PADI Professional Scuba Courses

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE?

Love scuba diving? Want to share it with others on a whole new level? Take the PADI Divemaster course and do what you love to do as a career. Scuba divers look up to divemasters because they are leaders who mentor and motivate others. As a divemaster, you not only get to dive a lot, but also experience the joy of seeing others have as much fun diving as you do.

The PADI Divemaster course is your first level of professional training. Working closely with a PADI Instructor, you’ll fine-tune your dive skills, like perfecting the effortless hover, and refine your rescue skills so you anticipate and easily solve common problems. You’ll gain dive knowledge, management and supervision abilities so you become a role model to divers everywhere. 

As a PADI Divemaster, you’ll lead others as you supervise scuba diving activities and assist with diver training. Whether you want to work at a faraway dive destination or close to home at a local dive shop, the adventure of a lifetime awaits you. PADI Divemasters are respected dive professionals who are aligned with the largest and most respected dive organization in the world – PADI.

Try the PADI Divemaster E-learning course with this FREE Intro

Get started today with the PADI Divemaster E-learning course by clicking HERE

Prerequisites:

PADI Rescue Divers who are at least 18 years old may enroll in the PADI Divemaster course. You also need to have:

• Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and First Aid) training within the past 24 months.
• A medical statement signed by a physician within the last 12 months.
  
• At least 40 logged dives to begin the course and 60 dives to earn certification.

Note that qualifying certifications from other diver training organization may apply – ask your PADI Instructor.

What you will learn:

The PADI Divemaster course teaches you to be a leader and take charge of dive activities. Through knowledge development sessions, waterskills exercises and workshops, and hands-on practical assessment, you develop the skills to organize and direct a variety of scuba diving activities. Topics and practical workshops include:

• The role and characteristics of the PADI Divemaster
• Supervising dive activities and assisting with student divers
• Diver safety and risk management
• Divemaster conducted programs and specialized skills
• Business of diving and your career
• Awareness of the dive environment
• Dive setup and management
• Mapping an open water site
• Conducting dive briefings
• Organizing a search and recovery project and a deep dive
• Conducting a scuba review and skin diver course
• Assisting with Discover Scuba Diving and leading Discover Local Diving programs

Your instructor may also offer the PADI Deep Diver and Search and Recovery Diver specialty diver courses along with your divemaster training to help you meet all requirements and to broaden your abilities.

You may be able to get college credit for the Divemaster course – ask your instructor.

How can you start learning now?

Sign up for Divemaster Online – PADI’s eLearning option – to start now. You can work through eight knowledge development sections using a web-based system that lets you learn at your own pace. You also have access to an online version of the Divemaster Manual for reference during and after the course.

Another option is to study by reading the Divemaster Manual and watching the Divemaster Video (a book and DVD package). Stop into the shop to enroll in the course and get your Divemaster Crew-Pak, which also includes other reference materials – like the PADI Instructor Manual and The Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving – that you’ll need during the course.

Consider taking Dive Theory Online, another PADI eLearning® program, that takes you step-by-step through dive physics, physiology, skills, equipment and environment, plus a Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) review. By successfully completing Dive Theory Online, you can get credit for half of the Divemaster Final Exam. Your PADI Instructor can explain how this works when you meet to schedule knowledge review sessions along with your waterskills exercises, workshops and practical assessments.

What scuba gear will you use?

As a dive professional, you’ll want to have all your basic scuba equipment, including a dive computer, a dive knife, and at least two surface signaling devices. During practical skills exercises, like underwater mapping and search and recovery, you’ll use a compass, floats, marker buoys, lift bags and slates. Your PADI Instructor may suggest additional gear that will be useful throughout your diving career.

Southern Maryland Divers has everything you’ll need as a dive pro.

Have you ever thought about becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor but you were not sure if you wanted to invest the time and money into the course?  The PADI Assistant Instructor Course is the first portion of the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC).  As a PADI Assistant Instructor, you not only gain additional experience as a PADI Professional scuba diver, but you also start learning the PADI System of diver education. You can act as an instructional scuba assistant and assume limited teaching responsibilities. It’s a great way to gain experience in order to become a scuba instructor.

Beyond the responsibilities and duties they already have as PADI Divemasters, renewed PADI Assistant Instructors are authorized to:

• Present the knowledge development elaboration for any PADI Diver course under the instructor’s indirect supervision.
• Present initial skills training under the instructor’s direct supervision during confined water dives.
• Conduct open water surface skill evaluations during Open Water Diver course dives under the instructor’s indirect supervision.
• Teach and certify Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Divers under the direction of an instructor.
• Independently teach the Project AWARE (non-diving) Specialty course.
• Independently teach the AWARE - Coral Reef Conservation (non-diving) Specialty course.
• Independently conduct Discover Scuba Diving in a pool or confined water.
• Independently conduct Bubblemaker programs.
• Independently conduct PADI Seal Team AquaMissions.
• Teach and certify divers in specialty courses that don’t include dives after completing Specialty Instructor Training courses and earning Specialty Instructor ratings for such specialties.
• After completing the corresponding instructor training and earning Specialty Instructor ratings, conduct Digital Underwater Photographer specialty courses under the direction of a PADI Instructor.
• 
  

Prerequisites: 

• PADI Divemaster, or leadership level with another diver training organization.
• 18 years old
• 60 logged dives; documented experience in night diving, deep diving and underwater navigation.
• Certified diver for six months
• Medical clearance attesting to dive fitness signed by a physician within the previous 12 months
• Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care course completion (or qualifying training) within the last 24 months
• If not a PADI Divemaster, complete the PADI Divemaster course dive rescue assessment and submit documentation of qualifying certifications for entry level, advanced, rescue and leadership level to PADI.