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The Complete Guide to Getting Your Divemaster Certification

2 scuba divers underwater looking at bright coral and reef fish in an article describing how to get your divemaster certification

What is a Divemaster?

The term divemaster can refer to a professional scuba diver job, a certification level, or both. Although they could, one can have their divemaster certification but never work in diving.

As a career, divemasters act as dive leaders who guide certified divers and are responsible for their safety during a dive. Responsibilities for a working divemaster include planning dives, dive briefings, underwater navigation, fitting divers with rental gear, boat coordination, and most importantly, getting their divers back on the boat safely. 

As a certification level, divemaster is the first level for professional diving. Even if someone is not working in diving, having a divemaster certification indicates a level of skill and commitment to scuba diving. Some divers even complete the course without ever seeking employment in the scuba industry but instead do it because of their love for diving.  

Becoming a Divemaster

To become a divemaster, you will have to complete a certification course. These are typically full-time programs that you can either pay for out of pocket or work off part of the cost through a divemaster internship. A typical divemaster program can take as little as one month to complete for an experienced diver paying for their course and up to six months for an internship. 

Before you begin, you must meet the qualifications, complete the prerequisite courses, and have at least 40 logged dives. Then you have to successfully complete a variety of theory and practical units and assessments. These are designed to improve your diving knowledge and develop your underwater leadership skills. 

Divemaster Qualifications and Prerequisites

There are some basic requirements for prospective divemasters to begin training. You must:

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Have a valid first aid and CPR certification completed within 24 months of starting
  • Have medical clearance to dive
  • Be a certified Rescue Diver 
  • Have at least 40 logged dives
  • Obtain any necessary gear

The Rescue Diver Certification Requirement

To begin a divemaster course with any of the big scuba certifying agencies, you must have your rescue diver certification. To reach this level, you must first complete your Open Water Course and Advanced Open Water Course. 

You also need to have completed first aid and CPR training within the past two years. However, most dive shops can combine an Emergency First Responder course with your Rescue Diver program.

Minimum Dive Requirement

PADI Divemaster prerequisites and SSI state that you must have a minimum of 40 logged dives before officially starting your divemaster course. But, of course, having more dive experience is never a bad thing, and having more logged dives can even speed up certification time since you must have a minimum of 60 to finish your divemaster.

Necessary Gear for a Divemaster Course

While not all shops will require you to have your own set of dive gear to start your divemaster course, there are a few pieces that most will. Since you will need them for your course and they are not standard pieces of rental gear, they include:

  • Dive computer
  • SMB and reel
  • Slate
  • Dive knife
  • Compass

For a complete basic set of gear, be sure to add:

  • Mask
  • Snorkel
  • Fins
  • BCD
  • Full regulator set
  • Wetsuit if in cool waters

See my complete list of Scuba gear recommendations and descriptions.

Master Diver vs. Divemaster

While master diver and divemaster seem like the same thing on the surface, they are actually very different. The SSI Master Diver and PADI Master Scuba Diver ratings signal experience and completion of specialty courses, while a divemaster is a professional distinction.

The most important thing to remember with this whole master diver and divemaster confusion is:

Divemasters: Are professional scuba divers with the ability to work in the dive industry.

Master Diver and Master Scuba Diver: Are recognition ratings by the major dive organizations for divers who have at least 50 logged dives, completed their Rescue Diver course, and at least four additional specialty courses.

Requirements to Become a PADI Master Scuba Diver

  • Be at least 12 years of age
  • Complete the PADI Rescue Diver course and all prerequisites to it
  • Earn five PADI Specialty Diver certifications
  • Have a minimum of 50 logged dives

Requirements to Become an SSI Master Diver

  • Log at least 50 dives in the MySSI app
  • Complete the SSI Stress and Rescue Specialty and prerequisites to it
  • Complete four additional SSI Specialty courses OR two additional SSI Specialty courses and two verified specialty courses taken with another agency

Master Scuba Diver Cost

The cost of earning the master diver recognition varies greatly based on where you dive and the organization you’re affiliated with. However, since there isn’t a master scuba diver course, the rating is technically free or complementary with the completion of the following, all of which have their own costs:

  • 50 dives
  • Open Water course
  • Advanced Open Water course
  • First Aid and CPR certification
  • Rescue course
  • Four specialty courses

Divemaster vs. Dive Master

In the professional scuba diving community, divemaster is written as one word. So it’s divemaster, not dive master. This is mainly to ensure one does not confuse a divemaster with a master diver. 

Choosing a Scuba Dive Organization for Your Divemaster

Two main certifying agencies reign supreme in the recreational diving world, PADI and SSI. Up until this point in your training, the choice didn’t matter. It’s only at the professional levels – divemaster and up – that you should start to consider choosing not just a shop but an agency.

That’s not to say that if you decide later to complete your instructor course with the competing agency, you will have to redo your divemaster. No, it’s perfectly fine to switch at this point as well. However, you may find yourself at a disadvantage as you try to familiarize yourself with the standards and terminology of the other agency. 

PADI Divemaster 

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors, or PADI, is currently the largest scuba training agency globally. The PADI Divemaster course consists of both classroom and in-water sessions aimed at developing professional divers. 

A PADI Divemaster certification is widely recognized and prepares divers for the PADI Open Water Instructor Course by rigidly teaching PADI standards.

SSI Divemaster

Scuba Schools International is another popular certifying agency for your divemaster course. Like PADI, SSI follows the standards set by the World Recreational Scuba Training Council; however, SSI shops can offer more flexible learning plans. 

While not as big as PADI, SSI has gained popularity in the recreational diving world and is particularly popular in Asia Pacific regions. 

Divemaster Course Fees

Course fees for your divemaster can vary based on region, dive shop, certifying agency, and whether or not you’re completing an internship. However, for a frame of reference, in 2018, I completed my SSI Divemaster course in Koh Tao, Thailand, and paid approximately $1,000.

Divemaster Internships

Divemaster internships are a great way to get your certification on a strict budget. These are particularly popular with long-term travelers and people on gap-year trips. Besides saving money, the benefit of a divemaster internship is that you get real experience working in a dive shop that you can apply later in your dive professional career. 

Like anything, there are great divemaster internships where the work exchange is mutually beneficial and others that aren’t so good. Unfortunately, some shops take advantage of divemaster trainees. Remember, nothing in life is truly free, and there are exploitative dive operations notorious for overworking divemaster trainees and even withholding certifications.

You may also need to factor in additional costs for a divemaster internship. Since you’re not working for pay, food and housing will likely have to come from savings. Also, consider whether or not you’re taking a job from a local by providing free labor. 

Be sure to do your due diligence when choosing a divemaster internship. Online forums such as  ScubaBoard and Facebook groups can be great resources for weeding out the bad internships. Also, there should be clear expectations in writing before you begin, on both ends, including:

  • All additional fees you would be responsible for
  • The number of days you must work
  • How many hours a day you must work
  • What kind of work you will be doing

Yearly Scuba Professional Fees

As a professional scuba diver, you are required to pay a yearly fee to your certifying agency if you wish to maintain active status. Active status simply means that you’re able to work. PADI currently charges $207.90/year, while SSI fees are around $165/year but vary based on region.

Additional Divemaster Course Costs

eLearning: There is an additional $375 PADI Divemaster course cost in the form of an eLearning package, which is typically not included. SSI eLearning is included.

Accommodation: If you’re traveling to do your divemaster, be sure to factor in a place to stay for the length of your course. Some shops will have housing included or at a discount for their divemaster trainees.

Scuba Gear: Most dive shops will require you to own at least some of your own equipment before starting your divemaster

Dive Medical: In some places, a dive physical costs only a few dollars, but in others, they can be pricey and are not always covered by insurance.

Insurance: You should plan on getting travel insurance that covers scuba diving if you’re completing your divemaster course away from home. 

Choosing a Shop for Your Divemaster

So you’ve completed all your prerequisites, saved your pennies, and are excited to start your divemaster course. But where? If you already have a great relationship with your local dive shop, the choice might be simple. However, if you have dreams of jetting off to a far-off land for your training, you have a few things to consider.

First, you must choose where you want to go! With so many excellent scuba diving destinations around the world, it’s no wonder the choice is difficult. However, a good place to start is considering where those before you have already paved the way. 

Thailand: Of course, I may be biased, but I loved completing my divemaster course on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand. The water conditions there are great, there are tons of shops to choose from, prices are low, and the community of divers is fantastic. While some may consider the high volume of certifications here to be a bad thing, I loved being able to easily slip in to assist on constantly running courses and socialize with fellow DMTs. Other choices in Thailand include Koh Lanta and Phuket.

Honduras: Another super popular destination for backpackers and dive professionals is Honduras, particularly Utila and Roatan. In fact, divemaster training is so popular in the Bay Islands that I constantly meet people in the dive community with mutual friends they met there, even though I have never visited myself!

Indonesia: Diving in Indonesia is out of this world beautiful, and the Gili Islands – Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, and Gili Meno – are full of shops offering divemaster courses. If you’re interested in going to Indonesia for your divemaster course, also consider Bali, the Nusa Islands, Raja Ampat, and Komodo in your search.

Mexico: The Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, and especially the island of Cozumel, is another excellent place for divemaster training. Here it’s all about drift diving, and there are plenty of divemaster courses and internships alike.

Choosing the Right Shop

The process of choosing a shop for your divemaster training is a bit different depending on whether you plan to pay for your course or complete an internship, but there are some general things to keep in mind:

Size: Would you prefer a large shop with lots of socializing and plenty of courses to assist on, or a small shop where you can get more personalized attention. 

The # of Divemaster Trainees: Typically, the bigger the shop, the more DMTs they will accommodate. However, this isn’t always the case. Be sure to ask how many trainees they currently have and if they have a cut-off number. Essentially you want to avoid small shops that take on more divemaster trainees than they can handle. Also, some shops or instructors only take on one DMT at a time!

Price: In competitive areas with lots of dive shops, you may be able to shop around on price, while in others, there are pricing agreements in place. Also, consider any additional fees you will have to pay, and if you’re doing an internship, what is included. 

Time: Consider how long you have to complete the course and if the dive shop can accommodate your schedule. 

Reputation: It’s essential to choose a shop with a good reputation and reviews to ensure you have the best training and experience possible. Also, consider how the shop’s reputation where you did your divemaster course can affect future job prospects. 

Divemaster Training

Now that you’re ready to begin your divemaster, you must be wondering what exactly to expect! While everyone’s experience will be a little different, this guide is based on my personal experience completing my Divemaster course at Phoenix Divers, a medium-to-large size SSI shop on Koh Tao.

Divemaster Trainee Expectations

Even if you are paying for your divemaster course, you are expected to positively represent your dive shop during your time as a divemaster trainee. This means having a Professional Divemaster attitude and working as a team with people working at the shop. Be sure to be friendly, on time, and keep a neat appearance. 

Also, taking responsibility for boat or shop duties is essential if you plan to work in diving. The dive community is tiny, and news of a lazy divemaster trainee can travel fast. Help with carrying tanks, washing gear, and assisting customers; it goes a long way.

Divemaster Theory

The theory portion of the SSI Divemaster course includes two main sections, Science of Diving and Dive Guide. Both Science of Diving and Dive Guide are specialty courses themselves, and you will receive certification cards for each. For PADI Divemaster training, there is equivalent learning.

Science of Diving: Covers the physics of diving, how diving affects our bodies, how your equipment works, the aquatic environment, and more. This is the most academic course taught in scuba diving, and some divemaster trainees struggle with grasping the concepts on the first try. While you need a 90% to pass the exam, there are options for retakes, and you can take the exam in the language of your choice.

Dive Guide: Teaches you how to plan dives, lead dives, and deal with emergency situations. As with Science of Diving, there are classroom sessions followed by an exam that you must pass with a 90% or higher.

Physical Skill Tests

You will also complete a couple of physical tests in your divemaster training course, namely the equipment exchange and a rescue skills evaluation. 

Equipment Exchange: One of the most fun – and dreaded – parts of your divemaster course is the stress test or equipment exchange. The equipment exchange typically occurs towards the end of your divemaster course in a swimming pool. Together with another divemaster in training, you will need to exchange a complete set of scuba gear while breathing from only one tank of air* under the supervision of your instructor. 

Rescue Skills Evaluation: You will also need to demonstrate competence in rescue skills at the end of your course. This is essentially a review of your Rescue Diver Course and includes CPR, providing oxygen, and emergency management.

*Due to current covid restrictions, the stress test has been modified to prevent sharing of air and equipment.

Dive Experiences

During your divemaster training, you will go on a variety of dives, including:

  • Night dives
  • Deep dives
  • Drop tank dives
  • Navigation dives. 

Navigation is often the most challenging aspect of leading a dive but is essential for bringing out customers. Nobody wants a 20min swim back to the boat in a current!

Skills Circut Briefing and Demonstration: While divemasters cannot teach independently, there may be times when you will be responsible for divers who have forgotten some of their basic skills. During your divemaster training, you will not only perfect skills such as mask clearing or regulator retrieval, but you will also learn how to demonstrate them underwater. 

By the end of your divemaster training course, you need at least 60 logged dives to be certified.

Dive Leading Skills

The primary responsibility of a divemaster is to lead dives. Therefore, you will get plenty of practice during your training to ensure you’re ready to be responsible for other divers. 

Dive Site Mapping: You should learn how to map a dive site during your training. With a slate, you will draw the dive site and measure depths and landmarks during a dive. Then, you will create a nice copy to be used for a briefing.

Dive Briefing: Giving dive briefings is an essential responsibility for divemasters. I gave numerous dive briefings in my divemaster course, including with the site map I created. A good dive briefing reduces the chance for miscommunication and accidents underwater, so be sure to practice! 

Supervised Dive Leading: Once you’re confident with your navigational skills, you will practice leading dives under the supervision of an instructor or certified divemaster. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Emergency Management: Knowing what to do in an emergency is vital for divemasters. During your course, you will create an overview of what to do in an emergency so you can help and advise in any emergency situation.

Assisting on Courses

In most divemaster trainee programs, you will assist on courses taught by the instructors at your dive shop. Personally, I would recommend choosing a shop that includes course assists, as you get to learn from a variety of experienced instructors not only how to be a better diver but how to teach scuba diving.

At first, you will shadow the course and note how the instructor teaches and leads dives. Later on, they may have you help demonstrate skills to students, conduct a dive briefing, or assist with equipment set up.

If you plan to become a dive instructor eventually, these course assists are invaluable, as the instructor course is only two weeks long. Be sure to try and assist on various courses, including at least one try dive, open water, advanced, and rescue, with multiple instructors.

The Divemaster Swim Test

Many divemaster trainees get nervous when they hear about the swim test, myself included. Not to worry though, these watermanship skills can be easily demonstrated by regular swimmers such as yourself. Plus, in the worst-case scenario, you can repeat until you pass. The swim test includes:

  • 400-meter swim in less than 13 minutes with no aids 
  • 15-minute tread with no aids and hands out of the water for the last two minutes
  • 800-meter swim with mask, fins, and snorkel in less than 21 minutes
  • 100-meter inert diver tow in less than 5 minutes 30 seconds

Working as a Divemaster

Once you’ve finished your divemaster training, you can work as a divemaster! As a divemaster, you are allowed to guide certified divers, meaning divers with at least their open water certification. 

Typically job responsibilities, besides leading dives, can include:

  • Planning dives
  • Giving boat and dive briefings
  • Carrying tanks
  • Preparing equipment for customers
  • Cleaning and maintaining dive gear
  • Assisting in the office or store
  • Selling dives and courses
  • Helping customers fill out logbooks

Unfortunately, there are not many positions available for divemasters unless you also have additional skills such as underwater photography or speaking a second language. This is especially true as a foreigner, as dive operations prefer to hire locals or instructors. 

As a divemaster, you get to dive for free and travel the world, but don’t expect to get rich. If you find yourself struggling to find work as a divemaster, you may want to consider doing your instructor course. 

Divemaster Salary

Divemasters typically make local wages, which can be as low as $10-$20/day in some parts of the world. Also, considering scuba instructors in the U.S. make an average of $23,000 per year, expect that divemaster pay will be a bit lower. Explore more about scuba instructor salaries here.

Despite low wages, becoming a divemaster is worth it for many people passionate about scuba diving and the underwater world. 

Becoming a Scuba Dive Instructor

If you want to take your dive career to the next level, consider becoming a scuba dive instructor. As an instructor, there will be more opportunities for you in the dive industry, and you will get to share your love of diving with new people every day that you go to work.

Scuba instructors have all of the responsibilities as divemasters and more. In addition to guiding certified divers, they can teach courses such as Open Water and Advanced Open Water, teach Try Dive or Discover Scuba for uncertified divers, and conduct refresher courses. 

The ability to teach courses dramatically expands the number of customers a scuba instructor can be assigned to, making them a more significant asset to dive shops than divemasters. For divers serious about making their career in diving, doing their instructor course helps immensely. 

The Scuba Diving Instructor Course

Besides your divemaster certification, you will need to have at least 100 logged dives to take your instructor examination or “IE.” You should also have a bit of money saved as the course and examination will cost at least $2,000, more if you train with PADI. 

The PADI instructor course is called the IDC, or Instructor Development Course. Meanwhile, the SSI instructor course is called ITC, or Instructor Training Course. Both of these training courses will focus on giving you the necessary skills to teach and assess core scuba skills.

The instructor course itself typically takes around two weeks to complete, and the instructor examination takes two days. Instructor exams aren’t easy, but the proper dedication to both in-class and in-water learning will help you pass and become a great dive instructor. 

The PADI IDC vs. the SSI ITC

Even if you have chosen SSI or PADI for your divemaster, you can still choose to switch for your instructor course. But keep in mind that once you become an instructor for one, you will need to do a crossover to teach in the other. Also, as with Divemasters, scuba instructors must pay yearly fees to their agency to work.

If you expect that you want to be both an SSI and a PADI instructor, it’s best to start with PADI. This is simply because the crossover to SSI only takes a couple of days, while the crossover to PADI takes longer and costs more. 

Ultimately it’s best to have a shop, or at least a region in mind where you want to work before taking your instructor course to best choose the agency for you. 

FAQs About Divemaster Certification

Is Becoming a Divemaster Worth It?

Becoming a divemaster is worth it for anyone who loves scuba diving. While it’s true that there aren’t a ton of high-paying opportunities for divemasters, the knowledge and experience you gain will make you a better diver. Plus, it’s a blast!

How Do You Become a Divemaster?

You can become a divemaster by completing a divemaster course or internship. 

How Can I Become a Scuba Dive Instructor?

To become a scuba dive instructor, you must first have your divemaster certification. Then you take a dive instructor course and an instructor exam. 

Where Is the Best Place to Get a Divemaster Certification?

The best place to get a divemaster certification is wherever you plan on working. With so many different diving environments, you will be best prepared to guide customers if you’re familiar with the area.

Explore some of the best places in the world for diving!

Where Is the Cheapest Place to Do Your Divemaster?

The cheapest way to get your divemaster certification is through an internship. However, there are some extremely popular destinations where you can complete your divemaster for lower than average prices, such as Koh Tao, Thailand, and Utila, Honduras. Just remember, cheap does not always mean value.

How Much Does a Divemaster Make?

Divemasters make on average less than $20,000 per year. However, you could earn more with additional skills such as speaking multiple languages, the ability to captain a boat, underwater photography, marketing, or having an instructor certification. 

There is a joke in the dive community, “How do you make $1,000,000 scuba diving?”… “Start with $2,000,000.” Becoming a divemaster should be a career path based on passion, not pay; otherwise, you won’t be happy. 

Does a Divemaster Certification Expire?

Like your Open Water, your divemaster certification never expires. However, it’s important to note that if you don’t pay your agency’s membership fees for several years, you may need to redo some of your training if you want to regain active working status.

Is It Dive Master or Divemaster?

The official terminology is divemaster, as not to be confused with Master Diver, which is an entirely different distinction. 

About the Author Alex Dryjowicz

Alex Dryjowicz is an avid writer, blogger, and professional scuba divemaster. A nomad at heart, she spends her time bouncing between the world’s best diving destinations while calling a ridiculously oversized backpack home. She is thrilled to be here at Watercraft Watch, sharing her insights into all things scuba diving.

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