So you are thinking of becoming a scuba professional ? maybe you’re already a divemaster , maybe not. Maybe you have only just started diving and like me, you entered the water, blew bubbles and knew you wanted to stay. So how do you go about, “living the dream” ? Travel the world and teach people how to dive. visit exotic locations and most importantly “have FUN” in your job. It may seem daunting a one of the most popular questions I get is “how do you do it?” Every time I feel bad when I answer, you just do! If you want it , go for it!!! There is training involved, obviously, especially to teach, but if it’s what you want enough, you can make it happen. When I set out, it was just get my divemaster as I was under the misconception that divemasters have more fun. No, really I was, and it was only during my divemaster training that when I was working closely with PADI instructors I realized that I could do that to!

So, first piece of advice…..after your divemaster course, get some experience. I cannot stress this enough. It made such a HUGE difference in my PADI IDC and took so much stress out of it. Having the practiced skills of a divemaster in the water, so all I had to focus on was “how to teach”. In a lot of internship programs, including ours here at Go Pro Costa Rica, once you have completed your divemaster, either finishing there , or looking to go on to the instructor program, You get the chance to actually “work” as a divemaster. And note I say “work” loosely here! Well, certainly in the context of our internship program where days are normally finished by around 2 – 3 when everyone heads to the beach to surf. A day as a divemaster may be a couple of things, either prepping for a dive trip and then greeting customers, prepping their equipment, before heading out to do 2 dives. If you are working as an instructional assistant, a huge part of a divemasters  job, you may be helping to prep a class either in the ocean or the pool. This real world experience definitely helps you prepare for your upcoming course as an instructor.  By being in the water as a divemaster at least 6 times a week, you can quickly gain the experience in a short period of time before starting your instructor training. So it begins….your PADI IDC.

Part 2 – Your PADI IDC breakdown next…