Wow, sounds like you are having an incredible gap year! I absolutely loved doing my divemaster in Indonesia and think it was the perfect choice for me. In Central America, you’d be hard pressed to find as dive-focused of a destination outside The Bay Islands or perhaps Ambergris Caye/Caye Caulker and Bocas del Toro. Personally, I’d look for a destination with a high volume of certifications so you can get plenty of experience assisting courses and watching a variety of different instructors work. Honestly, you can’t go wrong — I’d just pick a place that makes sense and fits in with the rest of your travels 🙂 Best of luck deciding!

Hey Andrea! To be honest, I’ve only had two jobs doing underwater video so I’m not sure how much advice I have about how to get and work in the industry. The first I got in the Cayman Islands basically out of luck; the photographer I was assisting wanted to train someone in underwater video since she was phasing out of it. The second I got was in Koh Tao and mostly through friend connections. So staying connected to the diving industry and perhaps working as a divemaster until you can find video work is probably the best tip I have. As with any industry, it really is who you know! Plus once you are a divemaster you can check PADI’s dive job listings online!

Do you have any advice for me? That would be amazing! Thanks in advance 🙂

Hey Chris! Crystal is one of the big schools on the island and while I know of them I don’t know the school or anyone who works there closely. As always, I’d recommend going and checking out in person before committing. As for a computer, whatever you can afford! I prefer computers with liberal profiles. Have fun!

Hey Paul! I recently have taken courses with Master Divers and Sairee Cottage on Koh Tao and I would recommend either for your DMT course! Stay tuned for more posts coming up on diving in Koh Tao.

Hey Sam! It might be worth shipping your gear one way or the other — for me, I received a 10% discount off my course for having it. So pretty significant. I ALWAYS travel with my mask and computer even if I’m only going to be doing one or two dives, and yeah, if I’m going to be doing some significant diving I bring my own shortie wetsuit too since I hate wearing rentals. If you’re petite, shops often run low on XS dive gear like BCDs so keep that in mind! I think having your own gear is pretty crucial for the DMT.

I will be embarking on an extended backpacking trip later this year (8+ months), and am looking to start it out on the gilis to get my dive master cert. It won’t be realistic for me to bring all my dive gear with me, but should I set aside space for some gear (I’m thinking computer, mask, and maybe thin full-body wetsuit)? Or at that point should I just rent all my own gear? I know space is going to be precious on this trip, but I do plan on diving at least some in most places I go to. Thoughts?