Are you interested in learning to scuba dive on your gap year? Or do you have a passion for diving and would you like to get paid to work as a dive instructor? Find scuba instructor certification courses and packages from top rated dive centres around the world.
Featured Dive Trips & Programs
Scuba Diving and Marine Conservation in South Africa
• 2-8 weeks
• Price from £2,245
Marine Science Scuba Field Course in South Africa
• 2-8 weeks
• Price from £3,145
Marine Science & Open Water Scuba Field Course in South Africa
• 2-8 weeks
• Price from £4,345
Great Barrier Reef Explorer
• 3 days
• Price from £473
Top Rated Dive Schools
Utila Dive Center
Utila Dive Centre are the most established and reputable dive center in the beautiful Bay Islands of Honduras. Whether you are a beginner or an expert diver, or seeking professional/technical dive training, book a course and see why Utila Dive Centre has been so successful in raising the quality of dive training worldwide.
Where to Go
There are hundreds of amazing dive locations around the world and some of the most popular places include:
• Australia
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Philippines
• Honduras
• Belize
• Hawaii
• Egypt
• Fiji
Whether you fancy a gap year in Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe or Central America, you can find operators offering beginners and advanced level training courses. Some of the cheapest places to learn include Southeast Asia, but price really depends on the course, duration, accommodation and also the time of the year.
Qualifications and Certifications
Are you totally new to the diving world? Here is a run down of all the main courses and qualifications you should know about whether you want to give diving a try for the first time or become a qualified scuba diving instructor.
Discover Scuba Diving:
If you are unsure as to whether you will like diving then this is the course for you. You will receive some classroom instruction and then you will learn the basics of diving in shallow water. When you and your Instructor are comfortable with your performance you will go on a dive that does not exceed 10 meters (33 feet) in depth. This course requires just 1/2 day of your time.
Padi Scuba Diver:
If you are someone that is planning on always diving with an Instructor or Divemaster then this course is all you need to get into some great adventures underwater. The course consists of 3 classroom sessions, 3 shallow water-training sessions and 2 open water dives taken over 2 days. You will then be certified to dive under the supervision of an Instructor or Divemaster. If you wish to dive with someone other than an Instructor or Divemaster you can easily upgrade to Open Water Diver.
Open Water Diver:
This is PADI’s most famous dive course. Millions of people have learned how to dive with this three-day course. You will receive classroom sessions, shallow water-training sessions and 4 open water dives. After you have successfully completed all parts of the course you will be certified to dive with a buddy in similar conditions as to the ones experienced in your course..
Adventure Diver:
Once you have learned how to dive with the Open Water Course then you will want to start learning what to do with your diving. With adventure diver you will learn how to put your diving to use by learning how to navigate underwater, dive deeper, and on your 3rd dive you can choose whatever type of diving you are interested in. See the Advanced Diver Course below for choices.
Advanced Diver:
Once you have finished Open Water Diver you can go directly to Advanced Diver and start to put those basics you learned to good use. This course continues where Adventure Diver left off. You will get a total of 5 dives. The first 3 are the same as the Adventure Diver and 2 more of your choice. You can choose from Night, Drift, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Altitude, Boat, Search and Recovery, Underwater Naturalist, Multi-level, Underwater Photography, Underwater Hunter and Research Diver.
Rescue Diver:
Every diver should know what to do if an emergency should happen. The Rescue course not only teaches you how to handle an emergency it teaches you how to prevent those problems from arising. You will receive classroom sessions and you will then participate in in-water training that covers 12 scenarios. This is not only one of the most informative courses that PADI has but it is also one of the most fun as students take turns in being both victims and rescuers.
Divemaster:
If you are interested in becoming a PADI professional and making your living having fun diving, or if you are just interested in expanding your knowledge of diving then the Divemaster course is what you are looking for. This course builds on the knowledge that you acquired in the Advanced, First Aid and Rescue courses and teaches you how to work with instructors and how to organize, plan and guide customers on diving trips. This course will also help prepare you for becoming a PADI Instructor.
Specialty Diver:
Most dive centres also teach specialty courses which can vary from school to school.
Diving and Volunteering
If you like the idea of taking a gap year to learn to dive and gain a PADI qualification, lots of companies offer the chance to improve on your skills and helping marine conservation efforts. Some volunteer programs allow you to dive in some of the best spots in the world and learn much more about tropical coral, fish species, and get involved with the work to protect the oceans.
Some companies have been running scuba diving and conservation projects for more than 30 years in countries like Tanzania, Fiji, Madagascar and Thailand. Some scuba diving projects feature exclusive reef locations where you will only be able to dive as a marine volunteer. For more information about scuba diving and volunteer opportunities just get in touch!
