There are many reasons to become a PADI Divemaster: to work and travel, to share your love of the underwater world with others, or simply for a personal challenge. Along the way, you’ll hone your scuba diving skills and emerge as a leader in the world’s largest community of divers bound together by a shared passion for adventure and ocean conservation. The PADI Divemaster Course is the most popular and most recognized professional scuba certification in the world. PADI Divemasters enjoy abundant career opportunities, getting paid to scuba dive and share their love for the ocean.

In the PADI Divemaster Course, you will learn how to be a leader and take charge of dive activities. You will work closely with our Instructors to develop the skills required to organize and conduct a variety of scuba diving programs. Your Divemaster training will involve various learning elements as well as hands-on experience. As you progress through the course, you will get the opportunity to work directly with beginner dive students as they take their first scuba courses with us.

The PADI Divemaster Course is divided into 3 main elements. For each element, there are a series of workshops and practical skills you will be asked to complete:

Step 1 - Knowledge Development

During the knowledge development portion of the course, you will learn about the role and characteristics of a PADI Divemaster. You will also build your knowledge of diver safety, risk management, and awareness of the dive environment. Finally, you will learn about the business side of diving and how your own career may fit into that.

Whether you complete the knowledge development through eLearning or during a class, you will have the opportunity to ask lots of questions and learn from our experienced Instructors.

Step 2 - Skill Development: Confined Water Sessions

Confined Water Sessions are when the Divemaster Course gets really exciting. During the first sessions, you will focus on the development of your own scuba diving skills. You will complete skill circuits to master performance in the water and will also refresh your Rescue Diver skills. At the end of this, you will take part in a water skills assessment to ensure you can handle the challenges of being a Divemaster.

From there you move on to the Divemaster Workshops. This section of the course allows you to begin putting your skills into practice and begin learning how to supervise and assist other divers. You will take part in a simulated PADI Refresher/Reactivate, PADI Skin Diver & PADI Discover Scuba Diving Program Workshops. Our Instructors will provide specific feedback on your performance and note areas for practice and improvement.

Finally, you will join one of our PADI Open Water Diver Courses to experience and learn how to assist actual beginner students. Under the supervision of the Instructor, you will combine your knowledge and skills development to ensure the new trainee divers have a positive, safe, and enjoyable experience!

Step 3 Skill Practice: Open Water Sessions

Diving and training in a pool is lots of fun, but scuba diving is all about getting out and exploring the open water. You will take part in a number of Open Water Dives, designed to develop your scuba diving skills and allow you to then put those skills into practice as you work alongside and assist other divers.

The practical skills you will focus on include Dive Site Set Up & Management, Dive Briefings, and Diver Rescue Scenarios. You will also take part in a Deep Dive and a Search and Recovery Dive with your Instructor. After this, you will need to complete a Mapping Project at a local dive site. From there, just like in your confined water sessions, you will then take part in Divemaster Program Workshops to simulate the type of activities you would do as a professional Divemaster. These Workshops include a continuation of the Discover Scuba Diving Program and the PADI Discover Local Diving Program. Just like in confined water, you will simulate these workshops with your Instructor and receive personalized advice and feedback on your performance.

To complete the final step in the Divemaster Course, you will again assist on actual PADI Courses run by Rowand’s Reef. You will help out during the PADI Open Water Course, and assist in a continuing education course (for example a PADI Advanced Open Water, Rescue, or Specialty Course). Finally, you will lead a group of certified divers out for a guided dive tour at one of our local dive sites.

Rowand’s Reef has over 50 years of experience certifying new scuba divers. Whether it’s helping you take your first breaths underwater or giving you the tools you need to take your diving to the next level, we’re here to help and support you through your diving journey!

Whatever your experience, our instructors will work with you to ensure your confidence, comfort, and readiness. Our low Instructor-to-student ratios allow maximum contact time and our top-of-the-line rental equipment will ensure that your dives are successful and enjoyable. Our mission at Rowand’s Reef is to provide world-class scuba training, making sure that our students have the knowledge and skills they need to be safe out in the water while also having a great time!

In addition to all this, Rowand’s Reef offers all Divemasters who train with us employment after certification. As a PADI Professional Divemaster, you can work with Rowand’s Reef to lead local tours, supervise scuba diving activities, and assist with diver training here in Vancouver.

This depends on the intensity with which you complete the course.

It is possible to become a PADI Divemaster in two extremely busy weeks however, most Divemaster candidates complete their training over three weeks to six months.

Absolutely! Many divers enroll in the Divemaster Course simply because they love diving and want to learn more. Becoming a divemaster will increase your underwater confidence immensely, make you an excellent dive buddy, and introduce you to what it’s like to be a professional diver.

Also, you’ll have a job qualification recognized worldwide. Maybe you don’t want to change careers right now, but as a certified PADI Divemaster, you always have the option to lead a different life. A PADI Divemaster certification can also be helpful if you want to pursue a career in marine conservation.

• Assist certified PADI Instructors with training and non-training diving activities

• Guide certified scuba divers on fun dives

• Lead Discover Local Diving programs

• Assist with Discover Scuba Diving programs

• Organize and lead conservation activities

• Conduct PADI Refresher/ReActivate programs

• Teach Discover Snorkeling and PADI Advanced Snorkeler courses

In addition to this, with some additional training, there are a number of other classes and activities Divemasters can lead.