaster is the most popular and most recognized professional scuba certification in the world. PADI Dive Masters enjoy abundant career opportunities, get paid to scuba dive and share their love for the ocean.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Whats Covered in the $3,000 course cost?

A. With us almost everything, consider all this below.

• Dive Master PADI ELearning
• Dive Theory ELearning
• 4 Independent workshops
• up to 30 Instructional Boat Dives
• You will work with actual students on Open Water, Advanced and Rescue courses
• Under direct supervision you will work with actual customers on General Boat Trips
• Learn how dives shops work, from bookings through to service delivery.
• Work alongside full time Dive Masters to learn all the tricks.
• Learn the importance of safety and how to manage divers in the field.

Being a Dive Master is a career of passion that can take you anywhere in the world. It is important to take your first steps with a reputable and experienced store that can ensure that you have the skills, knowledge and competency for the future.

What does a Full Time Dive Master Make?

A. Lets be honest, although it is a job of passion, it still is a job and you should be paid for the excellent work that you do.

• In Australia, under the award, a full time Dive Master earns a minimum of just under $52,000 (+ Super) per annum salary. Pay rates go up from this depending on your specialist skills and experience.
• Casual Dive Masters should make a minimum of $31.00 per hour from set up to clean up (usually a 4 to 5 hour boat trip is a 7-hour workday).
• There are a number of other benefits that are built in such as Flex-Time, Leave Loading and sick / compassionate days.

Of course, the biggest benefit is going to work, and doing what you love as a career. It is because of that fact that any Full Time position in the Dive Industry is very competitive to gain, and full time workers tend to stay in their roles.

Q. How long does it take to become a DIVEMASTER?

A. If you’re at least 18 years old and have completed Rescue, and the other requirements, it’s possible to become a PADI Divemaster in two very intense weeks.

Quite frankly though, the only reason you would become a Dive Master is to work in the industry, and a candidate who has completed an internship rather than the 2 week basic program is far more employable.

Thats why we train our Dive Master Candidates as an internship where you will work with our team and customers during your training period. While this is takes longer, you will finish employment ready and with more demonstratable skills.

Even if you are just looking at Dive Master as a stepping stone to becoming an Instructor, the skills you learn in an internship are essential for fulfilling your role.

Most divemaster candidates within an internship complete their training in between three to six months. However you will have 12 months from your booking date to complete the course.

Q. What are the PADI Divemaster swim test requirements?

A. There are three swimming assessments and one treading water exercise. Accommodations can be made for candidates with physical impairments.

• Swim 400 metres nonstop without swimming aids. Use any stroke or combination of strokes.
• Swim 800 metres face down – nonstop – using mask, snorkel and fins only. Use of arms or flotation aids is not permitted unless the candidate has a physical impairment.
• Tow or push a diver for 100 metres nonstop, at the surface, without assistance. Both divers wear full scuba equipment.
• Tread water, drown-proof, bob or float using no aids and wearing only a swimsuit for 15 minutes. Hold hands (not arms) out of the water for the last two minutes.

All told, you need to be able to swim 1300 meters in these various tests. All of these tests are timed, and you receive a score based on how quickly you complete them. This score is added to other tests to determine your competency.

Q. How many dives are required to become a divemaster?

A. To become a certified Dive Master you need at least 60 logged dives. Only 40 dives are required to begin divemaster training. The number of dives you’ll make during the course varies.

With our internship, a minimum of 30 instructional boat dives ($5,400 in value on its own), is expected in order for you to complete the program and learn the roles and functions. If you need more dives in order to gain the skills then this is not a problem, our aim is to make you fully competent not just push you through a 2 week course

Q. What are Dive Masters allowed to do?

A. PADI Dive Master can:

• Assist certified PADI Instructors with training and non-training diving activities
• Guide certified scuba divers on fun dives
• Lead Discover Local Diving programs
• Assist with Discover Scuba Diving® programs
• Conduct the PADI ReActivate® scuba refresher program
• Teach Discover Snorkeling and PADI Advanced Snorkeler courses
• Organize and lead conservation activities

It’s not all in the water though, most full time Dive Masters have additional training. This can include retail work in the Dive Shop, or work as equipment repair techs, deck hands, become boat captains and more.

Q. Are Dive Masters Instructors, can they teach?

A. Upon certification, PADI Dive Masters can:

• Conduct the PADI ReActivate® scuba refresher program
• Teach Discover Snorkeling and PADI Advanced Snorkeler courses

With additional training, PADI Divemasters may also become qualified to teach:

• The AWARE Specialist and Coral Reef Conservation conservation courses
• Emergency First Response® first aid and CPR courses
• Emergency Oxygen Provider
• Equipment Specialist
• Emergency Oxygen Provider
• Digital Underwater Photography
• PADI Freediver™ courses
• PADI Mermaid™ courses
• PADI Distinctive Specialty courses without dives

Learn more about what you can do with a PADI Divemaster certification.

Q. What’s the difference between a PADI Divemaster and a PADI Instructor?

A. Divemasters are primarily dive leaders. They plan dives, help with logistics, take certified divers on underwater tours and assist PADI Instructors. If you want to help divers and be a role model to students, but not teach independently, PADI Divemaster may be all the professional training you need.

All Dive Instructors are primarily Dive Masters who have gone on and learnt how to teach. The Instructor course (IDC) is not focused on learning the industry or making you a better diver, it purely focuses on Teaching. Your Dive Master Course, is the course that focuses on teaching you the skills, knowledge and competencies to work in the industry.

If you want to become a scuba instructor and teach people to dive, completing the Dive Master course is a prerequisite. After completing Dive Master, you’ll enrol in the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC). After passing the PADI Instructor Exam, you’ll be able to teach all PADI core courses from Open Water Diver up to Divemaster.

Q. What’s the difference between Dive Master and Master Scuba Diver?

A. The PADI Master Scuba Diver™ rating is a recreational diving achievement that denotes outstanding levels of training and experience.

Only 2% of divers become PADI Master Scuba Divers, but Master Scuba Divers are not dive professionals. A Master Scuba Diver rating alone does not qualify someone to work in the diving industry.

Dive Master is the first step on the professional ladder and a prerequisite to becoming a scuba instructor.

Q. What is Junior Divemaster?

A. Divers who are 15 or older, have 20 logged dives, a PADI Rescue Diver certification and medical clearance may enrol in the PADI Junior Divemaster program.

Junior Divemaster is a sub-set of the PADI Divemaster course. Junior Divemaster candidates can complete a significant portion of the divemaster course including the mapping project, search and recovery scenario and dive theory prior to turning 18.

They cannot however lead dives or work as an in-water Dive Master until they turn 18. However, they can work in retail or (from 16) undertake work as a Deck Hand or assist other Dive Masters.

Feel free to talk to us, if your child has a passion for the ocean and is looking at a career in the Dive Industry.