The difference between PADI Divemaster and PADI Instructor

There are many directions you can take to chase after your passion in the diving industry. Some divers head towards exploring the world’s oceans, some are still stuck in the past discovering shipwrecks that tell the most magnificent stories, and some just simply love to teach and share their love for the underwater world.

In this week’s article, we discuss the differences between the diving industry’s most popular choices of diving careers: becoming a PADI Divemaster and a Dive Instructor. Sometimes, these job options may sound the same, well Blue Season Bali is here to clear up the differences.

PADI Divemaster

The Divemaster certification is the first step to take to become a dive professional. When you begin your journey as a PADI Diver, the first three diving courses you will likely take are PADI Open Water diver, PADI Advanced Open Water, and then PADI Rescue diver. After completing these three diving courses, this is when you can choose to enter the world of professional scuba divers. The first professional PADI level is the PADI Divemaster.

Divemaster responsibilities

A PADI Divemaster’s responsibility can vary from the situation and the job description. Even though a PADI Divemaster’s responsibility may vary, here are some day to day tasks a Divemaster undertakes at Blue Seasons Bali:

• Conducts diving activities
• Helping certified divers refresh their dive skills
• Involved with creating diving plans
• Assists other Divemasters or PADI Instructors with any dive-related activities
• Ensures all safety measures are in place
• Supervise snorkelers

If your passion is to show others the wonders of the underwater world, becoming a certified PADI Divemaster is for you. Following is the PADI divemaster requirements or criteria you have to meet to become a Divemaster:

• Be certified as a PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent
• Be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent
• Be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver or equivalent
• Be certified to administer First Aid training and CPR
• Have registered a minimum of 40 dives when starting the course

PADI Dive Instructor

To become a certified PADI Dive instructor, you will need to complete the entire IDC course then attend the PADI Instructor Examination. This is for you if you love to teach others and see them learn how to dive or improve their skills.

Dive instructors responsibilities

Similar to Divemaster’s, a dive instructor ensures the safety of other divers. Other responsibilities include:

• Educating and getting student divers familiar with fundamental safety techniques
• Teaching divers safety principles and enforcing good diving practices
• Train divers of all levels, from Open Water to Divemaster

If you’re one of those people who love to pass down your knowledge and skills to another generation of great divers in the making, then PADI’s Instructor Development Course is for you. Here are the requirements to become a certified PADI instructor:

• You need to be at least 18 years old
• Be certified as a PADI Divemaster or equivalent
• Have 100 logged dives

Whether you would like to become a PADI Divemaster or an Open Water Scuba Instructor depends on your career plans and personal preferences, as both serve a different purpose.

At IDC Bali Internship, we offer diving internships for both of these programs and we will be happy to help you reach your dive career goals. For more information on our facilities and programs, check out our website or give us a ring to contact us.