There are many places to complete a PADI divemaster internship all around the world, so how exactly do you choose where to go? Once you have narrowed down the continents – should you do cold water in Europe, tropical paradise in Caribbean, party and tourists in Australasia, isolation and relaxation in the Pacific or spices and warm water in Asia – then it’s a matter of looking into the different countries in your chosen region. Once you have picked the country – and let’s face it by now you have probably been researching for a while – then the joys of actually choosing what shop to do your internship with is the next challenge. After all a PADI divemaster course is not chump change and it is a molding moment of your life within the diving industry. Luckily most people I know who have done a divemaster course have loved it, though there have been a few who got duped and ended up leaving the industry for good. So what should you look out for and what questions should you ask?
I am sure it comes as no surprise to hear that the most important thought on most divemaster wannabes mind is ‘Is the diving amazing?’ Surprisingly to me this is one of the not so important aspects of where to choose to complete your divemaster. Don’t get me wrong you want to have good dives, after all this is why you are starting your career in diving; however there are many more important aspects of a divemaster course than just diving! For instance who will actually be teaching you? Do you want a fresh PADI OWSI (brand new instructor) teaching you how to become a divemaster? Or would you prefer someone who has been in the industry for a while and has actual hands on experience, such as a PADI MSDT or Staff Instructor? Where will you be living? Is there anything else to do on those down days when you are not diving? How many other divemaster trainees (DMTs) will there be on the course? Will you be just another number, or will you actually get that individual mentoring that so many places ‘offer’. Are there any hidden costs? A course price that looks too good to be true is normally too good to be true! Will you actually be doing the course or will you be used for free labor?
Let’s break it down a bit? The divemaster course is split up into 4 areas. Diving, studying, water skills development and practical application, all very important!
Diving – The quality of diving is not the be all and end all of a divemaster course; more important is the accessibility of diving. There 
are many places that will offer you unlimited diving but is it really unlimited? Students often think that they can go off diving whenever they like and wherever they like, this is mostly not the case and before you start waxing lyrical about being misled, what you have to understand is that most dive shops have a plan for you from the start. If you are on a 4 week course there is a lot of other stuff to get through, which means fun diving takes a back seat. Most places will get through the ‘required’ parts of the course first and then in the last week or so send you out as often as possible so you make up your dives. Other places will have a set amount of dives you can go on, the question here is does this include the assists or is it just fun diving? Also are you really fun diving? To me no, you should not just be fun diving! You are after all paying to learn about the diving industry so every dive should have a semblance of responsibility, whether that is actually looking after the divers, or simply making sure the tea and coffee is on the boat you should be learning that there are many different responsibilities for a PADI divemaster. You bring the fun!
Studying – There have been continual discussions within the diving community about the recent changes to the PADI divemaster course. PADI have essentially taken a lot of dive theory out of the actual course that you are taught through a dive shop. It is still possible and highly recommended to do the dive theory on line at your own convenience and of course added expense. Many places are happy that they no longer need to teach the theory of diving to their divemaster trainees because let’s face it, it isn’t that easy and involves a lot of classroom time and studying on the part of the student and in some cases the instructor!! So in reality, if you have paid attention during your preliminary courses there is a chance that you will be able to go from PADI open water diver to PADI divemaster without ever hearing the name Archimedes or Boyle, or truly understanding halftimes or what a subcutaneous emphysema is! Is this good or bad? That really depends on the individual and the dive shop. Some dive shops still offer the old theory portions of the PADI divemaster course and at no extra charge. They feel it is worth it to the student, and the knowledge is required for the PADI OWSI (open water instructor course) anyway. This is something that I agree with. If you want to learn as much as possible about diving then who better to learn from than your mentor!
Water Skills Development – This is a huge part of the new PADI divemaster course and a section that is highly important and often overlooked. Many places think this is just another area that you can jump in demonstrate some skills once and hey presto finished that section!! However if you read into it properly you will realize just how important this section really is. After all if you want to become a working professional divemaster you will need to know exactly how to demonstrate those 25 skills, and understand what the instructor you are assisting is doing! Having access to an area where you can go and practice skills whenever you want is a huge advantage, and those shops that gloss over this section and state it is just a formality…well I will let you reach your own conclusion. This section also covers rescue skills from your PADI rescue diver course and stamina skills. These are both areas that PADI divemasters should be proficient in; after all you will be the first person people to turn to in the unlikely event of an emergency!
Practical Application – Being given the opportunity to actually assist with a real student is great. This will give you an insight into how tough being an instructor can be, and at the same time how fulfilling. The more opportunity you have to assist the better, because each course is dramatically different from PADI open water to advanced open water to discover scuba dives and the whole range of PADI specialty courses. Also having the chance to assist on as many different courses as possible is hugely beneficial especially to those thinking of becoming a PADI instructor themselves. Courses are not the only things you need to assist on; helping out with actively working divemasters is a major learning curve. I have always said the job of a divemaster is a lot harder than that of an instructor for many reasons, the main being you never really know what your fun divers are going to be like. A PADI advanced diver can walk in with a log book showing you he has 100 logged dives and yet the first dive you take him on he is a nightmare! Bad buoyancy, never staying with his buddy, bad air consumption yet he thinks he rocks! As an instructor you tend to have smaller groups and know exactly what they will be like as you have most of the time taught them from scratch!
So to sum up, research and ask questions – the more the better! There are so many different shops and different ways to teach a PADI Divemaster course. It really is a matter of what suits your personal needs the best, and do not be afraid to ask for exactly what you want – after all it is your course and your money!
