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Scuba diving and snorkelling

Marine conservation scuba diving and PADI courses

Diving in Australia

Diving in Australia - home to many unique natural landscapes and creatures, none more stunning than the coral reefs that can be found on both the east coast (Great Barrier Reef) and on the west coast (Ningaloo Reef, which can be reached from the shore in some places). So if your gap year plans include learning to dive and seeing these magnificent sites then here are some guys that can help you.

Many backpackers use their time in Australia to gain a diving qualification. PADI Open Water Diver is the most popular qualification and allows you to dive independently with a buddy when you have passed. You can take the Open Water course over a few days and combine it with a live-aboard trip onto the reefs where you live on a boat and dive several times each day - these are great fun!

Further information:

Click here >> to search for all PADI dive centres in Australia
Click here >> for information on the 'Open Water' Qualification
Click here >> to search for all PADI dive centres worldwide

City: Cairns
Name: Raging Thunder
Address: Adventure House, 52-54 Fearnley St, Portsmith Cairns, Australia

Raging Thunder is Australia's biggest adventure company. Located in Cairns, with tropical rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef on the doorstep, it offers white-water rafting, Scuba diving, hot-air ballooning, skydiving, bungy jumping and more, in some of the most stunning locations on Earth...

Learn to dive on the Great Barrier Reef with a wide range of dive sites and accommodation options, with friendly and professional staff...

We also run live-aboard trips, where you stay on a boat for a number of days / nights and dive or snorkel in some amazing, hard-to-reach locations.

Name: Personal Overseas Development (POD)
Postal address: Linden Cottage, The Burgage, Prestbury, Cheltenham GL52 3DJ
Telephone: 0845 344 7535

If you love the deep blue and want an exciting challenge, or if you fancy getting paid for doing something you love, then take one of our PADI diving programmes or join our marine conservation project.

You may be on your gap year, taking a careergap or having a holiday. Our programmes range from one-week Learn to Dive trips, to six-month Go Pro Instructor courses opening up a completely new career and lifestyle.

You will be based in one of the World’s top dive destinations - choose between the exotic locations of Thailand and Australia.

You may have already done lots of diving or you may have never dived before - these programmes are open to all levels of diver.

On all our programmes you will experience some fantastic diving and live an amazing lifestyle in an outstanding location. We offer four main options (which can also be combined):

- Go Pro - Divemaster and Instructor (one to six months)
- Underwater Videographer (four to eight weeks)
- Marine conservation reef survey project (two to four weeks)
- Learn to Dive (one to two weeks)

PoD Diving is based in the UK, set up to specifically focus on diving opportunities around the World. We only offer places that we believe represent a great combination of diving and lifestyle, and we only work with high-quality, well-established dive schools. As a UK-based organisation we are able to offer comprehensive support and advice to divers pre-departure. We are a small company that focuses on quality and safety rather than quantity.

City: Sydney
Name: Aquatic Explorers
Address: 40 Kingsway, Cronulla, Sydney.

If you're visiting Sydney on your gap year, don't miss out on the city's fabulous diving opportunities. Visit protected marine areas and get up-close and personal with hundreds of species, including Wobegong and Port Jackson sharks, huge, friendly blue gropers, fishes galore and the unique weedy sea dragon.

Aquatic Explorers is located at Cronulla Beach in the southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia, where we are spoilt with clean, clear waters and a great range of dive sites. The sites are accessible from the shore and via our dive boat.

We cater for all levels of diving from recreational to technical; we are able offer PADI, TDI and SDI diving certifications.

Aquatic Explorers' PADI Open Water Certificate is your ticket to underwater freedom. Seventy percent of the world is water, so why not dive the planet as part of your adventure? You will learn to scuba dive in beautiful Sydney with its stunning beaches and bountiful waters. Your dive operator is a PADI Five Star Centre, giving you a gold certification card which is recognised worldwide. Aquatic Explorers looks forward to getting you wet downunder!

And if you want to go a little further and 'make the ocean your office', we can take you there with our professional development program.

Area: Cairns
Name: Cairns Reef Dive
Address: Shop 2/86 Lake Street Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia

We pride ourselves in offering the best dive locations from Cairns, travelling to the true "Outer Reef". Join us in the adventure of exploring Thetford, Milln and Moore reefs, situated on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. From adventure filled diving day trips to experiencing the ultimate overnight diving trip, you will enjoy the most diverse and delicate ecosystems on this planet. The experienced dive crew at Cairns Reef Dive provide a safe, friendly, fun and inspirational atmosphere to make your stay a truly memorable one... arrive as a customer and leave as a friend. Training you to dive is also our specialty. We offer PADI learn to dive courses every day. You can also do continuing education courses such as Advanced, all the way up to your Instructors course.

We pride ourselves on having the best value for money diving adventure trips and dive training in Cairns. Be sure to visit our Web site regularly for the latest news, photos and special offers. We look forward to welcoming you to Tropical North Queensland, Australia - beautiful one day , perfect the next! What are you waiting for?

Click here >> to find out more

Area: Cairns
Name: Down Under Dive
Address: 287 Draper Street, Cairns, Queensland, 4870 Australia

Down Under Dive is an internationally recognised Cruise-Dive-Sail Company based out of Cairns, Australia. We offer Liveaboard Adventures, Dive Courses and high speed day tours to the Great Barrier Reef. We specialise in Learn To Dive, Liveaboard Sailing Adventures, Luxury Day Cruises and Budget Full Day Outer Reef Experiences.

Click here >> to find out more

Fitzroy Island is a tropical rainforest island fringed with beautiful beaches and the exotic Great Barrier Reef. The island is a stone throw from Cairns, making it a fun and relaxing holiday destination, but also one of the most convenient locations for learning to dive and advanced diving courses on the tropical coast. There is no better way to achieve your goals of PADI Dive certification than with our expert guides while staying at the island accommodation. A dive course with Fitzroy Island Dive is an attractive option for many people because you have the convenience of being land-based instead of bobbing around on the ocean on a boat. No hours wasted travelling to and from dive sites. No awful early morning starts. No seasickness. No cramped conditions aboard a rolling boat. No weather safety concerns while at sea. Just the ambience of a beautiful tropical island.

Diving courses offered by Fitzroy Island Dive are comprehensive and professional:
PADI Open Water
PADI Advanced
PADI Rescue
PADI Divemaster
PADI Specialty Courses on request - please contact us.

About Fitzroy Island: It's a continental island, which means it was once part of the mainland but was separated by rising sea levels thousands of years ago. The reef surrounding the island is part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area, and includes reef types such as barrier, platform and fringing reef. Fitzroy Island is 45 only minutes from Cairns by ferry. The Fitzroy Flyer departs Cairns from the main wharf area daily.

Activities on the island in addition to scuba diving include:
Ocean kayaking
Sailing
Canoeing
Snorkeling
Fishing
Fish feeding
Barrier reef trips
Walking Tracks
Catamaran hire
Surf-ski hire
Glass bottom boat tours
Party Nights - Every Saturday night (excluding the wet season), the island nightclub fires up. The club is the best way to end a day of activity on Fitzroy Island.

We recommend staying on the island for a few more days after the completion of your PADI course to enjoy the island and take advantage of all the other activities on offer.

City: Cairns
Name: Deep Sea Divers Den
Address: 319 Draper Street, Cairns, QLD. 4870

Deep Sea Divers Den specialises in teaching people to Scuba Dive and taking certified divers and snorkellers to the Great Barrier Reef. Established in 1974 we offer our guests unrivalled service, safety, quality and fun at affordable prices.

Offering PADI courses from beginner to instructor level at our own training facility, featuring an 18 metre undercover pool, six air-conditioned classrooms, and fully stocked dive shop, Deep Sea Divers Den trains around 5000 people to scuba dive each year.

Our two day vessels, ReefQuest and SeaQuest, operate daily taking divers and snorkellers to explore the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. Our Liveaboard vessel OceanQuest allows for extended stays on the reef for those wanting to see more of this amazing natural wonder.