What Can You Do After You Are Certified as a Divemaster?
Certified as a Divemaster
After 6–8 weeks of hard work, early mornings, long days at the dive center, skills circuits, workshops, assisting on real courses, guiding certified divers, and learning how a professional dive operation really works — it finally pays off.
You are now a certified Divemaster. 🎉
For many candidates, this is a huge personal achievement. You did not just learn how to dive better; you learned how to take responsibility for other divers, how to assist instructors, how to manage groups, how to brief dive sites, and how to deal with small problems before they become big ones. You are no longer just a recreational diver — you are now part of the professional dive world.
But once the celebration is over, a very important question appears:
What now? What can you actually do after becoming a Divemaster?
And for many people who do their Divemaster training in paradise, another question follows very quickly:
Can I stay and work here as a Divemaster on a tropical island like Gili Air?
Let’s look at the honest answers — not the fairy tales.
Falling in Love With Island Life
A lot of Divemaster candidates arrive on Gili Air planning to stay for 6–8 weeks, do their training, and then continue traveling.
But something happens during those weeks.
You get to know the local community.
You find your favorite warung.
You learn where to get the best sunset, the quiet beaches, and the good coffee.
You dive almost every day and start recognizing turtles and reef spots.
You slow down. You breathe differently. You live differently.
Island life grows on you.
By the time your course is finished, many candidates don’t want to leave anymore. They start asking:
“Can I stay longer?”
“Can I work here?”
“Can I guide dives as a Divemaster?”
And that’s where reality needs to be explained clearly and honestly.
Can You Work as a Divemaster in Indonesia?
The short and honest answer is:
❌ No — foreigners are not legally allowed to work as Divemasters in Indonesia.
According to Indonesian immigration and manpower laws, Divemaster is not a job title that qualifies for a foreign working permit (KITAS).
That means:
A dive shop cannot legally employ a foreign Divemaster.
A foreigner working as a Divemaster is working illegally, even if they are “just helping out” or “volunteering”.
If immigration checks happen, both the dive shop and the foreigner can get into serious trouble.
For the foreign Divemaster, the consequences can include:
Heavy fines
Detention
Deportation
Blacklisting from Indonesia
And for the dive shop:
Large financial penalties
Risk of losing business permits
Anyone who tells you, “Don’t worry, everyone does it,” or “It’s fine if you don’t get paid,” is simply asking you to take a serious legal risk with your future.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we believe in being honest and protecting our students — not putting them into illegal situations just to keep them on the island.
So Why Do a Divemaster Course If You Can’t Work as One?
This is an important point to understand:
The Divemaster course is not only about the job title.
It is about becoming a professional-level diver and dive leader.
After your Divemaster certification, you can:
Join fun dives at professional level
Improve your diving skills massively
Gain experience assisting instructors
Understand how dive operations work
Build a strong foundation for becoming an instructor
For many people, Divemaster is:
A personal challenge
A life experience
A stepping stone toward the next professional level
But if your goal is to work in the dive industry in Indonesia, then Divemaster alone is not enough.
Which Dive Jobs Are Legal for Foreigners in Indonesia?
To legally work in the Indonesian dive industry as a foreigner, you need a job title that qualifies for a working permit (KITAS). Examples of positions that can be sponsored include:
✅ Dive Instructor
✅ Dive Shop Manager
✅ Operations Manager
✅ Marketing Manager
✅ Cruise Director (liveaboards)
✅ Training Manager
But here is an important reality:
Even for management, marketing, or cruise director positions, most dive operations prefer — or require — instructor-level professionals.
Why?
Because they want staff who:
Can teach when needed
Understand training standards
Can supervise safety and operations
Can support staff and students
So even if your long-term dream is not to teach full-time, becoming a dive instructor still gives you far more job opportunities in the industry.
The Smart Step After Divemaster: Become a Dive Instructor
If you love diving.
If you love island life.
If you want to work legally in Indonesia.
If you want real job opportunities in the dive industry.
Then the smartest and most realistic next step is:
👉 Become a certified Dive Instructor.
Instructor is the first professional level that:
Allows you to be sponsored for a working permit
Makes you employable in most dive destinations
Opens doors to management and specialty roles
This is why so many Divemaster candidates who finish their training on Gili Air decide to continue directly into instructor training.
They already know the dive center.
They already trust the team.
They already feel at home on the island.
And most importantly:
Their skills are fresh, their confidence is high, and they are already in “learning mode”.
Stay With the Same Dive Family
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we are now an SSI Instructor Training Center (ITC).
That means you can do:
Your Divemaster Course
And your Instructor Training Course
At the same dive center, with the same team, in the same learning environment
This has huge advantages:
No need to adapt to new teaching styles
No need to learn new local procedures
No stress about new facilities or new staff
Continuous coaching and mentoring
You are not starting from zero again — you are continuing your professional development in the same “dive family”.
First SSI Instructor Training Course Starts 13 February
The first SSI Instructor Training Course (ITC) at Oceans 5 Gili Air starts on:
📅 13 February
The course duration is:
16 days of intensive training
Followed by the Instructor Evaluation
Our focus is not only on passing the evaluation, but on turning you into a:
Confident instructor
Strong role model underwater
Environmentally aware dive professional
Instructor who can teach in real-life conditions, not just in perfect pools
We strongly believe that instructors are ambassadors for the ocean. That is why conservation awareness, buoyancy control, and responsible diving behavior are part of everything we teach.
Perfect Timing for Job Applications
There is another smart reason to continue into instructor training straight after your Divemaster:
⏱ Timing.
In Indonesia, the high season starts around:
May
That means:
Dive shops start hiring from March–April
Liveaboards prepare for busy schedules
Resorts need more teaching staff
If you finish your Instructor Training Course in February or March, you are perfectly positioned to:
Apply for jobs all over Indonesia
Do trial days
Secure contracts before high season starts
Waiting too long means missing the best hiring window of the year.
Career Paths After Becoming an Instructor
Once you are an instructor, your options grow fast:
You can work as:
Recreational dive instructor
Specialty instructor
Liveaboard instructor
Cruise director (with experience)
Training manager
Resort manager
Marketing or operations coordinator
You can continue developing into:
Specialty Instructor Trainer
Divemaster Instructor
Instructor Trainer
And if you ever want to move into:
Conservation projects
Research assistance
NGO collaborations
Instructor-level certification is often the minimum requirement.
More Than Just a Certificate
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we strongly believe that:
Becoming an instructor is not about collecting another plastic card.
It is about becoming responsible for other people’s safety, confidence, and first experiences underwater.
That responsibility deserves:
Proper training
Time
Honest feedback
Personal coaching
Our small group sizes, experienced instructor trainers, and strong team environment are designed to support you — not to rush you through a system.
We want you to leave as someone who can:
Control students underwater
Prevent problems before they happen
Teach calmly and confidently
Represent the dive industry in a professional way
From Dream to Real Career
Many people dream about:
Working in the dive industry
Living on tropical islands
Traveling the world
But dreams only become reality when you take the right steps — legally, professionally, and strategically.
Divemaster is an amazing achievement.
But in Indonesia, it is not the final step if you want to work in the industry.
Instructor is where real career opportunities begin.
Final Thoughts
So, what can you do after you are certified as a Divemaster?
You can:
Celebrate your achievement
Be proud of how far you’ve come
Enjoy diving at a professional level
But if your heart says:
“I want to stay in the dive world. I want to work on islands like Gili Air. I want to build a future in diving.”
Then the next smart step is clear:
👉 Become a Dive Instructor.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we are proud to guide divers from their very first breaths underwater all the way to becoming confident professionals — now as an SSI Instructor Training Center.
If you are ready to take that next step, your journey does not have to stop at Divemaster.
Sometimes, it is only just beginning. 🌊🤿
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