Good DM Internship recommendations

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vespers_

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Location
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I had a 6 month internship lined up with a center in Raja Ampat but it fell through due to Covid and the resort was really bad at communicating throughout so I may have dodged a bullet. I've been sifting through shops online but it's really hard to know if a shop is decent or not and the big ones seem to have the most internet presence. I don't want to end up in a gongshow if I can avoid it.

I'm not really too concerned with the actual certification at the end. I just want to spend a few months (no less than 3. I'm not interested in a 1 month course) working in exchange for lots of dives in a cool destination (anywhere in the world). If I can get on a free one in exchange for work that would be ideal.

The diving quality and number of dives is the priority, but I wouldn't say no to a fun nightlife too. I'm really after variation. I don't want to spend 3 months doing shark dives. Looking for different topology, current, nice pelagic stuff, and coral.

I've been diving in the Philippines (Malapascua, Panglao, Moalboal, Apo), Koh Tao, Utila, Borneo (Kota Kinabalu), Belize, Indonesia (Komodo, Bali, Gili Islands) and my home country of Canada (East and West coasts and interior). I liked all of them except Koh Tao and Belize.

In my opinion Komodo had the best diving by a long shot and that's the kind of coral and sea life I'm looking for. Malapascua was good but i don't know if it had enough variation to be happy there for months (too much focus on the threshers). I found the coral to be pretty poor in Belize and Kota Kinabalu. Utila had decent diving (got lucky with dolphins and whales), but was more focused on the party scene (I liked that the boat rides were short vs the 1-2h in Komodo). I've heard the quality of the instruction in many places like Koh Tao leaves something to be desired.

I've been leaning towards Sipadan, Palau, Sulawesi, Mozambique, something in Mexico (for cenotes or the sea of cortez), south africa, etc. Looking to get off the beaten track if I can.

If anyone has any first hand recommendations of good places to look into I'd really appreciate it.
 
I honestly think there is nowhere decent to do a DM internship.
My warning to you is " Pay the cost of the course at a quality dive centre and be treated like a customer or pursue the intern route and be treated like a hindrance"
 
I honestly think there is nowhere decent to do a DM internship.
My warning to you is " Pay the cost of the course at a quality dive centre and be treated like a customer or pursue the intern route and be treated like a hindrance"

Honestly I'm ok with working hard if I come out of it with a bunch of dives and knowledge about how shops actually work and some boat skills. I'm not down to walk up and down the beach trying to get people to come diving. I don't want to just pay my way into a cert. As I said, i don't really even care about it. I just want to do lots of good diving.

I think smaller more laidback shops in out of the way places that attract a certain type of diver do exist, but it is hard to find them online. The big mills in major dive centers clog all the search results.

That's why I'd love recommendations from people that have been to a bunch of places and have a range of experience and not the people that did a zero to hero in belize and think it's the best diving ever.
 
If you want to do lots of good diving save hard and go to good places to dive, if you want to be a DM pay do the course and get the cert, then get paid to dive these places
Sorry to burst your bubble but IMO you are chasing a pipe dream.
 
Makes no sense financially to be paying $120 for two dives or thousands for a week on a liveaboard when you could have unlimited diving and free living in a place like raja ampat in exchange for some work.

Getting paid to DM seems like more of a pipe dream.
 
Calling all people who have had unlimited diving and free living in a place like raja ampat in exchange for some work. :popcorn:

My DM internship was in Wakatobi, it did not play out like your pipe dream
 
Calling all people who have had unlimited diving and free living in a place like raja ampat in exchange for some work. :popcorn:

My DM internship was in Wakatobi, it did not play out like your pipe dream

That's unfortunate it didn't work out. what went wrong?
 

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