PADI Divemaster Internship
Koh Tao, Thailand

PADI Divemasters are expert-level divers who take on leadership roles in the dive industry. Divemaster responsibilities include:

• Planning diving activities. Divemasters can review the ability of divers and assess weather and sea conditions. Using this information, Divemasters can choose appropriate dive sites, depth profiles, and objectives to put together a dive plan.
• Guiding groups of certified divers. Divemasters can escort groups of certified divers on underwater tours. This includes delivering a dive briefing, preparing scuba equipment, and helping divers gear up before supervising pre-dive safety checks and entries. Underwater, Divemasters can keep groups together, following a safe depth profile & bottom time whilst communicating with divers and highlighting points of interest or aquatic life.
• Assist in the training of new divers: Divemasters can assist PADI Instructors to help run entry-level dive courses (for example Discover Scuba Diving, PADI Open Water Diver or Advanced).
• Run PADI ReActivate Sessions: If certified divers have an extended period away from diving, they’ll need to refresh their knowledge and skills to resume scuba diving. Divemasters can independently run the tune-up session, called PADI ReActivate.
• Offer PADI Discover Scuba Diving: Complete beginners can try scuba diving in shallow water with a single-day intro, named PADI Discover Scuba Diving (DSD). Usually, PADI Instructors run this program. However, PADI Divemasters can run DSD intro dives too if they complete an optional add-on module following core Divemaster training.

Joining a Divemaster internship in Koh Tao means you’ll experience life on a tiny paradise island, exploring submerged coral reefs and shipwrecks. You’ll meet & dive together with like-minded people from across the globe, making lots of friends and soaking up the sunshine & island-style living whilst becoming part of the crew.

At Simple Life Divers, the schedule of the Divemaster internship is flexible and adapted to you.
Every day an exciting adventure awaits…

Dive Training

All the dive training you’ll progress through comprises a mix of scuba diving theory, shallow water work developing new skills, and heading out on the dive boat to explore the ocean. Throughout your internship we’ll keep you steadily working through each, making each day exciting and enjoyable. Our mentor system ensures you steadily advance through the dive internship.

Each week we schedule a variety of workshops and shallow water training sessions which you choose to attend. This system offers maximum flexibility; you’re able to control your schedule and proceed at your own pace, moving through bits you find easy quickly whilst giving extra focus where required.

Fun Diving

Between training activities, you can head out on the boat and apply what you’ve learned by enjoying some non-training ‘Fun Dives’. Pairing up with other interns or certified divers you can explore all the best dive sites around Koh Tao.

Fun Diving is the best way to fine-tune your underwater navigation skills and familiarize yourself with the dive sites, putting you into a strong position as you proceed deeper to the latter stages of Divemaster training.

Diving Volume & Schedule

Most days we run three dive trips from Koh Tao.

• Morning trips explore deep dive sites (such as Chumphon Pinnacles, Southwest Pinnacle, HTMS Sattakut Wreck…). We meet at 7 am & head out for two dives, returning late morning.
• Afternoon trips visit shallower coral reefs (Japanese Gardens, Mango Bay, Twins & Buoyancy World, etc.), again making two dives before returning around 5 pm.
• Plus we make frequent nights dives

Dive sites are scheduled so that we rotate around all the best spots near Koh Tao, so there’s a lot of variety.

Two of the dives each day will visit shallow ‘easy’ dive sites, ideal for new and inexperienced divers. The other half-day session will visit deeper, more challenging dive sites, perfect for advanced divers and higher level PADI training. As a PADI dive center, mixing up the level of dive sites allows us to offer something for everyone.

You could exceed thirty dives per week! However, we don’t recommend doing so. Firstly you’d become very tired. Secondly, (& most importantly), the cumulative buildup of dives would eventually force you to shorten subsequent dive times to remain within safe limits (something we’ll teach you about). Better is to maintain a sensible diving volume and enjoy your dives! From experience, the best practice is sticking to 2-3 dives per day.

When you’re not out on the boat diving, we’ll be working through the other components of your PADI courses, including scuba diving theory, interactive workshops plus mastering new skills in our training pools.

Days Off?

Koh Tao & Thailand have lots to experience above water too!

You’re welcome to take a day off whenever you want, to relax and check out the other attractions of the island and region. All that we ask is that you plan ahead, (rather than simply not turning up to a scheduled activity due to an impromptu crazy night or whatever. Which brings us to…)

Après-Dive: Koh Tao Nights

Back on land after a day of diving, evenings on Koh Tao are fantastic too.

Cheeky sundowners? From our base in Sairee Beach, sunset views across the bay are epic. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a cold beer with the rest of the team, swapping stories of the day’s underwater adventures.

Food is awesome in Koh Tao. Most evenings we have a gang headed out to eat together. Nearby we’re overwhelmed with options of excellent, inexpensive restaurants. Thai food is most popular – tantalizing Thai curries, spicy soups, salads, noodles, and more. Plus there’s a gamut of international cuisine too; Pizza, bbq/steak, Japanese, Indian, vegan, great coffee & bakeries…

Evening rolls into the night, and island-style bars spring up along Sairee beach. Choose from laid-back beanbags to sit back and admire the vista, through to wild beach parties which rage till the early hours. Just don’t go out for a ‘mad one’ if you are planning on scuba diving the following morning 😉

Summary

The Divemaster internship schedule is flexible and adapted to you. You’ll be diving lots, plus we’ll keep you moving steadily through training activities mixed in with some Fun Dives. By the end of two months, you’ll qualify as an expert diver.

Island life is outstanding, meeting people from across the earth and having a terrific time. From delicious food to a quiet night in the hammock, or lively nightlife, you can find whatever you want.

Plus you can take a day off whenever you want to relax or explore. Certain to be two of the best months of your life.

No-brainer. Yes!

PADI Divemaster is maybe the best job in the world. Imagine;
You can live on a tropical island, taking people scuba diving on coral reefs & shipwrecks for a living.
This is the daily reality for PADI Divemasters working in Thailand.

PADI’s Divemaster rating allows you to gain employment in Earth’s most spectacular destinations; Caribbean, Mexico, Red Sea, Maldives, Philippines, Australia, Indonesia…

Scuba diving is a popular tourism activity across the globe, and dive operators need Divemasters.

Compare this end goal against the time & effort needed to become a PADI Divemaster. With Simple Life Divers it takes two months to become a PADI Divemaster. The cost of joining is modest and no prior diving experience is required. Training alone is already the adventure of a lifetime.

So is becoming a PADI Divemaster worth it? Yes. 100%.
Becoming a Divemaster will change your life and open up incredible opportunities.

To join the two-month Divemaster internship you need to be:

• At least 18 years old
• In good normal health with no pre-existing medical conditions that could be an issue for scuba diving. (If you have a medical condition which might be an issue, get in touch with us by clicking ‘Book Now’ above. You can also check the PADI Medical Form which lists medical conditions that might be an issue for diving).
• Able to swim. (Basic swimming is fine).

No previous scuba diving experience is required to join this two month Divemaster internship. All dive training, course materials, dives, and PADI certifications necessary to train to PADI Divemaster are included.

By the end of the 2-month Divemaster internship, to qualify as a PADI Divemaster you will:

• Log at least 60 logged dives
• Complete performance requirements throughout your training, demonstrating mastery of scuba diving skills and an understanding of key scuba diving theory. (We’ll cover everything you need to know).

On graduating as a PADI Divemaster you will be qualified to:

• Organize dive trips and scuba diving activities
• Plan dives & guide certified divers on underwater tours
• Assist PADI Instructors to run PADI dive courses for new divers
• Run PADI ReActivate sessions to refresh the skills and knowledge of inactive divers

The PADI Divemaster Internship takes two months.
The two-month timeframe is perfect to complete all required PADI training, log many dives and accumulate countless hours of scuba diving experience.

(This assumes arriving in Thailand as a beginner with no prior scuba diving experience. If already a certified diver, it may be possible to complete the Divemaster internship within a shorter timeframe if necessary. Contact us with your situation/requirements and we can make a plan).

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To enter the Divemaster phase of the training you require 40 logged dives. (By joining the two-month Divemaster Internship, these 40 dives are already included as part of the package. No prior diving experience is needed to sign up).

To qualify as a PADI Divemaster you need to have 60 logged dives. (With our two-month Divemaster internship in Thailand, you’ll exceed that minimum requirement).

Our Divemaster Internship runs as a rolling program, available all year round. You can arrive on whichever date you prefer. All we need is sufficient notice to prepare everything for your arrival.

Best Months to Come to Thailand

Located in the tropics, Koh Tao enjoys warm, sunny weather throughout the year.
Within the Gulf of Thailand, wave heights are usually low & underwater visibility excellent, making for superb diving conditions.

April and May are Koh Tao’s hottest months when peak daytime temperature can approach 40C. During the daytime, we explore the ocean, where water temperatures remain a pleasant 28-29C year round.
Fortuitously, as a small, tropical island, evening temperatures are comfortable, with ocean breezes rustling the coconut palms and quickly cooling the island.

Monsoon Season

Koh Tao’s favorable weather gets disrupted by an annual monsoon which arrives each November.
The monsoon brings a couple of weeks of strong winds and heavy rain to Koh Tao. We can visit dive sites on the sheltered leeward side of the island, but sea conditions are rougher, and underwater visibility becomes reduced.

If you have flexibility with dates, try to avoid being on Koh Tao during November. Any other time of year is ideal.

Monthly rainfall data (millimeters per month) for Koh Tao

Get in touch to let us know when you are thinking of arriving, and we can put a plan together..

After qualifying as a PADI Divemaster there are numerous approaches to getting your first scuba diving job:

• Working as a Divemaster in Koh Tao. Koh Tao is a popular dive destination where Divemaster opportunities surface regularly. We usually employ from within, preferring to keep our best graduates employed here at Simple Life Divers.
  Plus we have a network of colleagues and contacts running dive centers across the island and throughout Thailand. Whenever we hear of openings we can point you in the right direction.
• PADI Website Members Section. On qualifying as a Divemaster you’ll gain access to the Pro section of PADI’s website. This includes a job bulletin board where dive centers across the globe post opportunities for Divemasters and Instructors. If planning to use your Divemaster qualification to travel, the job listing bulletin on the PADI website is a great starting point.
• Doing the Legwork. Nothing beats being in the right place at the right time. Wherever your travels take you, by approaching local dive shops and getting to know the managers, you’ll discover opportunities. Put together a good diving CV, and circulate it. Whenever local dive shops need extra help, they can give you a call. Temporary or casual work is a great way to get your foot in the door, oftentimes leading to permanent positions down the line.

Earning potential as a PADI Divemaster depends on where you are employed and the duties you’ll be undertaking. Wages vary massively depending on factors such as the local economy or how popular your dive center is.

It’s unlikely that you’ll become an overnight millionaire working as a Divemaster. Yet you should be able to afford a comfortable lifestyle.

Beyond financial gains, Divemaster is arguably the most rewarding role in the recreational dive industry; Earning a living by guiding certified divers on underwater tours. You get the pleasure of meeting new people and exploring amazing dive sites, without the complications and stresses faced by instructors when training new divers.

Divemaster wages/salaries can be agreed in several possible ways:

• Commission: Many Divemasters are employed as dive guides and earn a commission per customer. The busier a Divemaster is, the more they earn.
• Salary: Alternatively Divemasters can be paid a fixed salary to work at a dive shop. Salaries are based on the scope of duties such as coordinating logistics, guiding dive tours, etc. Many Divemasters supplement their salary by adding extra responsibilities to the core ‘Divemastering’. For example, if you can service scuba gear or compressors, are excellent at customer service, or are talented at using social media you may be able to command a higher salary by taking on extra tasks.
• Tips: Scuba diving is a customer service-based industry, often catering to tourists. Depending on where you are located, you might expect to receive tips from customers.
  Oftentimes Divemaster earnings comprise a combination of base salary, extra commissions, and tips.

As mentioned above, likely you won’t become rich working as a PADI Divemaster. But it is a fantastic lifestyle.

Furthering your dive career by becoming a PADI Instructor can be significantly more lucrative. Working as a PADI Instructor involves training new divers and taking on much more responsibility.

The Divemaster internship includes scuba diving equipment rental. (Mask, Fins, Buoyancy Control Device, Regulator, wetsuit, tanks, and weights).
Simple Life Divers’ rental gear is professional quality dive equipment from leading manufacturers (Scubapro, Aqualung, Catalina), properly maintained by our scuba engineer.

If you have some spare money, it’s worth investing in several items of your own. A properly fitting mask, rigid full-foot fins, cutting tool, compass, timing device, and safety marker buoy are inexpensive, and owning your own makes scuba diving more convenient and comfortable.
After graduating, if you intend to work as a PADI Divemaster, you should purchase a set of scuba gear.

Scuba diving is popular on Koh Tao, and we have a working relationship with regional distributors covering all major brands (Mares, Aqualung, Scubapro, Sunnto, TUSA, etc.). If you are interested in purchasing dive equipment, we are happy to help.

Read through our equipment guide for PADI Divemasters:

Divemaster Gear Guide [PDF]