The PADI Divemaster course is a major step in your diving life taking you from recreational to professional level. It is a great opportunity for either those who wish to build a career in diving or who would just like to improve their diving knowledge and skills to a professional level. The course itself is a mix of classroom sessions pool sessions and open water dives. During these experiences you learn many aspects of being a dive professional including dive theory, assisting student divers and guiding certified divers.
The first thing to consider when deciding where to take your PADI Divemaster course is that you will only ever take this course once. Secondly, you are now entering the professional realm of diving. What can be more important at this stage of your career than receiving the best training available? With such a wide range of choices of where to go it can get confusing. PADI Resort, 5 star IDC center, 5 star CDC center - which one? Ultimately the most important thing is who is going to teach you. This is where we excel with our highly experienced and enthusiastic instructors.
The two main instructors that you will be working with are Iain and Oui, the company owners. We are both extremely enthusiastic divers who love nothing better than to be underwater. Both of us are very highly experienced in scuba diving instruction with a combined total of over 30 years of scuba teaching in Phuket. To date we have certified more than 1,000 students between us.
As well as teaching we have both worked as tour leaders on both day trip and liveaboard boats and guided literally thousands of people of various ages from all over the world. This has given us invaluable experience in areas such as customer psychology, assessing environmental conditions and problem avoidance.
Your divemaster course should be about learning and building confidence in your dive abilities but also about having fun. As well as providing top quality tuition we offer a very personal experience so as soon as you walk through our doors expect to become part of the Sharkey family! We enjoy the social side of diving and spend many of our evenings with our guests chatting about diving (and other things) over dinner and a drink or two. We have guests visit from all over the world from many different backgrounds. You will, of course, also be welcome to join in the fun.
At Sharkey Scuba we believe that to be a good divemaster requires building experience as well as just completing the necessary training. During the course we offer 25 dives, mainly boat, some beach, visiting most of the major dive sites around Phuket and Phi Phi. We also offer a number of pool training sessions which in our view are as essential and rewarding as the open water dives.
From our many years of experience we know that it is impossible to turn out a quality Divemaster in too short a period of time. For that reason we insist on a minimum of 3 weeks to complete the course. In certain circumstances it can be completed quicker but only if the theory part is completed online in advance of your course. Generally we recommend that our trainees spend 5 to 6 days per week on their dive training. However, schedules are flexible - after all, you are our guest! Also, it is not necessary to take the whole course in one go so if you wish to complete it over a multiple visits to Phuket then this can also be arranged.
The latest PADI Divemaster course, introduced in November 2010, involves a combination of dive theory, assisting students, development of in-water skills and open water diving. Full details of the course can be found in our PADI Divemaster Course Guide.
Under Thai law all foreigners working in Thailand are required to have a valid work permit. This also includes any voluntary or unpaid work. Also, in Phuket, all local dive leaders must have attended a specific course through the Phuket Marine Biology Department to show they are educated on reef preservation and conservation. For this reason, unfortunately we are unable to offer short term internships in lieu of course payment.
Check out our PADI Divemaster Course Guide for a comprehensive list of required study materials and scuba diving equipment.
We strongly recommend that you have your own set of diving equipment for your divemaster course in Phuket. If you wish to purchase any equipment then we offer a 10% discount off any diving-related equipment bought during your divemaster course with Sharkey Scuba. Alternatively you can rent a full set for the duration of the course at a special price of 4,000 baht including dive computer use.
It is mandatory for trainees to have their own personal dive insurance. For personal and professional dive insurance we recommend Divers Alert Network (DAN) insurance. For more details check out their web site here.
The Divemaster application fee for the Asia-Pacific region in 2024 is currently AU$ 260.
There are many options for accommodation depending on your personal preferences and budget. Some trainees like to rent a small local bungalow, some like to stay in a guesthouse or hotel and some like to rent a nice pool villa. Whichever option you prefer just let us know and we will do what we can to help organise a suitable place for you.