Divemaster Courses in Koh Lanta

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Blue Planet Divers, based in Koh Lanta, Thailand, is committed to running highly professional, fun and engaging Divemaster Courses. Our aim is to help you develop the knowledge, experience, skills and attributes that will make you an excellent, and employable Divemaster as well as being equipped for your instructor’s course, should you choose that path.

Blue Planet Divers’ Crew celebrating Mellisa’s Birthday on the boat

We only offer courses in excess of 6 weeks and recommend that our Divemaster trainees plan to spend 2-3 months with us. This gives you plenty of time to complete the course, ensures you get a plenty of experience and offers much better value to you.

Team Work

It is essential to be a great team worker when you work as a Divemaster or Instructor as you can learn so much from other professionals. That is why, at Blue Planet Divers, we make you part of the team from day one of your course. This enables you to see and learn from other experienced professionals whilst they carry out various roles within the Dive Shop. We also encourage you to work as a team with our other Divemaster Trainees so that you can work together to complete coursework and you have someone to share the up and downs with!

You will find our team is fun to work with and crazy to party with, we like to get involved with events around the island, including parties, bar competitions, charity work and beach clean ups.

Blue Planet Divers produces a calendar to raise money for local charities

Dedicated Instructor

All our Divemaster Trainees are given a dedicated Instructor to oversee their course and provide schedules and knowledge training. Only experienced Instructors with experience with running Divemaster courses are eligible for this as this ensures a high quality course for you. We can also offer the course/support in many languages.

Sabrina and Aude celebrating passing their Divemaster course with their Instructor, Mellisa

We love our Divemaster Trainees and our team really enjoys working and teaching the Divemaster course. We take your success personally and we ensure you enjoy your course to the fullest. Then we all celebrate your graduation to Divemaster! Our Divemaster parties are legendary on the island!

Ladyboy Farang Night, Blue Planet Divers have won 1st place in the last two years (Both our Instructors and Divemaster Trainees took part)		Blue Planet Divers Volleyball Team

Blue Planet Divers Divemaster Course

We obviously include all the basic requirements set out by PADI for the Divemaster Course, covered later on, but we also give our Divemaster Trainees the opportunity to get more involved and gain more experience which we know they will find useful as a PADI professional, these can include:

1. Equipment Care and Maintenance (you can gain the Equipment Specialty Certification)
2. Boatmaster (Management of the Boat during a Diving Excursion)
3. Assisting Rescue Courses (We like all Divemaster Trainees to do this at least once)
4. Selling Courses and Equipment
5. Snorkelling Guiding (A growing requirement of Divemasters around the world)
6. Nitrox Knowledge (you can upgrade this to Nitrox Certification)
7. Numerous Guiding and diving opportunities to increase your experience levels

All this is offered for free (apart from official PADI certifications) because we know what makes a good Divemaster and we want you to gain as much knowledge and experience whilst you are with us.
We can also offer Technical Scuba Diving Courses and Freediving Courses at reduced rates for Trainee Divemasters.

Internships and Partial Internships

We offer our Divemaster Trainees the opportunity to earn cash/or pay for their course by assisting us at the Dive Shop. The work can be varied but is likely to include; working at our beach dive shop, working at our main office or helping with general maintenance at the shop, but it could include anything (within reason) that is related to the dive shop.

In October and January we offer 2 Divemaster Full Internship positions. These last for 3 months and offer a free course in exchange for working for the Dive Centre for free. A typical week will see you work for 4 days for us, 2 days on your course and 1 day off (or diving if you wish). Those who wish to apply for this role should send Curriculum Vitae to Mellisa Bunyan at blueplanetdivers@gmail.com.

Manta Ray at Hin Muang

Course Requirements

The following are required for you to be able to start the PADI Divemaster Course with us:

1. PADI Open Water (or equivalent from another Dive Organisation)
2. PADI Advanced Course (or equivalent from another Dive Organisation)
3. PADI Rescue Course (or equivalent from another Dive Organisation)
4. 20 Open Water Dives (logged)
5. First Aid Qualification (in Active Status)
6. 2 Passport photos
7. Medical Note – Fit to dive
8. Course fees paid

If you do not have some or all of these, we can help you get these on the island.

PADI Course Outline

The PADI Divemaster Course is split into 4 sections; those points highlighted in blue italics are extras that Blue Planet Divers offer you:

1. Assisting Student Divers
1. Assist with one Open Water Course
2. Assist with one Further Education Course
3. Assist with one Discover Scuba Dive and Scuba Review
4. Assist on a Rescue Course – where possible
5. Assist with other Further Education Courses

 

2. Working with Qualified Divers
1. Guiding qualified Divers on a dive
2. Mapping a Dive Site
3. Creating an Emergency Action Plan
4. Guiding several dives at several different locations

 

3. Knowledge Development
1. Complete Knowledge Reviews in Divemaster Manual
2. Complete 8 Exams (Dive Skills & the Environment, Assisting Student Divers, Divemaster Conducted Programs, Physics, Equipment, Recreational Dive Planner & Decompression Theory, Supervising Experienced Divers and Physiology)
3. Instructor led Classes on all exam topics
4. Specialist Equipment Class from ‘Tech Dave’
5. Nitrox Theory (Certification available and small extra cost)

 

4. Skills and Stamina
1. Mask Remove and Replace Demonstration to Presentation Standard
2. Demonstration of 20 PADI basic skills to high Standard
3. Rescue Demonstration
4. 400m Timed Swim
5. 800m Timed Snorkel
6. 100m Timed Tired Dive Tow
7. 10 min Float
8. Equipment Exchange Underwater
9. Log 60 Open Water Dives

With every section we can offer support and practice, so that even though you may find some areas challenging you will be able to complete all tasks well by the end of your course.

Course Fees

The standard Divemaster Course for students with over 40 dives is 40,000 Baht and includes the Divemaster Pack (Divemaster Manual, Encyclopaedia and Divemaster Candidate workbook. If you have less than 40 logged dives the course is 45,000 Baht.

In addition we do require all Divemaster Trainees to have the following items:

• SMB (Safety Sausage)
• Mask, Snorkel and Fins
• Pocket Mask
• Diving Slate
• Knife

All other diving related equipment can be rented for free should there be sufficient stock (this is generally only an issue between Christmas and New Year). We offer all our Divemaster trainees an excellent discount on diving products, so if you do not have these items you can purchase them through us.

Working after your course

All of our Divemasters, who have wanted to work after their course, have been successful in gaining work with us, or finding work through us with other dive centres, in Thailand and beyond. Currently 2 of our permanent staff (we usually have about 4-5 permanent staff a year) are former Divemaster trainees with us. We will always try to give you work after you have completed your course, but this cannot be guaranteed as this depends on guest numbers. We will happily provide references for all our Divemaster Trainees after they have completed their course either on paper, or via telephone or email.

Living here

Koh Lanta National Park

Koh Lanta is a beautiful island and somewhere you will not want to leave. Around 30km long most tourist life is located in the North West of the island but there are resorts all the way down the west coast. Our beaches are stunning and living on the island is relatively cheap. We can help you with organising accommodation but expect to pay around 10,000 baht per month for an air conditioned bungalow or less if it just has a fan.  This should include all your electricity and water but please check before signing the contract! We know of plenty of accommodation on the island, so talk to us before committing to any long term accommodation. We usually recommend that you plan to stay somewhere for 3-4 days when you arrive, so that you have plenty of time to thoroughly check out your options.

Local Fishermen on a traditional Longtail		Local Elephant

We also recommend that you rent/purchase a motorbike (or pedal bike if you are fit!) this is essential if you want to get around the island and to work on time! It is also the cheapest method of travel on the island. Motorbikes start at around 1500 baht per month to rent a manual but expect to pay up to 3,000 per month for an automatic. If you plan to stay the whole season (6 months) it can pay to buy a bike and then sell it at the end (Motobikes start around 10,000 baht (second hand). Be careful though! Motorbikes can be dangerous and we recommend that you wear a helmet and drive slowly.
Eating out here is really cheap and you will find that you will do this most nights. You can order a good Thai meal for 60 baht but Western food will start around about 150 baht.  Beer is quite cheap (about 60-70 baht for Thai beers) but shorts, shots and wine are expensive! But remember, we provide breakfast, snacks and lunch on the boat if you are diving.

In order to stay long term on the island you need to arrange visa’s outside of Thailand. We really encourage you to apply for a 2+2 visa. This allows you to stay for 4 months (2 months and then another 2 months when you do a visa run). Applying for visas before you come will save you lots of time, money and energy. Hull in England is one of the best places to do this and takes just a few days (even if you are not located in England)

Want to teach?

Our Divemaster course is designed to fully prepare you for the Instructor’s course, our Divemaster trainees often comment that they found the Instructor’s course relatively easy as they had focused on the dive theory and skill development in their Divemaster course giving them extra time, compared to other candidates, to focus on the new learning.

Our Course Director offers 2 Instructor Development Courses (IDCs) per year in Koh Lanta (November and March), but can also accommodate you elsewhere in Thailand throughout the year.

Camille Lemmens is one the highest rated Course Directors in Thailand, with a Platinum rating and over 60 IDCs and 250 Students under his belt.

Language an issue?

All our courses can be offered in French, Russian and English and the Divemaster literature is available in many languages. We have taught people from; France, England, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Norway, plus many other countries, language has never been an issue for our Divemaster Students.

Why do your course with us? Enough reasons from us,
lets look at what our Divemaster Trainees think:

“I loved everything about Blue Planet's Divemaster program, especially the staff and customer interaction. The instructors were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Due to the big size of Blue Planet's boat, as a DMT you really had the opportunity to interact and share your knowledge with the customers and OWSI students. This customer interaction I found to be invaluable. You necessarily couldn't get this type of interaction at other dive center programs that operate speed boats."
Arnold Lee Divemaster Trainee 2009

“I feel like Arnold, it was great to have the possibility to learn the way of teaching from so many different Instructors and I loved it to be in an international team of French, English, Mexican, German, Netherlands people who were working in such a nice relationship together. The theory presented by Mellisa will ensure everybody understands with pleasure and without problems (including physiology ;-). You will learn to react & to prevent new diver problems... for example how to get them down and how to keep them there until the end of the dive. Sounds easy but at the beginning it wasn’t that easy:-D The Work in Koh Lanta is perfect it’s not so crowded neither so quiet such other places. The food is great; you have a big quality of life during the working day and also after work. Never I have had such nice fire shows and beach parties and dancing on the bartable ;-) Koh Lanta has the Asian backpacker flair and you don’t find that so much with lazy all inclusive tourists.
ONLY ONE THING :  PLEASE TELL THE CANDIDATES: DONT TO FORGET YOUR LAPTOP!!!!!!!!!!
A kiss for all, Stef”
Stephanie Irmer, Divemaster Trainee 2009 (Stef recommend you bring your laptop, if you have one for email and we can give you much of the literature electronically)

“I’d say the best thing about Blue Planet is that everybody is friendly and full of fun and laughs and they made me feel comfortable, I even met some cool people and made some cool friends. I think this is really important when doing your Divemaster with a dive centre and I would recommend Blue Planet to because it has all of that to offer.
Also I was glad that you allowed us to do extra dives if we didn’t feel confident in area such as guiding, working with the instructors or briefing and I reckon most dive centres will charge extra for that, at least one of them does because I asked them when I got to Koh Lanta.
Miss u guys, Chris.xx”
Chris Henry, Divemaster Trainee 2009

Blue Planet Divers to do our Divemaster course even though we hadn't visited Koh Lanta before because of the information on the website and Mellisa had been so positive and helpful in our email conversations. We knew we had made the right decision when we walked into the Dive Shop on the first day as it was well organised and spacious. We spent a lot of time there, even on our days off, just chilling and chatting on the armchairs or in the air conditioned shop. During our DM training Mellisa and the other Instructors on the staff were really focussed on ensuring that we had a good grasp of Dive Theory, Divemaster activities and Diving skills. Feedback was given after every activity and always in a positive and supportive manner which helped us learn. This really prepared us for the IDC and IE which we completed a few months later. Living in Lanta was great fun and we made some really good friends.
Chris and Jane Waites, Divemaster Trainees 2010

I think as Daniele, the staff are very nice and helpful! The organisation, for the DMT and for the day trip, is very good. If I had a problem or a question everybody was very patient with me. There is a very good atmosphere in Blue Planet, very friendly. Koh Lanta is a very nice island to live and dive!
I'm in france, working in a restaurant to buy my equipement and come back in koh Lanta to work with you maybe..... I'm diving here but it's not the same.....!!!!! As you can think!!!!!
Sabrina Passini, Divemaster Trainee 2010

I had never thought of coming to Thailand let alone diving Thailand but an instructor I was working with, during my summer season had recommended Thailand and Koh Lanta in particular. He was a manager at another dive company here on Koh Lanta but he had recommended Blue Planet Divers for me as he thought it would be one of the best places for me to do my DM. So I came to Thailand with no real plans or expectations, but within my first day I felt like I was part of the team and settle in very quickly, I loved working with various instructors with various levels of experience this really helped me see many different ways in which the same results had been achieved (this will come in handy for anyone looking to progress further than just DM). The theory side was done by Mellisa and even people like myself were able to understand and put to good use. People who aren’t comfortable in a class room situation will still come out afterwards,  understanding and feeling good about what they learnt. But the Divemaster course isn’t all about what you learn in the water or the classroom, as there are many legendary parties, including Divemaster snorkel tests, Lady boy Farang night, the famous Christmas party and XMAS day on the best party boat on the island. So things to bring with you guys, a good working liver, a laptop with external hard drive (good for vision swapping) and get ready for one of the best courses you will do and with one of the best company’s you can do with it.
Luke Kill (Aka Kay Toy Koh Lanta 2010 Ladyboy Farang champion).
Luke Kill Divemaster Trainee 2010 and current Boatmaster for Blue Planet Divers

I can say that when I think about Blue Planet Divers I dream away with a big stupid smile on my face! A great experience that I'm gonna keep in my heart forever! There are so many reasons to dive with BPD! First, the place is amazing! A wonderfull island for everybody with very nice people! The diving sites around are beautiful with a fantastic underwater environment! I will never forget my dives with the whale shark and the manta rays!!!
Secondly, the staff is very professional, friendly, helpful and funny! You are gonna laugh, a lot!!! That could be a problem with the regulator in the mouth...XD And also, I can say that the Blue Planet Divers organization for everydays is the best organisation ever!
In brief: LONG LIFE FOR BLUE PLANET DIVERS!!!!
Aude Sigura , Divemaster Trainee 2010.

Where are they now?

Here are a few updates on some of our Divemaster Trainees from the last 2 years:

‘erm I’m sitting in my room soon to shower and pop to shop.’
Luke Kill Divemaster Trainee 2010, Ha Ha very funny Luke! Actually he is our Boatmaster at Blue Planet Divers!

I'm in Sardinia at home, working as freelance in the weekend and leading a group tomorrow with the water at 15 °C missing the warm water of Thailand! :D I'm doing a double job waiting for the high season.
Daniele De Roasa, Divemaster Trainee 2009.

I'm in France, working in a restaurant to buy my equipment and come back to Koh Lanta to work with you maybe..... I'm diving here but it's not the same.....!!!!! As you can think!!!!!
Sabrina Passini, Divemaster Trainee 2010

I'm still alive in the Vikings country, with my Viking boyfriend! I'm a student at the University of Gothenburg to learn the Swedish language, and in the same time I work as a nanny with 3 wonderful children! We miss Diving and the life in Koh Lanta but every weeks we go to the swimming pool and we practice swimming and freediving. We are gonna try to dive in Sweden during the summer. In September, we planned to go back to Koh Lanta for few months, Christoffer is gonna do his Divemaster trainee (with BPD! of course!) while I'm gonna work as a Divemaster (with BPD?). We really look forward to that! And to see you again guys! Take care and see you soon for new adventures! Lot of love! Xxx  
Aude Sigura, Divemaster Trainee 2010.

Are now running the dive shop, I used to work in, in The Perhentians, Malaysia! They are now Scuba Instructors and seem to have their dive career mapped out already! We are hoping they are going to pop back to do some work for us this high season. In this picture they are completing their First Aid Instructor Course.
Chris and Jane Waites, Divemaster Trainees 2010

To hear about one of our Divemaster Trainees adventures, read Ciaran’s Blog……