Divemaster internship program: when training is not training...Daz - Instructor/Sales
November 19, 2007 at 05:51:36As a one time Cairns dive instructor I have wondered how long it would take for someone to notice this. Most of the dive master
trainees dont get paid at all. One dive company's advertisement reads Dive Master Traineeship avalable, prefer those with Open Water certification.
Some of the these Divemaster courses take months to complete. Most insist on the trainee doing at least 30 days work then another 30 days of what they call training. The training consists of the trainee reading the PADI or SSI dive master manual. Filling scuba tanks, doing safety watch and helping around the boat plus most do guided dives with certified divers. Some dive companies make sure that their DM Interns are at least rescue diver trained ( so they can have
around 12 dives) before acting as guides. Many of these interns look at this as a way to log dives, get laid, get free food and a place to live and at the end of it all they get a PADI or SSI Dive Master card. Then when they have finished the DM internship they sign up for the Instructor internship. This is where they make the big money, $30 to $40 a day and a free PADI or SSI instructor cert at the end of it.
And we wonder why we are getting such bad Dive Masters and Instructors out there. My question is , what do PADI and SSI think about it. My guess is: GREAT! More ways to make money. | 
