A major part of the PADI Divemaster course is developing exemplary dive skills. These include the skills from the core PADI Open Water Diver course, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, and the PADI Rescue Diver course.
There are also other dive skills required to be a PADI Divemaster including search and recovery diving and deep diving. You will be able to practice your dive skills under instructor supervision, to get them towards demonstration quality before undergoing a full evaluation of the 24 basic dive skills.
What are the 24 Skills on the Dive Skills Circuit on the PADI Divemaster Course?
- Equipment assembly, adjustment, preparation, donning, and disassembly
- Predive safety check (BWRAF)
- Deep-water entry
- Buoyancy check at the surface
- Snorkel-regulator/regulator-snorkel exchange
- Five-point descent, using buoyancy control to stop descent without contacting the bottom
- Regulator recovery and clearing*
- Mask removal, replacement, and clearing*
- Air depletion exercise and alternate air source use (stationary)
- Alternate air source-assisted ascent
- Free-flowing regulator breathing
- Neutral buoyancy, rise and fall – using low-pressure inflation
- Five-point ascent
- Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent
- Orally inflate BCD to hover for at least 60 seconds
- Underwater swim without a mask
- Remove and replace the weight system underwater
- Remove and replace the scuba unit underwater
- Remove and replace the scuba unit on the surface
- Remove and replace the weight system on the surface
- Surface dive while skin diving and clear snorkel using the blast method upon surfacing
- Disconnect low-pressure inflator
- Re-secure a loose cylinder band
- Perform an emergency weight drop
*- Skills must be performed neutrally buoyant to earn a score of 5.
You will also go over the skills from the PADI Rescue Diver course and will be required to give a demonstration of Rescue Exercise #7 – Unresponsive Diver on the Surface as part of your Divemaster evaluation.
Check out the Dive Skills Section of the Online Learning Centre to see some videos of the skills. Full PADI demonstrations are also available in your PADI Divemaster eLearning. Your PADI Instructor will also be demonstrating to you and helping you to refine your techniques to demonstration quality.
It is not just standard dive skills from the PADI courses where your abilities will grow. You will also:
- Dramatically improve your own diving skills and air consumption.
- Better buoyancy
- Better movement in the water
- Better navigation. You will be the leader rather than always following a guide
- Learn to read currents and understand tide tables and tides
- Experience a range of diving conditions
