Divemaster Internships: What They Are and How to Choose One
A Divemaster internship is a PADI Divemaster course stretched over weeks or months, during which you complete the same certification requirements as a standard course while working alongside instructors at a dive center. It suits people who want supervised professional experience and time to build confidence, rather than a fast certification. If you only need the certification and already have strong dive skills, a standard course is usually faster and cheaper. If you want to work in the industry, an internship is the more realistic entry route — but only if the center actually gives you professional tasks, not just shop chores.
Internship vs. standard Divemaster course
Both paths lead to the same PADI Divemaster certification. The difference is structure and time.
| Standard course | Internship | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Typically a few weeks | Often several weeks to a few months |
| Focus | Completing course requirements | Course requirements plus daily operations |
| Instructor contact | Scheduled training sessions | Ongoing, day-to-day |
| Typical tasks | Skills, exams, workshops, assessments | Assisting with courses, guiding certified divers, surface support, equipment handling |
| Best for | Certified divers who want the rating quickly | People aiming to work as a professional or wanting a slower, mentored path |
The certification itself is identical. What you gain from an internship is repetition and exposure — more dives, more students, more real conditions.
What an internship usually involves
A well-run internship rotates you through the center's actual work. Expect a mix of:
- Assisting instructors during PADI courses — setting up and breaking down equipment, supervising students in shallow water, helping with surface management.
- Guiding certified divers on dive sites once your skills and the center's judgment allow it.
- Dive site and boat work — briefings, gear logistics, and learning how a dive operation runs day to day.
- Course requirements — the Divemaster knowledge development, water skills, stamina assessments, and practical assessments.
The value comes from the assisting and guiding. If your days are mostly cleaning gear and answering the phone, the internship is not delivering what it should.
Prerequisites
Before starting a Divemaster program you generally need:
- PADI Rescue Diver certification (or an equivalent from another training agency, which the center may need to verify).
- Emergency First Response (or equivalent CPR/first aid) training within the required recency window.
- A minimum number of logged dives — PADI requires 40 logged dives to start and 60 to certify. Check the current requirement with the center, as numbers can change.
- A medical fitness declaration and a reasonable level of swimming and stamina.
Ask the center to confirm exactly which certifications and dive counts they accept, and whether they can help you complete any missing steps before the internship starts.
Costs and what is usually included
Pricing is not published on the Amarilla Divers site, so treat cost as something to confirm directly. When you ask, get a written breakdown of:
- The Divemaster course or internship fee itself.
- PADI materials and certification fees — often charged separately.
- What is bundled in — some centers include dives, equipment rental, accommodation, or local transfers. Amarilla Divers, for example, states it offers free collection from Golf Del Sur, Costa Del Silencio, Los Cristianos, Las Americas and Adeje, which matters if you are staying outside Los Abrigos.
- What is not included — food, flights, insurance, and any dives beyond the course minimum.
Be cautious of any internship that charges a fee and also relies on you as unpaid regular staff. A legitimate internship is a training program with a defined end point.
Questions to ask before you book
These separate a real internship from cheap labor:
- How many instructors will I work with, and what is the typical student-to-instructor ratio? Small ratios mean more hands-on time for you.
- How many dives will I actually do, and how many will I assist on? Get a number, not a promise.
- What tasks will I be doing on a normal day? If the answer is mostly shop work, walk away.
- Who supervises me, and how is my progress assessed? There should be a named instructor and a schedule.
- What happens if I finish early or fall behind? Ask about flexibility on duration.
- Is there a path to work afterward? Some centers hire from their own interns; ask whether that has happened before.
- What is the refund or transfer policy? Conditions vary and are worth knowing before paying.
Judging whether it leads to real professional experience
The clearest signal is whether former interns went on to work as Divemasters or instructors. Ask the center for examples, and check independent reviews — Amarilla Divers, for instance, is described on its site as a multi-award-winning PADI Dive Resort with its own PADI Master Instructor and MSDT Instructor on staff, and its TripAdvisor reviews mention experienced dive guides. That kind of staffing and reputation is a reasonable starting point, but it does not replace asking the questions above.
Red flags:
- No clear schedule or defined tasks.
- You are the only person doing equipment and cleaning work with no instructor time.
- The center cannot tell you how many dives you will complete.
- Pressure to pay in full before you have seen the program outline.
A practical next step
Contact the center directly with the question list above, ask for a written program outline and cost breakdown, and confirm the current PADI dive-count and certification requirements before committing. If the answers are specific and the internship includes regular instructor contact and real diving, it is likely worth it. If they are vague, keep looking.