Dive master internship... with a twist

[ScubaduoAdventures]

You should really also consider going to thailand,if you have 3 months. Though the airfare will cost you more your money will go a long way once you get there and besides your dive training you will experience a beautiful culture and see so many other things. In between diving and training you could take a side trip into cambodia for instance and see angor watt or go to laos and thailand itself has so much to see and do and thiland is very easy and safe to get around.
Consider contacting mermaids dive center in pattaya thailand they are a full padi cdc center and can offer you everything you are looking for in a package, though you cannot enter the dm program until 18 you can do the other courses leading up to it and just as importatntly get your dives for it in you will need 60. If you time it right then you would have time to finish your dm before you leave you can even start your dm academics before 18 as this is a non diving part of the course.
Google mermaid to se what theuy have to offer and then contact them with your desires they are very helpful
utila is also very nice but does not have as many other cultural or travel options as thailand
feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have.

 

[goaliemn]

Lots of people seem to suggest that Pro dive program, but I'm only 17 and don't turn 18 until april 16, I think you've got to be 18 to start the divemaster program. The program is only 16 and 1/2 half days

So sign up after April 16? Waiting another couple of months won't make a huge difference..

 

[SWCC ready]

ScubaduoAdventures - Thailand is cool, but my mom won't sign my papers to fly alone there because she thinks Thailand is a dangerous place and will only let me go if I'm in a structured program (I don't want to be because I want to be able to enjoy my vacation.) I have been in contact with the shop you mentioned and they seem nice, with quick replies.

I was looking at try Muay Thai and that would be an awesome place to learn.

goaliemn - After I finish school this month I'm not sure how long I will have my job. I was planing on just going into the Navy when I turn 18, but I've decided to blow some of my saved up money, and get ALOT of diving experience before I go in. This is probably the only time in my life when I'll be able to cut strings, move somewhere for months, and not have to worry about money.

 

[Dive-SEA]

Lots of people seem to suggest that Pro dive program, but I'm only 17 and don't turn 18 until april 16, I think you've got to be 18 to start the divemaster program. The program is only 16 and 1/2 half days

Hi SWCC

you have to be 18 to start the DM training but you can still log the 60 dives needed and get a lot of good relevant experience in the mean time leading up to DM course you can sit in on our other DM courses as an observer and get to see what is involved.
And there is no reason why you can not buy the Diving Knowledge Work Book & Encyclopaedia and complete all the exercises in it, they are basically all the DM/OWSI exams, once you have that down the exams are a walk in the park.

Send me a PM or and email via the web page if you are interested you could complete DM at 18 years and 10 days

 

[divebunny13]

SWCC Ready -

I did my training for DM and OWSI at Neptunes Diving and I had a great time. The instruction was good and you get real world experience. Manzanillo is an awesome town and I am still friends with everyone I went to school with. It's a great experience. You should check them out...

 

[Can't swim]

I just sent you an e-mail, hope you find it helpful.

 

[BLUESEASONBALI]

Hi SWCC Ready,

Like many other people in this thread have already mentioned, it is a prerequisite to any Divemaster Course. On what date do you turn 18? At Blue Season Bali we integrate free PADI Specialties in when you sign up for a 2 month or longer Divemaster Internship with us.

PADI DIVEMASTER INTERNSHIPS

If you signed up for one of these internships we could start your internship off as soon as you get here, getting you diving and doing courses, and then as soon as you turn 18 we can get your DM up and running and you will already have great experience on how the dive shop works, the dive sites and your dive skills will be at a much higher level.


Maybe something for you to consider.

Blue Season Bali

Home: PADI IDC BALI | Divemaster | Instructor

 

[SWCC ready]

Blueseason, that sounds pretty cool, but the price is a little out of my range

I've been in contact with Ash McKnight at Cayman diving college (He was working at the shop where I got certified) and that program looks like a pretty good deal, anyone taken the course with them?

 

[saltynay]

I have been a mermaids intern for the last 4 months and have another 3-4 months to go. I have been diving since I was 12 and I am currently 19. I am not going to say the shop is brilliant because it isn't. We have our gripes against it as a community of interns (I believe there are currently 50-60 of us) as they use us as free labour for their customers for training and tour guiding. The diving here isn't the greatest in the world either, with 20 metre vis being the very rare holy grail occurring only once every few months and currents of light to moderate strength being the norm. But what would you rather learn your navigation in somewhere you can see the boat from the bottom and have very little need to actually try or in 8 metre vis and having to actually master and utilise the skill, accounting for that annoying current that keeps gradually pushing you of course. Mermaids trains you to a higher standard then needed in the pool skills once you get upto the professional level, as far as I can tell, than anywhere of comparable pricing (which if I was you barter the hell out of).

I have been diving with "hero's" instructors and other supposedly experienced divers who tell you all these amazing dive stories and seem to push the limits to the max with little regard for personal safety, so I get prepped for a real thorough tour of the wreck with no holes too small to clamber through. They have then bolted once they are at 20m (2/3rd of the way down the line) because they couldn't see the wreck yet and the current was too strong for them (standard currents for the hardeep "suddahib" wreck) as they have only ever dived in the best vis and conditions. They then say we are all crazy ect for wanting to dive in these conditions, but who is the better dive to handle extreme conditions given all their experience them or us.

At least 2 boats go out every day (1 always does the hardeep wreck the other does far islands shallower coral dives), If it is only interns on the boat (occasionally happens with MM3 our wreck boat which is smaller (16 people max capacity) and leaves from a different pier and hour down the road) it still goes out regardless, that is a claim not many other dive intern ships can live up to. The coral dive boat (MM1 or MM4) is where most of your training will occur and is a large boat with approx 35 max capacity. 1&4 always go to far islands with only 1 time that I can remember since I have been here, has it not gone due to wave conditions making it impossible to traverse the 1.5 hour drive. I have only seen 2 other companies at these far fetched dive sites before out of the 12+ running out of pattaya. 1&4 has the best food as it is prepared fresh whilst boat 3 has arguably the best diving but the food is reheated so not quite as brilliant.

We are a nice bunch of people, mainly guys with approx 10% girls from all over the world but the majority coming from the UK. The hotel we all live in is full at the moment so you would need to confirm with Sheena (general manager and the next person you will be put in contact with undoubtedly) your exact accommodations location. This is where most of us live and the bar/restaurant downstairs is now called shooters which give us 1000tbh tabs and all the bar girls are very nice and not seedy like the rest of pattaya especially as they are mainly interns girlfriends.

It is not a wonderland and there are definite negatives to the dive centre however I am based in Singapore and travelled to a lot of S.E Asian intern programs personally and Mermaids was the best in my eyes. If you have any further questions feel free to PM me.