HANNAH PARRY
  • Home
  • Hannah
  • Critical Acclaim and Media
  • Contact
  • Hannah the traveller
  • Buy A Gift for someone in Need

GoPro: becoming a divemaster

16/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
There are plenty of options available for those scuba addicts among us that want to join the ranks of scuba professionals. Training to become a Divemaster is a challenging and rewarding experience. The length of time that you take to complete all the elements isn't fixed, so you can do it over a year with your local dive shop - perhaps combining e-learning with weekend pool or open water sessions. Or you can technically complete all the tasks in a couple of weeks of intense study and activity. How to decide? I did a lot of research before deciding what to do. Read on for my research criteria as well as my experience as a DiveMasterTrainee!

When I was picking where to do my training I had the following criteria:

  1. Amazing diving - I wanted to experience a famous dive destination with amazing marine life.
  2. Live in a real place - I didn’t want to be stuck in a resort place, but somewhere that felt like real a community. I wanted to use it as an authentic travel experience.
  3. Work experience - the ability to gain experience with real clients is very important if you want to work in this industry
  4. A reputable operation - obviously I wanted to read reviews and communicate with the dive centre before committing large amounts of money!

All these things, and a desire to visit Mexico as a backpacker, led me to XTC dive center which is located in the village of Xcalak on the Yucatan Peninsular. Their website had lots of helpful information. The diving in that part of Mexico is world famous and they are based in a little village with no other dive centres. Their programme allowed me to pick how long to do the course (1, 2, or 3 months) for the same cost meaning, I’d get plenty of diving and plenty of experience for my money. The location in a remote village wouldn’t have suited everyone - a few tiny stores and a visiting veggie truck were the only shopping opportunities, but I was too busy diving, running through the mangrove forests and sleeping to do much else.

Picture
Tarpon - giant silver fish - the celebrities of La Poza dive site
The divemaster training is demanding. Within hours of arriving I was learning to fill tanks and prepare kit, with in-between moments spent studying the divemaster textbook. Before I arrived, I was nervous about the five swim tests. I was soon distracted from worrying by the incredible marine life I saw on my first few dives, turtles and manatees were my favourite, without even mentioning the bright corals and sponges teaming with colour fish that we saw on every single dive. And fish whose names I was starting to learn through my studying. Within a week I was assisting instructors with clients, precisely the experience I had come to get. The swim tests, when they came, were demanding. I did cry at one point. But with patient instructors I managed to get through all the requirements before being forced home by some pandemic or other.

The remote location of Xcalak, amidst the mangroves of the Mexico-Belize border, isn’t the only thing that makes XTC so special. An added bonus for me was the number of divemaster trainees. I wasn’t aware there would be others training at the same time (I didn’t think to ask!), but it was great to share experiences with my fellow students. It meant we could help each other, pair-up for skills practice and pretend to be unresponsive divers for each other. Not to mention the social aspect of hanging out together when the work was done. I’ve made forever friends in Xcalak.

If you’re thinking about becoming a divemaster then I would suggest researching all the different options. Do you have 6 months to spare? Then you can find full internships where you work until you've paid off your training. If you are doing it alongside your regular work, then your local dive shop will be able to organise online theory sessions with open water training sessions as and when they can happen. ​For me, I wouldn't have picked anywhere else. XTC has great facilities, fantastic diving and excellent instructors and course director. I loved living in a remote village and immersing myself in the world of being a dive professional. Now, when can I go diving next....

Have you decided to take on divemaster training? Did you complete your training somewhere special? Do you want advice on how to pick somewhere? Comment below.
Picture
Divemaster life
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Hannah the traveller

    is a travel and lifestyle blog with focus on running, vegan eating and of course global travel.

    Categories

    All
    Adventuring
    Afghanistan
    Africa
    Backpacking
    Bike Ride
    Book Review
    Bosnia
    Calais
    Farm
    Festival
    Fitness
    Germany
    Guest Post
    Half Marathon
    Hawaii
    Hiking
    Kayaking
    Kindness
    London
    Marathon
    MEXICO
    Microadventure
    Middle East
    Migrant Crisis
    Mindfulness
    Music
    Norfolk
    Politics
    Product Review
    Ramadan
    Recipe
    Refugees
    Running
    Scotland
    Scuba Diving
    Serbia
    Travel
    UK
    Vegan
    Volunteer
    Women
    Yoga

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    June 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.