Garden Route ScubaPADI 5 Star IDC · Mossel Bay
Two scuba divers descending through clear blue water

PADI Courses · Mossel Bay

Learn to Dive

Every PADI qualification, from your first breath underwater to teaching it yourself — taught slowly, thoroughly and in person at a 5 Star IDC centre.

The Pathway

From first breath to full-time pro

  1. Try It

    Discover Scuba Diving — one supervised ocean dive, no experience needed, no strings attached.

  2. Get Certified

    Open Water Diver — the licence that lasts a lifetime and works in every ocean on the planet.

  3. Go Further

    Advanced, Rescue and Specialty courses — deeper water, sharper skills, bigger adventures.

  4. Turn Pro

    Divemaster and Instructor Development — lead dives and teach diving, anywhere in the world.

The Catalogue

Choose your course

All prices include gear, materials and certification — plus a professional underwater photography session to prove it happened.

Sunlight rippling across the sandy seabed in clear blue water
Beginner

Discover Scuba Diving

R 1 950

Never breathed underwater before? This is where it starts. A gentle, fully supervised introduction to scuba — no experience needed, just curiosity.

  • No prior experience required
  • Full theory briefing and confined-water session
  • A real ocean dive with your instructor at your side
  • Counts toward your Open Water certification
Half day 12 m 10+
A scuba diver hovering beside a shoal of yellow fish on a reef
Beginner

PADI Open Water Diver

R 6 300

The world's most recognised dive certification. Earn a licence that lasts a lifetime and opens every ocean on the planet.

  • All gear, materials and PADI certification included
  • Knowledge development, pool skills and four open-water dives
  • Dive to 18 metres anywhere in the world, for life
  • Small groups with patient, thorough instruction
3 – 4 days 18 m 10+
Two scuba divers descending through deep blue water above a reef
Continuing

PADI Advanced Open Water

R 6 300

Go deeper, navigate better, see more. Five adventure dives that sharpen your skills and extend your depth rating to 30 metres.

  • Deep and underwater navigation dives included
  • Choose three further adventure dives to suit your interests
  • All gear and PADI certification included
  • The gateway to wrecks, walls and the outer reefs
2 – 3 days 30 m 15+
Sunbeams breaking through the surface above a coral reef
Continuing

PADI Rescue Diver

R 6 600

The course divers call the most rewarding they have ever done. Learn to prevent problems and to manage them when they happen — for yourself and for others.

  • Self-rescue, tired-diver and panicked-diver scenarios
  • Search patterns and surfacing an unresponsive diver
  • Requires Emergency First Response (or current first aid)
  • Builds the confidence every serious diver should have
3 – 4 days 15+
Calm dark ocean water rolling at the surface
Continuing

Emergency First Response

R 2 000

CPR and first aid training that meets international standards — taken on its own or alongside your Rescue Diver course.

  • Primary care (CPR) and secondary care (first aid)
  • Internationally recognised certification
  • Prerequisite for Rescue Diver and all professional ratings
  • Open to divers and non-divers alike
1 day
A coral pinnacle surrounded by bright orange reef fish
Continuing

PADI Specialty Courses

R 3 850per specialty

Shape the diver you want to become. From Enriched Air Nitrox to Deep, Night, Navigation, Search & Recovery and Peak Performance Buoyancy.

  • Enriched Air Nitrox — more bottom time, shorter surface intervals
  • Deep Diver — extend your rating to 40 metres
  • Night Diver, U/W Navigator, Search & Recovery
  • Peak Performance Buoyancy and Emergency O₂ Provider
1 – 2 days
A shark cruising over a sun-dappled sandy seabed
Professional

PADI Divemaster

R 17 000gear rental optional, R 2 000

Turn your passion into a profession. The first rung on the PADI professional ladder — lead dives, assist on courses and work anywhere in the world.

  • Workshops, water-skills development and practical assessment
  • Requires Rescue Diver, 40 logged dives and current first aid
  • Real experience with real students at a 5 Star IDC centre
  • Internationally recognised, lifetime professional rating
3 – 4 weeks 18+
Waves rolling at dusk under a glowing sky
Professional

Instructor Development Course

From R 3 200

Teach the thing you love. As a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre we train instructors on site, from IDC preparation through to the exam.

  • Full IDC programme run by our in-house team
  • Teaching theory, standards and confined and open-water practice
  • Direct pathway from Divemaster to Open Water Scuba Instructor
  • Contact us for the next IDC schedule and full pricing
Scheduled intakes 18+
An octopus displaying across a colourful reef

Flagship Programme

Divemaster & Marine Biology Programme

Our flagship programme pairs PADI Divemaster training with hands-on marine science in Mossel Bay — a working introduction to research and conservation on the southern Cape coast.

  • ELMO egg case surveys. Collect and catalogue elasmobranch egg cases — the embryo nurseries of the bay's sharks and skates.
  • Tag & release fishing. Assist with scientific tag-and-release programmes that track fish movement along the Garden Route.
  • Microplastics sampling. Gather and analyse water and sediment samples as part of ongoing coastal pollution research.
  • SAPREC seabird rehabilitation. Work alongside the Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre caring for injured and oiled seabirds.

Monthly intakes, March – November · Enquire for placement details.

Enquire About Placements

Good to Know

Questions every new diver asks

Do I need any experience to start scuba diving?

None at all. The Discover Scuba Diving experience requires no prior experience — just reasonable health and a minimum age of 10. Your instructor handles everything else.

How long does the PADI Open Water course take in Mossel Bay?

Typically three to four days, covering knowledge development, confined-water skills in our on-site pool and four open-water dives on the reefs of Mossel Bay.

Is Mossel Bay a good place to learn to dive?

It's one of the best on the South African coast. Sheltered, shallow training reefs from 2 metres, year-round diving, abundant marine life and a 5 Star PADI IDC centre with its own training pool.

What is included in the course price?

All gear, learning materials and your PADI certification are included, along with a professional underwater photography session so you take the memory home with you.

Can I become a professional diver with Garden Route Scuba?

Yes — as a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre we run the full professional pathway: Divemaster, our combined Divemaster & Marine Biology programme, and the Instructor Development Course.