A Lung Full of Adventure

Professional dive training

Drift across canopies of coral. Dive through into lush seaforests. Swim with dolphins, lemon sharks, and whales. And drop into the deep, silent blue. 

Getting a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Divemaster certification while volunteering abroad on a marine conservation internship isn’t something that many divers get to experience. Our scuba-diving training course takes you from being a diving enthusiast to a professional diver, while also giving you the chance to contribute towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 14: Life Below Water. 

GVI’s Divemaster is fully accredited and is available in a range of beautiful and breathtaking coastlines across the globe. The sea is yours.

Critical science

Critical science

You'll contribute to vital conservation research targeted at protecting the earth's most valuable ecosystems.
Ethical engagement

Ethical engagement

Using the UN's SDGs as a framework, we've made a commitment to positive, constructive and sustainable impact.
Beautiful adventures

Beautiful adventures

You'll spend your days exploring some of the world's most breathtaking, exhilarating and remote wildernesses.

What is professional dive training all about?

Overview
Programs
Partners
Health and Safety

Travel to Asia, Australasia, Africa or Latin America and take part in marine conservation internships that include scuba-diving training, and will assist you in finding your feet as a professional diver. Our PADI Divemaster programs are based in palm tree-fringed destinations located mere metres away from the swimming grounds of thousands of marine species. Take the opportunity to up your dive equipment knowledge, learn and practise new diving techniques in the open water, increase your diving confidence, and gear up to start a career supervising groups in dive training and diving activities.

Remember that earning professional scuba-diving qualifications comes with perks as well as added responsibilities. Because professional divers have more responsibility in the ocean than recreational divers, you’ll need to comply with the following before signing up for a PADI Divemaster certification course: 

  • Be 18 years or older.
  • Have your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
  • Have earned your Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and First Aid) training within the past 24 months.
  • Have a fit-to-dive medical statement signed by a physician within the last 12 months.
  • Have logged at least 40 dives before the course, and get to 60 dives to complete the course.

If you’ve checked all these boxes then let those sparks of excitement spread. You’re one step closer to becoming a professional diver with a PADI Divemaster qualification!

What’s the benefit of a PADI Divemaster certification?

After years of scuba-diving training, your PADI Divemaster certification comes with some extra perks. PADI Divemaster certified divers can enjoy a range of new responsibilities like:

PADI Divemaster certified divers can dive to depths of 30 metres and can work as a professional in the diving industry.

GVI’s award-winning internships offer you the opportunity to add the PADI Coral Reef Researcher Speciality certification (a qualification that’s exclusive to GVI programs) to your Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) qualifications. And if you volunteer on one of GVI’s marine conservation programs for two weeks or longer, the Coral Reef Research Diver Distinctive Speciality course is automatically included.

This exclusive course offers GVI participants an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the skills and knowledge, planning and organisation, and procedures and techniques required for coral reef research diving. 

You’ll start with knowledge development sessions that will introduce you to coral reef research diving. You’ll also learn about the skills and techniques you’ll need to perform underwater surveys of coral reefs. Following this, you’ll get the opportunity to put theory to the test with two open water training dives. During these dives, you’ll be assessed on your ability to: 

  • suit up correctly,
  • perform a pre-dive safety check and a buoyancy check at the ocean surface,  
  • identify common coral and fish species,
  • discuss the need for regular checking of depth and air pressure throughout your dive, 
  • and identify the importance of effective buoyancy control and weighting when performing a safety stop. 

Here is a selection of programs where you can become a PADI Divemaster with GVI.

PADI Divemaster internship in the Seychelles

Forget about closed shoes and mainland clothing for a while. Instead, suit up in scuba gear and live your dream of becoming a certified professional diver by joining a marine conservation internship in one of the world’s best dive spots. And you needn’t worry if you’re not yet up to speed on your PADI certifications. This internship allows you to land your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification before moving onto your PADI Divemaster certification course. 

Once you’ve arrived on Mahe Island in the Seychelles, it’s easy to see why the Seychelles was once the perfect pirate hideout. The archipelago is tucked away in a secluded part of the Indian Ocean. The ocean waters twist between 115 different islands and waves roll up to greet the nearly 500 kilometres that make up the Seychelles’ coastline.

As the biggest island in the Seychelles, Mahe is the perfect place to get exposure to the ocean and the marine life within it, while adding to your scuba-diving qualifications. After mastering the theory of your PADI Divemaster certification course, you’ll be placed with a reputable dive centre in the Seychelles. You’ll get to contribute towards marine conservation efforts and lead recreational dive activities out in the open ocean. 

Indian Ocean PADI Divemaster internship

Still need to achieve your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification before signing up for a PADI Divemaster internship? No stress. This is another one of those internships where you can start with your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification and walk away with your PADI Divemaster certification at the end.

Take your time upping your diving knowledge and practice during your training on Mahe Island in the Seychelles. You’ll revise your diving knowledge while swaying in the ocean tide, and conduct coral surveys with the warm waters of the Indian Ocean streaming over your wetsuit.

Then, you’ll fly to Thailand and start working in the field in a dive centre placement in Phang Nga province. You’ll consolidate your newfound diving and marine conservation knowledge in a professional setting. You’ll get involved in marine conservation research, coral reef surveys, and plan and supervise dive activities that include spotting some of Thailand’s marvellous megafauna – like oarfish and whale sharks. 

PADI Divemaster certification in Oceania and the Thai islands

Why not travel to Fiji and Thailand as part of your PADI Divemaster certification? 

This internship sets you up with an intensive training period on the island of Caqalai in Fiji. Skirting this small island are the warm waters of the South Pacific Ocean. Enjoy the start of your scuba-diving training surrounded by the 1,200 species of fish found here. You’ll also get involved in coral reef research that contributes to global marine conservation efforts.

Once you’ve gained all the skills and scuba-diving training you need, travel to Phang Nga province in Thailand and put your newfound skills to good use with your dive centre placement. Working as a dive shop employee on a shoreline along the Andaman Sea will give you all the experience you could hope for. 

Fill your days planning dive activities, scouting for the best dive spots and assisting with the day-to-day activities of the dive shop. You’ll share the ocean with many endangered marine species – like dugongs, devil manta rays and four different types of sea turtles. You’ll even get involved in marine conservation efforts that could land you a qualification in Biological Survey Techniques.

PADI Divemaster internship in Mexico

Add to your scuba-diving qualifications while on a PADI Divemaster internship in Mexico. Find out how to identify different fish species and conduct surveys on the world’s second largest coral reef system – the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System – while scuba-diving in one of the most sought-after dive sites in the world.

Once your training is complete, you’ll be placed with a popular dive centre along the coastline of Puerto Morelos. Find out what it’s like to work in the diving industry while catching glimpses of the great barracudas, yellow stingrays and bottlenose dolphins that call the coastal waters of Puerto Morelos home. 

A PADI Divemaster internship in Fiji

Make Fiji’s Caqalai Island the birthplace of your professional diving career. Start off with a marine conservation expedition that tackles the diving concepts you’ll need to know to earn your PADI Divemaster certification. Take a dip below the water and spot the sea snakes that slither in the crevices between coral outcrops.

Then move over to your work placement at a Fijian dive centre where you’ll work as part of a team and assist with the daily tasks of a dive shop. Prep dive boats and dive gear, plan and lead recreational dives and monitor marine environments. You’ll also learn more about the culture of Fiji from the local staff and community members you’ll interact with every day

Since our PADI Divemaster internships look to make a long term, positive impact in marine conservation, we work with the most reputable local and international partners towards realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). These are some of our partners involved in PADI Divemaster internships abroad:

  • The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). GVI is an authorised PADI educational facility, meaning that all of our PADI courses comply with PADI standards, rules and regulations. PADI is the largest recreational diving membership in the world and PADI instructors have been teaching and supervising dives for over 50 years. 
  • XTC Dive Centre offers a 5-star-rated PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) along the Riviera Maya in Xcalak, Mexico. In partnership with XTC Dive Center, GVI offers instructor training opportunities that are top class and located in one of the world’s best dive sites.
  • Divers Alert Network (DAN) is an international organisation committed to promoting the safety of dive activities. They’re the leaders in providing expert medical information that benefits the diving public – assisting in the event of an underwater emergency and working to prevent injuries and promote diving safety. By partnering with DAN, GVI ensures that all of our PADI Divemaster internships prioritise diving safety in the best way possible.

These are just a few of our international and local partners that you could collaborate with on a PADI Divemaster internship abroad. Check out our partners page to find out more about GVI’s partners.

All-round support on every PADI Divemaster internship abroad

GVI provides support before, during and after your PADI Divemaster internship. This means that your health and safety is factored in from the very beginning. So, if you’re not sure what to consider when selecting your PADI Divemaster internship, or you’re wondering how our programs cater for dietary preferences for those with food allergies, make use of our support channels as soon as possible.

Dedicated and trained staff on base 

You can be sure that our staff members are fully prepared to deal with your health and safety concerns. Why? Because all of GVI’s in-country staff are our own. This means they’ve been through our rigorous background checks, completed child protection training, are Emergency First Response (EFR) certified and have undergone detailed safety training. These dedicated staff members oversee every aspect of our PADI Divemaster internships abroad and follow a strict staff-to-participant ratio of one to six to ensure they can manage all activities safely and competently.

Risk mitigation on PADI Divemaster internship

GVI shows its commitment to in-country health and safety by: 

  • Taking all of the necessary steps to comply with international safety standards.
  • Doing regular risk audits.
  • Working with local in-country partners to keep a constant eye on the situation on the ground. 

We also have regularly updated Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), crisis management plans and evacuation plans in every location. 

Our clear communication channels – which includes our 24-hour emergency desk – give participants round-the-clock access to our trained health and safety coordinators and senior management. 

Personal health and safety 

GVI covers all the bases when it comes to your health and safety, and you can swim into your diving career with only the water on your mind. We prioritise your personal safety while you’re at your work placement or on base by:

  • Documenting all relevant medical and dietary requirements before you take part in your PADI Divemaster internship abroad.
  • Ensuring that all participants and staff have received health and safety training.
  • Providing medical support through vetted local medical professionals.
  • Providing secure storage facilities for your personal belongings on base.
  • Providing participants with the option of signing up for GVI-specific international health insurance.

You can dive to depths of 30 metres with a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, PADI Master Scuba Diver and PADI Divemaster certification. This is important to keep in mind when arranging or updating your diving insurance. Insurance providers may not cover you for accidents that happen at depths greater than 30 metres unless you have completed your PADI Deep Diver Speciality course. 

To assist you with your preparation, our support staff can fill you in on diving-specific factors to keep in mind when planning your PADI Divemaster internship abroad.

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