Divemaster Internship Program
A Typical Intern Day...

7:30 AM - Another Day in Paradise
The shop opens at 7:30 sharp, so be sure to arrive a few minutes before opening. Don't forget to take in the spectacular blue Caribbean and the lush tropical foliage common on Roatan. Once you arrive at the shop, you'll need the extra time to prepare for customers and see what's on the schedule for the day, greet your fellow shop workers and interns or chat with the CoCo View dive staff.

7:30 - 8:30 AM - Weekends
If it is the beginning of the dive week, guests will need to be fitted for rental gear and weights will be distributed. If they haven't been scuba diving for awhile, divers might ask 'How much weight should I use'? It's a good idea to be familiar with the process for doing a weight check so you can suggest they try it out!

Or you may be called upon to assist with guest luggage. Or you may be asked to help guests fill out paperwork for courses or rental equipment.

Perhaps you or the other interns will assist with orientation, where guests are familiarized with the CoCo View scuba dive operation. After everyone has had their tour of the docks, they are geared up and ready to head out for a shore dive, during which they are shown the layout of the ‘front yard’ with its two beautiful walls and the wreck of the Prince Albert.

Whatever tasks you are called upon to do, as a Dockside Dive Intern it is your first priority to always be professional, helpful, and enthusiastic about diving. Luckily, this part is easy.

7:30 - 8:30 - Week Days
Before the morning dive boats leave the dock, you will most likely be helping to load gear, assisting guests with weights, equipment or questions about the dive site, or possibly helping out in the shop with rental scuba gear, equipment repair or retail sales.

It's 8:30 sharp, and as the boats depart, you may be aboard one of them, chatting with the customers and sharing their enthusiasm and excitement about the upcoming dive. Maybe you're heading East along Roatan's South Shore to Calvin's Crack with it's beautiful crevasse and resident toadfish. Or perhaps you're off to Connie's Dream to check out the gigantic sponges and search for seahorses. During the ride and when the scuba divers are gearing up, you will always keep a watchful eye out in order to head off any potential gear issues or safety concerns.

9:00 - 12:00 - Various Tasks
At the dive site, one of many along Roatan's south shore, you will assist customers with extra needs – maybe helping them from their seat to the exit areas with their gear on, handing camera equipment down from the boat to the diver, or fetching gear accidentally left behind on the boat. Interns can be very helpful to the boat captain and divemaster, especially when the boat is full. Your job is to help make their job easier.

Maybe you’ll help tie the boat up to the buoy (maybe learn a new marine knot?).

During the dive, perhaps you will help the divemaster keep an eye on the divers. While underwater, help keep the divers safe and point out anything of interest that you observe while you're practicing your pro-level dive skills. Who knows - maybe you'll find a previously unknown species, resident only in the Western Caribbean.

If you stay at the surface, assist as divers exit the water at the conclusion of the dive, and during the dive keep an eye out for divers surfacing early who may need your assistance. Scuba Divemaster Interns are required to be Rescue Diver Certified, so even if you are not at that level now, you will have the skills and knowledge to provide this assistance during your internship.

If you are not on the boat, you could be back on the dock, filling rinse tanks, cleaning up the locker areas and the dock, and making sure everything is ready for the return of the boats. Or you could be out in the water practicing your divemaster skills, or in the shop studying for that next Divemaster course exam. Once the boats return, help tie them up to the dock and make sure they are clean and ready for the afternoon.

If there are courses being taught through the shop, an intern may assist the instructor to ensure the course goes smoothly. For example, during a Rescue course you may be called upon to portray the victim and let the students 'rescue' you. For a Search & Recovery course, you might plant the items that are being recovered by the students. In this case, pay close attention to where you put them so you can find them again if the students are unable!

12:00 - Lunchtime!
When the morning boats return and divers finish up their drop-off dives, it is noon - time for lunch, when the shop and the clubhouse start to get busy. Interns will help out as much as they can in the shop or on the docks, but don’t forget to get something to eat!

1:00 - 2:00 PM - Dive Preparations
Afternoon boats depart the dock at 2 PM sharp, so after lunch the gear loading process begins all over again. This is also a busy time for the shop, as last-minute equipment repairs trickle in and divers check out the scuba toys they may want to purchase for the next dive. As always, help out where needed and always have a smile and a cheerful word ready for the guests.

2:00 - 4:00 PM - Diving Again
Remember, you can never give the divers too many reminders to ‘make sure you have all your gear’ before the boat motors out to the dive site! In the afternoon this is likely to be a site closer to the resort, such as 40 Foot Point with it's abundance of fish life. Perhaps you will be on board, enjoying the gorgeous blue Caribbean, or perhaps you will stay behind to catch up on shop work or course study.

4:00 - 5:00 - Winding Down
When the afternoon boats return, it’s time to clean up the boats and dock for the evening and make sure the locker areas are tidy. It’s also another potentially busy time in the shop, so help out whereever you are needed.

5 PM is closing time (at least Monday - Friday) so head back home for a relaxing evening, or enjoy some of the many amenities the island of Roatan has to offer.

Words of Wisdom...
Remember, a job in the dive industry can be very rewarding, but no one ever said there wasn’t a lot of hard work involved! By the end of the day, you probably will have worked on dozens of different tasks – it is never boring and rarely routine. Enjoy your scuba internship adventure and learn as much as you can from the CoCo View and Dockside dive professionals around you.

How do I sign up? Complete our online divemaster internship application today!