Professional Internships

Join Downbelows IDC Internship Program in Kota Kinabalu

Probably the most important decision you have to make when embarking on an internship or professional diving qualification is who you are going to choose as your educational centre.

There are several questions that you must ask yourself about the training centre:

1. What experience does the dive centre have?
2. Who are the people within the centre that will teach you?
3. Can the centre provide the necessary facilities for you to learn the true business of diving?
4. What kind of clients does the centre deal with, will there be enough real life teaching scenarios for you to get true experience not just simulated?

Downbelow is a PADI 5 STAR IDC Centre specializing in diver training with a dedicated team of highly qualified dive professionals who will teach you.

At Downbelow we Team Teach and the Downbelow Go PRO Instructor Development Team, with 60 years worth of professional Scuba diving training experience between them, will be directly responsible for your training.

Outside of the Go PRO Team we employ 10 full time PADI Instructors.

We dive and conduct PADI Scuba diver training courses everyday, so there is no shortage of experience available – we are a busy centre!

We offer excellent facilities with two classrooms & year-round diving directly from the beach.

Our centre has a fully stocked dive shop in Kota Kinabalu and a full service PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya Island within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.

Immediately in front of the dive centre is our natural training lagoon, with open water dive sites accessible from our jetty, or just minutes away aboard our fast dive boats.

We have a compressor station including NITROX, 37ft, 35ft & 32ft dive boats, a well stocked equipment room able to accommodate very large groups and we can guarantee the highest quality education in a relaxed environment.

At Downbelow we also offer internship programs to local people under long term contract, providing opportunity and security for their career development.

Local and international candidates mutually benefit from the mixed program by providing opportunity to learn new languages, cultures and traditions and, most importantly, it brings people together forging new friendships.

GoPro with Downbelow and Enjoy UNLIMITED Scuba Diving & Premier Diver Training!

On all our internships you receive UNLIMITED Scuba diving. We can offer this because our dive centre (pictured above) is based within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park with direct access to our training lagoon & house reef.

Based only 10 minutes from the City of Kota Kinabalu, we dive everyday!

Annually we run a minimum of 4 Instructor Development Courses (IDCs) usually followed by the PADI Instructor Examination, and to co-inside with the 4 IDC courses we run 1 – 6 month internship programs, which can be joined at any time throughout the year.

Our internship programs cater for people who are complete beginners to the sport of diving as well as those more experienced.

Living in Sabah

Accommodation in KK City is included within our internship programs.

Clean, comfortable & safe private rooms, en-suite bathrooms with shared, communal facilities, which is great for socialising.

Everyday our licensed minivan will pick you up from your accommodation and bring to the marina for our speedboat departure to the island and bring you back everyday, so you don’t have to worry about any logistics.

Living in Kota Kinabalu is very cheap, so the cost of the internship represents the largest portion of the cost.

You will have access to free Internet and food can cost RM5 – RM10 per meal. Lunch is included when you are on the island.

What is the difference between an Internship and a Course?

An internship is very similar to an apprenticeship.

Candidates undergo supervised practical training in real life situations dealing with real people. This sort of experience can not truly be simulated.

At the end of an internship with Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures, candidates will leave with work experience, be knowledgeable within the industry and ready for immediate employment.

A course differs because the education is presented in a series of lessons, practical training and assessments and often involves role play instead of supervised practical training with real life people.

The benefit of a course is that it can be completed within a shorter time period.

For more information on the courses we offer, please visit our PADI Dive Courses page. Courses are ideally suited to those people who are not able to complete an internship, perhaps due to time restraint or available funds.

What do i need to start?

Our Go PRO Internships can be tailormade to the individual, but below we have 3 examples of our most popular configurations. In addition, our FAQ for internships can be downloaded here.

You can contact us and tell us about your dive qualification level, how many dives you have logged, why you wish to become a professional diver and how long you have to commit to the internship, and we will design a program for you.

Safety is paramount, we adhere to PADI standards and procedures and follow British HSE guidelines. Read more about our dive centre facilities plus equipment & safety.