As part of the Divemaster course you have to be able to do 5 waterskills.
Exercise 1: 400-Metre/Yard Swim
This is a 400 metres/yard swim, without stopping or the use of swimming aids. You can use any stroke that you like.
Exercise 2: 15-minute Tread
Tread water for 15 minutes, without touching the bottom or the use of swimming aids. The last two minutes you must have your hands out of the water.
Exercise 3: 800-Metre/Yard Swim
This is a mask, snorkel and fins swim, that must be completed face-down and without using your arms for swimming.
Exercise 4: 100-Metre/Yard Inert Diver Tow
Tow or push a tired diver, both of you in full scuba equipment.
Exercise 5 — Equipment Exchange
In confined water exchange equipment with another diver sharing a single second stage.
You must get a minimum of 15 points from these 5 activities. There is no minimum score required to pass any of the exercises just that you must complete them. So you need to average 3 points per exercise if you want to pass.
I really enjoyed doing these five exercises. I did find the 3 physical activities (100m tow, 400m swim and 800m snorkel) difficult but I completed them all.
The tread was surprisingly easy, even holding your hands out of the water for 2 minutes at the end wasn’t that difficult.
The equipment exchange was quite difficult but once you get into a rhythm then it becomes much easier. I was glad that I only had to do it once. We started with each other’s equipment on, and swapped back to our own.
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