Florida-certified public accountant Paul Simonson enjoys scuba diving in his spare time and is a certified PADI divemaster. This article will take a closer look at scuba diving jobs, providing an overview of the qualifications required to turn an exhilarating hobby into an extremely rewarding career.
For professional scuba divers, there are far more job opportunities than most people realize. The most common scuba diving careers are scuba instructor or commercial diver. Nevertheless, professional diving niches vary considerably, from scientific research to solving crimes to working as an underwater stuntperson.
To consider diving as a career, an individual needs to feel comfortable in the water, having honed their diving skills and gained a solid grasp of safe diving practices. PADI is an internationally recognized training organization for recreational and professional divers. For many professional divers today, the key to transforming their hobby into a career lies in gaining their PADI Divemaster qualification, providing them with an internationally recognized credential for their resume. PADI divemasters enjoy abundant career opportunities, from teaching diving through more than 6,600 PADI dive centers globally to working in marine conservation, commercial diving, and a myriad of other fields.
To enroll on the PADI Divemaster course, participants need to have earned their Open Water Diver certificate, a qualification that takes four days of practical and classroom-based training to acquire. Students must also have completed the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, as well as the PADI Rescue Diver training. Participants also need current First Aid and CPR training, as well as 40 logged dives, to enroll for the PADI Divemaster course.
Open to participants aged 18 years and over, the PADI Divemaster course takes two to three weeks of all-day training to complete, although many students opt to spread their training out over several months, training over many weekends rather than a few intense weeks. To earn their PADI Divemaster qualification, participants will need at least 60 logged dives in total. During the PADI Divemaster course, participants will practice working with dive students, learning how to conduct scuba refresher courses. Once certified as a divemaster, they can become an assistant instructor or a PADI instructor.
The PADI Divemaster course essentially teaches participants how to assist with scuba classes, lead underwater tours, and inspire others to care about the ocean. Boasting the world’s most recognized professional scuba certification, PADI divemasters enjoy abundant work opportunities, enabling them to transform their passion for the ocean into a rewarding career and pass on their knowledge and inspire others.
PADI eLearning enables students to participate in interactive lessons covering divemaster-led programs and activities, including aspects such as risk management, diver safety, the aquatic environment and more. Participants can study online or offline using a mobile device or computer, connecting with their instructor as and when required.
Through PADI dive shops, divemaster students can assist with dives, underwater tours and dive briefings, providing assistance and learning how to anticipate problems, as well as improving their problem-solving and navigational skills through practical workshops.
Around the world today, there are more than 30 million PADI-certified divers with 128,000 professional PADI members globally. For qualified PADI divemasters, the organization provides ongoing professional training through a variety of specialty courses, helping students to acquire the experience and practical skills required for a range of different diving specialisms.
PADI specialty courses include:
- Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver: Enabling divers to shorten surface intervals, extend their bottom time, and dive deeper on repetitive dives
- Digital Underwater Photographer: Teaching students how to choose the correct photographic equipment and take pictures safely in marine environments
- Dry Suit Diver: Enabling participants to handle buoyancy, air in their drysuit, and common drysuit problems
- Deep Diver: Equipping divers with the skills and knowledge they need to safely dive to deeper depths
