PADI Divemaster Course

Looking for the first step in working with scuba as a career? Your adventure into the professional levels of recreational scuba diving begins with the PADI Divemaster program. 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.

Get started now with Divemaster Online!

 

 

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.

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.

The Scuba Gear You Use

• You use all the basic scuba equipment and some scuba accessories such as a dive slate, dive knife, compass, dive watch, etc.
• It is highly recommended that you own all of your own scuba equipment, as familiarity with personal gear improves general scuba diving skills. You can find most everything at your local dive shop 

The Learning Materials You Need

The PADI Divemaster crewpak includes everything you’ll need to start the PADI Divemaster program. The complete set of materials includes:

• The Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving – a comprehensive overview of diving physics, physiology, and equipment.
• Divemaster slates
• PADI Divemaster Manual
• CD-ROM with instructor outlines for Divemaster-conducted programs (exclusive item not available for purchase separately)

You also have the option to take Divemaster Online and purchase the Divemaster eLearning Crew-Pak.

To purchase Crew-Paks, contact your local PADI Five Star IDC Dive Shop or Resort.  For Divemaster Online, you can sign up today.

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.

Other Courses That Will Prepare You for Success as a PADI Divemaster

Here are some suggestions for other PADI courses that will help make you more successful as a PADI Divemaster:

• Search and Recovery (Highly recommended)
• Deep Diver (Highly recommended)
• Boat Diver 
• Coral Reef Conservation 
• Digital Underwater Photographer 
• Emergency First Response Instructor 
• Emergency Oxygen Provider 
• Enriched Air Diver (You can even sign up for the PADI Enriched Air Course Online!) 
• Equipment Specialist 
• Night Diver 
• Peak Performance Buoyancy 
• Underwater Naturalist 
• Underwater Navigation 

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.

View the Instructor Development Calendar 

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 Fun Part

It’s about life transformations—both yours and those around you.

The fun part of instructor training is interacting with course participants while creating friendships that continue long after the course concludes.

You’ll begin networking with other professionals and begin to explore PADI Pro Diving Jobs worldwide. You’ll also have the opportunity to continue your professional education by participating in specialty instructor courses, which train you to teach specialties after instructor certification.

Get College Credit

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

The Challenging Part

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.

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 20 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.

The Scuba Gear You Use

You will need to equip yourself with all the basic scuba gear as well as two scuba signaling devices —one audible and one visual.

Check with your local dive shop to purchase equipment needed for the course.

The Learning Materials You Need

The PADI Instructor Development Course crewpak includes all the materials needed to prepare for the Instructor Development Course. The 23-item pack includes:

• Instructor cue cards for PADI’s core courses (Open Water and Advanced, Rescue and Divemaster)
• Instructor Development Course Candidate Workbook and related reference materials,
• Lesson planning slates for confined and open water
• Quiz and exam booklets for the core courses
• Specialty outlines for Project AWARE
• PADI Instructor Manual

To purchase this product, contact your local PADI Five Star Instructor Development Course Dive Shop or Resort. 

Next Steps

View the Instructor Examination (IE) Calendar

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

If you are looking for information on where to go pro, please contact your PADI Instructor Development Center or Career Development Center and sign-up today!

Your Next Adventure:

You’ll want to continue your professional training by completing courses that allow you to teach beyond the core courses. For example, Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor, and specialty instructor courses complement your Open Water Scuba Instructor rating and add to your professional portfolio.