First-time diver planning to travel — looking for affordable Dive Master internship (Costa Rica or Bali?)

[ChasingAdventure]

What convinced you DM was the best path to achieve the above goals?

Has anybody shown you a different path?

You’re likely to get where you want to be a lot faster and with more certainty by orienting your ambitions on a technical training trajectory.

Appreciate the question. I’m drawn to the DM internship because it bundles training + real-world depth + immersion, but I’m open to pivoting based on early experience and suggestions. I want something technical and experiential. Your note helps clarify the trade‑off.

 

[ChasingAdventure]

Hey Chase — great to see someone approaching a dive lifestyle shift with real intention. Both Costa Rica and Bali/SE Asia are solid options for a Divemaster internship, especially if you’re after bundled certifications, housing, a slower pace, and a surf/wellness-friendly environment. Shops like Ceningan Divers (Nusa Ceningan) and Rich Coast Diving (Costa Rica) often tick all those boxes, but it’s worth digging into their training style and intern culture — especially to make sure it’s not geared solely toward younger gap-year types. Places like Joe’s Gone Diving, Blue Corner Dive, and some smaller shops around Nusa Lembongan and Komodo can offer a more mature, learning-focused environment.

Internships can be a fantastic way to go deep (literally and figuratively), especially if you want hands-on experience and a more immersive dive lifestyle over 2–3 months. That said, some people do regret going the internship route if the shop lacks structure, leans too heavily on free labor, or doesn’t offer enough mentorship. A hybrid path—doing Open Water through Rescue with dedicated instructors, then choosing whether to continue as an intern—can give you flexibility while still getting you where you want to go.

For someone new to diving, the DM path is demanding but totally doable with curiosity and some basic fitness. The progression (OW → AOW → Rescue → DM) is designed to build confidence steadily. The Rescue Diver course is usually the real turning point—it’s intense but incredibly empowering. The internship portion involves assisting on courses, practicing skills, and logging 60+ dives, often over 1–2 months. Be ready to get wet daily, carry tanks, and sometimes do early starts or long days, but if you love the water, it’ll likely feel more invigorating than exhausting.

Key red flags to watch for: a lack of structure, too many interns at once, and shops that push interns into teaching roles before they're ready. Always ask to speak to past interns, and don’t be afraid to clarify expectations around learning vs. labor. If you'd like, I can help shortlist current programs that fit your vibe or help draft an outreach message to shops — just say the word. You're on a solid path. Let the ocean change you.

Exactly what I’m looking for—moderate-sized, mentorship-focused, not just party-tour-level shops. I’ll investigate Ceningan Divers, Rich Coast, Blue Corner, and similar. Great advice on red flags and hybrid path. Would love help vetting them.

 

[ChasingAdventure]

Dive master is a tour guide and a babysitter, not necessarily a good diver. Doing a DM course to be a better diver is like trying to become a bus driver to drive tourists around just because you enjoy history. There are few threads around on usefulness of a DM course .

Fair point. While a DM role can include guidance roles, I’m not seeking that as my primary driver—I want deep practice, confidence, and proficiency underwater first.

 

[Outbound]

Chase, I would respectfully suggest that you slow your roll quite a bit. It's great that you are thinking of longer term diving goals, but take it in smaller steps. Get your OWD certification first and see how it goes. You sound like someone very comfortable in the water and you are young, so I'm sure you will have no problems. Then, go out and just dive a lot. Get your AOW along the way. Then dive some more. Then, if you want, you can pick up any of the specialty certs that interest you. Some are quite valuable, others make sense for certain divers, and some are a waste of time and money. Then do a Rescue course. Then get a lot more experience. If, at that point, you feel like pursuing your DM rating, go for it. Just know that the course isn't designed to make you a better diver. It's expected that your skills will already be solid at that point. It's designed around the dive professional/business side of things, not dive skills. And know that DMs hardly make any money at all. It's generally used as a stepping stone towards instructor.

That being said, I think an argument can be made for doing a DMC as a way to get in a lot of cheap diving. But that depends on the specifics of the training center. It's also something for you to think of a lot further down the road. For now, just get your OWD and go diving!

 

[ChasingAdventure]

Hm... you don't even know if your body and mind are "ok" with diving yet.
I know people that went through OpenWater training only to realize that their body doesn't tolerate it (sinuses, ear drums are just the trivial examples), also people that have a overwhelming fear of sea grass or the sight of the body of water above you at depth of 5+ meters. And these folks are brilliant swimmers and in excellent physical condition.
You may go on a journey where you might realize in the beginning that there are barriers you cannot just overcome, pushing yourself harder and eventually risking your health.

If I were you, I would take the open water course seriously as a student and then use the first 20-30 dives improving your skills with the same instructor who took you through the OpenWater. This will mitigate the risk of having conflicting "wisdom" thrown at you while you still don't have the experience and knowledge. And again, it's very likely that everything you hear will be correct, however without experience, you will tend to consider it true or false, while with experience the nuances start to appear. And you can take the training in some warm water conditions with light and thin wetsuits (or shorties) to naturally learn your body buoyancy, before you start adding complicating factors like thicker wetsuits for some other locations around the globe. I personally prefer warm water diving.

And only then the plan you have might have a good chance of success and you can continue the path with AOWD, Deep, Nitrox, Rescue, DiveMaster.

Totally agree. I’ve already done a wreck dive in the Maldives and had no issues. But your reminder to go slow, focus on Open Water and Rescue, then reassess before committing to a DM track is right on. I just want to compare costs of one-off certs vs. full DM internship (bonus accountability with this path to consider).

 

[ChasingAdventure]

Chase, I would respectfully suggest that you slow your roll quite a bit. It's great that you are thinking of longer term diving goals, but take it in smaller steps. Get your OWD certification first and see how it goes. You sound like someone very comfortable in the water and you are young, so I'm sure you will have no problems. Then, go out and just dive a lot. Get your AOW along the way. Then dive some more. Then, if you want, you can pick up any of the specialty certs that interest you. Some are quite valuable, others make sense for certain divers, and some are a waste of time and money. Then do a Rescue course. Then get a lot more experience. If, at that point, you feel like pursuing your DM rating, go for it. Just know that the course isn't designed to make you a better diver. It's expected that your skills will already be solid at that point. It's designed around the dive professional/business side of things, not dive skills. And know that DMs hardly make any money at all. It's generally used as a stepping stone towards instructor.

That being said, I think an argument can be made for doing a DMC as a way to get in a lot of cheap diving. But that depends on the specifics of the training center. It's also something for you to think of a lot further down the road. For now, just get your OWD and go diving!

Hey — you make a great point. I hear you on the incremental path: Open Water → AOW → Rescue → lots of practice, then maybe DM later. That’s absolutely a reliable way to build skill and confidence.

For me right now, diving is not just a hobby; it’s part of a broader career/lifestyle shift. I want structure, accountability, and a way to immerse deeply. I recognize DM doesn’t pay well long-term—it’s more a tool for exploration and discipline. I’m exploring more niche possibilities too: like training astronauts, or specialized deep-tech roles. But first, I want to learn. Thanks for the thoughtful insight.

 

[NothingClever]

I want structure, accountability, and a way to immerse deeply….I’m exploring more niche possibilities too: like training astronauts, or specialized deep-tech roles.

The HR Departments at the Big Box certifying organizations should be commended. They continue spotting absolute WIZARDS for their Marketing Departments to hire.

 

[NothingClever]

Speaking of HR, this is probably not the HR Department at NASA or SpaceX when you submit your DM resume to train astronauts in the Zero Gravity Lab.

But it could be the girls from Iowa on their annual dive vacation when you comp them a free drink while you tend bar to make ends meet because the marketing promises of a career in SCUBA turned out to be a bunch of baloney.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Thanks for the heads-up. Good to know Bali’s best weather for diving is actually Jun–Sep. That lines up with Q2‑Q3 in my plan. I’ll note wet-season limitations and consider minor adjustments if early-season dives seem choppy.

Diving is an all year hobby. I dive in Bali at anytime of the year. Was last there in January.

By the way after you become a Dive Master what do you plan on doing? Working as a DM?
I've been diving nearly 40 years and never did the DM course as it's not necessary for me. Also you need to look at different agencies like BSAC CMAS which offer different course systems and I would argue much better training doing BSAC than PADI.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Fair point. While a DM role can include guidance roles, I’m not seeking that as my primary driver—I want deep practice, confidence, and proficiency underwater first.

You do not need a DM course to learn about deep diving. There are specialty courses like TDI ANDP for that. BSAC CMAS all train divers for deep dives.