PADI Divemaster Course

Although PADI revised the Divemaster curriculum in 2011 and introduced new components to their standardised course, at Utila Dive Centre we regularly update and are constantly evolving our Divemaster course to be one of the most cutting edge and dynamic programs worldwide. Even in 2013 at our Premier PADI Career Development Centre there are still additional workshops and benefits to taking the Divemaster course with Utila Dive Centre, such as our specialty programs, Project Aware Coral reef surveying program, or Discover Tec workshops. WE INCLUDE UNLIMITED DIVING with our program, since you need to have 40 logged dives to start the Divemaster course. So, depending on how many dives you are short, we will schedule a pre-week to the Divemaster program where you start getting involved in coral reef surveying, log dives and improve essential dive skills such as your buoyancy control and air consumption. The pre-week will take you up to the required 40 dives - which many dive centers cannot include due to limited resources! We would recommend an early reservation as we do have limited spaces/materials and small group sizes.

The PADI Divemaster courses consists of 3 separate modules and can be scheduled over 2-4 weeks;

Knowledge development (which can take place with e-learning ahead of the course start date) 9 academic topics including dive theory topics, and Instructor led class sessions.

1. Watermanship - stamina exercises, Rescue evaluation, problem solving and skills development.
2. Practical training;
3. 5 practical skill sessions (dive site management, map making, briefing a dive, Search & Recovery dive and a Deep dive).
4. 5 practical workshop sessions (Scuba review, skin diver/snorkeler, Discover Scuba Diving in Confined Water, Discover Scuba Diving in Open Water and Discover Local Diving with SMB deployment).
5. 4 practical assessments (Open Water students in confined water, Open Water students in open water, Continuing education students in open water, Certified divers in open water).

During knowledge development you’ll learn about supervising both students and certified divers as well as about additional topics from risk management, programs Divemasters can conduct, specialized diving activities, business of diving, and advancing your career. You'll gain theoretical diving knowledge about physics, physiology, skills and environment, equipment and the recreational dive planner.  In the first half of Week 4, during the day, we’ll conduct the waterman-ship module. The waterman ship module will develop your strength and skills in the water and develop your confidence to a strong level of comfort.  There will exercises in swimming, snorkelling, towing a tired diver, and treading water.  You’ll also be refreshed on your Rescue course, how to perform a rescue on an unresponsive diver at the surface and egress them onto the shoreline or boat. Our Instructors will demonstrate 24 dive skills to you, skill by skill, and you will get a chance to practise before we evaluate you (taking place over 2 sessions).  By now, as your confidence and skill ability has improved, we’ll improve your ability to deal with stress and problem solve underwater by teaming you with another Divemaster in training and have you exchange full scuba equipment whilst sharing air together - it’s a lot of fun!

The 5 skills sessions (briefed and demonstrated by an Instructor, then performed by candidate) are;

• Dive site set up and management
• Mapping a dive site (in water sessions)
• Conducting an effective briefing
• Conducting a Search & Recovery dive (with in water sessions)
• Conducting a Deep dive (with in water sessions)

The 5 workshops (candidate’s working together in-water under Instructor direction/supervision) are;

• Conducting a scuba review, and demonstrating all skills
• Conducting a PADI Skin Diver session or a snorkelling tour
• Conducting a Discover Scuba Diving experience in confined water (pool/dock)
• Conducting a Discover Scuba Diving experience in open water (dive site)
• Conducting a Discover Local Diving experience (leading certified divers and deploying SMB at end of dive)

The practical assessment of the Divemaster course covers working with;

• Open Water students in confined water (pool/dock)
• Open Water students in open water (dive sites)
• Continuing education students in Open Water (dive sites)
• Certified divers in Open Water (guiding divers at a dive site)

As part of the diving internship, you’ll be assisting our experienced team of Scuba Instructors as they conduct PADI training programs with student divers. We’ll provide Instructor-led class sessions to help you assimilate the most from your independent study, so if physics sounds like a foreign language, then you’ll soon become multi-lingual thanks to the expert tuition of our staff! You’ll also get experience working as a dive guide by guiding certified divers on our dive trips to Utila’s famous North Side dive sites. At the Utila Dive Centre we put no time limit on the length of time you can stay with us, so the more you put into this program, the more you get out of it. We are not a factory. We train all of our trainees as if they plan to go on to become Instructors.

As part of the service we provide to our Divemasters, you’ll be offered specialty training in areas of diving where you have accumulated additional experience, e.g. Fish Identification, Deep diving, Equipment maintenance. As the only facility on Utila and in the Bay Islands of Honduras with the Poseidon MKVI full closed circuit rebreathers, we can even offer you certification in this course.

Integrated with our Divemaster internship is the PADI Project Aware Coral Watch program. You'll learn to assess the condition of corals and record their health, and upload data to a scientific database. This valuable program will improve your understanding of Coral Reefs and you'll make a valuable contribution to the Coral Watch program and to the global understanding of the condition of reef systems in the Caribbean. 

In the last week of your Divemaster training, you’ll also have the option to enroll in 5 PADI specialty classes. These courses make you more knowledgeable and skillful. Choose from: Enriched Air, Gas Blender Nitrox and Trimix, Wreck, Deep, Night, Naturalist, Photography, Search & Recovery, Dolphin Rebreather, Equipment and Navigation.

Our ‘Divemaster’ IDC Staff Instructors will meet with you on a weekly basis with regular debriefs, to mentor, counsel and guide you into the ranks of a professional scuba diver. Should any additional tuition or remediation be needed this will all be provided at no extra cost.

You can complete the academics with PADI's e-Learning course now. Though there are additional costs of $120 for the Divemaster course (and $120 for dive theory online), this course gives great time savings prior to arriving on Utila for candidates on limited timelines. For more information on how to sign up for this option, please let us know of your interest.

The next course is the PADI Instructor Development Course.

We're also offering International Yacht Training programs that can be taken concurrently and in conjunction with our Divemaster internships.  The IYT/PADI Dive Boat Mate is being offered and scheduled in conjunction with our PADI Divemaster internship, and we will be offering training all year round and e-learning is best completed independently prior to arriving on Utila and supported with our Instructors remedial training. The IYT Dive Boat Mate course allows our PADI pro's to start tendering and driving boats as second command, logging sea time and once an individual has completed 180 days (4 hours = 1 day) of sea time, as dive boat crew, they are eligible to take the IYT Coxswain Boat Captains course, which we also offer at Utila Dive Centre. 

Please see the following section for more information on the IYT training and courses offered at Utila Dive Centre.

In recent years the expansion and growth of the yachting industry and recreational super yachts, makes this the perfect compliment to enhance your dive training and employ-ability in dive resorts, and on day boats, live-aboard vessels and super yachts worldwide. We encourage early enrollment on these courses as we have very limited spaces, please inquire for additional costs and scheduling.