Scuba dive courses in Cairns

Have you been looking to learn how to scuba dive or been meaning to do a scuba diving course? Well, Cairns is the place to be because it's right on the Great Barrier Reef! You can find the following dive course providers on the website:

Cairns Dive Centre: offers day cruises and live aboard trips for the snorkeller and diver, as well as learn-to-dive courses through all levels from Open Water to Instructors. They are a SSI training centre. Learn to dive courses commence daily in their training facility, which includes an air-conditioned classroom and a heated, 4 metre deep training pool. We have study materials and exams available in various foreign languages. Cairns Dive Centre conducts advanced dive courses, which start daily and are completed over 3 days and 2 nights - spent entirely on board the M.V. Kangaroo Explorer at the Outer Barrier Reef. The SSI stress and Rescue course is conducted over 5 days and consists of 10 dives in total.

All training dives are performed on the fabulous outer Great Barrier Reef at a variety of sites on 3 different reefs - 26 nautical miles off the coast of Cairns. The rescue courses start every 2nd Monday. The Divemaster course is the first step in making diving your career. You will have the opportunity to assist entry-level students both in the classroom and pool as well as in open water. You will learn advanced navigation, boat diving operations, and a lot more that will make you a qualified dive leader.


O.R.C.A. Training: offers SSI accredited training including

- Open Water Diver to Advanced Open Water Diver
- Rescue Diver
- Dive Controller
- Open Water Dive Instructor
- Equipment Maintenance
- Accident Management
- First Aid, CPR, Oxygen Provider
- First Aid Instructor
The ORCA programs are not just about developing career based skills, they also focus on developing life based skills. We see many candidates evolve from shy individuals to confident young adults. Once you have learnt to dive, progression through the various dive leadership roles will teach you how to communicate and teach effectively, present to groups, improve your people management skills, provide a background on how to create a safe work environment and various other business and work place abilities such as occupational first aid.

Scuba Diver is the perfect course for those who do not have time to complete an entire Open Water Diver Program. The content of this program represents about half of the Open Water Diver Program. You can then complete the second half and become a certified diver at another time, anywhere that is convenient for you.

The Scuba Diver Program will be fully credited towards the Open Water Diver Program. This way you will not have to redo any part of the program twice. After a short skill update you can complete your Open Water Diver rating. Certified Scuba Divers are entitled to go diving under the direct supervision of a Dive Leader up to a maximum depth of 40 feet/12 metres. This allows you to have a lot of fun and gain further diving experience even without continuing your education. At the end of the program you will receive your Scuba Diver Certificate indicating the successful completion of this program. This certificate entitles you to take part in guided dives all over the world. If you ever decide to continue your training and become a certified diver just contact your local SSI Training Facility for details on how to compoete your SSI open water diver rating.

SSI Advanced Adventurer: The optional Advanced Adventurer can be the entry to continuing education, especially for those divers who cannot decide which specialty courses they want to learn. During the Advanced Adventurer Program you will have the chance to try out 5 different specialties. You will complete one open water training dive per specialty in order to get a better understanding for each specialty area. Later, you can choose to complete all or just a few of your selected speciaties through a Specialty Course by completing the second dive and finishing all academic requirements.

SSI Specialty Diver: SSI’s intermediate diver rating is higher than any other agency’s advanced courses. To earn the certification for Specialty Diver, you must complete 2 specialty courses and have done a total of 12 dives.

SSI Advanced Open Water Diver: SSI’s Advanced Diver rating stands alone in the industry with the highest combination of diving knowledge and experience. No other agency’s advanced diver level compares. To earn the certification for Advanced Open Water Diver, you must complete 4 specialty courses and have done a total of 24 dives.
SSI Master Diver: SSI’s Master Diver rating is one of the most elite ratings in diving today. Divers that have completed this level have combined the knowledge, skills and experience to truly call themselves Master Divers. To earn the certification for Master Diver, you must complete 4 specialty courses, Diver Stress&Rescue and have done a total of 50 dives.


Pro Dive Cairns: If you are thinking about taking the plunge our 5 day PADI "Open Water" dive course is by far the most popular way to do it. The adventure of learning to dive as well as staying out on the reef for 3 days and 2 nights on one of our premium live aboard vessels is quite unique. Your course includes 9 dives on some of the best dive sites the Outer Great Barrier Reef has to offer as well as plenty of time to snorkel, relax and really enjoy the reef experience. All this makes this course unmatched for experience and value.

Overview: Your 5 Day PADI Learn to Dive Course is broken down into two components - 2 Days of classroom and pool and training and then a 3 Day 2 night, 9 dive, liveaboard dive trip to some of the best Outer Reef dive sites available. The first two days of your course are spent at our modern training centre learning the theory and practical skills of scuba diving. At the end of day 2 we recommend the option of attending 'Reef Teach'. 'Reef Teach' is a fun and informative marine biology presentation that will greatly enhance your reef experience. (Additional cost)

The next 3 days and 2 nights are spent living on board one of our premium live aboard dive vessels. You'll have the opportunity to participate in 9 dives on a variety of our 16 exclusive dive sites on the outer Great Barrier Reef. Your first 4 dives will complete your open water certification and then as certified diver you are able to undertake up to 5 more recreational or pleasure dives. One of these dives is a guided night dive! These extra dives will be a highlight of your course and a truly memorable experience. On the night of your return to Cairns you have the option to join your fellow passengers and the crew for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Our dive course options cater for everyone from beginner through to professional levels. Our modern, purpose built training centre provides the best diver training facilities available with 3 air conditioned classrooms and a large, 4 metre deep, heated training pool.

Our 3, premium, custom built, multi million dollar liveaboard dive vessels provide the ideal way to do a liveaboard and dive on some of the most spectacular dive locations on the outer Great Barrier Reef. These exclusive features combined with our outstanding product quality, excellent safety standards, professional service and 'all inclusive' pricing policy make Pro Dive Cairns the only choice when it comes to dive training.

All our dive course 'open water' (ocean) training dives are conducted on the outer Great Barrier Reef, where the diving is at it's best. The water temperature ranges from 22 to 29 degrees Celsius and the visibility is usually between 10 and 30 metres. There really is no better or more spectacular place to do your dive course!

Open Water (Learn to Dive) courses in English commence every day except Sunday all year round. These courses are also taught in German and Japanese. The dive course manuals are available in English, German and Japanese as well as a range of other European and Asian languages.

If you're looking to combine diving on the Great Barrier Reef with continuing your dive education we can take you as far as you want to go. We conduct PADI Advanced courses 6 times each week, Rescue Diver courses commence every Sunday and Dive Master courses commence every Friday. Instructor courses are conducted 8 times per year and are taught by our staff Course Director (Instructor Trainer). A large variety of Specialty courses are also available on request. Please note that a Dive Medical may be required for some of our dive trips and dive courses.

To book your scuba diving course or scuba dive adventure, click here to search under the 'Adventure Sports' category on the website. If you offer scuba dive courses in Queensland, submit your listing here.