DevonDiver
N/A
First, a correction to some of the earlier responses.... It's a MSD (Master Scuba Diver) internship, not a DM (Divemaster) internship... so there's no pro fees, expensive crewpack etc.
From what I know (have visited Cyprus a few times during my military service and dived there regularly during those times), Easy Divers has a good reputation as an operator... so I doubt this is a scam of any kind.
Some possible explanations:
Kit Deal - Could be old stock, that they're trying to get rid of.
Unlimited Diving - If the boat is going out anyway, then it doesn't cost extra (just a tank fill) to stick an intern onto the group.
Courses - 5 Specialties, can easily be run at low cost - possibly as further training/experience for newly qualified instructors and/or for the benefit of developing the dive center's overall status with PADI (i.e. 5* status requirements). MSDT instructor interns will want the opportunity to teach specialties - could even be paying for that chance, if on an internship of their own. If instructors are on-hand, salaried anyway, then the only cost is the manual/PIC. That's a small chunk of the internship cost.
Accommodation - Very little cost if the center has dedicated/available rooms for interns. Likely to be 'no-frills' - basic lodging rather than 'hotel'.
Cyprus has low seasons - so internships like this have benefits in providing consistent student flow/workload throughout the year. A busy dive shop is a good dive shop - there are business advantages to keeping a center active, when it would otherwise be quiet.
Being based in Protaras, it isn't the 'busiest' area for scuba diving (unlike Larnaca, Limasol and Paphos)... so there's probably a lot more competition for students. That'd reflect in better prices and special deals like these.
Overall, looks like a very good deal for training and equipment...
From what I know (have visited Cyprus a few times during my military service and dived there regularly during those times), Easy Divers has a good reputation as an operator... so I doubt this is a scam of any kind.
Some possible explanations:
Kit Deal - Could be old stock, that they're trying to get rid of.
Unlimited Diving - If the boat is going out anyway, then it doesn't cost extra (just a tank fill) to stick an intern onto the group.
Courses - 5 Specialties, can easily be run at low cost - possibly as further training/experience for newly qualified instructors and/or for the benefit of developing the dive center's overall status with PADI (i.e. 5* status requirements). MSDT instructor interns will want the opportunity to teach specialties - could even be paying for that chance, if on an internship of their own. If instructors are on-hand, salaried anyway, then the only cost is the manual/PIC. That's a small chunk of the internship cost.
Accommodation - Very little cost if the center has dedicated/available rooms for interns. Likely to be 'no-frills' - basic lodging rather than 'hotel'.
Cyprus has low seasons - so internships like this have benefits in providing consistent student flow/workload throughout the year. A busy dive shop is a good dive shop - there are business advantages to keeping a center active, when it would otherwise be quiet.
Being based in Protaras, it isn't the 'busiest' area for scuba diving (unlike Larnaca, Limasol and Paphos)... so there's probably a lot more competition for students. That'd reflect in better prices and special deals like these.
Overall, looks like a very good deal for training and equipment...
