Padi Divemaster course

BE A LEADER WHO MENTORS AND MOTIVATES OTHERS. GAIN DIVE KNOWLEDGE, SUPERVISION ABILITIES, AND BECOME A ROLE MODEL TO DIVERS AROUND THE WORLD.

Padi Divemaster in Northern Ireland

Become a Padi Pro

The PADI Divemaster course is your first level of professional training. Working closely with a PADI Instructor, you’ll fine-tune your dive skills and refine your rescue skills so you anticipate and easily solve common problems. You’ll gain dive knowledge, management and supervision abilities so you become a role model to divers everywhere.

What can PADI Divemaster’s do?

  • Work at local dive centres, on live-aboard dive boats, yachts and at exotic resort locations.
  • Assist PADI Instructors with students.
  • Lead certified Divers on guided dive tours.
  • Teach and certify PADI Skin Divers.
  • Teach PADI Discover Snorkelling programs.
  • Conduct PADI ReActivate programs for certified divers.
  • Teach confined Discover Scuba Diver sessions (after successful completion of DSD training.).
  • Teach Emergency First Response programs after successful completion of an Emergency First Response Instructor course.

Padi Dive Master become a dive Leader.

what will i learn

The PADI Divemaster course teaches you to be a leader and take charge of dive activities. Through knowledge development sessions, water skills exercises, workshops and hands-on practical assessment, you develop the skills to organize and direct a variety of scuba diving activities. Topics and practical workshops include:

  • The role and characteristics of the PADI Divemaster
  • Supervising dive activities and assisting with student divers
  • Diver safety and risk management
  • Divemaster conducted programs and specialized skills
  • Business of diving and your career
  • Awareness of the dive environment
  • Dive setup and management
  • Mapping an open water site
  • Conducting dive briefings
  • Organizing a search and recovery project and a deep dive
  • Conducting a scuba review and skin diver course
  • Assisting with Discover Scuba Diving and leading Discover Local Diving programs
Divemaster Available on E-Learning

Pre-requisites

  • 18 years old
  • 40 logged dives to start and 60 logged dives before completion
  • PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent)
  • PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent)
  • EFR certification within the last 2 years
  • Medically evaluated and cleared for diving by a physician within the last 12 months
    • We will ask you to get the HSE Dive medical as it is a requirement to have one to work in the UK.

Course Duration

We generally recommend you take A dive season to complete your divemaster course as we are mostly weekend warriors. This will give you maximum in water time with your instructors and allow you to assist on many different courses during our training weekends. Your time will be split between pool sessions on Wednesday evening's Lagan Valley Leisure plex and weekends diving with student divers at least 1 day a week. Once you sign up for the PADI Divemaster course you will sit down with our dive team and discuss the course schedule to fit around our weekends and your work schedule.

Diving Equipment required we recommend dry suit

Equipment you need. 

  • Full set of standard SCUBA equipment – Mask, fins, snorkel, BCD and regulator set with gauge
  • Air Cylinder – 2 recommended
  • Adequate Exposure protection – Drysuit
  • Dive Computer
  • Compass
  • Knife/Cutting device
  • 2 Surface signalling devices – 1 whistle and 1 DSMB
  • Slate and pencil
  • Torch

With the BCD, you can use either wing or jacket style. However, we recommend a jacket style for the added stability it gives you on the surface when dealing with students

PADI Divemaster Course Watermanship Requirements

Divemaster Course – Water man ship

Stamina Exercises
  1. 400M SWIM
  2. 15 MIN TREAD
  3. 800M SNORKEL
  4. 100M DIVER TOW
Confined Water Skills
PART 1 – MASK DEMONSTRATION
PART 2 – 18 BASIC SCUBA SKILLS
Diver Rescue Exercise
DIVER RESCUE ASSESSMENT
STAMINA EXERCISES ( overview) – ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

There are four exercises that evaluate Stamina and Water skills, each rated by points. There is no passing score for any exercise, but a combined score of 12 or more is required prior to certification. In addition, candidates complete all exercises prior to certification. Students who fall short of a combined score of 12 may be given time to practice and develop their abilities while continuing in other areas of the course.

STAMINA EXERCISE 1: 400M swim
The candidate must swim 400m without stopping using no swimming aids and using any stroke or combination of strokes desired. If a candidate stops, the exercise is incomplete and must be repeated.

400m timePoints
under 6 min, 30 sec5
6 min, 30 sec to 8 min, 40 sec4
8 min 40 sec to 11 min3
11 min to 13 min2
more than 13 min1
stoppedincomplete

STAMINA EXERCISE 2: 15 Minute Tread
Using no aids and wearing only a swim suit, the candidate will stay a float by treading water, drown proofing, bobbing or floating for 15 minutes, with hands (not arms) out of the water during the last 2 minutes. A candidate with a physical challenge that makes it difficult/impossible to hold hands out of the water is exempt that portion of the exercise with no effect on the score.

CriteriaPoints
Performed satisfactorily5
Stayed afloat,but hands not out of the water entire 2 minutes3
used side/bottom for a momentary support but no more than once or twice1
used side/bottom for support more than once or twiceincomplete

STAMINA EXERCISE 3: 800 m Snorkel
Using a mask, fins, snorkel and swim suit only (no BCD or floatation aids) and swimming with the face in the water, the candidate must swim nonstop for 800m. The candidate may not use arms to swim, unless the candidate has a physical challenge that limits leg and arm swimming is the individual’s normal swimming method while diving. If the candidate stops, the exercise is incomplete and must be repeated.

800 metres TimePoints
under 14 min5
14 to 16 min, 30 sec.4
16 min, 30 sec to 18 min, 30 sec3
18 min, 30 to 21 min2
more than 21 min1
stoppedincomplete

STAMINA EXERCISE 4: 100m inert Diver Tow
Wearing full scuba equipment, the candidate must push or tow an inert diver in full scuba at the surface 100m nonstop without assistance. Note that this is a swimming power evaluation (speed against drag) not a rescue evaluation. If a candidate stops, the exercise is incomplete and must be repeated.

100 m TimePoints
under 2 min, 10 sec5
2 min, 10 sec to 3 min, 15 sec4
3 min, 15 sec to 4 min, 20sec3
4 min, 20 sec to 5 min, 30 sec2
more than 5 min, 301
stoppedincomplete

DIVER RESCUE ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

The Diver Rescue assessment and development has three goals. First, it evaluates effectiveness to assure that the candidate can perform a rescue if necessary in an emergency. Second, it improves the quality of the rescue skills to be more a role model for assisting with a PADI Rescue Course. Third, it forms the foundation of demonstration quality rescues required during a instructor examination should the candidate wish proceed to instructor level.
This exercise is the simulated rescue of an unresponsive non-breathing diver. It applies a PASS/FAIL evaluation criteria. The exercises maybe conducted in a pool, confined water or open water in the following manner:
1.0  The victim in full scuba gear and submerged around 25 m from the ” rescuer ” (candidate). The rescue starts from the
pool deck,shore or boat as appropriate.
2.0At a given signal, the rescuer enters the water, locates and surfaces the victim, properly checks for and initiates breathing.
 tows the victim while removing own and victim’s weights, mask and scuba unit, and removes the victim from the water.
(Equipment handlers to collect gear)
3.0To pass as an effective rescue the candidate must have done each of the following :
3.1Upon surfacing, the rescue establishes the victims buoyancy
3.2Look, listen and feel for breathing of the victim.
3.3Open the airway and give two slow rescue (simulated) breaths
3.4Call for Help
3.5Give effective in water rescue breathing technique.
3.6Protect the victims airway with no or very few interruptions
3.7Maintain regular ventilation’s with no or very few interruptions.
3.8Resume any ventilation interruptions with two slow rescue breaths
3.9Perform the rescue without any assistance except the exit where the individuals physical characteristics and/or the
environment may require assistance.
 Note there is no time limit for the rescue.

CONFINED WATER ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

The Confined Water Assessment and Development has two purposes – to verify that the candidate can be perform the 18 basic dive skills from the PADI Skill evaluation, and to train the candidate to perform these skills to demonstration quality.

PART ONE: Developing Demonstration Quality Skills.

The candidate will be shown how to perform the removal and replacement of a mask under water skill to demonstration quality.
The goal is to learn how to emphasize the skill and demonstrate it in a very slow manner to enable student divers to learn the steps and critical attributes. After sufficient practice the skill must be performed at a score of 4 or better before moving on to Part Two.
 Skill Evaluation Scores – Score Characteristics
1   Candidate unable to perform exercise
2Exercise performed with significant difficulty or error
3Performed correctly, though too quickly to adequately exhibit or illustrate details of the skill.
4Performed correctly and slowly enough to adequately exhibit or demonstrate details of the skill
5Performed correctly, slowly and with exaggerated movement- appeared easy.

PART TWO: Performing the 18 basic Scuba Skills from the PADI Skill Evaluation.

After demonstrating a 4 or 5 for the Mask removal and replacement skill, the candidate should then be ready to apply demonstration principles to the 18 basic scuba skills listed below.
A skill demonstrated at the level 3, is adequate for someone to learn from, however the goal of the exercise is to make your skills more effective as a teaching tool by striving for the 4 or 5 levels.
Candidates must demonstrate the 18 skills listed below, with no individual score to be less than 3 and an total point score of at least 63. The mask removal skill must be repeated during this portion of the exercise.
1.0Equipment assembly, adjustment, preparation, donning and disassembly
2.0Pre-dive safety check (BWRAF)
3.0Deep water entry
4.0Buoyancy check at the surface
5.0Five point ascent
6.0Remove and replace weight belt
7.0Fin pivot (neutral buoyancy)
8.0Five point ascent
9.0Snorkel – regulator/ regulator- snorkel exchange
10.0Remove and replace scuba unit underwater
11.0Hovering motionless
12.0Buddy breathing stationary, donor and receiver.
13.0Buddy breathing while swimming, donor
14.0Mask removal, replacement and clearing
15.0Buddy breathing while swimming, receiver
16.0Alternate Air Source stationary
17.0Freeflow regulator breathing
18.0Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent (CESA)