Divemaster Program Pre-Arrival Information

 Pre-arrival info for interns 

Welcome to the Diving Internship Program at Thresher Shark Divers! 

Following is some useful information to help you prepare. 

Flights 

You will need to fly to Cebu. You can do this via Manila or internationally to Cebu. Airlines that fly to Cebu include Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, Singapore, Qatar, Emirates, Cathay, Turkish, Korean and several Chinese airlines. Cebu Pacific offer low cost flights all around Asia and from Dubai and Sydney. Most commonly used airlines from outside Asia are Singapore, Qatar and Emirates. Manila has additional airlines, though the airport is “challenging” to say the least, so if you can fly to Cebu directly, we advise you do so. Contact us if you need more help. 

If you arrive late and are staying in Cebu the first night and we have a hotel for you, they will pick up – look for a sign with your name and theirs when you exit the terminal. If you are staying here or at a hotel you have arranged yourself and want a transfer the next day, we will pick up from the hotel at your preferred time (before 12pm). 

Insurance 

You are responsible for obtaining appropriate personal travel insurance, with coverage including but not limited to: loss of or damage to your personal effects, dive equipment, trip cancellation insurance, medical and scuba related insurance. TSD cannot be held liable for any of the above, so please ensure you have adequate insurance protection. 

We highly recommend some form of diving insurance. DAN insurance is excellent and covers scuba diving related injuries and Dive Assure is another. Find out more here  https://malapascua-diving.com/dive-safety-and-insurance/

Medical 

We require a completed medical statement for all DM and IDC courses. This is the url to the medical form: https://www.padi.com/sites/default/files/documents/padi-courses/2.1.5%20rstc%20medstate%20v201.pdf 

Please have a doctor complete page 2. You can complete this in advance, or get it here on the mainland. It is inexpensive. There is rarely a doctor on the island; if not it will take half a day round trip to the mainland. 

You are responsible for telling us about medical conditions. 

Immunizations- make sure they are up to date. 

Malaria is not a problem. 

Covid – please check current requirements here and fill our the online form prior to departure. https://etravel.gov.ph

Visas 

Most countries are granted 30 days automatic visa on entry. There are several exceptions to this, so please check the current status of your country in advance. 

http://www.immigration.gov.ph/ 

Visa extensions after 30 days:

For entry: You are required to have on onward ticket to enter the country. This can be from any airport in the Philippines to any country and can be after the date your visa expires. If you do not have an onward or return ticket you should purchase a cheap one to ‘throwaway’ if necessary, try Cebu Pacific or Air Asia. Clarke airport often has very cheap flights to places like Hong Kong and Macau. Sign up for Cebu Pacific’s low fare alerts as they run several bargain specials each month. 

Make sure your passport is valid for 6 months after proposed departure dates. 

Course Pre-requisites 

Each PADI course has certain pre-requisites. In particular please note that Current Emergency First Response (EFR) is a pre-requisite for: 

• • Rescue and Divemaster 
• • IDC 
• • EFR Instructor 

“Current” EFR is defined as certification or equivalent within 24 months. 

Equivalency: If you are planning to use an equivalent certification, please contact us in advance as it will take up to 2 weeks to verify its validity with PADI. Otherwise your program may be delayed or you will just need to take EFR with us. It needs to be both CPR and First Aid. 

IDC candidates must have been certified Open Water for 6 months. You also should have 100 logged dives when you enter the IE. However as we are a PADI CDC (Course Development Center), there is a way around this if needed. 

Divemaster candidates need 40 dives to officially start their course, let us know if you will be under this as we can work with you on this.

If you need more dives you can extend your package to include additional diving. 

Course Post-requisites 

You need 60 dives to certify as a Divemaster and 100 dives to certify as an Instructor. If you miss part of your course due to illness or other reasons, we will do our very best to make up these dives. As long as we are able to complete your course and get you the minimum number of required dives, there will be no credit given for your course. Most people need time off for one reason or another and this has already been factored into the price and suggested duration of your program. 

Other items to bring 

• All certification cards 
• Log books. 
• For your accommodation – most of the cheaper places are rooms rather than resorts, and they will provide you with sheets, but probably not much else. Basic toiletries can be bought on the island. 

Money 

All packages must be paid for either in advance or on arrival, prior to the start of any in water activities. It is generally easiest to do this before you arrive. It is your responsibility to make sure that the package is paid for on time. You will not be able to engage in any diving activities until the balance is paid.  If you wish to use bank transfer to settle your final bill at the end of your course, you must give 3 working days for it to process.

After the start of your program all fees are non refundable for any reason. Please ensure you get travel insurance to cover any cancellations/sickness etc. 

Transfer and Cancellation policy 

You will be allowed to transfer your program dates at any time up until 8 weeks before program start. After 8 weeks, a transfer fee of US$100 shall be payable although this may be waived in certain circumstances. Any change of placement shall be at TSD’s discretion and subject to availability. Additional fees may apply if prices have increased since the original bookings. 

Cancellation more than 30 days in advance: 20% of package price non refundable Cancellation more than 7 days in advance: 50% of package price non refundable Cancellation less than 7 days or after arrival: 100% of package price non-refundable. 

If you change your booked accommodation after arrival, cancellation fees will apply and/or you may be charged for the nights you have stayed at a nightly rate rather than a monthly rate. 

Payment 

Any losses that arise from foreign currency exchange rates or bank fees during transfers will be addressed in your invoice. 

We make every effort to inform you of all required fees and costs associated with your internship. Changes to packages may happen due to circumstances beyond our control, especially if booked a considerable time in advance. E.g. As PADI improve their courses, requirements may change and we usually do not get more than 6 months notice. PADI fees increase on January 1, usually by about 5%, but we do not know exactly until December. 

You should have been sent a list of full inclusions. Anything not mentioned is not included in your package. Website content changes and each package is built individually, so please refer to your emails for your package details. Be aware that your package may have different inclusions to those of other people on your course. 

There are ATMs on the island, but there are no banks, so they do not always have money. If you bring cash you can leave it in our safe. The nearest other ATM is in Bogo about 2 hours away. ATMs have a low maximum withdrawal allowed.  You can sometimes  put your card in several times, but this may incur high fees and risk your card being cancelled by your bank. 

You can pay additional money to us in advance and this will be credited to your account and can be applied to anything additional at TSD including extra courses, equipment, visa renewals, our bar etc. Sorry, but you cannot receive cash back from this in PHP cash, but we will of course refund any additional not used to your bank. 

If your bill is getting quite high, you will be asked to make a payment towards it, so please be prepared for this and check regularly if you know you have had some expenses. 

Additional fees for optional extra activities may include but are not limited to 

• Dive torch/light rental 
• Compass rental 
• Computer rental 
• Fuel surcharges for longer trips, including Dona and Kalanggaman 
• Marine park fees 
• Nitrox fills 

Security deposits 

For those staying at Palm Place, we will require a security deposit of P5,000 to be paid in cash. This will be returned in full when you leave, assuming there is no damage to the room. 

PADI fees 

You have been informed of the additional PADI fees required for professional courses. These are payable with you finish your course and you pay directly to PADI. Prices increase each January. In addition, in order to remain a PADI member you need to pay fees directly to PADI at the end of each year. 

Diving and Schedules 

Most Divemaster level programs include free diving (see your list of inclusions). Please note that for health and safety reasons, this is not unlimited diving. You can expect to do an average of two dives a day. You should aim for one day a week out of the water to off-gas, again for safety reasons. It is also common for interns to have days out of the water for ear infections etc., but you will be able to focus on other parts of course during this time. If you get sick you may need to have longer out of the water, but we will do our best to make sure you get the required number of dives for your course (60 for Divemaster, 100 for Instructor). This is very rarely an issue. 

If you wish to plan for time out during your program, that is fine. Please let us know in advance if you want to split up your program, but a few days away is not a problem. 

Equipment 

Standard equipment rental is  fins, booties, wetsuit, BCD, regulator with octopus, SPG and Depth Gauge, tank and weights. Any additional items will incur extra charges, including but not limited to computer, flashlight and nitrox. 

As a DM or Instructor you will also be required to own and use a compass, SMB, whistle and knife. We advise that you own these items now as without them you cannot dive independently during the course. This means that you will not be able to take full advantage of the included free diving as you will not be able to dive by yourself (with another intern). 

A CPR pocket mask is required for IDC. 

We have equipment available for sale, and you get additional discounts for pre-ordering. For those on a budget we have great deals on ex-rental regs and BCDs.

For your own personal equipment you will need to have your own mask and snorkel. And for the additional items we advise you have of your own, here are some of the items we sell, (prices in PHP, subject to change at any time.)

Equipment prices

For the items that you really need of your own, we keep stock of various items. Order in advance to get 20% off. Many other items are available on request. Prices in PHP and subject to change without notice.

• Mask and Snorkel sets starting at P2,100
•  Computers
  • Suunto Zoop: 22,700
  • Mares Puck: 19,900
• Surface Marker Buoy Brand SMB: 4,100
• Reel
  • Brass: P650
  • Stainless Steel Scubapro: 1,990
• Pocket Mask: 1,300
• Slate 6×8″: P750
• Knife
  • Steel BCD knife: 1,200
  • Cressi Vigo knife: 2,900
  • Saekodive pocket knife: P1,500
• Compass (wrist)- Aeropec: 2700

Please note: 

Any information provided by TSD, including but not limited to information about visas, vaccinations, healthcare, climate, baggage and special equipment is given in good faith but without responsibility on the part of TSD. Please double-check everything yourself prior to arrival. 

Please also review the “Exclusions” sent previously for more info and reminders. 

We look forward to seeing you soon!