More artificial reefs in Thailand

It is part of requirement for all Divemaster Trainees at Wicked Diving Thailand to plan and undertake Eco projects. As part of this process we are actively building an artificial reef using found materials. Our goal is both teach and encourage all professional divers to improve the world around them, but also find the best materials for creating reefs in the most economical and practical ways......

Wicked DMT’s Eco Project

As part of our DiveMaster training course with Wicked the DMT’s (Martin, AJ, Brian & Kim) were given the task to carry out an Eco project which entailed building an artificial reef.  We were briefed by Tuk and Colin who gave us the details of where and how this would be done and what the previous reefs built were like. 

The materials we had at our disposal were a large concrete pipe, three car tyres, some rope (which could be used to tie everything together and be used to make artificial sea fans) and an old broken stool of some sort. We discussed various ideas on how to arrange these and eventually settled on one and pieced it all together on land.

Afterwards we researched online regarding the benefits of using rubber tyres in artificial reefs and found that the general consensus was that the disadvantages of using tyres underwater outweighed the benefits. So we decided we did not want to use them if there was any chance they could harm the aquatic environment, which would make the whole exercise pointless.  We also decided that we would try to use as little rope as possible because it was made of nylon.

We shared the above with Tuk and Colin who agreed. Colin found rope that was made of natural materials that we could use to turn into artificial sea fans (instead of the nylon rope), then Tuk found some concrete blocks for us to use as well as the concrete pipe. Concrete is the best material to use when constructing artificial reef because it is very easy for aquatic life such as coral to grow on it.

So we all; now joined by George (a former DMT) set off on the longtail boat to the Boonsung Wreck. When we arrived George and Kim went down to locate the other artificial reefs and tie an SMB to a toilet. That way the captain knew exactly where to park the longtail boat so we could drop the materials. We had decided that the easiest and ‘safest’ way was to literally drop the Blocks and pipe in so once George and Kim had checked the area was clear and surfaced we threw everything into the sea.

 Then well all kitted up, got into the water, descended and started to locate everything which took a surprisingly short amount of time, somehow we also managed to find more concrete blocks than had actually been thrown in, Tuk even happened to find an extra one that had a big ‘W’ on it which was Wicked. (Pun intended) It is possible to swim underwater while carrying concrete blocks as long as your BCD is fully inflated and you don’t let go. We had no design planned out so once Tuk and Colin had rolled the concrete pipe into position….

 Kim and AJ arranged it all into a formation that looked best and made best use of all the holes in the blocks so that little fish could move in there and have a safe place to live. So while we were all holding it place and Brian was tying it all together (Brian is a sailor he’s awesome with knots, if you ever happen to give him some rope he will tie the heck out of it!) and Tuk was cutting up the environmentally friendly rope and making it into sea fans a couple of ill-tempered looking lion fish that live in another artificial reef came over, I guess they didn’t want anyone other than their own kind moving into their neighbourhood, or more likely they loved what we were building and was eager for a step up in the property ladder. Either way something had to be done because they were dangerously close and poisonous, we needed some security. Which is when Martin; with complete disregard for his own safety courageously stepped in as security detail and saved us all, so while we were working away you could see Martin in the background fighting of a couple of huge lions with what appeared to be an old piece of the Boonsung wreck (obviously he didn’t actually harm the fish because that wouldn’t be the Wicked Diving way)  The reef was then more or less finished but we were all close to 50bar on air so we surfaced.

Our surface interval was spent in what could only be described as monsoon like conditions. When we went back under we finished the reef and took photographs and then explored the Boonsung Wreck which I highly recommend because it is an awesome wreck dive and full of a huge variety of marine life.

Happy diving

AJ

 When you dive with Wicked....you make a difference. We offer one of the most unique and through Divemaster courses in Thailand.

-Khao Lak Diving

Divemaster Training - New Artificial reef!

Wicked Diving now has the best waste disposal system of any of Khao Lak's dive shops - we have an underwater toilet at Boonsung Wreck :)
But that’s not the whole story...

As a capstone of the first Divemaster course of the year, the four of us were responsible for designing, creating, and installing a piece of artificial reef near one of the wrecks in Khao Lak. We had the help of two intrepid instructors, Jade and Ash, and our DMT leader Diego. In 2010, a DMT group dropped a giant concrete pyramid that could act as a fish nursery.  This year, they're trying to have each DMT class install their own piece to create an artificial reef habitat, since most of the area around Khao Lak is sandy and inhospitable for fish aggregations.



We spent several hours researching the different materials used in reef construction. Porcelain, untreated wood, untreated metal, and some concretes are very good for artificial reefs since they don't leach many chemicals and can last a long time. Painted and treated materials are often toxic, and shouldn't be used.



We found an abandoned toilet bowl near the storeroom and some old concrete blocks, so we created our own version of the Wicked Throne (to the porcelain gods).



While we were trying to tie the toilet bowl to cement blocks, two Thai men stopped landscaping and came over to help us. They basically took the rope out of our hands and showed us how competent people tie down toilets... it was hilarious because they didn't ask why we were trying to tie down a toilet bowl, they just helped us do it better. Amazing. This country is full of the most remarkable, friendly, and helpful people!


Once installed, the site is about 20 meters away from the wreck. One the first dive of the day, we placed the toilet next to the installation from divemasters two years ago. We managed to get the toilet on the van, on and off the boat, and down to the sand without too much trouble. It was pretty funny though!

On the second dive, we tried to install the backboard and create a throne. We managed to bring it down to the toilet by weighing it down with ~3 kilos and some muscle, but it wasn't stable enough to withstand the currents and storms that hit Khao Lak in the summer. Actually, we underestimated George's muscles when he was tightening the backboard to the toilet, and the bamboo snapped! We decided to leave the toilet as a central feature and forget about its accessories. It'll be very interesting to see what grows over the rest of the season. All in all, a great day.

Thanks guys for all the hard work and the innovative new reef :)


-Similan Diving

Komodo Divemaster Blog entry - July 1st

1/7/2012

I can say life in Labuan Bajo has been pretty busy. The tourist season has officially started. Things are rolling well at Wicked;  we’ve had loads of local diving daytrips, been exploring more dive sites by snorkeling and diving. Jaya is coming and going to and from the Komodo National park every three days. I’ve gotten a good insight on how a dive shop works. 

I’ve had the chance to arrange and take part on the daytrips. I’ve assisted on courses, drawn my first dive site maps and given my first little dive briefings. Which by the way is not as easy as it looks, especially for someone who can’t draw to save their life and is nervous about speaking in front of people. It’s been lots of new experiences and awesome diving. I have definitely learned a lot in the past few weeks.

I’ve had the chance to be onboard two of the Komodo liveaboard trips and the diving in the park… WOW! I’ve never been diving in such currents. At times it felt like being inside a washing machine, at other sites you could almost stop kicking and let the current take you. I think I want to become a drift dive specialist, why bother to swim ;)? 

And the things you see under water there; turtles, cuttlefishes, lionfishes, nudibranchs, eels, huge schools of fusiliers, sharks, rays, mantas, napoleon wrasses and jacks so big they look like they must be on steroids. I could go on and on with the list but I think you get my point. Above the surface tranquil scenery and sunsets that take your breath away. I can say I don’t miss bartending in back home in Finland.

The past couple of days I’ve had the privilege to assist on an open water course. It was really a joy to take someone diving on their very first dive. I remember clearly how excited I was when I saw my first Christmas tree worm and I thought it was the coolest thing. I actually still think they’re cool but they’re not exactly super special. And Hannah the student was such a natural. All the skills and everything nailed with no problems. And most importantly she had a really good time. A turtle on your first dive is not too bad. Dives 3 and 4 we came across a leaf fish and a frog fish which were both the first ones of their kind for me and made me a very happy dmt :)

-Linda

Our Komodo Divemaster course still has available spaces in August! 

Komodo Divemaster Course

I’ve been in Labuan Bajo for a couple of weeks now. It’s small, dusty and hot. But it’s quite cozy and it’s got some character.  The people are a blend of Muslims and Catholics living side by side. The view from the hills over to the little harbor and the neighboring islands is beautiful and the sunsets are some of the best I’ve ever seen.  Six weeks here to do my Divemasters with Wicked Diving. Bring it on!

I’m now a little over a week into my program. Of course the first thing I thought of when I got here was when do I get to go diving? We did some snorkeling when we went out to find places for confined open water sessions, and even just snorkeling was a wowing experience. Just outside of Labuan Bajo you have reefs with beautifully colored corals. Just a couple of meters deep you get to see pretty much all the usual suspects and then some; butterfly fish, angelfish, batfish, triggerfish, blue spotted stingray… Let’s go diving already!

The day boat was getting some final touches done for it; it had been painted, the roof got a new rain cover, I ran around town to get a first aid kit assembled and for a moment we thought we were good to go. All we needed was an oxygen tank. That turned out to be a task to get. None of the other dive shops had one to rent out. An auto mechanics shop had oxygen tanks to sell but they were all way too big for the day boat.

We decided to make a day trip to Ruteng, the next bigger town in Flores, to find one. It’s only some 120 kilometers from Labuan Bajo, but it took us a good four hours to get there along the narrow windy roads up and down the hills. Once we got to Ruteng we found a potential looking shop. They didn’t have one so they directed us to another shop, where we got directions to another shop, where we got directions to go to a restaurant. Yes, to a restaurant to buy an oxygen tank. Or did he mean that the shop we’re looking for is next to a restaurant? First we went to the wrong restaurant. Apparently there’s two with the same name. So we get to the other restaurant and ask about oxygen tanks. They take us to the back and there they are. Oxygen tanks in the back of a restaurant. A man in his boxers and a jacket gets a regulator and shows us that one of them is full and we got ourselves an oxygen tank. And a bag of peanuts. And we still had enough time to trek a volcano. Well not enough time to go all the way up, but we got to see some pretty awesome views.

 We came to Labuan Bajo to a nearly empty Wicked Diving shop. Most of the furniture, diving equipments and other bits and pieces for the shop were on their way to Labuan Bajo on the Jaya. Jaya got loaded and left Thailand on the first week of May. It picked up guests in Batam for a three week (awesome!!!) expedition through Indonesia, and it got down to the Komodo national park yesterday. We took the day boat out to meet them next to Sebayor island. We got food and water for the boat and brought back what we could for the shop. We did do some snorkeling while we were out there and again, awesome!!!! A school of barracudas, batfish, boxfish, an octopus… Pretty cool.

Today we’ve worked hard to get organized and get everything we brought from the boat in it’s place. Shop’s looking a bit more like a shop. Equipment room is nearly finished and now we’ve got some equipment to put in it. While waiting to get the oxygen tank I’ve had good time to read the Dive Masters manual, so a lot of the academics, boring stuff ;) is out of the way now. Let’s go diving already!

Find out more about our Komodo Divemaster course

Wicked Diving - spreading the word about coral reef conservation

Below is a report on the recent visit to a school Wicked Diving sponsors. As part of our ethical operations, we not only pay the rent for the entire Outreach school, but is also part of the training for our divemaster trainees to participate in projects that help increase awareness within the local community. We feel very strongly that as future divers - they should learn how to affect more than just divers, they should be improving the community they will work in. It also helps the children in the school learn far more about the marine environment.


By Divemaster Trainees Lucy, Will, and Lukas.


The Divemaster intership at Wicked Diving includes to participate in a Community or Envyronmental Project, to comply with that, last Jan 26th we had the opportunity to visit the Youth Outreach Program (a local school for burmese children) to present a lecture on Coral Reefs.


We discussed what coral is, how it grows and where it is found. We explained why it is important to Thailand - with reference to biodiversity, tourism and fishing. Finally, we showed them what threatens the coral locally and what can be done to counter these threats, emphasizing what the children can do to help to preserve them.


With the aid of some presentations, 2 mini plays, traditional spoken instruction as well as videos, we manage to keep well the attention of the 20 or so children for 1:30 hrs! :)


Finally, we challenge the children with a quizz to ascertain how much they had retained from our explanations - with a small prize for the team with the highest score. We were really pleased to see most of the children had learned a fair deal and, judging from their feedback, had enjoyed the session as much as we had.


Overall, a really rewarding afternoon as a Divemaster! ;)



Thank guys! Great job! When they joined our Divemaster program, who would have expected to be preparing powerpoints for Burmese school children :)





You can learn more about the the Ethical programs Wicked Diving participates in. We use 2% of all revenue generated to support these programs. When you dive with Wicked - you are helping improve our local communities.

Similan Diving

Divemaster Training days...

Divemaster Training - Similan Islands


The final Divemaster training course for Wicked Diving this season is in it's final moments!



With Davis, Lucy, Kasper and Mick having worked very hard over the last 6 weeks...we had a few last projects to clear up!


One was the Oxygen provider training. With Paul - our resident Dive Medic - teaching the course, it is fun an intense. In this case putting together the Oxygen kit while blindfolded. Kasper did pretty well.


Wicked Diving also takes our Divemaster Internship to a whole other level. We visit the hyperbaric chamber in Phuket for an orientation. In addition we stopped at one of the boat yards in Phuket to see how repairs are done in this region. On this trip we also stopped at the Lampee waterfall in Phang Nga province to chill out a bit on the drive down.



Our Similan Divemaster Internship for the 2010-2011 season is rapidly filling up!

-Similan Islands Diving

Divemaster Graduation!!!!

The second group of our Professional Level Divemaster Trainees of the season started in half of November and the first one to finish the course was Nicole Gerschel. She came on our liveboardtrip as a guest, decided to stay a bit longer and ended up doing her Stress & Rescue Specialty, First Aid course and SSI Dive Control Specialist course. So roughly 6 weeks later, after a lot of studying, pool practice and of course loads of diving, she finally did her final day: the DMT day!!! On this day she took out our longtail to one of the local wrecks: the Premchai. Two other DMT's were on the boat to finish their mapping and one very special guest: Open Water Marcel, from Holland. First dive went great and during the surface interval the group had planned to do a beach clean up on Khao Nayak. This is the entry and exit point to the Tublamu Harbour and all the liveaboards and daytrip boats pass it when they go out to the Similans. There is a lot of rubbish however, but since no-one is really visiting this beach it doesn't really get looked after too well. Since Wicked Diving believes that we shouldn't only take care of the beaches we visit, but also other places, we decided to do a clean up here.

It didn't take long to fill up all of the bags we brought and we didn't manage to get all the litter of the beach, but at least it's a start. Luckily the beach clean-up ties in very well with the education of the Burmese Children at GHRE, since this weeks topic was: recycling. So we decided to bring on of the bags to the school, so the children can see with their own eyes what kind of litter ends up in the seas. Next week we will arrange two boats to Khao Nayak and we will take all the children out for a bigger and more complete clean-up.

The second dive of the day is one of our new "favourite" dive sites: our muck dive at Khao Nayak, just in front of the beach. In the past we have seen seahorses, boxer shrimp and even a pine apple fish there. This time no seahorse, but we did manage to find some really beautiful pipefish and a Janolus Nudibranch. Great day, great dives and another great Divemaster course finished!


Similan Diving

A visit to the Local hyperbaric chamber

At Wicked Diving we try to give all our professional level trainee's the opportunity to see more than just the dive sites. We strive to make all our students confident and aware of the world around them - not just the aquatic one.

One very significant part of our training revolves around safety. With our DAN oxygen training, First Responder courses, having a dive medic on staff - Wicked is very passionate about diving safety.

We strive to do all we can to prevent accidents from happening. From planning, constant monitoring, testing of equipment and vigorous training we do our best. By the very nature of accidents, they will still occur.

So we strive to also train our students and staff to deal with accidents in a safe and reasonable fashion. One of the ways we do this is to visit the local chamber and actually remove the mystery from this aspect of diving accidents.

With our constant contact and support of the local medic - Klaus - we are also able to give our staff, guests and trainees access to knowledge and information that helps develop a more conscientious diver.




-Similan Diving

Another spontaneous beach clean-up

Here at Wicked Diving we do far more than just diving. We are always trying to make a difference - whether in the local community, the Similan Islands our our local dive sites.




We just got back from visiting one our local wrecks - the Premchai - and we visited the local "muck dive". This is a dive site that very few people have ever visited, but it has some incredible marine life and truly amazing scenery. With careful planning - making sure we time the tides and dives correctly - this is one of the most unique dives around.
































However it was also quite covered in litter :(














So instead of whining - we just stepped right up and did a beach clean up.



Sorry - but the first picture may break your heart. It did ours....


Hopefully the later pictures cheer you up - we took away 14 bags worth garbage!!!





We are very proud of these days, especially as this was a Divemaster training day. Hopefully all these Professional level students we train take away these moments and try to make a difference at their future places of employment.



-Similan Diving

Divemaster Course, Thailand - Phase 2

Today we ran the First Aid/CPR training for Henna (Finland) and Nicole (U.K.) - two of the Divemaster Trainee's starting next week.


They did a pretty good job dealing with the tough course we put on for them.


Paul taught the course (our in-house Dive Medic) and was assisted by John, current DMT - he's the dead one here...




The long 9 hour day included a few surprises to keep everyone on their toes.



Here is Paul just about to "vomit" some banana and Rice onto the unsuspecting victims! John is supervising (but from far enough away to avoid the mess).



Poor Henna was the victim. :(



But with our complete training Package for DMT's , this was only the first Part! Rescue starts tomorrow. Later will be the Oxygen courses, safety training as well as the tours of the Hyperbaric chamber and hospital. All this on top of the 6 weeks of full-on internship for Divemasters that we offer.

We offer not only the basic courses, but include the AED training (seen here) and offer several courses to Instructor Level for both DAN and EFR. With two Instructor Trainers in-house, as well as our own Dive Medic...things get VERY intense.

Our next available spaces are in February.

Divemaster Course Thailand






-Similan Diving

Divemaster course - October 2009

Well, the season has officially begun! Our first Divemaster Training course started today. After a full day of orientation, lectures and paperwork - Marcel has the group ready to go! 6 weeks of work ahead, but we believe they will make it ;)




Going clockwise - Annika, Daniel, John (all from Sweden) Then Kathi and Marcel and finally - Daniel from Austria.

Keep an eye out for more footage as the course progresses!





Similan Diving

Divemaster Dinner

We had a great dinner with all our current Divemaster trainees (Daniel, Janessa, Johanna, Sara, Gudrun and Thoms), the recently graduated class (Erik, Paul, Manuela, Henrik) - and even one of the girls who will join us in March (Meri)

Not only did the shop fill up with all our DM/DMT's but friends and family came along too! It was great fun. Sorry I had to head home early


If you are considering joining our program this season, we have a single space left in March. Otherwise we are taking applications for our 2009-2010 season.
Similan Dive Master Program

Celebrating last year's Divemasters

Saving lives!

Darcy and Adam - tough day of training....

And yes...that is our office...

It is actually a lot of fun! We really enjoy offering this course.

While the November course spaces are full - there is still on space left in December and a few spots in march.

Divemaster Training

Divemaster Intership Training - more details

As we have pointed out - we are very proud of our new Divemaster program for next season. Not only joining our incredible team of instructors for a real-world divemaster training, but also the opportunity to join our Similan liveaboard for trips, living in Khao Lak and do we even need to mention the great food, beaches, incredible diving?

Anyhow, here are more details for the Divemaster Training:

Divemaster Training on our Similan Island Liveaboard – live, dive, learn in Thailand’s tropical paradise

Imagine waking up each day eager to start work?

Your office: The azure waters of the Andaman Sea
Your Job: Show people the most amazing places on Earth
End of the Day: Kick Back on the beach and watch the sunset

Tomorrow: Repeat

The Wicked Divemaster Course grants you professional level SCUBA diving certification - the first step on a career that will can take you anywhere in the world. You will be qualified to guide divers, conduct Scuba Reviews (Refreshers) and assist Instructors.
Earn a living, doing what you love!

Wicked Diving’s divemaster training program develops your leadership abilities, qualifying you to supervise divers, plan and prepare dive trips and even lead dive trips! By the end of the course you will no longer be a diver – you will be a leader!

During your Divemaster training you will be joining our liveaboard on trips to the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock as well as our daytrips throughout the region. With the real world experience on our boats, as well as in our busy shop, you will learn what is like to lead the life of a working Divemaster – not just the diving. This will give you the important skills that dive operators look for in their staff.

Wicked Diving’s DM program guides you through a wide range of skills through both classroom and independent study. You will complete several water skills and stamina exercises, as well as training exercises that stretch your ability to organize and solve problems. Finally all of this practice and theory will come together by the end of your internship when you plan, organize and actually lead dive trips!

Why should I do my Divemaster course with Wicked Diving?

Our Divemaster Training program is one of the best you will find anywhere – the goal of our program is make you a dive leader. With a mind to experience, safety, service and fun we aim to make you one of the Professional diving community.

We have chosen to do the Divemaster program the way we always thought it should be – intense, through and preparing you to work in the dive world. Our team of instructors have lived and dived around the world, with experience on all the continents (except Antarctica). We have seen the “factory” schools and the dive center’s with 20 Divemaster Trainee’s doing all the work. Instead we work side by side with you through the whole course. You are not a slave doing our work for us, you are an intern, treated with respect and soon you will be an equal – possibly even hired on as our team.

Our courses can be conducted in English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Belgian, Bahasa (Indonesian), Thai and even American. Our staff consists of the most qualified instructors in the region – Including Instructor Trainers for SSI, DAN, EFR as well as PADI specialty courses and more thorough training such as Technical diving, Advanced Cardiac Life support and more…

Our liveaboard offers the widest and most diverse selection of dive sites in the region. Of course we do trips to all the popular Similan Island Sites, but also to the less visited Southern sites and of course Richelieu Rock and Koh Tachai. With trips ranging from 3 to 9 days and the ability to join our exciting snorkeling expeditions – we offer a very wide selection of opportunities to gain diverse experience whilst doing your divemaster program.

Wicked Diving operates the ”Greenest” dive boat in Asia. The vessel is fueled by locally produced biodiesel and low energy appliances. Our soaps and cleaning agents are bio-degradable and do not harm the reef. A portion of all our proceeds go to local NGO’s that promote the improvement of our community at large. Please ask us for more details if you wish to learn or join in these activities.

If the great boat, experienced Instructor team and incredible diving is not enough!!! – Khao lak is only one hour north of Phuket International Airport and home to some of the best resorts in the world. With restaurants and beaches to match - it is a very laid back and comfortable town. Lacking the nightclubs and party atmosphere of places like Phuket and Pattaya, it more than makes up for it with amazing diving, relaxing sunsets and low key lifestyle.

Finally our safety and standards are among the highest in the region. With staff that are actually employed by the hyperbaric chamber to coordinate emergency evacuations in the region. Having the only active Dive Medic in Khao Lak on staff should assure you of our standards (but we actually have two!)

When can I start?

We only offer this course while our liveaboard is operating – Mid-October until May. The last internship will begin around March 15, so we can assure you of adequate training time. This will give you plenty of time to complete both the practical and theoretical sections of the course.

Our Commitment to you

The Wicked Team of instructors will always be available for consultation during your Divemaster training. If you are unsure of who to complete your course with maybe you should ask yourself the following questions:

1) Is my Divemaster course more than just a few dives from the beach?

2) Do I have 2 experienced Instructor Trainers overseeing my Divemaster training?

3) Can my Divemaster course be taughtin other languages, if needed?

4) Will my Divemaster group size be smaller than that of 4 candidates?

5) Do I get discounts on more liveaboards? Can I assist on more courses if possible?

6) Do I get discounts on future courses – including my instructor course?

7) Are your instructors the owners or just employees?

8) Is the dive facility I want to be trained in able to offer Instructor courses and specialty training in Wreck diving, Nitrox, Night diving, Deep diving?

9) Will My shop be able to offer all Safety training in ALL the DAN courses? To Instructor level?

10) Are my Instructors able to help me with career advice and are they well connected in the local region and in other dive resorts around the world?

11) Am I confident my Divemaster course will be professional, knowledgeable, interesting, real world and fun?

If you can answer yes to all those questions – then give us a shout. We are eager to have you join our family! Remember it’s important that you feel 100% comfortable with the facility and people where you undertake your Divemaster Training.

Unfortunately the one thing we cannot give you an idea of is sense of family you will offer at Wicked. Our shop is here because we love what we are doing, not to get rich. We started this shop because we thought that a dive shop should be warm, supportive and fun. If your passion is diving then we are here for you!

What we expect of you

You need to meet all the prerequisites for the Divemaster Course (see below). If this is not the case we can do the necessary courses or dives with you, or if you prefer, you can do them somewhere else before you come here for your Internship.

By the end of your Divemaster Training we expect you to have all the equipment required as a Divemaster, this includes the normal complete equipment and articles like a dive knife, compass, marker buoy, etc. What you don't have we can offer you at very good prices.

You need to provide your own accommodation and food so you need to be able to live here for the time span needed without income. We are happy to help you find accommodation and show you the local markets.

Being of clean mind is paramount in preventing accidents. The well-being of you, our guests and our staff are utmost in our decisions. If you can not show up for your courses and dives with a clear head and sound decision making ability – we will not complete your course and we do not issue refunds.

Most important for us is a professional attitude from you (don't worry, that also includes having fun), you don't want to look upon it as a vacation. This includes good appearance, high standards of safety and service when dealing with our guests. If you would a job in the diving industry, we’ll train you! If you want to hang out on the beach and drink beer all day – go for it – just not here!

What you can expect of us

Wicked Diving does not care about your race, religion, color, sex, nationality or orientation. We will try our hardest to mentor you into the career of divemaster. We will conduct frequent and detailed lectures about all topics in your course (and more).

We will you treat you with a professional attitude. We have a lot of fun, but there can be risks associated with diving and we will work our hardest to prevent accidents form happening – THEN we will have fun.

We will offer all the tools, materials and knowledge you need to complete your course . We will celebrate your success and share in your failures. We will treat you as part of our family.

Interested? Send us quick note!

What all is involved in the Divemaster course?

The goal of the Wicked Diving Divemaster training program is to improve your level of diving and diving knowledge. You should feel confident and knowledgeable in both the theory and practical elements of recreational scuba diving. You will assist instructors teaching real courses and get hands on experience supervising and leading dives. You’ll learn mapping techniques and map an actual dive site, guide certified divers, test and hone your rescue skills, learn how to handle stressful situations underwater and learn how to teach some programs.

Our Divemaster course requires you to;

Complete a series of water skills and stamina exercises in confined and open water environments.

• Three required training exercises that test organizational and problem solving abilities.
• Mapping a dive site, including underwater and surface features
• Equipment exchange: demonstrate the ability to solve unanticipated problems underwater
• Conduct a class, under the supervision of a Instructor Internship
• Practical Training Exercises Internship: hands-on experience supervising and assisting divers in actual programs, under the guidance of a Instructor
• Practical Training Exercises: simulated scenarios in supervising and assisting divers, under the supervision of a Instructor
• Plan, prepare and lead a dive trip

The training and experience you gain through our Divemaster program helps shape your abilities and attitude toward becoming a professional level diving educator. As such, many Wicked Diving trained Divemasters go on to become Instructors and working Divemasters around the world

There are three phases in the Divemaster programme:

1. Watermanship and skills assessment

• Watermanship and stamina skills
• Rescue evaluation
• General diving skills
• Developing Diver skills to demonstration quality. This we will complete overa number of skills circuits.
• You will have to produce an Emergency Assistance Plan and map for a local dive site.

2. Knowledge Development

• Diving physics
• Diving physiology
• Divemaster conducted programs
• Diving skills and the Environment
  
• Supervising Students in Training
  
• Supervising Certified Divers
  
• Decompression theory and dive planning
• Emergency planning
• Diving Equipment
  

3. Practical application

This involves training activities using various structured training sessions, simulated scenarios and internship sessions with actual Wicked Diving programs. These training sessions enable you to gain practical experience as an instructional assistant and a supervisor of diving activities, both as a coordinator and as an underwater guide. These involve courses on land, leading divers, preparing longtail, speedboat and liveaboard trips

Conducted as an internship over a minimum of 6 weeks, you will gain practical experience of student and diver supervision while working under the close guidance of our experienced professional staff.

Interested? Send us quick note!

What do I need before I begin the Divemaster Course?

• Advanced Open Water Diver or qualifying certification from another training organization
• Rescue certification or qualifying certification from another training organization
• You must also have completed the Emergency First Responder course or have been certified in First/Aid CPR within the last 2 years (you must provide current certification).
• Medical clearance signed by physician
• 20 logged dives
• 18 years old

If you are not already an Advanced open water Diver or Rescue Diver, no problem- we can organize that for you. Contact us to let us know your requirements.

What equipment do I need for the Divemaster Course?

To start a Divemaster course, you don’t need any equipment. However, by the time you complete your Divemaster training, you should have a full set. In order to work as a Divemaster, most dive centers expect you to have your own equipment.

We offer advice and great deals on scuba diving gear - please contact us for further information.

What do I need while doing the course?

The Divemaster manuals you will required to buy and read in advance of your Divemaster course are:

• Divemaster manual
• Divemaster Diving Knowledge Workbook
• The Encyclopdia of Recreational Diving

You will be required to have:

• Full set of dive gear (available for rent or purchase at great discounts)
• Surface Marker Buoy
• Whistle or other surface alert device
• Compass
• Some form of Dive knife (Sea Snips are perfect)

Length of the Divemaster package

Over the course of the two liveaboards, you will do a total of at least 18 dives, if you require future dives to reach 60 dives (minimum required before qualifying as a divemaster), you can do further liveaboards for only 5,000 baht!!
There will also be plenty of opportunities to join out trips to local dive sites (and even exploratory dives) as well as joining our speedboat trips, so it should be pretty easy to get your 60 dives in the 6 weeks of your course.

How much does the Divemaster Course cost?

The Divemaster Course costs 35,000 THB.

A full set of equipment can be rented for 5,000 baht for the 6 weeks of the internship. We offer discounts on all equipment purchased (a very good idea if you are looking for work afterwards).

As this is actually the price of two liveaboards (included in the price), it is an incredible bargain!

Not included in this price:

Room & Board
Transportation
Equipment

Life in khao lak

We can help you organize cheap accommodation in Khaolak. Serviced rooms can range from 8,000 and up per month. Simple bungalows can be found for 5,000 for month and nice houses can be rented for 10-15,000 per month. It is often best to share accommodation while here – both for economic reasons, but also to have a fellow DMT to discuss the lessons with!

Meals will cost between 40-180 (or more) baht per meal & beers are 25-70 baht depending where you buy them (eg 7/11 or a bar). We provide you with meals when you are out diving on the liveaboard, and lunch on the daytrips. Khaolak has a very broad range of restaurants and can cater to all palettes, from Thai to Indian to Swedish to Italian and beyond. Be prepared to pay more for those places!

Our town, Khaolak is only a one hour drive from the Phuket International Airport. But we are light years away from Phuket! The area is small, catering to mostly tourists You will find all the necessities of life here, but not the luxuries. We plan trips to Phuket to visit the Hyperbaric chamber every two weeks and these are great opportunities to pick up any luxury items or treats you might need. We also plan trips to the movie theater when special movies are released.

You might find life here easier if you have a scooter, but be very cautious. It is very common to have accidents, usually not serious, but they can cost you weeks of time out of the water!

You have access to free tea, coffee, water & fruit when you are in the dive center and there is a small fridge where you can keep a few essentials.

Interested? Send us quick note!