How long will the Divemaster course take?
How long will the Divemaster course take?
The Divemaster course as per the PADI Instructor Manual recommended hours is 50 which means you could achieve in a little as 8 days, but remember as per all other PADI courses, performance requirements do have to be met.
Just because you can do it in 8 days, does that mean you should?
Short Option
On a condensed short course option you will become a Divemaster, but what are the drawbacks?
- You will rarely if ever get to work with real students as a result, a lot of your training will be simulated, and parts can only be played so well.
- Generally (and we are speaking generally) the shorter course option tends to meet the bare minimum performance requirements for certification. True mastery is not always achieved
Do not despair if undertaking a short course fits with your schedule; this can still be is a good option. We would urge you to see it as a 'boot-camp' you have to have completed all of the e-learning Diver Theory and pre-reading prior to attending the course.
After the course, we do recommend you come back at times to suit and gain real application of Divemaster skills by working with real students and our professional team members.
The short course is ideal for university students who have limited breaks to still gain a professional qualification in the small time they have.
Long Option
By completing over a longer period of time you will be working with the Dive Rutland professional team and your mentor assisting on actual courses which exposes you to students that are in training during your course and not role-playing exercises as used in the short consolidated course option.
You will become more involved in the running of the dive centre, working with qualified and unqualified divers, risk management, logistics and dive planning.
The extended course options are great for divers who have a little more time and want the benefits of working with real people in real training to gain real experience.
Dive Rutland Divemaster Course
Here at Dive Rutland, we offer both options. Our short course is ran over an intensive two-week period, or you can choose a the long option which works on a flexible schedule but this is still a formalised training programme. We also have a summer intern option
By taking the option to complete over a longer period of time with Dive Rutland, you will not be a lacky or ‘kit monkey’; the activities you undertake will be directly related to your Divemaster course but to an agreed schedule. Every professional in the team has to prepare the required equipment for the course they are running, and you will be exposed to all of this activity, including fetching and preparing your own equipment just like your professional mentor does.
You will be involved with real-world experience of working within our dive operation as this is an important element of the course and you becoming a great Divemaster.
We believe in high quality training, what we ask is you look around and find the mentor and dive centre who delivers high quality training and you and they fit together after all this is about your journey not just the dive centre, it’s a partnership.
Our Trainee Divemasters work with Tracey our onsite Course Director to ‘pick’ their mentor, someone they aspire to be or would like to work with but Tracey will always be there for guidance. You might even choose Tracey. Whoever you choose you will still get to work with other instructors and professional staff as no two individuals work exactly the same way, it is all part of the learning process.
If you are interested, get in touch, pop in have a coffee (other drinks are available) and have a chat.
