Quick Details
This level of scuba diving certification is for those who are serious about scuba diving training and look for a future in scuba diving and leading other certified scuba divers. Your training takes place at some of the best Oahu scuba diving sites.
Prerequisites:
- 18+ years of age
- high school diploma or equivalent
- be able to swim 400m without stopping for rest, at any pace
- general good health and average physical condition
- must be able to obtain diving medical clearance from a physician
- PADI Rescue Course or equivalent
Participants must purchase a full set of personal dive equipment. A Divemaster PADI Scuba Certification from any dive shop has this as a requirement, as it is a standard for the PADI organization. Full set of equipment included in the course cost.
Divemaster Course
The divemaster rating is the first professional level rating in the PADI system of continuing education. It is the first step in what is commonly referred to in the industry as “Living the Dream”. Earning the divemaster rating means that you will be qualified to get paid to go scuba diving! The most common role of the divemaster in the scuba industry is guiding certified divers on fun dives, but you will also learn to assist instructors with their teaching duties. Your presence as a certified assistant means that instructors can safely handle more students.
In addition, there are some courses that a Divemaster can conduct independently. Discover Local Diving and Skin Diver are two of those. The standard schedule for a divemaster course is 22 hours a week spread over 7 weeks, evenings and weekends, for a total of 154 contact hours. During this time you will develop significant knowledge of diving physics, physiology, the business of diving, leadership techniques, and much more. Knowledge development will be re-enforced with a series of 8 written exams. Students must demonstrate watermanship skills through timed testing. Diving skills taught at the open water level are developed until the candidate is able to perform these skills at demonstration quality. Candidates will practice their roles as certified assistants while participating in Discover Scuba Diving and Open Water courses under the direct supervision of an instructor. Candidates will be assigned an underwater mapping project. Rescue scenarios and evaluations are conducted. Candidates will assist in teaching other continuing education programs. All the while this is going on the candidate will be absorbing want it means to be a dive professional in an active business environment that conducts over 700 open water certifications a year from 5 locations around the island. Candidates will be expected to participate in some of the less glamorous aspects of the business as well – humping tanks, setting up boats, rinsing dive gear – though you will not be asked to do anything that your instructor is not also doing. You will get as much out of this program as you put into it, and opportunities abound to go beyond the minimum requirements for completing the course.
Pricing Considerations
The pricing include a full set of professional level scuba equipment and it a large portion of course costs. The purchase of this equipment is mandatory. Email gopro@honoluluscubacompany.com for complete details. The course pricing also includes all learning materials and dives. There is nothing more to buy. It is a complete course cost.
The quality of the program is simply higher at Honolulu Scuba Company. We provide more hands-on training with real certified divers than any other dive shop on the island, and assist you in becoming a real, not a “textbook” divemaster. You’re working directly with full time professional dive instructors at a real Oahu scuba diving tour company. You learn how to plan, lead, brief, and conduct dive trips. You will be able to handle the less experienced certified divers’ everyday problems without thinking twice by the end of your scuba diving training. If you want the real thing, here it is.
Time Commitment
The time commitment for a divemaster course is significant. 154 hours is 22 hours a week for 7 weeks. One should consider discussing this plan with significant others in your life before enrolling. However, this is the minimum time commitment. If you want to do more, that is a possibility. Honolulu Scuba Company operates 7 days a week with 3 to 5 dive charters daily. The goal oriented divemaster candidate that wants to go beyond the minimum requirements can often be accommodated. The most common example of this is participating in guided dives during the weekdays. Candidates that want to earn additional experience will be expected to shadow active dive instructors and divemasters in the duties and assist as their training level allows. This can mean setting up and breaking down boats, maneuvering and filling tanks, transporting guests, boat handling, and acting as dive buddies and Rescue Divers during diving operations.
Learn More
Contact the training director for more information or to begin a conversation gopro@honoluluscubacompany.com