Professional Scuba Diving

Dive Master Course

Do you have a deep and abiding passion for diving? Or, do you merely love it with all of your heart? If so, you should consider doing what you love for a living: become a PADI Divemaster.

When you Join the Tribe by becoming a PADI Divemaster, you align yourself with the largest and most respected dive tribe in the world—that of PADI Professionals. These are PADI Divemasters and Instructors sharing a passion for diving and an active concern for the health of the world’s underwater habitats.

Working closely with a PADI Instructor, in this program, you expand your dive knowledge and hone your skills to the professional level. PADI Divemaster training develops your leadership abilities, qualifying you to supervise dive activities and assist instructors with student divers. PADI Divemaster is the prerequisite certification for both the PADI Assistant Instructor and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certifications.

 What You Learn

During the PADI Divemaster program, you learn dive leadership skills through both classroom and independent study. You complete water skills and stamina exercises, as well as training exercises that stretch your ability to organize and solve problems as well as help others improve their scuba. You put this knowledge into action through a structured internship or series of practical training exercises.

As you progress through your Divemaster course, you’ll expand your diving knowledge, hone you skills and increase your confidence. Then, as a PADI Divemaster, you’ll use these attributes to lead, mentor and motivate other divers and experience the joy of seeing them transformed by the majesty of the  acquit realm.

What You Can Teach

After becoming certified as a PADI Divemaster you will be authorized to:

  • Supervise both training and non-training-related activities by planning, organizing and directing dives

  • Assist a PADI Instructor during the training sessions for any PADI Diver course

  • Conduct the PADI Skin Diver course and PADI Discover Snorkeling program

  • Conduct the PADI Discover Local Diving experience

  • Conduct the PADI Scuba Review program

  • If qualified as a Discover Scuba Diving Leader, independently conduct the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program.

  • Earn the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty Instructor rating to be able to teach the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer specialty.

  • Independently guide Open Water Diver course students on the tour portion of Open Water Diver course Training Dives 2, 3 and 4 at a ratio of two student divers per certified divemaster.

  • Accompany Open Water Diver students under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor during:

    • surface swims to and from the entry/exit point and during navigational exercises

    • when the instructor conducts a skill, such as an ascent or descent, a Divemaster can remain with other student divers (with an individual student or buddy team)

  • Accompany student divers during Adventure Dives or Specialty training dives under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor.

  • Conduct the PADI Seal Team Skin Diver Specialist AquaMission

  • Conduct subsequent dives under an instructor’s indirect supervision for Discover Scuba Diving participants after participants have satisfactorily completed the first dive with a PADI Instructor.

  • Teach Emergency First Response courses after successfully completing an Emergency First Response Instructor course.

At a glance, compare what you can teach when you continue your professional diver education.

 Prerequisites

To take this course, you must be:

  • 18 years old

  • A PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization)

  • A PADI Rescue Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization)

  • An Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (or qualifying first aid and CPR training from another organization) course completion within the past 24 months.

  • Have at least 40 dives to begin the course and 60 for certification

  • Be fit for diving and submit a Medical Statement (PDF) signed by a physician within the last 12 months.

 

Instructor Course

Are you looking for something extraordinary? To do something others can only dream of? To help people transform their lives? To open doors you didn’t even know existed? All of this, and more, awaits you as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.

 The Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) program is one of two distinct components of PADI’s Instructor Development Course (IDC)—the core of PADI Instructor training. The first portion is the Assistant Instructor course followed by the Open Water Scuba Instructor program.

The OWSI program is a minimum of four days. It introduces you to the entire PADI System of diver education and concentrates on further developing your abilities as a professional dive educator.

The challenging part of this course is your personal commitment to the training. The course requires you to complete all the self-study Knowledge Reviews before the course begins and to prepare daily assignments for teaching presentations daily. Organization and dedication are key.

You may be able to earn college credit for the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor course. 

What You Learn

During the course you’ll learn how to apply the PADI System of Education by presenting at least

  • Two confined water teaching presentations

  • Two knowledge development presentations

  • One open water teaching presentations integrating two skills

You will also attend and participate in the following 14 curriculum presentations:

  • Course Orientation

  • Dive Industry Overview

  • General Standards and Procedures

  • The Role of Media and Prescriptive Teaching

  • Legal Responsibility and Risk Management

  • PADI Scuba Diver and Open Water Diver Course

  • Adaptive Teaching

  • The PADI Continuing Education Philosophy

  • Business Principles for the Dive Instructor

  • Adventures in Diving Program

  • Specialty Diver Courses and Master Scuba Diver Program

  • Rescue Diver Course

  • Divemaster Course

  • Diver Retention Programs

  • How to Teach the RDP (Instructors from recreational diver training organizations other than PADI must complete.)

You will demonstrate competence at:

  • performing all 24 dive skills listed on the Skill Evaluation.

  • performing a facedown, nonstop swim for 800 metres/yards using a mask, snorkel and fins.

During the course you’ll need to demonstrate competency in Dive theory by passing a five-part theory exam scoring 75% on each part.

 What You Can Teach

After becoming an Open Water Scuba Instructor, you will be able to conduct the entire range of PADI programs from Discover Scuba Diving up to Divemaster. You may also choose to acquire specialty instructor ratings in areas of interest, such as Digital Underwater Photographer or Enriched Air Diver.

 At a glance, compare what you can teach when you continue your professional diver education.

 Prerequisites

To qualify for training as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, you must:

  • Be certified as a PADI Divemaster or a PADI Assistant Instructor or be an instructor in good standing with another training organization for at least six months (check with a PADI Course Director or Contact Us for qualifying credentials.)

  • Be certified as an Emergency First Response Instructor

  • Be at least 18 years old

  • Be certified as a diver for at least six months

  • Have 60 logged dives that include experience in night, deep and navigation diving to participate in the Instructor Development Course. You’ll need 100 logged dives to take the Instructor Exams

  • Have proof of CPR and First Aid training within the last 24 months. The Emergency First Response course meets this requirement

  • Be fit for diving and submit a Medical Statement (PDF) signed by a physician within the last 12 months