Are you considering becoming a PADI Professional? Our Dive Master Internship enables you to transform your passion into your career. Located in the heart of the Bazaruto Archipelago on Benguerra Island, our dive centre will enable you to dive coral reefs that are home to over 2000 fish species, while encountering megafauna like manta rays, sharks, dolphins and humpback whales. Our experienced dive instructor, Mauro Jije, will mentor you for the three-months period to make sure you will step off the island feeling confident to work as a Dive Master. During your stay you will be contributing to marine science research and work together with experienced scientists. Read on to learn why you shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity.
1. Stay in the heart of the Bazaruto Archipelago
Strategically located on Benguerra Island, we offer direct access to the Bazaruto Archipelago’s reefs. Besides a handful of luxury resorts, there are no other organisations, based on these islands, that offer scuba diving in this area. We offer the unique opportunity to gain your PADI certification while having the protected reefs of the archipelago at your doorstep. You will be diving in one of the world’s most diverse coral reef ecosystems, which support over 2000 species of fish and contain an abundance of megafauna, including sharks, rays and seasonally humpback whales. The Bazaruto Archipelago contains unparalleled coral diversity, megafauna and macro life living in the unique ecosystems that have been formed through deep pinnacles that reach the shallows as plateaus and coral reefs. Given some zones of the park are still unexplored, the BCSS team is working on mapping the area via exploratory dives which you will be joining and contributing to. Find new sites and observe this incredible destination with experienced scientists and environmentalists, while immersing deep into the world of professional scuba diving.
The Bazaruto Archipelago is a Marine Protected Area hosting more than 2000 species of fish.
2. Learn from our experienced instructor Mauro Jije
As we want you to feel confident to work as a Dive Master after the internship, we do not offer a short course but only a three month long quality training. Our incredibly knowledgeable Dive Manager Mauro Jije will be your mentor during these 90 days, providing you with one-on-one theory teaching, group sessions, practical in-water skill circuits and more. Mauro is a PADI Dive Instructor with five specialties including EFR, a PADI equipment technician license and INTD compressor operating license. He has been working in the Mozambican diving industry for over a decade compiling thousands of dives. You will be assisting the dive manager with everyday tasks (including dive planning, course assistance, dive leading etc.) while improving your diving skills and gaining in-depth knowledge of safety measures and dive theory. Besides, you will be helping to develop our dive map, which means you will be exploring a wide range of untouched sites within the archipelago. If you find a new dive site, you get to name it – leaving your mark at BCSS forever.
“The Bazaruto Archipelago consists of beautiful reefs hosting many coral species, fish species and megafauna, but much of the park is yet unexplored. By diving untouched reefs, pinnacles and plateaus, we are currently developing a dive map featuring numerous of dive sites unknown by other organisations. It is very special to be able to find new reefs and to be the first one to dive it!” – Mauro Jije, Diving Manager and Dive Instructor
Our on-site pool is used for practical skill-circuits and general dive training.
3. Become an advocate for marine conservation
Our Dive Master Internship offers divers opportunities to acquire foundamental knowledge to understand our fragile ocean environment and its wildlife better. During your internship, you will be gaining core skills in marine science and environmental conservation as you will be living alongside marine scientists at our research station. Our scientists work on marine science research on a daily basis, which you will be exposed to during your stay. You will be able to join research expeditions and attend lectures and workshops about coral reef functions and various threats, enhancing your marine science and environmental conservation knowledge. As a Dive Master, it is a huge benefit to be able to identify marine wildlife and to have a good understanding of marine conservation – if you are looking to work in this field , accomplishing this course presents a great opportunity to boost your CV and to uplift your professional profile greatly.4. Enjoy comfortable, sustainable accommodation at the research station
The BCSS research station was built with sustainable principles in mind. The buildings blend into the surrounding environment seamlessly and were hand-crafted by the island’s skilled residents with local materials such as coconut wood, reed walls and roof thatching. Our unique field station model practices sustainable waste management and uses renewable solar energy. Our permaculture gardens supply our chefs with sustainably grown fresh produce on a daily base, which are used for our healthy delicious meals. The station offers hot water showers, comfortable lodgings with a wardrobe and writing desk and limited Wi-Fi.
The BCSS station is strategically located on Benguerra Island and offers direct ocean access.
5. Reserve your spot with only a 25% deposit
Our competitive pricing is all-inclusive: from accommodation and meals to PADI fees (OW to DM) and gear rental – everything is covered , meaning you won’t have to spend anything extra while on site. We understand that undertaking your Dive Master Course is a big financial commitment, which is why we require interns to only pay a 25% deposit to reserve their placement. We kindly ask you to pay the remaining balance 30 days prior to the start of your internship. This way you will have plenty of time to make your savings before undertaking your diving adventure, while looking forward to traveling to Benguerra Island.
We have a few Dive Master Internship spots left for the second half of this year. If you think the internship is for you, please send your application via the link below.
If you would like to read more about our internships and volunteering programs, download our brochure.
For questions about this article and to inquire for the volunteering and internships programs, please contact:
Claire Ward, Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies
Claire.Ward@bcssmz.org
Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies
Host of the first permanent Ocean Observatory focused on multi-ecosystem time series research in Africa, the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS) was established in 2017 as in independent, non-profit organisation with a mission to protect and support the fragile ecosystems of the Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique. The research station is located on Benguerra Island, off the coast of Mozambique.
