It is an exciting time in life, when you have finally made the decision to pursue your divemaster course. Maybe it is that you are making a career change, maybe the stars have aligned and you finally, somehow, have six weeks off from work and all you want to do is dive. Whatever the reason the time has come and you want to make sure you get the most out of it. One of the most common question we get asked before someone starts their divemaster course is “How do I prepare for Padi Divemaster course?”. Here are five tips and tricks that can help you get ready and know what to expect with the Divemaster course!
1. Personal Fitness
A big part of the divemaster course is ensuring that you have adequate water skills. There are five separate water skills that must be completed. A 400 meter swim, a 15 minute float, a 800 meter snorkel, 100 meter tired diver tow, and a equipment exchange. This may not sound all that difficult, but if you have not been in the water much lately, then they can be quite a challenge. Get yourself prepared and practice some of these skills before, especially the 400m swim and 15 minute float. Typically if someone is having trouble in this area It is not because they cannot do it, it is because the technique is slightly off. These waterskills are not only important for your own safety but the safety of your future costumers and students. Staying fit is one of the responsibilities of a PADI divemaster.
There are several swim and water skills that a Divemaster needs to pass.
400 meter is 20 lengths of our swimming pool. Once you complete the swim you can take a leisurely float over to the pool bar for a congratulatory Guinness!
2. Review Skills and Knowledge
Whether your last PADI course was six months ago or six years ago it is not a bad idea to brush up on some skill and knowledge before starting your divemaster course. At Sairee Cottage we have made this very easy with different youtube channel. Here you can watch videos ranging from how to conduct a full equipment set up to quality rescue skills. Similar to these videos we can also provide loads of knowledge help. We have preparation files for physics, physiology, equipment, decompression theory and environment. All of the extra knowledge goes all the way to the Instructor level, but is a great place for any divemaster candidate to get started and prepare for Padi Divemaster skill circuits.
3. What equipment will you need
This is always a big question. It is of the utmost important that a true professional has all of their own equipment. Building this set of equipment can take a little bit of time and research.
It can be difficult to know where to begin, so lets start with the basic. Every diver, professional or not, primary goal should always be safety and in control of their own dive. This means every diver should have their own dive computer. Depending on exactly what you want to do with your dive career can influence what kind of computer you should choose. If you plan on been a PADI instructor on a small tropical island teaching open water then a SUUNTO maybe a perfect fit. A sleek design with similar functions and algorithms to your students rental computers. If you are planning to dive a bit deeper and enter the technical world then a shearwater computer may suit you better!
All of these styles of computers are available on Koh Tao, many with a 15% discount as a pro!
Safety Equipment
Let’s continue with the safety, every diver especially a professional diver need to have some dive accessories to help keep them safe. All divers should at a minimum have some kind of visual and audible signaling device, like a surface marker and a whistle.
Navigation can be a tricky one, what can help with this is a compass and a slate. You can easily draw out maps and follow them, or if you and a buddy are having a disagreement about a direction the slate works as a fantastic form of communication when hand signals just aren’t doing it!
Now that we’ve covered safety, lets chat about comfort, a mask and snorkel. Mask and snorkel is probably the most personal piece of equipment you will ever have. This is what can easily make or break a dive. There is nothing worse the spending a dive with a foggy, leaky mask. It is very uncommon to find a rental mask that fits perfectly. How a mask works is over time it will eventually mold to your face. Rental mask go on different faces every day so as you can imagine the fit is a little funny. Where as if you have your own mask, after about four or five dives this mask will start to mold to your face giving you a perfect fit.
These are the items a future divemaster should have at a minimum. Luckily for those who are travelling and doing their divemaster most of these items will all fit into a mask box! Nice and easy to take to any dive destination!
It is a great idea to prepare for your Divemaster course.
4. Get Those Dives up!
In order to start the divemaster course you must have a minimum of 40 logged dives. This understandably maybe something you can only do once you’ve reached your divemaster destination. To help make this goal more achievable Sairee Cottage includes an “unlimited diving” through out the divemaster course. This means that any fun dives you do, including dives that help you reach are included in the price! Many divemaster candidates have the ambition of reaching 100 dives during the course! This is a great dive life milestone and it means you qualify for the minimum amount of dives need to become an instructor!
Being a great Divemaster, starts with a great attitude.
5. And finally have a good attitude!
Most candidate call their divemaster experience as one of the best experiences of their life! Just read some of our reviews! For this to happen a good attitude is key. There very well maybe parts of the course that are challenging and more difficult then you anticipated like the 400m swim or nailing down the perfect hover for a skill circuit. Just because it is difficult as first doesn’t mean it is impossible. If you are excited and willing to learn then the divemaster course is the place for you! You will be able to meet new friends from all around the world the have the one common interest of diving! This makes for some really good vibes in our dorm!
If you take these five simple ideas and put some of them into action before you start the divemaster course you will feel well prepared. If you have any more further questions on how to prepare for Padi Divemaster course please contact us!
About the Author
Maddy left Canada in 2013 with the plan of traveling South East Asia for six months. Those
months have now turned into years. On her travels she became a certified PADI dive
instructor and now runs the PADI Divemaster program at Sairee Cottage Diving..
Leave a Reply