Are you interested in learning to scuba dive? Keen to advance your dive experience, while making an impact? 

Volunteering on specialist marine conservation programs gives you the opportunity to gain scuba diving certifications from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). This could lead to a scuba diving, marine conservation, commercial, tourism or dive instructor job anywhere in the world.

Why learn scuba diving?

• What starts with a short course could end up as a lifetime passion. 
• Scuba diving is the gateway to the underwater world of fish, corals, colours and other marine life.  
• Come face to face with turtles surfacing for air, tropical fish shoaling in kaleidoscopic swirls, or manta rays gliding through the deep. 
• Learning to dive is a skill and a privilege. 
• It’s fun!
• You can dive all over the world, professionally and recreationally, with a PADI qualification.
• Diving or marine conservation jobs can take you anywhere as a science coordinator, researcher, marine biologist, and many more. 

Where can scuba diving with GVI take you?

Dive in the pristine waters of Seychelles, the rich biodiversity of the South Pacific in Fiji, or off the golden beaches of Thailand. GVI offers marine conservation volunteer programs and internships in some of the most enchanting marine-protected areas in the world. 

As a diving volunteer, you will work closely with non-profit organisations and communities to really understand local marine life, and the challenges faced in their ocean environment.

While progressing your scuba diving skills, you will learn about coral reef conservation and how to survey fish and ecosystems underwater. This close collaboration with ocean communities is a great first step into any marine conservation career.

Beginners can learn to scuba dive on our programs in Fiji or Mexico. PADI Open Water divers can build further underwater skills and complete their PADI Advanced Open Water, while researching coral bleaching in Seychelles. 

If you have a real interest in entering the dive industry, GVI’s PADI Divemaster internship in Thailand or Seychelles offers a unique professional diving qualification combined with work experience and marine conservation training. 

It’s the perfect opportunity to start your PADI dive career with GVI and spend time in the water every day, while making a positive long-term impact on our oceans.

What diving careers are available?

Scuba diving jobs can offer a life of excitement and spark a passion for the underwater world. 

All GVI’s marine conservation programs offer world-class, professional-level dive training in partnership with PADI. 

PADI dive training is transferable to any dive industry application.  

• From a Divemaster internship you can progress to the Instructor Development Course (IDC) and Master Scuba Diver Trainer course (MSDT).
• Complete the IDC and you can work as a scuba diving instructor leading others through the PADI courses.

After completing PADI dive training, you could: 

• become an underwater photographer or media diver, working for the film, web or magazine industries 
• share your passion with others as an underwater tour guide
• join investigative teams as a police diver
• further your scientific research career as a marine biologist
• train as a commercial diver
• work on a liveaboard hosting other divers
• teach at a higher level as a PADI course director or instructor trainer 
• live in and manage a dive centre or resort
• or become a leader on a GVI marine conservation expedition.

With such a variety of PADI diving courses, you really can kick-start your dive career with PADI and GVI. Find out what scuba diving qualifications you can get while volunteering abroad.

There are various options for furthering your scuba dive career on the different GVI bases. Volunteer with your existing PADI Open Water qualification and gain your Advanced Open Water in Fiji or Mexico. Alternatively, opt for a longer internship to work towards your Rescue Diver and Divemaster in Seychelles and Thailand.

Read more of our diving-inspired blog posts, including volunteer stories about how scuba diving becomes a passion. You’ll hear from people with a career in conservation, learn about researching coral bleaching, and discover how to progress up the PADI certification ladder.

Find a GVI marine conservation volunteer program in Seychelles, Mexico or Fiji to kick-start your PADI dive career today.

Emily Shelton is an intern at the GVI Writing Academy. The Writing Academy is a skills-development program that pairs development editors with budding travel writers. Learn more about the program here.