http://www.hurricanedivers.com/1intern.htm

Our Internship Program

The idea is that you are with us for three months, during which we do the PADI Divemaster Course with you. This gives you the opportunity not only to do your course with plenty of time, but also to be around in a professional dive center, gaining hands-on experience under the guidance of our professional and dedicated staff. You will leave as a PADI Professional with experience, which will help you a lot if you are planning to get a job in the dive industry and/or if you would like to become a PADI Instructor.

Hurricane Divers is a small dive operation which allows us to give personal and "made to measure" service to all our customers, with safety always the first priority. We usually go out with small groups of people and are definitely not a "mass  production" dive center. This creates a very enjoyable environment in which you will really learn how to provide customer service in a fun and save way. We offer everything that has to do with diving and snorkeling, from simpel dive & snorkel trips to full-day excursions, from introductions in diving & snorkeling to PADI & DAN Instructor Courses, from dive packages to packages with accommodation and other adventure activities, from changing a mouthpiece to full equipment repair and from selling a PADI Manual to selling a full equipment set. 

We are a PADI Gold Palm IDC Center (the only one in Oaxaca!) and a proud DAN Partner in Dive Safety (the first one in Mexcio!). 

We work six days a week, from 09.00 to 18.00 hrs. with a one hour break (if work allows it) and if it is busy we work in the evening filling tanks or taking people on a night dive. It also happens regularly that we have diving on a Sunday in which case we work seven days. Obviously we try to compensate for those extra hours by taking time off when it is not so busy. On average we go out four times a week but it varies a lot with the high and low seasons. In 2003 we had approximately 1,000 customers and did over 200 courses & programs. There is always something to do, equipment repair or maintenance or other odd jobs, when we are not out diving and one person is always needed to man the shop. You´ll be learning everything that would normally be Divemaster duties in any dive center: providing personal and professional customer service, giving potential customers (honest) information and advise, selling our services and retail products, cleaning the shop, the toilets, the car, the equipment, etc., assisting with the diving activities, dive guiding, maintaining equipment, filling tanks, running errands, etc., etc. Basically doing anything that needs to be done, which does not mean you are going to be a slave, we all work together as a team, always with your education as our main focus.

You need to meet all the prerequisites for the PADI 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. We also expect you to have all the equipment required by PADI as a Divemaster, this includes the normal complete equipment and articles like a dive knife, compass, 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 can obviously help you get accommodation.

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. On our side we don't care about your race, religion, color, sex, nationality or whatever else that is your personal life, as long as it doesn't effect the dive center. We do expect you to be able to communicate in at least English and Spanish. We also expect you to compensate any damages caused by you, such as loosing diving equipment, etc.

* PADI Divemaster Course Prerequisites

To qualify to enter the PADI Divemaster course, an individual must:

1. Be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or have an equivalent rating. "Equivalent" is defined as proof of certification beyond entry level, and proof of 20 or more logged dives documenting experience in deep diving and underwater navigation.

2. Be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver or have an equivalent rating. "Equivalent" is defined as proof of certification in diving rescue from a training organization other than PADI. If the candidate enters with an equivalent certification, then the candidate must submit proof of first aid training within the past 24 months. If a candidate with an equivalent certification demonstrates poor or inadequate performance during the diver rescue assessment, then the candidate must complete a PADI Rescue Diver course.

3. Have completed and logged at least 20 dives as documented by the individual’s personal log book. 

Note: Proof of 60 dives showing experience in night diving, deep diving and underwater navigation is a certification requirement.

4. Show succesfull completion of a CPR and a Medic First Aid Course within 24 months prior to the certification date.

5. Be at least 18 years old at the start of PADI Divemaster training.

6. Submit, to the instructor, medical clearance for diving signed by a physician, attesting to fitness to dive. The medical clearance must be current within the previous 12 months. The physician signing the form cannot be the individual.