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Three ways to earn your PADI Divemaster with GVI

Article by Petrina Darrah

Petrina Darrah

Posted: July 27, 2022

Explore underwater worlds and sea-based careers with one of GVI’s Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Divemaster internships.

Dive into a marine career by becoming a certified PADI Divemaster. Getting this qualification – while completing an internship in marine conservation in some of the most sought-after dive locations in the world – could be the first step towards a career exploring and protecting the deep blue.

 

What is a PADI Divemaster certification?

 

The PADI Divemaster qualification is designed to equip you with the skills you’ll need to teach other aspiring divers – it’s the first level of professional dive training. As well as getting you trained up in more advanced dive knowledge, the course will guide you through supervision, leadership and rescue skills. Once you’re a qualified PADI Divemaster, you’ll be able to mentor and share your passion with others.

In order to qualify for a PADI Divemaster course you need to be a certified PADI Rescue Diver or equivalent, be at least 18 years old and have logged a minimum of 40 dives. To complete the Divemaster certification, you’ll need to log at least 60 dives.

 

 

We’ll make sure you receive all the training you need to reach PADI Divemaster level, including the opportunity to achieve any prerequisite diving course qualifications such as the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and PADI Rescue Diver certifications.

 

Why choose a PADI Divemaster certification course?

 

A PADI Divemaster course can prepare you for a number of underwater careers, or simply help you become a more skilled diver and get the most out of your time in scuba gear. You’ll also be able to spend more time underwater, as PADI Divemasters can assist with diver training and supervise dives.

This certification will also help you find scuba diving jobs in countries around the world, as PADI is the most widely recognised and respected dive organisation around. You could work and be paid to dive in some of the world’s most biodiverse diving locations. 

 

A shallow dive

 

Taking your PADI Divemaster course as part of an internship in the Seychelles, Thailand, Fiji or Mexico is a great way to get a taste of day-to-day life in the diving industry, as well as gain insight into related careers in marine conservation.

As a PADI Divemaster trainee with GVI, you’ll have the chance to participate in marine conservation while you study towards your certification. This means that as you become a professional diver, you can also explore your passion for protecting the saltwater ecosystems where you dive, and earn a PADI certification exclusive to GVI – the PADI Coral Reef Research Diver Distinctive Speciality. 

And, on a PADI Divemaster course with GVI, you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing you’re making a positive impact in the ocean and adding to your employability as a diver.

 

PADI Divemaster courses with GVI

 

Take your pick of some of the world’s most sought-after diving locations; GVI offers PADI Divemaster internships in four different countries across four different continents. 

You can choose to earn your certification on an island in the Seychelles, in the warm Caribbean waters off the coast of Mexico, in a sea studded with limestone pillars in Thailand, or in a lush Fijian archipelago.

All these courses follow a similar structure that includes:

  • 12 weeks of studying marine environments and dive skills
  • 12 weeks of a work placement with GVI or a local partner organisation.

Take the first fin-clad step in your diving career with one of these three ways to earn your PADI Divemaster certification.

 

1) Take part in marine conservation as you earn your PADI Divemaster certification

 

 

Our Indian Ocean Marine Conservation and PADI Divemaster internship starts off in Seychelles. This program brings together remote island adventures with critical marine research and allows you to travel from Africa to Asia.

Scuba diving in the Seychelles is an opportunity for nature lovers to grow both personally and professionally. The internship is carefully designed to maximise your dive centre and Divemaster experience. You’ll also learn how to live in basic conditions and minimise your impact on the environment.

This project is at the forefront of data collection efforts in Seychelles, feeding into important decisions on reef management. As part of earning your PADI Divemaster certification, you’ll learn about marine conservation and take part in day-to-day operations at a conservation centre.

After skilling up in the waters along the Seychelles coastline, you’ll get to dive into the sea in Thailand too and gain valuable work experience. Travelling from Seychelles to Thailand’s Phang Nga province offers interns the chance to clock up tons of practice dives in two different ocean settings and broaden their understanding of the global ocean environment. 

In both of these locations, you’ll be keeping a close eye on the health of coral reefs while lending a hand with beach clean ups and educational awareness projects in the local community. 

 

2) Become a PADI Divemaster as you help protect the underwater environment in Fiji

 

Diving in Fiji

 

GVI’s PADI Divemaster internship in Fiji combines comprehensive dive training with in-depth education on tropical coral reefs and fish species. 

You’ll be diving in the glassy waters around the Lomaiviti island group – a string of 20 volcanic islands ringed with white sand. Whether in or out of the ocean, you’ll be surrounded by natural beauty.

Over the course of 12 weeks, you’ll gain intimate knowledge about Fiji scuba diving and marine ecosystems. You’ll then have the chance to put your diving skills to good use as you assist in gathering and compiling marine research.

Once you’ve completed this part of the dive instructor internship, you’ll move on to a 12-week work placement. Working at a local dive centre, you’ll learn more about daily operations and guide other divers through the underwater world.

And, you’ll learn more than just diving techniques. The soft skills you’ll gain from the course – such as leadership and presenting yourself as a role model – are easily transferable to any career path. Whether you stick with diving or choose an entirely different profession, this internship will set you up for success.

 

3) Learn about the marine ecosystem in the Yucatán peninsula as you earn your PADI Divemaster

 

Diving with turtles

 

The PADI Divemaster internship in Mexico brings diving and marine studies together with enviable diving opportunities – Mesoamerican Barrier Reef anyone?? – and the chance to form lifelong friendships with others on the program.

This 24–48 week dive internship will give you all the experience you need to become a PADI pro diver. You’ll visit research dive sites and carry out underwater surveys.

And, you can enjoy the colourful coral reefs all the more knowing you’re playing an active role in monitoring and managing the health of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Participants have assisted in building a significant database on the reefs in the area. 

The project is also a valuable opportunity to gain a more in depth understanding of the importance of coral reefs and their conservation, as well as the wider coastal area in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve.

After you complete your internship, GVI will assist you in finding a work placement at a dive centre or conservation organisation along Mexico’s Caribbean coastline. 

This means that your adventure diving in Mexico could last for long after your internship ends, since placements may be extended depending on how well you take to the work and the organisation’s capacity to keep you on.

Ready to plunge yourself into a PADI Divemaster internship? Get in touch for more information or check out GVI’s other marine-related internships and volunteer programs.

By Petrina Darrah

Petrina Darrah is a freelance writer from New Zealand with a passion for outdoor adventure and sustainable travel. She has been writing about travel for more than five years and her work has appeared in print and digital publications including National Geographic Travel, Conde Nast Travel, Business Insider, Atlas Obscura and more. You can see more of her work at petrinadarrah.com.
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