Becoming a Divemaster, Phillipines
After travelling through The Philippines by motorbike with my girlfriend Lenthe for already four months, it was time to start my Divemaster Training somewhere. We had already made tens of dives in several places. After doing some research, the decision was made to get it done in Puerto Galera. This little town in the Northern part of Mindoro island is famous for its many dive-sites and high biodiversity. This is due to the fact that the Verde Island Passage runs through here. So despite being one of the busiest straits in terms of boat traffic, it is also the place in the country with the highest biodiversity!
I decided to get my Divemaster Training (I will simply abbreviate it to DMT) in Puerto Galera at Arkipelago, a small dive center just around the corner of the busy boulevard. I was coupled to Mokss, a local instructor who would be my mentor during the course.
”The journey from Rescue diver to Divemaster was a step-by-step process, filled with lots of learning, gaining experiences and of course some great dives along the way.”
The first part of the DMT was focused on the theory: learning about dive tables, diving physics, physiology, and equipment. While I had learned a lot as a recreational diver, this new level of knowledge went into to the deeper side of diving.
Before finishing all the E-learning, the real practical fun already began. My first tasks involved assisting with Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses. It was a great opportunity to put the theory and knowledge to the test whilst helping new divers get comfortable in the water!
There was one part of the course that was pretty intense: the fitness/swimming tests which consist of, among others, a timed 800 meter swim with fins and a timed 400 meter swim without any assistance from fins or a mask. I am a pretty decent swimmer, but not necessarily a fast one. Despite that, these course parts were finished with proper scoring!
Another key part of the training was guiding dives, obviously. Puerto Galera is home to some amazing dive sites, and learning to navigate them was a bit of a challenge at first since I am not from here, nor have I dived here before.
One of my favorite dive-sites is “Canyons,” where the dive-plan usually is to dive over, between and past huge boulders. The current here can get really intense, but that is exactly the reason that there is usually great schools of fish such as tuna, trevallies, jacks, Napoleon wrasses, sweetlips and batfish. Sizes ranged from 30 to well over 100 cm and there are usually hundreds of fish around! It was a great way to practice staying focused and guiding others through more challenging conditions.
”Holding on to the rocks with a reef-hook or pointing stick and looking up to see schools of huge fish swirling overhead whilst feeling the intense current push on your mask and regulator is a truly incredible feeling.”
Another incredible dive-site site was Sinandigan Wall! This was a wall dive over three walls at respectively 12, 19 and 27 metres. The macro-life here is amazing with tens of species of
Nudibranchs and a big chance of seeing frogfish, shrimps, and little crabs.
Furthermore, there are tons of moray eels around and on one dive here we had the very rare sighting of a thresher shark! These amazing animals are only seen a couple times a year in Puerto Galera, meaning you can understand how special this encounter was for us!
When not diving, we either were busy working our remote job or sightseeing in the neighbourhood. One main activity included searching, petting and taking pictures of all the amazingly cute cats that inhabit Puerto Galera!
As the DMT progressed, I started taking on more guiding responsibilities. I began leading some of the dives on my own (with supervision of an instructor, since it was still a course), managing a small group of divers. It was way less stressful than expected and mostly very enjoyable: making sure everyone was safe, following the dive plan, and enjoying the underwater world. It was definitely a big shift from being a diver who simply followed the guide to taking charge of the group. I had to stay organized, but it didn’t feel overwhelming.
”It felt amazing to do what I like doing best and at the same time allowing others to do the same.”
Upon finishing the DMT, there was of course the party afterwards including the infamous Snorkel Test and a big pie!
Looking back on my DMT, it was an incredibly rewarding experience. It wasn’t just about learning to dive better, but also about developing the skills to help others enjoy diving safely. I now feel more confident in my ability to lead dives, assist with courses, and keep everyone safe while having a great time underwater.
Arkipelago in Puerto Galera was the perfect place to complete this journey – with beautiful dive sites, great conditions, and a welcoming diving community. I’m excited to continue guiding divers and sharing my passion for the underwater world. If you’re thinking about becoming a Divemaster I can highly recommend it, whether you want to actually lead guides and assist with courses or just to gain more experience for yourself as a diver. It’s a great way to take your diving to the next level and share that joy with others.
”The journey is rewarding, and there’s always more to discover, whether you’re diving for the first time or helping others experience it for themselves.”
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me!
-Mart Harmsen
