Common questions

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Do I need to already know how to dive?
Not for the Diploma in Professional Scuba Instruction or the National Certificate in Diving Foundation courses. We will teach you right from the beginning, starting with basic snorkeling and scuba skills.

What are the hours?
Full-time courses are usually Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm with some days finishing earlier. There are some evening sessions to complete night dive training. Part-time courses are usually run over one evening a week and every second weekend diving which combines diving in the weekends and the occasional evening session to complete night dive training.

How strong a swimmer do I need to be?
Every student must be able to swim 200m or snorkel 300m and float/tread water for 10mins. Professional level divers (Divemasters) and above will need to be relatively strong swimmers.

What equipment must I have?
This depends on the course you are enrolling on. Diploma students are required to own their own full snorkeling package; this must include a suitable wetsuit/drysuit, mask/snorkel/fins, weight belt, gloves/boots, surface signaling device, compass, torch & line cutting tool. We also highly recommend purchasing your own hardware and offer great package deals and finance options. The part time course (Foundation/Leadership) students just need a few basics; gloves/boots, torch, knife etc.

What are the medical criteria?
Our student divers are required to have passed a current diving medical undertaken by a Doctor or Physician. This medical must remain valid for the duration of the course of study.

If I have asthma can I dive?
This depends and can only be answered by a qualified Doctor.

Where do you dive?
At some of the South Island’s best dive sites from Banks Peninsula, Kaikoura, Lake Coleridge and the Marlborough Sounds.

Do you dive in winter?
Yes, our Diploma programmes run full-time full year starting in February and August each year. The equipment you will purchase/rent will be suitable for diving in our local environment all year round.

How do I enrol?
You need to make an appointment with us for an interview and complete an application.

Is it easy to get a job as a dive instructor?
Yes. There are approximately 5-10 new jobs advertised EVERYDAY on the PADI website alone. These jobs are based in over 180 countries and territories around the world including New Zealand. Dive HQ Christchurch also has contacts and graduates placed around the globe and offer job placement assistance at the completion of your training.

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