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First breaths underwater

Learn to Dive in Aruba

Learn to dive in Aruba and you train in warm, calm, clear water with easy reefs and shallow wrecks for your first dives. Here's how a try dive works, what an Open Water course involves and what to check before you book.

Instructor giving the OK signal to a student on white sand in clear water during a learn to dive in Aruba lesson

Why Aruba is a good place to learn

The conditions that make Aruba easy for experienced divers make it even better for beginners. The leeward coast is calm most of the year, the water is warm enough that you won't get cold during long training sessions, and visibility is usually good, so you can see your instructor clearly. Many training sites are shallow, sandy and close to shore.

Once you are certified, you don't have to travel far for your first real dives. The shallow Pedernales wreck and sheltered reefs such as Boca Catalina and Mangel Halto are close by, so newly certified divers can build experience right away. Our guides to Aruba reef dive sites and Aruba wreck diving show what is waiting.

Option 1: a try dive

If you aren't sure scuba is for you, start with a try dive. PADI calls it Discover Scuba Diving, and other agencies have their own versions. After a short briefing, you practise a few basic skills in shallow water, then go on a supervised dive with an instructor, staying shallow.

A try dive is an experience, not a certification. It is a good way to find out whether you enjoy breathing underwater before you commit to a full course, and some of what you do may count toward an Open Water course later.

Option 2: an Open Water course

The Open Water Diver course is the first full certification. It is recognised worldwide and lets you dive with a buddy without an instructor, within recreational depth limits. Whether you train with PADI, SSI or another agency, the course has the same three parts:

  1. Knowledge development

    The theory: how pressure affects your body and your air, how to plan a dive and how the equipment works. Most agencies offer this online, so you can do it at home before your trip and spend your holiday in the water instead of a classroom.

  2. Confined water training

    Skills practice in a pool or calm, shallow water: clearing your mask, recovering your regulator, controlling your buoyancy and handling problems calmly.

  3. Open water dives

    Usually four training dives in the sea with your instructor, where you repeat the skills and start to enjoy real diving. In Aruba, these often take place at calm, shallow sites near the shore.

Training dives can't be rushed, and the course usually takes several days. If time is short, ask about a referral: you finish the theory and pool sessions at a dive centre at home, then complete only the open water dives in Aruba.

Before you book a course

Everyone who learns to dive fills in a medical questionnaire. Some conditions, such as certain heart and lung problems, need a doctor's sign-off before you can dive. Read the form before you travel, so you aren't caught out on the first morning. You also need to be comfortable in the water and able to swim a short distance.

  • Read the medical form before you travel
  • Do the online theory at home
  • Ask about class size
  • Ask which sites the training uses
  • Check what gear is included
  • Leave a day free before flying home

Plan your last dive. Divers shouldn't fly too soon after diving. Divers Alert Network guidance suggests waiting at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and at least 18 hours after several dives or several days of diving. Our Aruba dive trip planning guide has more.

You don't need to buy equipment to learn. Dive centres include the main gear in the course. Many new divers buy their own mask first, because a mask that fits well makes a big difference. Our Aruba dive gear page explains what is worth owning.

Learning to dive in Aruba FAQ

How long does it take to get certified in Aruba?

An Open Water course usually takes several days. Doing the theory online before you arrive, or completing a referral at home, shortens the time you spend training on holiday.

Do I need to be a strong swimmer to learn to dive?

You need to be comfortable in the water and able to swim a short distance and float or tread water. You don't need to be an athlete.

Is a try dive the same as being certified?

No. A try dive is a supervised experience with an instructor. To dive without an instructor you need a full certification such as Open Water Diver.

Already certified?

See which easy beach dives you can do on your own schedule.

Aruba shore diving