Your first dive, with an instructor beside you, if you have never breathed off a tank before. US$329 a person for three to four hours, which includes the training in the pool or in shallow water before you go anywhere near a boat. All the equipment is in the price. Minimum age is 10 and you must be able to swim.
What it costs
| Price | What is in it | |
|---|---|---|
| Discover scuba, one person | US$329 | Instructor, pool or shallow-water training session, the dive itself, and all the equipment including tanks and weights |
| Age 10 and over | US$329 | The same, with the instructor deciding on the day |
| Under 10 | not available | The minimum age for a PADI Discover Scuba experience is 10 |
Lunch is not included. Neither is a photographer, and neither is any certification: this is a supervised first dive and it does not make you a diver on paper.
We send one invoice link after the morning is confirmed. Card payments on this island commonly carry a 4.5 percent fee, and we do not add one.
What actually happens on a first dive?
You start on land, then in shallow water. Open sea comes last.
The instructor runs you through the kit, how the regulator works, how to clear your mask, how to equalise your ears as you go down, and what to do if something feels wrong. That part takes a good share of the three to four hours and it is the part people underestimate. Then you dive, with the instructor holding position with you the whole time.
Where you dive and how deep are set by the instructor on the day, by conditions and by how you handle the training. We do not publish a site list for this one. We confirm what is planned in writing when we confirm the booking.
One thing to understand about this island before you get in the water anywhere. The beaches here are not supervised. There are no lifeguards and no warning flags, and Canada’s government travel advice says rescue services may not meet international standards. That is why the instructor stays within arm’s reach of you on a first dive and why doing this off your own back from a beach is a bad idea.
How long does it take, and will it fit a cruise day?
Three to four hours, and most of it is a morning.
Ships in Basseterre are usually alongside from about 8am to 5pm or 6pm, which is why nearly every excursion sold on this island runs three to five hours. A first dive sits at the long end of that but still fits, with time to get back aboard. We do not have a published start time. We confirm it in writing when we confirm your booking.
If you fly out the next day, leave 18 hours between surfacing and take-off.
What should you bring?
A swimsuit, worn under your clothes. There is nowhere comfortable to change at the dock.
A towel and something dry to put on afterwards.
Any medical paperwork you already have. If you have ever been treated for asthma, a heart condition or anything on a dive medical form, bring the letter from your doctor clearing you. Sorting that out at home takes an afternoon. Sorting it out at the dock does not work at all, and you lose the dive.
Sun cover and water. You spend a chunk of this standing about in the sun being taught.
Small notes in cash if you want to tip the instructor. US dollars work everywhere here.
Who should not book this one
Anyone under 10. The minimum age for a PADI Discover Scuba experience is 10 and it is not negotiable at the dock.
Anyone who cannot swim. You need to be comfortable in water over your head before anyone puts a tank on you.
Anyone with asthma, a heart condition, recent surgery or a pregnancy. Every one of those appears on the standard medical questionnaire you fill in before the dive, and any of them will stop the dive on the day. Deal with it with your own doctor first. The instructor will not sign you off on the pier, and an instructor who did would be the wrong one to dive with.
What happens if the weather turns, or your ship is late?
Rain does not stop a first dive. Sea state does, and the instructor makes that call rather than you.
If the dive is called off, you pay nothing and anything already paid comes back in full. No fee, no credit note.
If your ship docks late, tell us the moment you know. A first dive has a fixed training session in front of it, so a short window does not work, and we would rather move you to another day or refund you than rush the part that keeps you safe.
Book it
Tell us your date, how many people, their ages, whether everyone can swim, and your ship name if you are on one. We confirm with the dive centre and come back to you within one working day, and only then do we send a payment link. Nothing is charged until the dive is confirmed.
Questions people ask
Do I get a certification out of this?
No. This is a supervised first dive and it leaves you with nothing on paper. If you want the qualification, PADI Open Water including the eLearning runs US$695 at 2026 and 2027 rates and takes several days of pool work, theory and open water dives. It does not fit a cruise day, and people who book a first dive expecting a licence have bought the wrong thing. Worth getting right before you pay.
What if I panic down there?
You come up, with the instructor. That is the whole reason a first dive is one instructor to a small group and why the shallow-water session happens first. A fair number of people decide in the training that this is not for them, and finding that out in waist-deep water is the cheap way to find it out.
How old does my child have to be?
Ten, for a PADI Discover Scuba experience. Younger than that and the answer on the day is no, whatever the booking confirmation says, so do not try it.
I am a certified diver already. Is this my page?
No. Book the two tank boat dive instead, at US$229 a diver with gear or US$199 with your own. This page is for people with no certification at all.
Can I do this if I have asthma?
Not without written clearance from your own doctor, and in many cases not at all. Asthma is on the medical questionnaire and a yes there stops the dive at the dock. Settle it at home, where you have time to see someone. Turning up unsure costs you the morning and the money.
Written by Khareem Cabey. Prices and fees last checked 30 October 2026.