Back in 2011, when I was still in elementary school, my mom took me to Green Island for a discover diving experience. The vivid, kaleidoscopic world beneath the surface left a lasting impression that I simply couldn't shake. True to our family's action-first spirit, we signed up for an Open Water course the very next year (I was a junior diver back then, of course). After finishing the course, I knew that scuba diving would be a lifelong companion — and sure enough, over these 13 years it has never left my side. Whether it was dive travel, working in exchange for certifications, or even my current job, which revolves around diving and the ocean, I've come to realize that I love diving from the bottom of my heart.
I remember this was the summer right after passing my OW — diving in Green Island.
The coral zone at Kenting's outlet area.
The utility pole reef at Xiaoliuqiu.
Semporna, Malaysia.
Why Sign Up for a Divemaster Course?
After 13 years of diving, every summer without fail I'd head out for dives with my family. As the years passed and student life gave way to working life, I started saving money to dive all over the world, meeting people from every corner of the globe along the way. Quite a few of them, seeing how comfortable I looked in the water, assumed I was an instructor. That's when a thought began to bubble up inside me: Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to keep going, to push a little further, and learn more professional knowledge.
When I was little, it was Mom who took us diving — now it's our turn to lead the way!
The one thing that truly made up my mind was, actually, my mom. That's right — since she was the one who brought me into diving as a kid, my dive buddy has always been my mom and my little sister. Every time we dive, my mom still gets quite nervous, and all I can do is keep reassuring her and boosting her confidence, letting her know that no matter what happens, I'm right there beside her. And that's when the voice in my head spoke up again: "If I complete the Divemaster course and gain more professional training, I'll be so much better equipped to take my mom diving and keep her safe."
So in the autumn of 2023, I mapped out my annual leave and vacation days — and decided to head to Bohol, Philippines to take the Divemaster course!
Why Choose Bohol, Philippines?
Location
Choosing the destination didn't take me long at all, because from the start I knew I wanted to study somewhere in Southeast Asia. Everyone knows that diving in Southeast Asia is more affordable, so rather than spending roughly the same money and time diving back home, I thought — why not go abroad, explore a new environment, and experience diving conditions completely different from Taiwan? After a process of elimination, I landed on Panglao Island in the Philippines (on the southwest side of Bohol) — the island closest to Balicasag, a UNESCO-recognized protected area!
The Dive Shop
When it came to choosing a dive shop, the options multiplied fast. Panglao Island alone has around 25 or more dive shops. After a lot of research, I finally settled on the PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center, 海島瘋 (EnjoyIslands). There were three reasons that made it my final choice:
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The dive shop has its own swimming pool — a calm-water environment where I could practice skills over and over again.
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The dive shop has its own accommodation, so meals and lodging are all taken care of in one place, and the beach is just a 2-minute walk away.
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Most importantly, EnjoyIslands is a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center, which means it can provide a higher level of professional knowledge and training.
An amazing breakfast spread — something different every single day!
EnjoyIslands — PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center.
The pool is divided into a shallow end and a deep end.
There are also tables and chairs outside the rooms, perfect for reading.
Preparing for the Divemaster Course
In recent years, many dive training agencies — in response to environmental concerns — have shifted their voluminous academic content to online materials (E-Learning), allowing students to study in advance before arriving, and then ask questions in person, saving everyone valuable time. The Divemaster course is no exception. Once I had registered and completed my payment, I immediately received the E-Learning materials along with a set of 24 skills demonstration videos from my Course Director, with instructions to complete all the coursework and practice each of the 24 skills at least once — thoroughly — before showing up for the course.
Each chapter also includes a post-lesson review — all of it must be completed before you can take the final assessment.
*I'd genuinely encourage everyone to finish the E-Learning before the course begins. Not only does it save time (each day of training and diving is exhausting enough without having to burn the midnight oil), it also helps you identify which areas you're weaker in so you can focus your preparation accordingly.
Divemaster Course Content
Academic / Theory
The academic content of the Divemaster course is essentially a detailed, advanced version of the Open Water curriculum, with the addition of PADI Divemaster responsibilities, safety and risk management, and more. It's broadly divided into 9 chapters:
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The Role and Characteristics of the PADI Divemaster / Your Role / Responsibilities / Professionalism.
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Supervising Dive Activities / Dive Planning / Diver Behavior / Diver Supervision / Dive Briefings / Problem Management.
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Assisting with Student Divers / The Assistant's Role / Control, Supervision, and Logistics / Skills Demonstration / Problem-Solving.
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Diver Safety and Risk Management / Definitions / Methods / Tools / PADI Quality Management.
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Programs Conducted by the Divemaster / General Guidelines / Scuba Review / Dive with a Diver / Skin Diver Course / Discover Scuba Diving / Divemaster-Conducted Specialty Diver Courses.
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Specialty Skills and Activities / Floats, Buoys, and Signal Devices / Mapping / Search and Recovery / Skin Diving / Dive Activities.
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Dive Business and Your Career / Dive Business Focus / Your Career Focus / Your PADI Membership.
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Understanding the Dive Environment / Why We Protect the Environment / The Aquatic World: Overview, Marine Life, and Physical Features / Project AWARE.
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Dive Theory Review / Theoretical Knowledge / Heat, Light, Sound, and Water / Relationships among Pressure, Gas Volume, Density, and Temperature / Decompression Theory / and more.
Of course, once all the academic sessions are done, there's a final written exam — you just need to score 75 or above to pass!
Practical / Water Skills
- 24 Skills: Remember back in the Open Water course, when your instructor taught you all sorts of skills — mask removal and replacement, equipment donning and doffing, neutral buoyancy control, and so on? Honestly, when I first watched the skills videos, I didn't think they looked that difficult — after all, I already knew how to do all of them. But after actually practicing, I realized that being able to do something yourself and being able to teach it to someone else are two completely different things. How do you make your demonstration clear enough that a total beginner can understand what you're doing underwater? Beyond making movements big, slowing them down, and keeping the steps as simple as possible, you also need to constantly check whether the student can actually see what you're doing clearly. There's no secret shortcut — it's just practice, practice, practice.
Demonstrate all dive skills (scored 1–5), with a minimum score of 3 per skill, a total of at least 82 points, and at least one in-water skill scored at 5.
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Swim Tests: If you're already a capable swimmer, there's nothing to worry about here. The tests are divided into four scenarios (scored by speed, 1–5, with a total of at least 15 points):
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400 m swim without fins
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15-minute tread water
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800 m swim with fins and mask
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100 m tow of an unconscious diver
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Diver Rescue: I'm sure any instructor or divemaster who has been through the Rescue Diver course will remember it vividly — because it is absolutely exhausting! You have to tow an unconscious diver back to a boat in open water, continuously providing rescue breaths every five seconds the entire way, and then once you reach the shore, you have to remove both the victim's equipment and your own while still managing the situation. After passing this one, you could probably sleep for three straight days.
Towing an unconscious diver back to the boat in open ocean — absolutely exhausting!
- Course Internship: The most crucial part of the Divemaster course is the hands-on internship. You shadow courses from Open Water through Advanced, getting to know the curriculum inside and out, providing timely assistance to the instructor, reminding students of key points before each dive, handling follow-up tasks after sessions wrap up, and serving as an effective communication bridge between students and the instructor — all of which matter enormously. Then there are Discover Scuba Diving experiences and Fun Dives, where you learn how to lead a group, how to give briefings, and how to navigate — all skills built up dive by dive, internship by internship, so that each activity runs a little more smoothly than the last.
During course internship, step in immediately whenever the instructor needs assistance.
Students who need extra help with certain skills get one-on-one practice, so the whole class doesn't fall behind.
Want to know more about the joys and hardships of the Divemaster course? Read on in the next installment >> Stay tuned!
Further Reading:
