FAQs

Australian Diving Instruction is your premier destination for exceptional scuba diving experiences.

Our highly experienced and passionate team of instructors are dedicated to providing you with the highest standard of scuba training, ensuring you gain the confidence and skills needed to explore the underwater wonders safely.

With state-of-the-art equipment, meticulously maintained for your safety and comfort, and our commitment to small group sizes, you're guaranteed personalised attention and support throughout your learning process.

Whether you are a beginner eager to take the plunge or a seasoned diver looking to hone your skills, we have everything you need to turn your diving dreams into reality. With a comprehensive range of courses designed to cater to divers of all levels, and a friendly, supportive environment, we are committed to making your diving journey unforgettable.

Immerse yourself in a world of stunning marine biodiversity, breathtaking underwater landscapes, and the sheer joy of weightless exploration, and create lifelong memories as you embark on an exhilarating adventure with Australian Diving Instruction.

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Australian Diving Instruction is a PADI 5 Star dive centre & instructor development centre, offering courses from Learn to Scuba through to Instructor and everything in between.

Our team at Australian Diving Instruction and the most professional, passionate, and dedicated divers in the industry, and are welcoming to both new and advanced divers wanting to learn more.

We are an active club, with a strong course offering and regular club trips to top international diving destinations. Australian Diving Instruction is not just about diving; it’s about becoming part of a community that shares your passion for the ocean.

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the largest scuba diving certification agency in the world. It certifies most recreational scuba divers around the world. PADI divers can use their certification card at any PADI centres in the world and because of recognition agreements in most dive centres that are not PADI.

You can dive practically anywhere there's water – from a swimming pool to the ocean and all points in between, including quarries, lakes, rivers, and springs. Where you can scuba dive is determined by your, experience level, site accessibility, conditions, and interests.

Our local diving can be split up into two categories, shore dives and boat dives. Shore diving can be done within Port Phillip Bay and Westernport Bay. They are typically shallow reef diving and a mix of interesting Pier structures. Boat diving is very diverse with dives ranging from reef to wrecks, wall and drift dives that cater for all levels of interest from Open Water divers to Technical divers. Temperate water generally means colours are vibrant if the area has current flow, Port Phillip Heads is such an area with spectacular wall dives and exciting drift dives, there is also a myriad of wrecks to with four WW1 J class Submarines are within recreational diving limits.

Melbourne is temperate water diving (meaning cold) and everybody has a different thermal resilience. Temperatures vary from 22 degrees in the summer to 12 degrees in the winter (sometimes a degree or two outside that range). Most people will dive with a 7 mm wetsuit, semi-dry wetsuit or drysuits depending on number, depth and duration of dives planned.

Some of the highlights are Weedy Sea Dragons, Sea Horses, Smooth Rays, Banjo Rays, Blue Devils, Horseshoe Leather Jackets, Pinky Snapper, Globe Fish, Dusky Morwong, Herring Cale, Spiny Rock Lobster, Scallop, Abalone and Port Jackson Sharks to name a few.

Our website had detailed info and we also use Facebook and Instagram to keep you up to date with last minute deals and dives. You’re also welcome to give us a call or drop into the store.

No, in fact, it's probably easier than you imagine especially if you're already comfortable in the water. The entry-level Open Water diver course is split into knowledge development, confined water (pool) skill training and scuba training dives. The course is "performance based", which means that you progress as you learn and demonstrate knowledge and skill. See Learn to Dive.

You need to be a reasonably proficient swimmer who is comfortable and relaxed in the water. The swimming requirement for Open Water Diver certification is an easy 200 metre swim and floating or treading water for 10 minutes.

Australian Diving Instruction offers courses and experiences for divers over the age of 8 years old. Younger students can earn junior certifications, which can be converted to full diving certifications when they reach 15 years of age.

Each course for non-certified divers includes the use of all required dive equipment, including mask, fins, snorkel and booties. We use premium quality ScubaPro professional diving equipment in our rental fleet. All equipment is inspected and serviced regularly. On courses for certified divers, we expect you to provide the required dive equipment. If you don't have it, you can rent it from us. Unlike most other dive stores, we do provide personal item including masks, snorkels, fins, dive booties. These are also available for purchase in-store if you prefer to have your own personal equipment.

Yes, a scuba certification course is a class. It is essential that students gain the knowledge and learn the proper techniques needed to enjoy diving safely. Theory is completed using eLearning prior to your course, plus a series of practical skills demonstration during the course. To become a certified diver, you must complete all of these, and nearly everyone does.

Successfully completing a dive course earns you a dive certification card. An Open Water certification card entitles you to scuba dive worldwide, typically to a maximum depth of 18 metres (60 feet). With the card you can take a dive vacation, buy dive gear, fill your tanks at dive shops, and pursue advanced dive courses.

Sunburn and seasickness, both of which are preventable with over-the-counter preventatives. The most common injuries caused by marine life are scrapes and stings, most of which can be avoided by wearing gloves and an exposure suit, staying off the bottom and watching where you put your hands and feet.

Although incidents with sharks occur, they are very, very rare. Most commonly shark encounters primarily involve spear fishing or feeding sharks, both of which trigger erratic feeding behaviour. Most of the time, if you see a shark, it's passing through and a relatively rare sight to enjoy.

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres unless you are a Junior Scuba Diver then it is 12 metres. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is no deeper than 12 metres where the water's warmer and the colours are brighter.

That's not likely because you have a gauge that tells you how much air you have. This way, you can return to the surface with a safety reserve remaining. But to answer the question, if you run out of air, your buddy has a spare mouthpiece that allows you to share a single air supply while swimming to the surface.

Our dive sites vary in distance, with locations as close as a 15-minute walk and others up to a 45-minute drive from our facilities.

Transportation to and from dive sites, including bringing your equipment, is the responsibility of each diver. Please ensure you have arranged suitable transport for your dive day.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) program is a one-day, try-diving experience for anyone aged 10+. It is not a full dive certification but a great way to connect with the underwater world and discover if scuba diving is for you. In this experience, you will learn about diving safety, how to use scuba gear, perform basic scuba diving skills in shallow water, and take your first breaths underwater. An optional open water dive is also available.

The experience varies from person to person depending on how quickly (or slowly) you breathe the air in your scuba tank. Most recreational dives last between 30 and 50 minutes.

First of all, it’s important to know that you will not go any deeper than you feel comfortable with. The maximum depth for a Discover Scuba Diving experience is 6 meters for the initial pool session and 12 meters if you do the optional open water dive, but that does not mean you have to go that deep.

Discover Scuba Diving experiences are conducted by PADI Instructors. PADI Pros undergo rigorous training and exams to ensure that they can safely accompany and teach those who are new to scuba diving.

Anyone age 10 years and older can learn to dive and explore the underwater world. PADI knowledge development provides the fundamentals you need to confidently advance to your in-water dive training. With PADI eLearning you can read, watch videos, and take quizzes at your own pace before moving on to the next step. During in-water training, an experienced PADI Instructor will help you learn the necessary dive skills to become a safe and competent diver. Find out the benefits of underwater connection with your PADI Open Water Diver certification!

PADI is the world’s largest scuba diving training organisation and the most widely recognised dive certification in the world, with 30,000,000 PADI certified divers and counting. PADI sets the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety, and conservation initiatives while promoting the benefits of underwater connection. With PADI eLearning you can study at your own pace to achieve the dive knowledge and fundamentals required to confidently advance to your in-water training. With over 6,600 PADI Dive Centers and resorts across the globe and 128,000 PADI Professionals worldwide, it’s easy to complete your dive training.

Your scuba diving certification is for life! However, diving regularly is highly recommended to maintain your dive skills and knowledge. Try to avoid long periods without diving (6 months or longer). If you haven’t been scuba diving recently, you should take the PADI Reactivate Scuba Refresher.

After learning basic diving skills in confined water (a pool or pool-like environment), you and your PADI Dive Instructor will make four open water dives, usually over two days. On these dives, you'll get to apply the dive skills you learned in confined water and explore the underwater world.

With a PADI scuba diving certification, you can explore the underwater world, experience amazing marine wildlife, and learn how to protect our blue planet. With a PADI Open Water Diver certification, you can dive anywhere in the world up to 18m, book dive excursions with boats or resorts, get air fills and rent scuba tanks, rent scuba gear, and meet fellow ocean lovers from the world’s largest diver community.

PADI dive education and dive certifications fall under recreational diving or professional diving: Beginner, Continuing Education, and Professional. Beginner: PADI Open Water Diver is the first dive certification. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to dive at home or abroad up to 18m. Continuing Education: Expand your knowledge and dive skills after you’re Open Water Diver certified. ConEd dive courses prepare you to explore the underwater world at greater depths, extend your bottom time, discover your unique diving aptitude, and become a better dive buddy. Explore continuing education courses. Professional: As a PADI Divemaster or PADI Instructor, you’ll learn how to lead dives and help others with their dive education. Explore PADI Pro courses.

PADI Open Water Diver is the world’s most popular and widely-recognised scuba diving certification. You can become a certified diver in as little as four days, or over the course of a year. Once certified you can dive anywhere in the world with a partner (without professional supervision), get air fills or rent scuba tanks, rent scuba gear, book dive excursions with dive boats and resorts, and call yourself a PADI-certified diver.

To complete your scuba diving certification, you must swim 200 metres (or 300 metres in mask, fins and snorkel) without stopping, and float/tread water for 10 minutes, using any swimming methods you want. There is no time limit.