Divemaster

Requirements:

• PADI Rescue Diver certification (or qualifying certification); completion of Emergency First Response® Primary and Secondary Care training (or qualifying training) within 24 months.

Description:

Divemaster is where diving moves from hobby into work. It's a professional rating with longer hours, higher standards, and a different kind of training than the recreational ladder up to Rescue Diver. Most candidates spend weeks to months on it rather than days — partly because of the content, partly because much of the course is logged dive experience and in-water practice rather than classroom time.

You'll work on your own diving until it meets a demonstration standard, take dive theory further than you have before, and learn the practical side of the job: leading groups, managing a dive site, supporting students, and keeping the day running. Recreational Divemaster depth is 30 metres, extending to 40 metres with the Deep Diver specialty. Trim, navigation, gas management, and how to respond when something goes off are all part of the work.

Entry requirements are stricter than for recreational courses. You'll need to be 18 or older, hold a PADI Rescue Diver certification, have a current Emergency First Response certificate (within the last 24 months), and have at least 40 logged dives before you start. Sixty dives are required to certify. A medical sign-off from a physician within the past 12 months is also required. It's a substantial commitment of time and money, and it tends to suit people who already know they want diving to be a serious part of their life.