Beginner to PADI Divemaster Internship | 2 Months | From 81,000 baht

PADI Divemaster Internship: Overview

Whether pursuing scuba diving as a career or just looking for an exciting gap year adventure, working as a PADI Divemaster is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding jobs available in diving.

Even better, becoming a PADI Divemaster gives you a ticket to travel, allowing you to live and work in the world’s most exotic locations.

In our PADI Divemaster internship package you work through PADI courses in sequence, from beginner right through to Divemaster - the first professional level in the PADI system.

Our experienced western instructors here on Koh Tao will make sure you are comfortable and competent throughout the Divemaster internship, so you'll be sure to have a fantastic time and learn lots. You'll log anywhere from 100-150 dives and will get real hands on experience of how a professional dive operation runs.

As you progress through the PADI Divemaster internship you’ll train to become an expert level diver, exploring Koh Tao’s amazing aquatic realm of tropical coral reefs, diverse marine life, sunken ship wrecks and isolated deep sea pinnacles. You’ll gain lots of skills and experience, and can expect to meet people from all over the world, making lots of new friends and having a great time along the way.

By the time you graduate as a PADI Divemaster, you’ll be a valued member of our diving crew, taking on real responsibility and dealing with real customers.

Structure of the Koh Tao Divemaster Internship

Our Koh Tao PADI Divemaster internship sequentially follows PADI’s dive courses step by step from beginner through to PADI Divemaster.

Between each course you can make unlimited 'fun dives' increasing your diving experience and further perfecting the scuba skills you've learned, such as underwater navigation and buoyancy control.

What is Included in the Koh Tao Diving Internship?

The scuba diving internship package includes absolutely everything you need to become a competent dive professional, with no ‘hidden extras’.

• Transfer from Bangkok to Koh Tao
• PADI open Water Course
• Advanced Open Water Course
• Emergency First Response Course
• Rescue Diver
• Divemaster course
• Optional 2 week working internship
• PADI Oxygen Provider Specialty course
• PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty Course
• All PADI Materials Including PADI Divemaster Crew Pak
• All diver level certification and registration fees
• Tec Dive Introduction
• Underwater Videography Introduction
• Eco Awarenesss Workshop
• Set of professional diving equipment to keep (if you choose this option).
• All diver-level course materials and certification fees
• 2 months accommodation on tropical Koh Tao (optional)
• Unlimited dives for the – expect to log up to 150 dives!
  

Let's take a detailed look at each:

PADI Courses

The Koh Tao PADI Divemaster internship follows PADI’s diving education system – we work through the courses as follows: [If you’re already a certified diver we can give you credit for the courses you’ve already completed – contact us for details]

Step 1: PADI Open Water Course

Learn how to scuba dive safely, to a maximum depth of 18M [60 feet]. This is completed over 4 days and incorporates classroom sessions, shallow water training and open water dives on Koh Tao's fantastic dive sites. To qualify for the course, you must first fill in the Medical Statement to ensure that you're relatively fit for diving.

Step 2: PADI Advanced Open Water Course

Build on your diving skills and knowledge, diving all the way down to 30M [100 ft] and accessing new areas of diving such as underwater navigation, night diving, fish ID and more.

Step 3: Emergency First Responder & PADI Rescue Diver

Up till now you’ve been focusing on your own scuba diving skills – now it’s time to think about everyone else. Learn how to prevent accidents before they happen, manage emergencies and execute effective rescues.

Step 4: PADI Oxygen Provider Course

The PADI Oxygen Provider course is done over a single day and introduces you to advanced first aid for dive emrgencies. You'll learn about a varety of oxygen administration procedures and equipment configurations. In many places in the world, an oxygen provider course is required in order to gain employment in the dive industry.

Step 5: PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Course

The PADI EANx course is one of the most popular diver specialties in the industry! Diving with Nitrox is a great way to decrease your risk of decompression sickness and extend the bottom time on your dives. Nitrox training serves as the gateway to technical level dive training and is also a great way to increase your bottom time on recreational SCUBA dives. You'll learn the theory behind diving with increased levels of oxygen, how to plan dives with enriched air and how to analyze scuba tanks with Nitrox.

Step 6: Introductory Experiences

In order to further your knowledge, we include a number of experience programs. We include a free seminar on Eco awareness and encourage you to participate in our voluntary underwater and beach clean-ups. You'll also have an opportunity to particiapte on our reef-checks, artificial reef building and monitoring projects.

We will also conduct monthly workshops which will introduce you to the art of Underwater Videography and Technical Diving. In each case you'll be able to jump in the water and try out some new equipment to see if it's something you'd like to pursue!

Step 7: PADI Divemaster Internship

The first professional level in diving, the PADI Divemaster course is where your diving internship steps up a gear - you'll be assuming leadership responsibilities for diving activities.

Expect to be guiding certified divers on underwater tours, assisting with student divers in training, organizing dive boat logistics and giving guidance to less experienced divers. At the end of this course you can do an optional 2 week internship where you will be working as a full time staff member of our dive center. This is a great way to further your understanding of all aspects of dive shop operation!

Scuba Diving Equipment - PADI Divemaster gear package

As part of our scuba diving internships Thailand package you’ll receive your own full set of professional scuba diving equipment, to keep:

• Mask & snorkel
• Open heel fins & wetsuit booties
• Balanced Regulator set
• Buoyancy control device (BCD)
• Dive knife
• Shorty wetsuit
• Dive computer
• Underwater slate
• Pocket mask
• Underwater compass
• Whistle
• Dive bag

Check out this free lesson from Thailand Gap Internships Koh Tao on how a set of scuba gear works

PADI Course Materials & Certification Fees

The PADI Divemaster internship includes your own copies of the PADI manuals for each of the courses you’ll be undertaking, plus all diver level certification fees. There are no hidden extras.

Specifically, you’ll get the PADI Open Water manual, PADI Adventures in Diving manual, EFR manual, PADI Rescue Diver Manual, PADI Divemaster Manual, Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving, Diving Knowledge Workbook, Recreational Dive Planner [table version] and electronic Recreational Dive Planner – absolutely everything you need!

Accommodation for your 2 Month Scuba Diving Internship

For the full duration of your 2 month scuba diving internship we can provide you with clean, comfortable accommodation close to the dive shop. This will be your own bungalow with 24 hour electricity, electric fan, double bed (or two twins if you want to save money and come with a friend) and western bathroom with shower. This is an optional add-on.

All the other people staying at the accommodation are either dive professionals [Instructors or PADI Divemasters working on Koh Tao], or are scuba diving interns in the same position as yourself. The accommodation we use is both secure and social.

What's involved in a typical day of the PADI Divemaster Internship on Koh Tao?

PADI Diving courses involve three areas of training – knowledge development, learning new skills, and mastering them in the ocean. We arrange the internship so that we’ll be continually working through each, keeping you on target to graduate as a PADI Divemaster and getting you out diving as much as possible.

Each day our dive boats offer two morning dives and two afternoon dives, with night dives being run several times a week.

Although it’s possible to make 4 or 5 dives a day, we advise that you stick to two- three, otherwise you’ll end up becoming very tired and start having to shorten your dives in accordance with safe diving practices [which you’ll learn about during the PADI Open Water course].

When you’re not in the water, we’ll be running through the theory side of each course, teaching you about important diving principles and giving you the depth of knowledge you need to be an excellent dive professional.

Evening time, you can enjoy Thailand’s fantastic cuisine with a few cold beers in one of Koh Tao’s laid back beach bars and restaurants.

The dive internship structure is flexible – you can take a day off whenever you want. All we ask is that you give us some notice, rather than simply not turning up for scheduled activities.

What will the PADI Divemaster qualification allow me to do?

A PADI Divemaster can guide certified divers on underwater tours, conduct scuba reviews for divers who have been out of action for an extended period, and assist in the training of new divers.

In Thailand, most Divemasters earn money by organizing dive boat logistics [equipment, briefing divers etc] and guiding certified divers.

Koh Tao is a very busy dive destination so there are many opportunities available – you just need to apply yourself. You won't become a millionaire by working as a PADI Divemaster on Koh Tao, but can cover your living expenses whilst enjoying a fantastic lifestyle.

In addition, because PADI is the biggest diver training agency worldwide, your qualification as a PADI Divemaster allows you to travel and work in some of the world’s most beautiful locations - the perfect way to spend your gap year.