Recently, introduced a revised Divemaster Course programme to better prepare the next generation of dive professionals.

As the first step from Recreational diving to Professional level diving, the Divemaster course is the foundation for a career in diving and one step away from becoming an Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI). The course is a combination of knowledge development, practical application and water skills development. The changes in the divemaster course are subtle but make a big difference – lets have a look at some of the changes and how it affects our future dive leaders.

Knowledge development

Knowledge and understanding of diving related topics is hugely important for any Dive Professional. A divemaster is expected to make decisions using sound judgement and act how a “prudent divemaster” is expected to act. These are ambiguous terms but it does emphasize the importance of having a good foundation of knowledge and skills to be able to apply in diving related activities. Good decisions are based on a persons knowledge and experiences and the changes in the divemaster course are aimed at giving a newly certified divemaster a better foundation to draw upon.

The new divemaster manual is now a more streamlined manual, which has incorporated several topics from the Encyclopaedia of Recreational Diving to provide a complete knowledge base in a single, easy-to-read manual. Topics such as Physics, Physiology and Dive Theory are presented in an easy-to-understand manner. For additional in-depth information, the Encyclopaedia is of course still included. For those that want to spend less time in the classroom whilst in Thailand there is the option to complete all the Divemaster knowledge on E learning and also practice the Dive Theory on line in preparation for your exams.

Practical Application

This portion of the course consists out of several components. The changes in the new course are aimed at better preparing a candidate to actual diving circumstances and providing them with a broader dive experience.

There are several workshops where students role-play scenarios in a controlled environment and respond to problems during divemaster-conducted activities. This experience is very valuable. When a divemaster finishes with the course, he/she will have already seen what can go wrong in real life scenarios. This is closing the practical gap between the Divemaster programme and the Instructor Development Course (IDC).   Several practical skills have been included to provide a divemaster with broader experiences. Examples are Search & Recovery skills and Deep diving skills.

This additional training will make a student a more experienced diver and as the first step from recreational level to professional level, experience is a key element for success. The changes in the Divemaster course are mainly aimed at providing students with more experience. Like the Rescue course, a divemaster will already have a stronger base in terms of experience to draw upon and in our opinion be better equipped to deal with real-life scenarios, whether they’re responding to problems or making good decisions based on sound judgement.

John Cronin and Ralph Erickson founded in 1966. The two friends met one evening, over a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, and started to pursue their dream to create a Scuba certification agency that was different than the one that had certified Ralph. They were concerned about the professionalism of the current agencies.

John and Ralph knew there had to be a way to make it easier and safer for people to take their first breaths under water.

John wanted “professional” to appear in the name, and Ralph came up with “association of Diving Instructors” after a few more drinks was born.

Professional Association of Diving Instructors

It started from small beginnings, in a basement in a suburb of Chicago, based solely in the USA but grown massively over the years and is today a multi-national association of scuba diving professionals. is the world’s largest organization for recreational diver training and education.

It is estimated that 7 out of 10 recreational scuba divers are trained and certified by Instructors using educational materials and program standards.

is represented in over 175 countries and territories.   Over 130,000 individual Members operate worldwide and there is a global network of more than 6000 Dive Center’s and Resorts.

presently certify close to 1,000,000 divers annually around the globe. As at today they only require 108,600 more to hit  20 million certifications of recreational divers, this is a massive achievement, if you are lucky enough to be the 20 millionth there is a great prize up for grabs.

A big Thank you to Andrea who completed his internship with us during 2010. He completed all his courses with Scuba Cat Diving from Open Water to IDC Staff Instructor.

Andrea Piantanida

“It has been a superb journey from doing my OW in 2009 to my OWSI in 2010. I’ve worked with many international and corporate teams in my career but nothing comes close to what I have experienced at Scuba Cat Diving. A dedicated, trained and professional team. They are to share my every bit of success today. Scuba Cat Diving is obviously a good training ground for any future instructors. Congratulations on an excellent course. I look forward to my continued education in your program, heading to MSDT and there after IDC Staff.”

Are you a Scuba Diver dreaming of your next warm water experience? Or completely new and wondering what delights await you in the unknown underwater world. Summer Season here is now in full swing and here at Scuba Cat Diving, 5 * CDC Center, Phuket, Thailand we can make those dreams a reality. We will make your first dive an experience you will never forget, if you are already a diver we can expand your diving knowledge and who knows we may change your life…

So what are you waiting for…

Are you an active diver dreaming of your next warm water experience? Or completely new and wondering what delights await you in the unknown underwater world. Summer here is now in full swing and here at Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket, Thailand we can make those dreams a reality. We will make your first dive an experience you will never forget, if you are already a diver we can expand your diving knowledge and who knows we may change your life….

So what are you waiting for…..

Congratulations to Scuba Cat Diving