Diaries of a Divemaster
If I don’t want to teach, why should I do my Divemaster?
Welcome to Dairies of a Divemaster! In this new blog series, we are going to write about the PADI Divemaster course and the experiences that come with it.
Let’s start at the beginning and ask the question: why would you want to be a divemaster? Yeah, sure it’s a cool title and all, but it’s so much more than that! A lot of people believe it’s simply a stepping-stone towards becoming an instructor and that it will inevitably lead to a teaching role, but this really isn’t the case. It can open more doors and options than most people think!
Blue Corner Dive Boat. Photo by Ollie Clarke
Here are five jobs that you can do as a Divemaster outside of teaching or guiding:
1 – Scientific Research Diver
Scientific fields such as marine biology, archelogy, and geology use research divers to help perform studies underwater by collecting data in various underwater environments. To be able to do this a diver needs to be comfortable and prepared for any and all sorts of underwater conditions, which is something that becoming a divemaster will help to prepare you for. If your dive centre also happens to run a fantastic scientific divemaster programme, all the better! (wink wink)
Divemasters, Scientific divers and free divers. Photo by Ollie Clark
2 – Underwater Stunt Diver
I know this sounds a bit out there but it’s true! Someone has to do it so why couldn’t that someone be you?
From blockbuster films to internet commercials! There are all sorts of different roles that you could do on set as an underwater stunt diver, such as co-ordinating underwater stunts, making sure the actors are safe, or even being a body double yourself! Stunt diver jobs are competitive and aren’t always easy to come by but being a divemaster is a good first step to getting your foot in the door.
3 – Public Safety Diver
In some parts of the world authorities such as police or search and rescue teams use public safety divers to assist with underwater investigations and rescue operations. More often than not the conditions won’t be warm or crystal-clear, but you may find yourself diving in places that most divers never will! Your divemaster course will equip you with the basic skills needed to do such a job, but you’d need to do a specialty course and a first aid course as well.
4 – Underwater photographer or videographer
Ok hear me out here. I’m not saying that you must be a divemaster to be a photographer or videographer because that’s absolutely not true! However, finding employment at a dive centre, resort, or liveaboard as an underwater photographer or videographer will likely be a lot easier if you can lend your skills as a divemaster to the position as well.
As we all know from different parts of life, skills alone don’t always get you the job you want. Being a divemaster opens more doors and job opportunities. If you have a passion for taking photos and/ or videos this could be perfect for you!
A photographer being photographed. Photo by Ollie Clarke
5 – Golf Ball Diver
Wait what? You read that right! Gold ball divers are divers that go and retrieve golf balls and get paid for it!
Golf clubs call divers in to find and remove as many golf balls as they can from the various water features on their courses. Sounds easy right? Think again. The visibility isn’t great in lot of these ponds and rivers and on several courses they’re literally home to alligators! If you can deal with all of that you might find that you can make a surprisingly decent amount of money from it. The skills and confidence you pick up during your divemaster course might give you the edge to be selected or to outshine the competition.
Did some of the jobs surprise you on our list? Let us know what other interesting diving jobs you’ve come across that the experience and training from a divemaster course might help you with!
Hanging out in the tide pools, waiting for the water to return. Photo by Ollie Clarke