Becoming A Divemaster

I first discovered scuba diving in high school during a marine biology course — the final project came with an unexpected perk: the chance to get certified. I jumped at it, traveling to Roatan, Honduras, for my open water course. That first breath underwater sealed the deal — I was hooked.

Since then, diving has taken me around the world. Over the years, I worked my way up to Master Scuba Diver, collecting specialties and chasing marine life encounters everywhere from calm coral reefs to current-swept pinnacles.

But there was always a bigger goal in the back of my mind: becoming a Divemaster.

What Is a Divemaster?

A Divemaster (DM) is the first step into professional scuba diving. Think of them as the bridge between recreational divers and instructors. A DM’s role includes:

  • Guiding certified divers and ensuring they have safe, enjoyable dives.

  • Assisting instructors with student training.

  • Planning logistics for dive operations.

  • Being the calm problem-solver when things don’t go as planned.

It’s not just about being a strong diver — it’s about taking responsibility for others underwater, anticipating challenges, and being a role model. I quickly learned that being a Divemaster is as much about leadership, awareness, and communication as it is about buoyancy and navigation.

What Does a Divemaster Do?

A Divemaster is the first professional level in scuba. It’s a leadership role: supervising certified divers, assisting instructors, planning dive logistics, guiding groups, and acting as a role model underwater. It’s not just about being a strong diver — it’s about foresight, risk management, and keeping everyone safe while making the experience enjoyable.

My experience as a trail guide prepared me for this perfectly. Reading conditions ahead of time, planning logistics, managing risk, and remembering little comforts (like snacks for a long hike) all translated underwater. Guiding is guiding — the terrain just happens to be water instead of dirt.

Challenges & Breakthroughs

The Daily Grind: Long Days, Heavy Lifts, and Constant Conversions

Becoming a Divemaster isn’t pretty fish and exploring. The training is long, demanding, and pushes you in ways you don’t expect. Looking back, I realize that the biggest challenges were also the biggest breakthroughs.

Some of the challenges I faced included:

  • Mental toughness — Staying calm under pressure and trusting my training.

  • Seasickness — It’s hard to brief a dive when your stomach is saying otherwise.

  • Very long days — Some days meant four dives, two boat trips, plus gear maintenance before and after.

  • Constant converting — Costa Rica runs on the metric system, so I was forever flipping between feet and meters, Fahrenheit and Celsius, PSI to Bar, pounds and kilos… not to mention English and Spanish.

  • Moving tanks the right way — They’re heavy, awkward, and unforgiving if you don’t use proper technique.

  • Navigating in very low visibility — Learning to rely on compass skills, natural navigation cues and trusting my intuition about where to go.

  • Helping people feel comfortable in surge — Coaching divers through the rhythm of the ocean when it feels overwhelming.

  • Reading the surge — Learning how conditions on the surface translate into what you’ll experience underwater, and adjusting dive plans accordingly.

The Physical Challenge

One thing that surprised me most about Divemaster training was just how physically demanding it is — AND everything was timed. I’ve always considered myself in shape, but these requirements pushed me in ways I didn’t expect:

  • 400-meter swim in the ocean without mask, fins, or neoprene — I had forgotten how hard swimming without fins is! Salt water in my eyes, surface currents tugging at me… it was all about pacing and sheer determination.

  • 15-minute float — Seems easy on paper, but those last two minutes (where you keep your hands out of the water) test your endurance and mental strength.

  • 800-meter snorkel in the ocean — A long, stingy battle with jellyfish tentacles, surface currents, waves, and fatigue.

  • 200-meter tired diver tow — Dragging another diver through open water requires good technique and stamina. You quickly learn how important body positioning is if you want to make it to the finish line.

  • The gear exchange — The infamous test of patience, breath control, and trust. (More on this in the next section…)

…but I had to meet a minimum performance standard for each exercise. If I didn’t score high enough, I would have to do it all over again.

Even as someone who works to stay fit, I found these challenges extremely humbling. They pushed me to respect the physical side of diving just as much as the mental side. It’s not enough to know the theory or the dive sites — you have to be able to perform when it counts.

My Most Memorable Moment: The Gear Exchange

Divemaster training isn’t all smooth sailing. For me, the biggest hurdle was the gear exchange.

The drill involved two divers sharing a single regulator while carefully swapping masks, fins, and BCDs underwater. The first time I attempted it, I panicked. As soon as I removed my mask and gave my partner the regulator, my body shut down. I couldn’t even clear a snorkel afterward. I felt helpless and defeated.

A week later, I faced it again. This time, I slowed down, trusted myself, and fought through the mental block. When I finally completed it, I was elated — a mix of relief, pride, and sheer joy. That moment taught me more about patience, resilience, and mental strength than any skill circuit ever could.

Training In Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Why Costa Rica? Conservation in Action

I chose to complete my Divemaster training in Costa Rica not only for the warm Pacific waters and diverse marine life, but because of the conservation and coral restoration projects I was able to watch and directly participate in. It gave my training a deeper purpose.

During my time there, I joined efforts with Marine Conservation Costa Rica, a local organization working on reef restoration in Manuel Antonio. Since 2019, their project has outplanted over 3,000 new coral colonies, carefully collected from healthy sources or naturally broken fragments. These are grown in ocean nurseries, nurtured on ceramic discs until they’re strong enough to be transplanted back onto damaged reefs. Currently, they’re restoring six species of hard coral native to Costa Rica’s Pacific coast — an incredible effort to rebuild biodiversity and protect the ocean’s future.

I was able to help with fish surveys, transect lines, coral planting, fragmentation, and cleaning coral nurseries. Beyond corals, I joined turtle nest monitoring and beach cleanups, which connected me even more with the wider ecosystem. Every small task — from brushing algae off a coral tree to recording data underwater — felt like it mattered.

I also completed the Shark Awareness specialty course, which gave me a greater appreciation of their role in the marine ecosystem and a stronger voice in advocating for their protection.

This was one of the main reasons I chose this program: I loved that it wasn’t just about logging dives or ticking off skills. It was about giving back to the ocean, building awareness, and learning how dive professionals can support conservation. That alignment with purpose made the hard days feel meaningful and the entire experience so much more rewarding.

Lessons Learned (In and Out of the Water)

Even though I’ve always felt comfortable in the water, my Divemaster training pushed me further than I expected — physically, mentally, and emotionally. Long swims without fins, towing divers, carrying tanks, and completing skill circuits tested every bit of strength and endurance I had. As a smaller-framed diver, I quickly learned the importance of efficiency: conserving energy, planning ahead, and staying calm under pressure.

Rainy season diving in Costa Rica added another layer of difficulty. Visibility could drop to just 3–5 feet, making navigation, buddy awareness, and keeping track of groups a constant challenge. I leaned heavily on my training, my trail-guiding instincts, and my ability to read both people and the ocean. The biggest lesson? A Divemaster’s role isn’t just about leading dives — it’s about creating comfort, building trust, and helping others feel safe so they can enjoy the beauty of the underwater world.

What’s Next?

Becoming a Divemaster feels like both a milestone and a stepping stone. I’m proud of how far I’ve come — from that first dive in Roatan as a teenager, to overcoming mental blocks and tough physical challenges in Costa Rica, to contributing to real conservation work that makes a difference.

But this is only the beginning. My next goal is to become an Instructor so I can train and certify new divers, and share the same patience, excitement, and confidence that so many instructors gave me along the way. I also hope to keep weaving conservation into my path — whether that’s coral restoration, fish surveys, or helping travelers connect with the bigger picture of ocean health on GAS Divers trips.

Diving has taught me persistence, humility, and resilience. Most of all, it has shown me the joy of helping others discover the underwater world — and I can’t wait to keep growing, teaching, and protecting the ocean as this journey continues.

Ready to Dive In?

If you want to see me in action, join one of our upcoming GAS Divers trips — whether it’s exploring vibrant reefs, spotting critters, or learning a few tips along the way, I’ll be right there guiding and sharing the underwater magic with you!

Or, if you’re interested in starting your own scuba journey, you don’t have to become a Divemaster to begin. Every diver starts somewhere, and I’d love to help you take that first step — whether it’s earning your Open Water certification or building confidence in the water.

Pack your gear, dive in, and discover your own adventure.