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Scuba Centre Sodwana Bay Lodge
SODWANA BAY LODGE – INTERNSHIPS
Do you have a deep and abiding passion for diving? Or, do you merely love it with all of your heart? If so, you should consider doing what you love for a living: become a PADI Divemaster.
I would like to introduce you to the company and what the internship is all about.
Sodwana Bay Lodge Scuba Centre (SBLSC), known to its friends as Scuba Centre, is a PADI Five Star Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre. To achieve this rating this would mean that we meet PADI’s stringent requirements. Our business is twofold, taking divers diving and educating new divers and old divers to be better and more capable. We excel at both. Our teaching team has in excess of 50 years’ experience and our dive leaders have over 20 000 dives between them. Our skippers are the most experienced in Southern Africa. We have been in operation for 19 years. Our experience shines. What sets us aside from other operators in this country is our use of local Zulu staff, trained from scratch by us to become the most experienced dive staff in the country. Our commitment to the local community runs through our business.
Divemaster Internships: We offer a tailor made set of professional internships from entry level to professional level.
These internships typically last between three and six months, with longer positions available for exceptional candidates.
All courses required by the intern are charged at list price and in the time that the intern is with us he or she is expected to work alongside us in whatever capacity they can. In return, fun dives are not charged. On average the intern can expect to make between thirty and forty dives a month.
This is no mass production line of dive professionals, the internship is not an easy route to take, but is near guaranteed to produce a world class dive professional, with an excellent pedigree. The aim for the trainee should not be simply to pass their courses; our instructional staff has enough experience to enable nearly anybody to pass these courses. The trainee should be aiming to walk away from their time here with a reference from Sodwana Bay Lodge Scuba Centre. This is a passport that can then be used all over the world.
As well as professional level diving ability, we look to instil and foster independence, teamwork, maturity, responsibility, people skills and workplace essentials such as timekeeping and appearance.
We will provide accommodation in our trainee village. However, we will not cook for you.
Please contact us to talk about your needs and how we can help you to develop into a true dive professional.
PADI Divemaster Course
Looking for the first step in working with scuba as a career? Your adventure into the professional levels of recreational scuba diving begins with the PADI Divemaster program. Working closely with a PADI Instructor, in this program you expand your dive knowledge and hone your skills to the professional level. PADI Divemaster training develops your leadership abilities, qualifying you to supervise dive activities and assist instructors with student divers. PADI Divemaster is the prerequisite certification for both the PADI Assistant Instructor and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certifications.
What You Learn
During the PADI Divemaster program, you learn dive leadership skills through both classroom and independent study. You complete water skills and stamina exercises, as well as training exercises that stretch your ability to organize and solve problems as well as help others improve their scuba. You put this knowledge into action through a structured internship or series of practical training exercises.
As you progress through your Divemaster course, you’ll expand your diving knowledge, hone your skills and increase your confidence. Then, as a PADI Divemaster, you’ll use these attributes to lead, mentor and motivate other divers and experience the joy of seeing them transformed by the majesty of the aquatic realm.
What You Can Teach
After becoming certified as a PADI Divemaster you will be authorized to:
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Supervise both training and non-training-related activities by planning, organizing and directing dives
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Assist a PADI Instructor during the training sessions for any PADI Diver course
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Conduct the PADI Skin Diver course and PADI Discover Snorkelling program
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Conduct the PADI Discover Local Diving experience
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Conduct the PADI Scuba Review program
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If qualified as a Discover Scuba Diving Leader, independently conduct the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program.
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Earn the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty Instructor rating to be able to teach the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer specialty.
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Independently guide Open Water Diver course students on the tour portion of Open Water Diver course Training Dives 2, 3 and 4 at a ratio of two student divers per certified Divemaster.
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Accompany Open Water Diver students under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor during:
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surface swims to and from the entry/exit point and during navigational exercises
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when the instructor conducts a skill, such as an ascent or descent, a Divemaster can remain with other student divers (with an individual student or buddy team)
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Accompany student divers during Adventure Dives or Specialty training dives under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor.
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Conduct the PADI Seal Team Skin Diver Specialist Aqua Mission
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Conduct subsequent dives under an instructor’s indirect supervision for Discover Scuba Diving participants after participants have satisfactorily completed the first dive with a PADI Instructor.
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Teach Emergency First Response courses after successfully completing an Emergency First Response Instructor course.
At a glance, compare what you can teach when you continue your professional diver education.
The Scuba Gear You Use
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You use all the basic scuba equipment and some scuba accessories such as a dive slate, dive knife, compass, dive watch, etc.
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It is highly recommended that you own all of your own scuba equipment, as familiarity with personal gear improves general scuba diving skills.
The Learning Materials You Need
The PADI Divemaster crewpak includes everything you’ll need to start the PADI Divemaster program. The complete set of materials includes:
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The Encyclopaedia of Recreational Diving – a comprehensive overview of diving physics, physiology, and equipment.
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Divemaster slates
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PADI Divemaster Manual
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PADI Instructor Manual
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RDP Table or eRDPMLwith associated instructions for use booklets
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PADI’s Guide to Teaching (Optional)
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PADI Diving Knowledge Workbook (Optional)
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Scuba Tune-Up Guidebook (Optional)
You also have the option to take Divemaster Online and purchase the Divemaster eLearning Crew-Pak.
To purchase Crew-Paks, contact your local PADI Five Star IDC Dive Shop or Resort. For Divemaster Online, you can sign up today.
Prerequisites
To take this course, you must be:
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18 years old
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A PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization)
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A PADI Rescue Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization)
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An Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (or qualifying first aid and CPR training from another organization) course completion within the past 24 months.
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Have at least 40 dives to begin the course and 60 for certification
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Be fit for diving and submit a Medical Statement (PDF) signed by a physician within the last 12 months.
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Other Courses That Will Prepare You for Success as a PADI Divemaster
Here are some suggestions for other PADI courses that will help make you more successful as a PADI Divemaster:
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Search and Recovery (Highly recommended)
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Deep Diver (Highly recommended)
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Dive Theory Online
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Boat Diver
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Coral Reef Conservation
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Digital Underwater Photographer
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Emergency First Response Instructor
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Emergency Oxygen Provider
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Enriched Air Diver (You can even sign up for the PADI Enriched Air Course Online!)
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Equipment Specialist
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Night Diver
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Peak Performance Buoyancy
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Underwater Naturalist
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Underwater Navigation
The Accommodation we offer
The Kitchen The Lounge
The bathroom in every rooms The Bedroom, shared by 2 people
The Main Gate The house from the outside
“Doing a DM traineeship with SBLSC is like learning how to live life… First, you arrive, thinking your such a hot shot and that the whole world revolves around you… But it doesn’t take long at SBLSC for Ben to teach you a few things… And though you may at first think he’s just there to grind your gears, you will soon find out that you are actually being taught how to be a team member, team leader and overall, a good human being.
Through the SBLSC DM trainee course, I was taught so much about life, work ethics and attitudes towards the working environment, all while having the most amazing experience of being able to dive everyday under the beautiful sun of Sodwana… The diving is what makes the experience one that you won’t soon forget! It’s amazing! You’ll swim with whalesharks, dolphins, and learn about the underwater fish environment in some of the best known diving conditions and most rich fish life in the world!
But aside from the diving, you’ll take home something much more important; You’ll come away with skills for life. Being a trainee at SBLSC will teach you not only how to be a good, safe diver under the instruction of some of the best in the industry, but it will also teach you what it means to be a part of a great successful team.
By the end of your course, you will have learned that your attitude plays a great role in your surrounding environment, and working at SBLSC will teach you how to have a good attitude because you will become part of the team once you are willing to really commit and work hard and you will find out, that that’s really what its all about… At SBLSC, you will work hard, but you will play hard too. In between work you will spend the evening’s relaxing by the dive shop talking as friends and making jokes… You’ll also have the occasional beer… And this is what makes the experience all worth it!
You will learn a balance of work and play that will set you straight for the rest of your life! The skills learnt doing the DM trainee course at SBLSC will allow you to go out into the world with the right mentality for working in any industry, whatever it may be. I am personally thankful for all that I learnt from the course and can truly say that it has changed my life in so many ways, and only for the better!
I now have a good work ethic, a good attitude and respect towards others in the working environment, something I have SBLSC solely to thank for…” Thank you! Thank you Ben, thank you Greg, and thank you to everyone else who works at the lodge, I really appreciate what you have all given me and that is skills for life!
