Become part of the Thresher Shark Divers team! Train with our customers and us to become a PADI Divemaster.
The PADI Divemaster (DM) programme is the first step into dive leadership and the foundation of a professional career in diving. As a Divemaster, you’ll be qualified to assist instructors, lead certified divers, and work as a dive professional at dive centres worldwide. Training with Thresher Shark Divers on Malapascua means building your skills in one of the Philippines’ best dive environments.
Find out more about our dedicated Divemaster Internship website
Learn to dive in paradise
Programme Overview
An intensive, practical programme spanning several weeks. You’ll develop leadership skills, refine your own diving to an exceptionally high standard, and gain real experience assisting with courses and guiding divers.
- Duration: 4–8 weeks (full programme)
- PADI Divemaster certification upon completion
- Hands-on experience assisting courses and leading dives
- Internship diving is included throughout the programme
Course Overview
The Divemaster programme covers three main areas:
Knowledge Development
Dive theory to Divemaster level: physics, physiology, equipment, environment, and skills. PADI Standards and Procedures, risk management, and the responsibilities of a dive professional. Written exams and presentations throughout the programme.
Watermanship and Skill Development
Watermanship evaluations, timed swims, tired-diver tows, and demanding skill circuits. You’ll refine your own diving — buoyancy, navigation, rescue skills — to a standard well above recreational level. Many DM candidates say this is the most challenging and rewarding phase.
Practical Training and Internship
Assisting with Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and specialty courses. Leading dives, conducting dive briefings, and managing groups of certified divers independently. Real-world experience at a working dive centre on Malapascua.
Study Materials
The programme uses the PADI Divemaster manual and the PADI Standards and Procedures manual. Both are included in the programme fee.
Candidates are encouraged to complete PADI’s online Divemaster self-study before arriving to cover theory in advance and maximise in-water time during the programme.
Prerequisites
PADI Rescue Diver or equivalent.
Current Emergency First Response (EFR) Primary & Secondary Care certification within the past 24 months.
Minimum age 18.
Minimum 40 logged dives to enroll
Candidates are encouraged to complete the PADI Divemaster self-study online before arriving to cover theory in advance and maximise in-water time during the programme.
PADI Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications (both required). Current Emergency First Response (EFR) certification required. Minimum age is 18. Minimum 40 logged dives to enrol; 60 dives recommended. A current PADI Medical Statement signed by a physician is required.
The PADI Divemaster course on Malapascua combines professional training with daily thresher shark dives and diverse dive sites for real-world experience.
Download medical exam formYour Instructors
Our IDC Master Instructors have mentored Divemaster candidates who are now working across the world.
Previous Interns
As well as working as Divemasters and Instructors, our previous interns have gone on to a wide variety of jobs. Many have become marine biologists; we have an alumnus who is an Antarctic explorer, another who is a world-famous photographer. You will find a whole new world opens up for you at TSD, and we will help you follow your dreams.
Ready to Become a PADI Instructor?
Ready to take the next step beyond Divemaster? Thresher Shark Divers is a PADI 5 Star IDC Centre, meaning we run PADI Instructor Development Courses (IDC) right here on Malapascua.
Once you complete your Divemaster certification with us, you can continue straight into the IDC programme. Our Course Director and experienced instructor trainers will prepare you for the PADI Instructor Examination (IE).
Training on Malapascua gives you access to world-class dive sites, thresher sharks, and a diverse range of teaching environments that set you apart as an instructor.
Find out more about doing your PADI IDC in the Philippines on Malapascua.
Pro Packages
Our all-inclusive Divemaster internship programme lets you enter at any certification level and work your way up to PADI Divemaster or PADi Instructor. You train with our experienced team on Malapascua Island, gaining real-world experience on thresher shark dives, wreck dives, and reef dives, and much more as well.
We can also package the Divemaster course with different specialty packages depending on what you want from your DM course. These courses give you a well-rounded professional skillset from day one, making you more employable at dive centres worldwide.
