OUR DIVING - The courses and adventures we offer
Expertly taught and fun to learn!
Galapagos Dive Academy is affiliated with PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, and with SSI, Scuba Schools International.
With a PADI or SSI certification you can dive in nearly 200 countries and territories, at thousands of dive centres and resorts. PADI and SSI are the world’s leading diving and ocean exploration organizations, enabling people around the world to seek adventure and save the ocean through underwater education, life-changing experiences, and travel.
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Discover Scuba Diving (DSD)
Our DSD program is designed to offer your first diving experience, under the supervision of a qualified PADI/SSI instructor. Let the team at Galapagos Dive Academy introduce you to the equipment and techniques you will use while in the underwater world - with our focus on safety always to the fore.
To join us for a DSD experience you must:
Be a minimum of 10 years old
Know how to swim
Be free of heart disease, advanced respiratory disease, and any temporary congestion, such as influenza (flu)
Please note: If you are 60 or older, or if you are suffering from any type of significant illness, a medical certificate is recommended to confirm your fitness for diving
Our DSD adventure is held in the bay directly adjacent to our Puerta Ayora office and teaching centre, at the dive site named Punta Estrada. During your experience we will aim to take you to a maximum depth of 12m for about 45 minutes. Please bear in mind that the actual time you will spend underwater depends on your breathing pattern, so start practicing long slow breathing techniques today! We offer daily morning and afternoon trips (8 AM and 1 PM start times) with an instructor catering to each candidate or pair of candidates, up to a maximum of 4 participants assisted by 2 instructors.
Learn more about our DSD course
If you would like to book our DSD trip, please Contact Us.
OPEN WATER COURSE
If you would like to progress your SCUBA training after your DSD experience, you can take an Open Water course - a lifelong qualification. This is the most popular course worldwide, being designed so that the student can either start at home and finish on vacation or complete the entire course whilst on holiday.
The Open Water course is in two parts. The first is academic and theoretical, and conducted with easy to access online materials. You can undertake this section slowly at home or in just a few days while on vacation. The second part is a mix of confined (pool-based) and open water practical training during which you learn how to handle scuba equipment and become an independent diver. This section usually takes 3 days to complete and provides for a total of 4-dives in the sea. Following certification, you are qualified to a maximum depth of 18m.
To join us for an Open Water course you must:
Be a minimum of 10 years old
Know how to swim
Be free of heart disease, advanced respiratory disease, and any temporary congestion, such as influenza (flu)
Please note: If you are 60 or older, or if you are suffering from any type of significant illness, a medical certificate is recommended to confirm your fitness for diving)
We teach our Open Water course in Academy Bay, using several sites, these being: Punta Estrada, Loberia, El Bajo, and El Barranco.
We offer daily morning and afternoon trips (8 AM and 1 PM start times) with an instructor catering to no more than four adult candidates (maximum of 5 adult participants assisted by 2 instructors). Children aged 10 to 12 years are taught in smaller groups.
Learn more about our Open Water course
If you would like to book an Open Water course, or learn more about the differences between the PADI and SSI versions, please Contact Us.
SCUBA DIVER COURSE
If your time is limited (or you were unable to complete your Open Water course for any reason), the Scuba Diver course might be just what you need. You complete the same academic study as for the Open Water qualification, but the confined water practices and two open water dives are conducted in just 2 days.
Upon completion of the course, you will receive a digital certificate as a Scuba Diver which will allow you to descend, under the direct supervision of a professional, to a maximum depth of 12m/40ft. Once you have the Scuba Diver qualification, you can complete Open Water training at any appropriate dive centre worldwide and thereby UPGRADE your qualification.
To join us for a Scuba Diver course you must:
Be a minimum of 10 years old
Know how to swim
Be free of heart disease, advanced respiratory disease, and any temporary congestion, such as influenza (flu)
Please note: If you are 60 or older, or if you are suffering from any type of significant illness, a medical certificate is recommended to confirm your fitness for diving
We teach the Scuba Diver course in Academy Bay, at the dive site we call Punta Estrada, and offer daily morning and afternoon trips (8 AM and 1 PM start times) with an instructor catering to no more than four adult candidates (maximum of 5 adult participants assisted by 2 instructors). Children aged 10 to 12 years are taught in smaller groups.
Learn more about the Scuba Diver course note, this link opens an external page.
If you would like to book a Scuba Diver course, please Contact Us.
ADVANCED OPEN WATER
You can further progress your SCUBA training by taking the Advanced Open Water course. This lifelong qualification, usually taught over 3 days, is designed to improve your technique and introduce you to new diving skills – building your experience, confidence, and capabilities.
The theory component of the course is taught digitally, with an extensive array of online materials allowing you to tailor your study. The practical component encompasses five blue water dives, the following two of which are compulsory:
- A deep dive taking you and your PADI/SSI instructor far beyond the 18 m ‘Open Water’ limit. During the preparation for this you will learn about how to plan for deep diving, so that it’s both safe and fun.
- An underwater navigation dive that will build on the skills learned during your ‘Open Water’ course and teach you about more complex navigational practice.
The other three dives are chosen by the student from a range of ‘adventure’ specialties. Amongst the most popular of these and the three we recommend are:
- Peak Performance Buoyancy - our strongest recommendation. A course geared to improving your control over descents and ascents, your position in the water and your breathing. This activity will transform your diving experience for life!
- Night adventure - without doubt another of our absolute favourites and a chance for us to show you the intriguing and wonderful creatures that come out of hiding after it’s dark.
- Multilevel adventure - the opportunity to learn more about dive planning and the use of dive computers.
You might also like to ask us about our Naturalist, Fish ID, Drift Dive and other adventure specialties.
At Galapagos Dive Academy we can combine the advanced course with long trips to remote destinations, ask us for details about this combined option.
To take our Advanced Open Water course you must:
Be a minimum of 12 years oldHold an Open Water Diver / Junior Open Water Diver (or equivalent) certification
Please note: The exact depth to which a student will descend during the course depends upon age, but the maximum for an adult is 30 meters/100 feet
Learn more about our Advanced Open Water course
If you would like to book an Advanced Open Water course, or learn more about the differences between the PADI and SSI versions, please Contact Us.
EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE – EFR
EFR is a first aid course, taught by our instructors. Learn the skills to aid in primary and secondary emergencies through a combination of home-based online study and practical face-to-face classroom drills. This knowledge will help prepare you for any emergency that arises, wherever you are.
The following details summarise the course:
Once qualified, your digital certificate is valid for 2 years
Prerequisite: Desire to help others
Minimum age: None
The practical drills for this course are carried out over a single day
Learn more about the EFR course note, this link opens an external page.
If you would like to book our EFR course, please Contact Us.
RESCUE DIVER
The Rescue Diver course will change the way you dive in the best possible way. Learn to identify and fix minor issues before they become big ones, gain confidence, and have some serious fun along the way.
Thinking like a rescue diver is taught through a combination of home study and practical skills training set over 2-3 days. Our course is flexible, and highly performance based. You first get to practice basic rescue techniques and then to show how you can apply them effectively in an open water environment (max. water depth for training, 10 m). Our version of the course offers a unique extra, courtesy of our co-location with DAN, a presentation about dive medicine given by Dr. Gabriel Idrobo, a hyperbaric specialist and PADI instructor. For many of our divers this is their favourite course, providing the knowledge and inspiration to progress a career as a dive Pro.
To take our Rescue Diver course you must:
Be a minimum of 12 years old
Hold an Advanced Open Water Diver / Junior Advanced Open Water Diver (or equivalent) certification - with full Underwater Navigation Dive component
Have received EFR primary and secondary care training (or comparable/qualifying training) within the past 24 months
Please note: If you don't have an EFR certificate and want to take the Rescue Course, we can facilitate EFR co-incident training supplied by the PADI/SSI instructors who manage the island's decompression chamber. What better place could there be to learn!
Learn more about the PADI Rescue Diver course note, this link opens an external page.
If you would like to book our Rescue Diver course, please Contact Us.
DIVE MASTER
Become a diving professional, expand your knowledge, and have the option to work worldwide. Our Divemaster course teaches you to be a leader and take charge of diving activities. During your DM study you will undertake classwork, practical exercises, and participate in diver training in both confined and open water conditions.
Topics and hands-on seminars associated with the DM course include:
• The role and character of the Divemaster
• Supervising diving activities and assisting with student divers
• Diver safety and risk management
• Specialized techniques
• The business of diving and your professional career
• Awareness in the diving environment
• Organizing and leading dives
• Making a map/chart of an open water dive site
• Presenting dive briefings
• Organizing search and recovery projects and deep dives
• Leading a scuba review and a skin diver course
• Assisting with Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) programs and guided diving programs.
To take our Dive Master course you must:
Be a minimum of 18 years old
Hold Rescue Diver certification
Have logged a minimum of 40 dives
Have received EFR/CPR first aid certification within the past 24 month
Hold a medical certificate confirming your fitness for diving
Expect to make a time commitment towards your qualification of approximately 50 hours
Learn more about the Dive Master course note, this link opens an external page.
If you would like to book our Dive Master course, please Contact Us.
ReActivate / ReFresh
If you haven’t dived for several years, the ReActivate/ReFresh option is for you. Whichever of these courses you take, you will have the opportunity to review the most important diving theories and techniques, on an outing with a PADI/SSI instructor in the sea or in a pool. This will prepare you to re-enter the big blue feeling relaxed and confident.
To take the ReActivate / ReFresh course with us, you must:
Be a minimum of 10 years old
Hold at minimum a PADI Scuba Diver or Junior Scuba Diver certification (or proof of entry-level scuba certification from another training organization) with four open water dives
Commit to the 2-6 hour engagement required for the course
Learn more about the ReActivate/ReFresh course note, this link opens an external page.
If you would like to book our ReActivate/ReFresh course, please Contact Us.
ENRICHED AIR (NITROX)
Enriched air, also known as nitrox or EANx, contains less nitrogen than normal air. Breathing less nitrogen when you’re underwater means you can enjoy longer dives and shorter surface intervals. It’s no wonder that Enriched Air courses have become so popular!
Online technology makes it easy to take the Enriched Air course, even if you have a busy schedule - complete the knowledge development section of the qualification where and when it is convenient, working at your own pace. You can connect with your instructor whenever you have a question and after you’ve completed the independent study, they will teach you how to analyse a tank, fill out an enriched air log, and set up your dive computer for nitrox. Thereafter, you can take two optional dives with your instructor.
To take our enriched air course, you must:
Be a minimum of 12 years old
Commit to the 2-4 hours of engagement required for the eLearning component of the course, and the 1-2 days of instructor led training
Learn more about the Enriched Air course note, this link opens an external page.
If you would like to book our Enriched Air course, please Contact Us.
NIGHT DIVE ADVENTURE
Without a doubt, this is one of our favourite adventures. The feeling of diving at night is, for, many akin to going to the stars - but instead of going up into outer space you descend to inner space! (Maximum night-time dive depth 13 m / 43 ft).
No matter how many times you dive a site during daylight hours, when you return there at night you enter a whole new world and watch it come to life beneath the light of your dive torch. Don’t miss this most magical of dive activities.
To take our Night Dive Adventure you must:
Be a minimum of 12 years old
Hold a PADI Open Water Diver qualification (or comparable qualification)
Total time commitment: 1-2 hours
Learn more about our Night Dive Adventure
If you would like to book our Night Dive Adventure, please Contact Us.
