Many who enjoy diving decide to make a career of it. If you’re considering doing the same, you may feel a bit confused about the difference between divemasters and instructors, and you may not be certain about which direction you’d rather head in. Here, we’ll take a look at two in-demand professions with an eye toward helping you to make a well-informed choice.
Divemasters, Defined
A divemaster is a professional who is responsible for ensuring the safety of all individuals who are diving under his or her supervision. Divemasters act as guides; in addition, they educate their clients along the way, ensuring safety and providing supervision as needed.
Divemaster Responsibilities
A divemaster’s responsibilities will vary depending upon where and in what capacity he or she is employed. There are numerous factors to take into account, including dive sites, divemaster experience level and preferences, conditions at dive sites, and diver experience level. Although specific responsibilities do vary depending on these and other factors, the following examples should provide you with a general idea about the day to day activities a divemaster handles during the course of employment.
- Conducting diving activities
- Assist with creating dive plans
- Assisting other divemasters with dive-related activities
- Supporting instructors
- Helping divers who are participating in certification programs
- Ensuring safety measures are in place
- Ensuring rules are followed
- Training snorkelers
- Assisting divers with their gear
- Handling minor equipment problems
- Providing first aid and helping with a variety of emergencies
Although divemasters set up and conduct dives, they are not responsible for planning individual divers’ dives for them. It’s up to each diver to come up with his or her own dive plan, however the divemaster may provide valuable tips and guidelines.
Divemasters do not set out diving paramaters for divers. It’s up to each diver to be familiar with his/her own abilities, strengths, and any weaknesses, and to plan their dives well within their own limitations.
Divemasters are there to aid divers and help make diving as safe as possible while contributing knowledge. It’s up to divers to ensure that they go through their dives safely, and it’s up to them to follow all required guidelines.
Requirements to Become a Divemaster
To become a professional divemaster, one must fulfill the following minimum criterion:
- Certification in Open water diving
- Certification Open Water Diving- advanced level
- Certification course in Rescue diving
- Should be certified to administer First aid Training and CPR
- Should have registered a minimum of 60 dives.
Dive Instructor, Defined
If you’re a certified diver, you’ve had plenty of experience interacting with dive instructors, and you probably have at least a little bit of an idea about how they spend their working hours! Before you can become a dive instructor, you’ve got to be a divemaster for a certain period of time. In addition, you will need to progress through a certification process. Like divemasters, dive instructors are responsible for ensuring the safety of divers. In addition, the following responsibilities are often assigned to dive instructors:
- Educate and familiarize divers with basic safety techniques
- Organize and conduct scuba diving sessions
- Teach divers important emergency management skills
- Demonstrate and teach equipment handling and maintenance techniques
- Chalk out plans for safety for divers
- Maintain diving equipment in operational condition
Requirements for Becoming a Dive Instructor
Dive instructors must be able to take their responsibilities seriously, so a certain level of maturity is a requirement; this is subjective and depends on your own diving experience, your personality, and of course, the amount of bottom time you’ve managed to log over the years. Here are some additional requirements for becoming a scuba diving instructor:
- Most scuba diving courses have minimum age requirements. In most of the cases, you need to be at least 18 years of age.
- At least possess a high school diploma although higher degrees are desirable
- Possess certified basic scuba diving skills and certification
- Open water diving courses- advanced level
- Have long hours of diving experience under your belt
- Be proficient in first aid and CPR
- Have knowledge of basic emergency measures
- Be in excellent physical and mental condition
If it is determined that you are a suitable candidate for becoming a diving instructor, then you will be taken through numerous courses and coaching programs at a nationally or internationally recognized diving school. These courses are followed up by a series of practical dives, along with an internship with a professional diving agency.
During the course of your training, you will need to prove your mettle under a variety of different diving conditions, in a variety of environments, and with a variety of different people. It’s vital that you prove your ability to perform since you will ultimately be responsible for conducting individual diving sessions.
Throughout your training, you will learn more than you may have ever thought possible about the technical aspects of diving and dive equipment; in addition, you will be tested again and again, and drilled repeatedly. Finally, you will be tested on a regular basis so your own instructors will be able to accurately evaluate your performance and confirm that you are able to work under pressure on a consistent basis. No doubt about it – it takes a huge amount of effort, not to mention perseverance, to become a scuba diving instructor!
Going pro and becoming a divemaster or working your way into a scuba diving instructor position is a serious choice. However, the rewards are many, as this is a career that you can enjoy in a variety of places all over the world. To determine whether you are really ready for a career as a divemaster or scuba diving instructor, consider spending some time speaking with a few individuals who have made these choices in their own lives. Ask them about pros and cons, and ask them if they would make the same choice again.
Finally, recognize that once you’re a basic scuba instructor, there are many directions you can take your career. You can qualify to teach specialty courses if you like, you can work at a resort teaching intro to scuba, or you can mix things up and teach different classes. A world of possibilities is waiting!