01 Feb How much do Divemasters get paid?

How much a PADI Divemaster gets paid is more to do with what skill set he / she brings and the attitude as a person!

A salary is relative to your cost of living and your personal situation.  It’s important to realise that there are a lot of different salary structures. Some are fixed per month, some are daily rates. Some involve commission or include housing etc.

You need to decide how much you need to live and what is your worth. You do the research and the math to figure out if this is worth it to you. If you’re chasing the money, there are plenty of ways to do so but SCUBA probably isn’t going to be it. However, if you’re looking for a lifestyle that allows you to pursue your passion, it’s definitely still a way of life that’s viable.

Here is a summary of the salary of some of the latest opportunities we have found in various Countries. 

EUROPE
Greece. 

PADI Divemaster Salary – A fixed monthly salary of 1100 EUR  including accommodation as included as part of the salary. Tips are common and are added to the salary.
*Average monthly salary, for all jobs, in Greece: 1060 EUR per month

Mallorca, Spain.
PADI Divemaster Salery – The salary comes in at 1300 EUR per month for a six day work week. No other extras are included but tips are of course possible.
*Average monthly salary, for all jobs, in Spain 1318 EUR 

Malta in the Mediterranean.
PADI Divemaster Salary – An advertised position has 1200 EUR per month for a 6 day week plus commission.  That’s just a base salary though and this increases easily by working an extra day per week, conducting a third daily dive or night dives. On top of that, there’s a commission of 10% on every customer generated and this particular dive operation offers pay raises per year of seniority. 
*Average monthly salary, for all jobs, in Malta: 1553 EUR

AUSTRALIA
PADI Divemaster Salary – For a diving job in Exmouth, Western Australia as a casual worker, paid a day rate. 130 AUD for an average day.  Pro rata 5 days is 2,600 AUD per month.
*Average monthly salary, for all jobs, in Western Australia 5262 AUD 
** Living costs are significantly higher in Australia compared with most of Europe. 

AMERICAS
PADI Divemaster Salary – In the Dutch Antilles a full time position for a PADI DM has a salary of 2,500 NAFL for a 5 day week including free health insurance but not accommodation. 
PADI Divemaster Salary – In Curacao a similar role as a PADI DM is receiving 1,200 USD. 
*Average monthly salary, for all jobs, in Curacao is 5772 NAFL . 3,390 USD

In conclusion an average wage for a PADI Divemaster will be a little below the national average for most Countries, however this can be made up with commission and additional days worked. 

If starting out on your scuba diving career you need to bear in mind the Divemaster level is either a stepping stone to becoming a PADI Instructor or a means to travel the world and dive places others only dream of, whilst being paid! 

And finally what do you ring to the PADI Divemaster role? If you are a genius with Social Media or can build websites, repair boat engines or sell sand to the Saudis then you can easily add 50% to those salaries. 

*Figures correct at time of writing.