Course overview

Become a dive professional with the PADI Divemaster course at Sipadan, working alongside a dive team on the macro reefs of Mabul and the walls of Sipadan. You build dive-leadership skills, stamina and local knowledge while guiding and assisting in real conditions, from gentle house-reef training to current-swept drift dives. The Divemaster rating is your first professional certification and the step before instructor training.

What you’ll learn

• Lead certified divers and conduct guided dives safely
• Assist instructors with students in confined and open water
• Demonstrate the 24 dive skills to a professional standard
• Plan dives, map sites and manage logistics and risk
• Run dive briefings, manage groups and handle problems in current
• Build fitness and rescue readiness for professional diving

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another agency)
• PADI Rescue Diver certification
• Emergency First Response (primary and secondary care) within 24 months
• At least 40 logged dives to begin and 60 to certify
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Orientation and theory

   Programme briefing, dive-theory study and the Divemaster knowledge reviews.
2. Day2
   Water skills and stamina

   Swim, float and dive-rescue assessments plus skill demonstrations on the Mabul house reef.
3. Day3
   Practical workshops

   Search-and-recovery, deep-dive and dive-mapping exercises around Mabul and Kapalai.
4. Day4
   Internship and guiding

   Assist instructors with real students and practise leading certified divers on local reefs.
5. Day5
   Leadership in current

   Guide drift and wall dives in mild current, building toward Sipadan-style conditions.
6. Day6
   Assessment and certification

   Final exams, workshop sign-offs and Divemaster certification.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Sipadan.

Frequently asked questions