Divemaster course in Cairns

What a Divemaster does

• Supervise divingSupervise recreational diving activities, from a boat or the shore.
• Assist instructorsWork as an instructional assistant on any course.
• Work in divingDivemaster is the minimum rating for employment in the dive industry.
• Go furtherIt’s also the minimum prerequisite for an Instructor Development Course (IDC).

Watermanship assessment

• 800 m snorkel swimContinuous. Under 17 minutes should be achievable.
• 400 m swimContinuous and unaided. Under 10 minutes should be achievable.
• 15-minute treadThe last 2 minutes with your hands out of the water.
• Tired diver towAssessed in the pool.

What’s included

• PADI course materialsDivemaster manual, Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving and Diving Knowledge Workbook
• Polo shirt and name badgeIncluded
• Passport photosNeeded for certification
• Up to 20 divesOver two 3 Day / 2 Night liveaboard trips, weather permitting
• On the liveaboardsTwin-cabin accommodation, all meals and bed linen (no towels)
• All dive and snorkelling equipmentIncluding a dive computer, 5 mm wetsuit and a prescription mask if you need one
• TransfersAccommodation transfers in Cairns city and the Northern Beaches, and a bus to the training centre each day of the course

Not included

• Dive medicalAn AS 4005.1 dive medical. If you plan to work in the Queensland dive industry you need an AS 2299 commercial diving medical instead.
• PADI membership application feePaid to PADI when you apply.
• First Aid certificateYou need a current one. We can arrange a First Aid course if you need it.
• Reef levy and fuel surchargeCurrently $200 per person for the reef levy (Environmental Management Charge, port departure tax and admin costs) plus a $50 per person fuel surcharge. See the reef levy and fuel levy page.
• Extra divesYou need 60 logged dives to certify. Any extra dives you need can be arranged at additional cost.

How the course runs

1. Days 1–2Mon – Tue

   Orientation, then assist an instructor with the theory and pool sessions of a PADI Open Water course. Watch the videos, attend the lectures and do the quizzes and exams, and observe the instructor’s control, positioning and skill demonstrations. Not assessed.

2. Day 3Wed

   Divemaster theory and an introduction to skill demonstrations: the role of a Divemaster, assisting student divers, supervising dives, Divemaster-conducted programs, diver safety and risk management, a skill circuit, equipment exchange and the Skin Diver workshop.

3. Day 4Thu

   Watermanship assessment, the ReActivate and Discover Scuba Diving workshops in confined water, and dive theory: physics, physiology, equipment, the Recreational Dive Planner and the business of diving.

4. Day 5Fri

   An evaluated pool session with an Open Water course.

5. Days 6–7Sat – Sun

   Study and review.

6. Days 8–9Mon – Tue

   Exams and exam review, then evaluated pool sessions with an Open Water course.

7. Days 10–12Wed – Fri: trip 1

   Your first 3 Day / 2 Night liveaboard. Evaluated training dives assisting an instructor with Open Water and Advanced students, a rescue evaluation, non-teaching Divemaster duties, and a dive site mapping exercise.

8. Days 13–14Sat – Sun

   Time off to study for exams.

9. Days 15–16Mon – Tue

   Exams and exam review, then evaluated pool sessions with an Open Water course.

10. Days 17–19Wed – Fri: trip 2

    Your second liveaboard. Evaluated again on teaching and non-teaching duties, including a search and recovery scenario, a dive briefing, dive site set-up and management, and supervised guiding of night divers.

The itinerary is a guide only, and the order of sites may change. The skipper adapts the plan to the weather, tides and currents.