Divemaster Internship Programme
Gain all your PADI certifications including Open Water, Advanced, Rescue and Divemaster, as well as a certificate in first aid and experience operating a dive vessel, maintaining dive equipment and much, much more
The
Pacific Divers Divemaster Internship has been recently redeveloped to give more people the opportunity to engage in Divemaster training with Pacific DIvers. We have been running the apprenticeship (formerly called an internship) programme
for many years and itis a great way to get yourself started in a
career in Scuba diving! Pacific Divers is a small but busy PADI
5* dive centre with good staff and a friendly, fun, family atmosphere,
located on the idyllic South Pacific island
of Rarotonga, the Cook Islands.
Rarotonga is a gorgeous island with white beaches, a beautiful lagoon only 100m away from the Dive Centre and super clear water for diving. Some of our common underwater neighbours include White tip sharks, Eagle rays, Green and Hawksbill turtles, Moray eels and from June to September the migrating Humpback whales, as well as an abundance of tropical fish. On land there is just as much to experience and get involved in, with just enough people to make it interesting and engaging. There are lots of cultural and sporting activities and at Pacific Divers we encourage our staff to get out and make the island home.
No Experience necessary
Pacific Divers is the only dive centre in the Cook Islands to offer this. You do not need any diving experience prior to coming down as all training is included as part of the internship, including your first Open Water certification course. With a team of experienced Instructors on hand to help you throughout your programme you will come away with a wealth of knowledge, information and experience, as well as the confidence to work as a professional member of the scuba community. And as a PADI 5* Instructor Development Dive Centre you can be assured that you will be learning and experiencing the best diving practices and operations in the industry as recognized by PADI across the wide range of Divemaster duties.
We can start the programme at any time for any individual. How long the programme takes is up to you and what what dive certifications you already have.
What the internship includes
- Professional instruction from our experienced team of Instructors
- Certification costs for all dive courses up to PADI Divemaster
- Free use of all Pacific Divers rental equipment for the duration of your internship
- Diving up to a minimum of 60 dives (the amount needed to become a PADI Divemaster)
- Training in first aid
- All the experience you will gain from being part of a small, professional dive operation in a 5* Dive Centre
- Community beach and underwater clean-ups
- Pacific Divers t-shirt
- You set the schedule, progress as fast or as slow as you like
- Heaps of staff BBQ’s and good times!
Rates and duration
There are two options for completing your Divemaster Internship with us. You can either come in and complete the courses in your own timeframe or you can apply for our Divemaster Apprenticeship Programme.
Open Water to Divemaster - the full internship
The duration is a minimum of 6 weeks.
The full Divemaster Internship programme includes;
- PADI Open Water Diver Course
- PADI Advanced Course
- Emergency First Responder CPR and AED
- PADI Rescue Course
- PADI Divemaster Course
- All additional dives to get to the required 60 dives for Divemaster certification
The cost for this is nz$3790 and includes all PADI manuals (your own copies), equipment rental and certification fees.
Already a diver? Reduce the cost of your Divemaster Internship. Check the prices below to find out what your cost will be.
| Current certification | duration | cost |
| PADI Rescue with 50+ dives | 2 - 4 weeks | nz$1190 |
| PADI Rescue | 2 - 6 weeks | NZ$2590 |
| PADI Advanced or equivalent* | 6+ weeks | nz$2990 |
| PADI Open Water or equivalent* | 6+ weeks | nz$3390 |
| If you already have over 40 dives take an additional nz$1400 off the price and 2 weeks off the time. | ||
*If your current certification is not a PADI certification it will have an equivalent. Ask us to find out what level you are at.
Complete 5 specialties during your internship or apprenticeship and gain your PADI Master Scuba Diver rating. Specialities include night diving, deep diving, emergency oxygen provider, equipment specialist, underwater photographer, enriched air (nitrox), peak performance bouyancy, underwater naturalist and more. Be better prepared for instructor training up to Master Scuba Diver Trainer by earning your MSD along the way.
Other costs
The other costs to you for attending the programme is your accommodation, personal expenses such as food, communications, transport and entertainment and the Cook Islands Immigration fee (nz$120).
Accommodation is usually found in the Muri area at a rate of about nz$160 per week for your own room. This is by way of a shared house, with other interns or long stay travellers.
Once qualified as a PADI professional Divemaster you will find a whole world of opportunities will open up to you. Not only will you have a new and exciting qualification, but you will now be able to gain paid employment in any country all over the world as a PADI professional. In addition to this, you will have the full support of PADI, the world’s most recognized diving association.
If you are choosing a career in diving, your next step is the PADI Instructor Development Course and Instructor Exam. We run these courses twice a year, around June and December. If you complete a Divemaster Internship with us we will discount your IDC. Visit our IDC page here for more information.
Additional courses are also available upon request, such as specialties in Emergency Oxygen Provider, Enriched Air (Nitrox), Deep diving, Drift diving, Digital Underwater Photography, Navigation and Night diving, allowing you to diversify within diving to include your existing hobbies and make yourself an even more employable and interesting Divemaster. Pacific Divers is also closely involved with a lot of conservation and community projects and are able to offer experience of these in to your Divemaster Internship upon request.
How to book
You can book the Divemaster Internship online through our booking pages. Book Now
