There are two separate certification levels you can get that have very similar names: Divemaster, and Master Diver. One is a professional certification, the other is kind of like a certificate of achievement. What’s the difference, and why does everyone keep mixing them up?
The thing that makes it even more confusing is, for the most part, you take the same path to get to both Divemaster and Master Diver. You start with your Open Water certification, get your Advanced Open Water certification, then get your Rescue Diver certification.
From Rescue Diver, the path splits into two options: Divemaster, and Master Diver.
The Master Diver path ends. There are no further certifications that require Master Diver as a prerequisite.
The Divemaster path continues, and is a prerequisite for all the professional certifications like Instructor.
Master Diver doesn’t teach you new skills, and there’s no dedicated course you have to take in order to receive the title. There are requirements you have to fulfill to qualify:
- 50 dives
- Rescue Diver certified
- 5 specialty classes
Then you submit an application through a dive shop and get a spiffy new card!
What are specialty classes, then? Specialty classes teach an already-certified diver a specific scuba skillset, rather than teaching how to dive in general. Some are really technical and can be difficult, some are super easy and you basically just have to pay for the class to get the certificate. Some classes just teach you knowledge, others certify you to go to new depths or environments.
Courtesy of PADI
Specialty classes like Coral Reef Conservation or AWARE Specialist don’t require dives, just a short classroom session. You don’t learn skills. I took both and thought they were valuable!
Classes like Emergency Oxygen Provider don’t require dives either, but they’re very hands on and teach you skills (usually first aid).
Classes like Underwater Naturalist, Boat Diver, or Night Diver require dives and teach you new skills, but don’t give you new permissions. Anyone can dive at night regardless of whether they have the Night Diver specialty certification; the class is still a good idea to take if you’ve never done a night dive before.
Classes like Cave, Deep, and Drysuit require dives– more than the average Specialty class– and give you permissions to do new types of dives. These are classes for which the type of diving carries more risk and/or you need to use specialized equipment, so you really need good training. No dive shop or guide will let you near a cave if you don’t have your Cave Diver certification.1
Enriched Air Diver is a weird one because you aren’t required to dive for the class, but you can’t dive with enriched air unless you have the specialty class.
Since you don’t take a “Master Diver” course, this is considered a Rating rather than a Certification. However, nobody in real life calls it a Rating (except me, because I’m that nerdy about this stuff).
Divemaster is a whole course and it’s very involved. I have a couple comics on here about my Divemaster learning experience!
Here’s the thing: you can be BOTH a Divemaster AND a Master Diver. They are not mutually exclusive! If you are at least Rescue Diver certified, with 50 dives or more, and 5 Specialty classes, it doesn’t matter if you’re an Instructor or Divemaster or a Course Director, one of the highest levels where you can teach Instructors. You qualify, you can get the rating. Most Divemasters I’ve met have never applied for Master Diver though– I think they see it as a waste of time and money since they’re already professionals.
I think it’s an excellent excuse to get another spiffy card. I want to be a Divemaster and a Master Diver! Maybe I can combine the two names and call myself a Master Divemaster…
My distaste for the general dive shop culture and how dive operations are run could be another whole comic. Maybe we’ll talk about that next time. It’s something I love complaining about.
It’s a common question I see online: is getting Master Diver worth it? The general consensus is, no. I think it’s more complicated than that!
For example, if you’re an Open Water certified diver and you’re just interested in diving on vacation maybe 1-2 times a year, then any further certifications wouldn’t be needed. Unless of course you love diving and are interested in training more for the love of the sport.
If you’re a Rescue Diver, you’ve already got a huge requirement out of the way and you’re probably really interested in scuba. In this case, having Master Diver as a goal would be great in my opinion. Taking the 5 specialty classes and getting in more dives will make you a better, safer diver. I think it would also make you better prepared for if you wanted to become a Divemaster.
In sum, the biggest differences between Divemaster and Master Diver are the required training and what you can do with the certifications. You need to do a specific training course to become a Divemaster, and you then get to professionally guide people and potentially make money. Master Diver has requirements you fulfill on your own time, and is not a professional certification. You can be both if you’d like.
So, what do you think: would you be interested in becoming a Master Diver someday? Or maybe even… a Master Divemaster!
Courtesy of diver below
- Well… they shouldn’t, but shops and guides make terrible decisions too. Don’t! Go! Cave! Diving! Without! The! Proper! Certifications!!! ↩︎
