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OTA Scuba & Swim · Katy, TX · Professional Development
PADI Divemaster
The First Step into Professional Diving
What This Course Actually Is
Not a certification.
A transformation.
Every diver reaches a point where the sport doesn't feel like enough anymore. You've done the dives. You've logged the hours. You find yourself watching newer divers and thinking — I know what they need to do differently. That instinct is what Divemaster training is built for.
This is the course that turns a skilled recreational diver into a professional. You learn to read a dive site, manage a group, brief and debrief, supervise training dives, and assist instructors. More importantly, you learn to be responsible for other people in the water — not just yourself.
At 84 hours of structured training spread over 6–7 weeks, this is the most serious course we offer. It is also, for most people, the most meaningful thing they've ever done in scuba.
Built for working adults
Classroom sessions run two weeknights per week, 3–4 hours each. Water training happens on weekends — Saturday afternoons and full Sundays. We built the schedule so you don't have to choose between your career and your certification.
Small groups. Personal instruction.
OTA caps all professional-level courses. You are not a revenue unit. You will be trained, evaluated, and developed as an individual — because that is the only way to produce a Divemaster worth having.
This is a real course — not unpaid labor with a carrot on a stick
Some shops run what they call an "internship" before the Divemaster course begins. Students work the shop floor, assist dives, and do everything a professional does — for free — while the actual certification keeps getting pushed further out.
That is not what we do. When you enroll in our Divemaster course, you are enrolled in a course. You start training on the schedule. You earn your certification on the schedule. Every hour you spend here is a training hour — not an unpaid shift.
A Personal Note from Morad
I want to be honest with you about something, because I think it actually matters when you're deciding where to train.
My own path to becoming a dive professional was not a good one. The shop I trained with called it an "internship." What it actually was — for over a year — was free labor. I worked the shop floor, assisted dives, and did everything a Divemaster does, without pay and without any real training happening. When I expressed interest in becoming an instructor, I was looking at another two years of the same arrangement.
Then the owners left on a trip. I walked into a PADI center and became an instructor two weeks later.
I'm not telling you that to impress you — the stars aligned in an unusual way, and I know that. I'm telling you because I built OTA in direct reaction to that experience. I know exactly what it looks like when a shop treats aspiring professionals as unpaid labor dressed up with a credential dangled in the distance.
We don't do that here. We never will.
When you enroll with us, you train. When you complete the requirements, you certify. Your time is yours — and we intend to make every hour of it count.
— Morad, Owner · OTA Scuba & Swim · PADI Master Instructor & Tec 50 Instructor
Course Structure
6–7 Weeks. ~84 Hours.
Three training environments.
The PADI Divemaster course runs on a structured weekly schedule designed around real life. eLearning is completed independently at your own pace. All instructor-led sessions follow a fixed schedule so you can plan ahead.
Classroom — Weeknights
Application-focused sessions covering the professional knowledge base: dive physics, physiology, decompression theory, gas planning, risk management, dive briefing techniques, and professional communication. This is not lecture-and-memorize — it's discussion, problem-solving, and applied judgment.
- Professional foundations and duty of care
- Gas consumption (SAC/RMV) and dive planning
- Decompression theory and computer literacy
- Stress and panic recognition and management
- Emergency Action Plans and hazard identification
- Briefing skills and managing mixed-ability groups
Confined Water — OTA Pool
Watermanship assessment and demonstration-quality skill development in our heated 17×45 ft pool. You don't just perform skills — you learn to coach them, recognize errors in others, and give constructive feedback. This is what separates a trained professional from a skilled recreational diver.
- 400m swim, 800m snorkel, 100m tired diver tow, 15-min float
- Rescue skills assessment: tired and panicked diver response
- Full Divemaster skill circuit to demonstration quality
- Neutral buoyancy execution and coaching
- Error recognition and evaluation methodology
Open Water — Mammoth Lake
The majority of your training hours happen in open water at Mammoth Lake in Lake Jackson, TX — a real dive site with genuine conditions. You'll manage dive sites, navigate, map, run search patterns, supervise training dives, and assist instructors with real students.
- Dive site setup, logistics, and hazard identification
- Navigation planning, execution, and mapping project
- Search patterns and recovery techniques
- Deep dive planning and supervision
- Assisting instructors during live training dives
- Professional leadership evaluation
What's Included
- All PADI Divemaster eLearning materials
- All classroom instruction (~24 hrs)
- All confined water sessions — OTA pool
- All open water training sessions — Mammoth Lake
- Instructor time throughout the full program
Not Included
- PADI registration fees and first-year annual dues — paid directly to PADI at enrollment
- Full scuba kit — available for purchase or rental, call us at 855-OTA-DIVE
- Mammoth Lake entry fees — details provided when you schedule
Professional Liability Coverage While You Work With Us
Divemasters working and assisting at OTA are covered under our professional liability insurance policy while conducting activities on behalf of OTA. This is not automatic industry coverage — it applies specifically when you are working with us, not independently. When you're ready to work independently, we'll help you understand your options for your own coverage.
Prerequisites — Who Can Enroll
- Minimum age 18
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another agency)
- PADI Rescue Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another agency)
- Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR & First Aid) within the past 24 months
- Minimum 40 logged dives to begin the course
- Minimum 60 logged dives to earn certification
- Medical clearance signed by a physician within the last 12 months
Don't have your Rescue Diver yet? That's where this journey begins. Learn about our PADI Rescue Diver course →
Ready to Become a
Dive Professional?
Call us to check availability and get started. This course runs on a structured schedule — spots are limited.
Questions? Call us at 855-OTA-DIVE
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