Tech diving internships with Blue Label Diving
Blue Label Diving began offering paid tech diving internships in 2011 in order to meet the demand from divers interested in experiencing how it is to work in the tech diving industry, not just passing more certifications. A “paid tech diving internship” means you pay for the courses you want to do.
So, what does a paid tech diving internship entail and who is it for?
Whether you are a dive instructor or a “fun” recreational diver and you want to take your diving to a higher level, then tech diving is the next logical step. As a recreational diver you can get into tech diving as early as having completed your Advanced Open Water Diver or Rescue Diver certifications via courses like PADI Tec 40, Sidemount, Cavern or even CCR; as an instructor you can learn technical diving for fun or progress to becoming a tech diving instructor yourself.
Our tech diving internships are flexible and can last anywhere between 3 and 5 months depending on your requirements and how many different disciplines you are interested in learning. Whether you come to us as a recreational diver or as an instructor you will learn all the ins and outs of technical diving equipment and will have the opportunity to try out many different brands and set ups; you will learn to blend gasses, expand your knowledge of the physiological effects of extending your bottom time and diving at greater depths, not to mention the fun diving! You will dive sites that you either never knew existed or never expected to dive!
A few reasons why we think Blue Label Diving is PERFECT for your technical diving internship…
1) GREAT DIVING & STAFF
You get to live and dive in Thailand! Our shop is based on the tropical island of Phuket, right next to the ocean, from where you will dive in the stunning Andaman sea and the beautiful freshwater lakes of the Thai mainland.
You will be interacting with local staff on the boats to get what you need (eg tanks loaded on boats), learning some of the language, helping to deal with guests and courses, doing lots of diving of course, and doing your PADI /TDI/IART courses to very high standards from some of the best diving professionals and nicest people you will ever meet!
2) EXPERIENCED MENTORS
Unlike your previous diving courses which mainly focus on doing and finishing the course in a set period of time, our tech diving internship gives you plenty of time to progress at your own speed, and provides a mentoring approach – you will develop a very close relationship with your instructor. All of our instructors have already taught many tech courses and you will benefit from their collective years of experience, but they are also committed to spreading the fun of tech diving – this isn’t just a job for us, it’s a vocation!
3) NO TIME WASTING!
We do not use our interns as cheap labour as they do in some other shops, where you work in the dive shop and do the minimum number of dives. One of our strengths is the number of entry-level and advanced tech courses that we run, so we regularly add our intern candidates on these wherever possible, even on our cave diving courses. With Blue Label Diving you will also learn what goes on behind the scenes in a professional dive shop – organising cave trips to the mainland, booking boat diving off Phuket, communicating with customers and local companies, marketing, equipment servicing, rebreather support, trimix support, and logistics – from paperwork to picking up customers, if we do it, you will too!
FLEXIBLE DIVING INTERNSHIPS:
We offer two options for entering the world of tech diving. As mentioned above, the tech diver internship can be completed by a recreational diver – certified as a Nitrox/Advanced Open Water Diver or above, or by someone with beginner level tech diving certifications such as Advanced Nitrox or Decompression Procedures. Or, if you’re already a recreational instructor and want to become a tech diving instructor you can start your technical education with just your OWSI with Nitrox Instructor and proof of 10 Nitrox students.
The programs are very flexible. Let’s say that you are a OWSI and already Decompression procedures certified and you would like to do the next levels including your Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures instructor level, no problem whatsoever. We are flexible and can provide any internship you require!
Examples of our different level programs:
TDI Technical Diving Courses – diver level – within the package:
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- 1) Gas Blender and Advanced Gas Blender
- 2) Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures
- 3) Cavern and Intro to Cave
- 4) Entry Trimix or Extended Range
- 5) Technical Dive Master
PADI Diving Courses:
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- 1) PADI Tec 40, 45 and 50
- 2) PADI Gas Blender and Advanced Gas Blender
- 3) PADI Poseidon MK VI OW and Advanced OW level up to 30 meters
- 4) PADI Sidemount and PADI Tec Sidemount
Example for the Tech Instructor Program: TDI or PADI
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- Sidemount Instructor
- Tec Sidemount Instructor
- Tec 40 Instructor or TEC deep Instructor Level – or TDI Adv EAN + Deco Procedures Instructor
- Gas + Adv Gas Instructor
- Poseidon MKVI/Poseidon 7 Instructor
We believe in high quality, varied, comprehensive training and not just in completing the certifications – this is why our technical diving internships are not free, as most recreational internships are. Technical diving can be complicated and involves a lot of expensive specialised equipment to ensure a diver’s safety – unfortunately for everyone involved this means that it is not a cheap hobby! But we have found over the years that an intern paying for their training expects a lot more from themselves and works harder to achieve their certifications as they realise the value of the education they are receiving.
Our prices may initially seem higher than other dive centres, but we are almost purely a specialised technical training facility and only teach recreational level courses sporadically. As such, all our courses are offered at a premium level of service with very low instructor to student ratios, often one on one, with personalised course structures – you will be right in the thick of it, with plenty of opportunities to gain practical hands-on experience whilst also having the time to ask questions and get all the answers you need.
Our instructor team is lead by Ben Reymenants, a well-known and highly respected pioneering technical diver and instructor trainer for all major diver training agencies. Ben has authored manuals and courses and presents at diving conferences all over the world with other members of the Blue Label crew. The instructor team all dive at expedition levels and we are sponsored by, and regularly asked to test new equipment by, leading manufacturers – you will be at the cutting edge of the technical diving industry. It’s access to this level of experience that makes the difference when you choose to train with us.
Costs and what’s included in an internship….
The course costs presented are fully inclusive so there are no nasty surprises – this includes manuals, certification, lunch on your theory/pool days, 3 meals a day when diving on the boat, boat fees, gasses, equipment rental, tank rental, transportation to the boat, transport to the shop, pick-up from the airport and all taxes.
If it’s your first time in Thailand we can help you in choosing and booking your accommodation according to your budget and we can also arrange your scooter hire for exploring this beautiful island in your free time.
So whilst our costs many seem a little more than other technical diving internships, we represent the best value and have a reputation for providing some of the best training in the world, just take a look at our reviews to see what our customers have to say about us.
Contact our Team to discuss your requirements and to learn more about completing a technical diving internship with us.
