Best Scuba Diving Beginners Courses Cartagena Near Me

Maria Gaviria: I had the greatest time diving for the first time! All of the instructors thoroughly helped me through this experience. With special help of Juan, lead instructor of my mini course. Juan did an excellent job of guiding me through equalizing, making sure I was comfortable and made sure my group understood all of the diving strategies . Instructors Andres and Junior were also a great help throughout this journey and helped with my gear. Thank you for an awesome experience!

Katie Tughushi: An amazing team! 😊 Everyone is super supportive and understanding! It was my first experience of the dive and their professionalism was one of the main reasons I felt so calm.Special thanks to Juan who was my instructor and made me feel confident through whole adventure! 😊

Anna Arutyunova: It was a great experience! We received a very good training in the pool before diving in the sea, the views were beautiful: big fish, coral reefs - like wooow! And the team was so nice and kind! They even took great photos of us! However, I got really scared in one moment. Lots of water went into my glasses and I couldn’t see anything. So I had to go up to the surface from the bottom. Honestly I was very scared when it happened because it’s prohibited to move up or down quickly but I couldn’t control that when it happened. I wish somebody helped me in that moment🙏

Ximena Tagle Casapía: AMAZING!! I do not have enough words to describe my experience with them. I traveled solo to the Rosario islands.All the staff was extremely friendly, they picked me up from my hotel and drop me there afterwards. They even took pictures and videos during the dive without additional costs!! (In other countries they have charged me quite a bit, and per person). Special thanks to Junior for this :)The instructions were in English but also Juan took the time to translate to Spanish and always making sure that everyone in the group was following. They work in small groups so it feels cozy.They explained us what to expect beforehand and had the patience to show us the diversity of the corals in the Rosario National Park.Something that I love is that while diving with them, we are contributing to the conservation initiatives of corals, they promote ecotourism working directly with local communities, and they are part of the program of adaptive scuba for people with disabilities. Highly recommended!!

Sabyn Maude: My friend and I both got our open water license! Such a good experience, the instructors were so helpful and we had the best time. They are so accommodating and make everything very smooth. I highly recommend!!!

Hubert Kettenberger: I came here for a package of five dives including a night dive. Everything was very well organized, safe and well maintained. The staff is relaxed, helpful and the dive sites boast a diverse set of marine creatures. Dive master Juan took us on an exciting night dive and showed us a lot of fish, crustaceans and the bioluminescent plankton. His calm and competent nature made this an unforgettable experience.Bonus fact: part of the $$ go into a project of Diving Planet to offer scuba diving for handicapped persons as part of their rehabilitation.

Anna Menacher: Amazing scuba diving school. I did the mini course with Juan who showed me all necessary skills for my first dive in the pool before heading out to the dive spot. I felt super calm with him as an instructor and he made sure my first few diving experiences were great. I highly recommend this place.

christian granados: The maximum experience diving in Islas del Rosario and Cartagena Natural Park. and super the attention of Staff

Raphael Jin: 다이빙 프로그램도 좋고 바다도 이쁩니다. 다른지역보다 접근성도 좋고요. 무엇보다도 중간에 리조트와 연계된 섬에서 쉬는데 잡상인도 없고 조용히 보냈어요.스탭들도 친절하고 좋았어요Gracias por sus amable

Rogério Maggioni: Diving Planet é sensacional. Equipe atenciosa, equipamentos em excelentes condições, sítios de mergulho lindos. Mas não esqueça, você está indo para mergulhar, não para fazer turismo convencional. Então cabe dizer que todo foco da atenção está para a experiência embaixo d'água. Parabéns Diving Planet!!

felipe niño: Pretty amaizing experience. Comunication was perfect. Pick up was perfect travel to the island in order. The diving itself was amazing, we went to Isla Grande, not that many fish but hust seeing the corals was amazing, so many different shapes and colors are beautiful to see. The team and diving guide LEA was super friendly and very helpful. The island itself was so amazing to bad we couldnt stay there longer.

Octavio Arranz: Spectacular diving experience in the Rosario Islands. Security, accompaniment and knowledge of the place. Jorge, a marine biologist and diver for 30 years, has accompanied us and it has been amazing. 100% recommendable

Kristen Nelson: I would highly recommend the 5-dive package if you have the time! All of the instructors were great as well as the dives all being something a little different and exciting. But the night dive was incredible! They pick you up and drop you off at your hotel and we were able to watch the sunset out on the water before the night dive. Such a cool experience that I would definitely do again!!

c brown: My Diving Planet divemaster lost me on the dive. This is one of the most serious failures of a dive master. As a result, I was floating in the ocean alone without anyone. I was unable to swim against the current. My life was in danger and I was very worried. In addition, my divemaster did not check my dive belt weights and I was not able to submerge. Our return boat ride back from the Rosario Islands to Cartagena was brutal. If you have a bad back, do NOT take this Rosario Islands dive or snorkel because the boat ride will exacerbate your back pain. While having the opportunity to drive in the wake of another boat to smooth out the ride, the boat driver did not do so.Booked through Cartagena Concierge. They will not help you.

Vesna Buntak: I did my open water course with this company. I have no words to describe how amazing the staff was, accommodating, friendly and kind. I do have to give a special shoutout to my instructor Lea who went above and beyond to teach me and make me feel comfortable under water. Amazing experience.p.s. I got the recommendation from a friend that dived here like 10 years ago :)

Joanna Karasiewicz: A wonderful experience. A plan of 4 dives in 2 days in 4 different points of the Rosario Islands. The team of 10! From the attention of Andrés in Cartagena and the guys on the big island - Andrés, Delio, Juan have made these days so great. A modern center, with good equipment and better professionals.

Kim Uittenbosch: We chose a 5 dive package on the Rosario Islands and we really enjoyed it. Very professional run dive outfit with good rental equipment. The boats were big and comfortable. We especially liked the night dive in which we saw a Spanish Slipper Lobster.

Dan Wick: The entire day was a wonderful experience. Andres and his entire team were professional and very focused on each person being taken care of. Very thing was well organized and the staff were attentive to everyone’s needs. The diving was great. They took us to beautiful sites, the equipment was very good and the groups were small so everyone received attention. There was good and personal attention to every detail from registration to return. It was a complete day and not just a couple dives. We highly recommend Diving Planet and look forward to going again.

John McA: I had an absolutely fantastic day diving with Diving Planet Cartagena. You need to do this. I entered their office and booked a day of scuba diving for the following day. The employees were very helpful and informative. English was spoken. Later that evening I received a message letting know where we were to meet.It took about 1 hour to take their boat from Cartagena to their resort on the Rosario Islands. There we received our gear and a talk about our day ahead. The gear was new. My bc and mask worked great. Our two dives averaged 12-15 meters depth and approxately 40 minutes each. We drifted one reef and circled a second reef. Plenty of fish to be seen. My dive master Leia was knowledgeable and attentive.They served a wonderful lunch afterwards at the resort. Very tasty with a choice for vegetarians/vegans too.If I had the time I'd have gone the next day too.

jesse (Mulligan) kemp: Had a great private trip to Isla Rosario, 3 divers with Rawr and 4 snorkeling with Leia, great reviews all around with good professionalism and friendly services, would recommend.

Stephanie Mirando: Wonderful dive operation! Great experience! My 14-year-old son and I took the Peak Buoyancy Specialty course, and our son also took the Enriched Air course with John. John, as well as the entire crew, was very knowledgeable, attentive, and patient. We really appreciate the great dive experience they provided and highly recommend them.

Shei Alamk: o con los demás miembros del equipo en caso de que algo pasara, muy contenta con mi instructor siempre sabía tranquilizarme y animarme a seguir. Pasé un rato muy agradable con todos los miembros ambos días. Muy recomendado!(Translated by Google

Danielle Pastore: This dive company is great!We went on a 2 tank dive. The first was an artificial reef, the second was a reef forest.During both dives, the crew were very aware of overtones needs. They took great care of everyone on the boat. This includes recapping the basic communication signs, discussing the plan, checking our gear, changing our tanks, making sure everyone was comfortable and giving extra care to those who need it.Camilo was our guide and he was fantastic!Everything was organized and clear!

Zandra Kardozo Montoya: Excellent diving center. They are serious, responsible and committed to the student or novice diver. I trust 100% in their instructors and staff, they put their hearts into everything they do and once you meet their owners you love them as friends. They are wonderful people. They offer elements and equipment of the best quality, with adequate operation and up-to-date maintenance.

Andy Ferguson: Thank you for a great scuba experience. John was a terrific guide; very patient and helpful particularly for our youngest when he had some challenges.

Connor _017: Super nette crew, toller Ausflug

Lucille Bailleux: We had 2 great dives in this center, perfect conditions and great atmosphere. Thank you Isabel, Cammilo and John 👌🏼

Shay Orent: Unfortunately I did not have a good experience here and after debating about it quite a bit I've decided to write a review. More experienced divers may not have this problem and it seems like other first-time divers rated this company highly, but personally as an inexperienced diver I did not feel safe. I did the PADI Open Water course and though I liked my instructor, I didn't like the way the school or my instructor operated. I expected to start in a pool or shallow water and was surprised to immediately be put on a boat and taken out to open water. The instruction I received before we started diving felt quick and inadequate to me. There were many moments that my online PADI training helped me keep myself safe, but had I not remembered that training I believe I would have been in danger as I don't think that important safety lessons were emphasized. There was one moment where remembering my online training prevented me from inhaling water 30-40 feet below the surface, which has been haunting me ever since. I also felt like my concerns were dismissed when I pointed out that we were swimming super close to the coral. I really wish the best for everyone who works here, but I also want safety-concerned inexperienced divers to be aware that there are probably better options. And if the school is not pleased by this review, I hope that motivates them to review their training and policies.

Mario M: They are both fully equipped and locally owned. Their crew was friendly and very knowledgeable. Special tks to Edwin!. Isabel showed me a lot and she knew how to elevate my experience in the water through all 4 immersions. I did buoyancy and Nitrox specialties. Everything was planned and taken care in a fashion timely matter (Tks to Alberto). I fully recommend them either if you are a beginner or an advance diver. The diving sites include sunken Army boats and pristine coral reefs around BARU island just a few minutes away from Cartagena.

Liliana Pérez Cardona: The sea is beautiful, but the "bottom" of the sea is definitely one of the most wonderful places, living the experience with this company is the best thing that has happened to me in my life. Professionalism, human quality, excellent customer service, kindness. They make you feel like you are friends with them. The best instructors, especially DANIEL, without his help and his professionalism with a great deal of human quality, I don't think I would have made it. Grateful to life for living this experience and finding this diving center for it. Happiness and tranquility. That gave me cartagena divers

Yaneth Martinez: Excellent!!

imunozcuervo: . Al final, solo me queda agradecerles a todos y desearles mucho éxito y prosperidad en su actividad profesional, que sigan buceando y disfruten lo que hacen(Translated by Google

Tim Howells: Highly recommended. We were late docking on cruise ship but they waited an hour for us!Great team of staff , great snorkelling too.

Lina M Velez R: the best diving center with the best instructors and friends of bubbles

Claudia Barrios: We had a great experience with Cartagena Divers. We did 2 days (4 dives), all in different sites. The owners and crew are extremely professional, friendly and knowledgeable. They all went out of their way to make sure we were happy with the dive sites, gear and payment process. When we asked about photos, (we don’t have any from previous dives) they were quick to set that up for us, we tipped Ana for the photos because she did an amazing job, and she was using her own gopro camera and flash light. Alberto, also took photos with his own camera after he found out we didn’t have any photos from our previous dives, he was super helpful and provided valuable advice about which masks to purchase. He even offered to treat and prep our newly purchased masks before our first dive. They have a good selection of masks! Shout out to Daniel and Ana, our dive guides, both super friendly and knowledgeable. We felt very safe during the dives and the crew was super fun.

Eduardo Micomed: Super recommended I went with my family to a mini course I went diving since I have certification, it exceeded my expectations very professional excellent transportation and the diving experience above all safety issues are very important I recommend this site a very special thanks to the work done by Daniel professional diver and the assistant Edwin who was aware of my companions.

Geneller Naranjo: Maybe one of the safest places to go for a great dive.

Estelle SIMONET: Our best memory in Cartagena. Thanks to John and everyone. We had a blast :D

Luis Fueyo: Kindness, professionalism and desire to please. My experience with Cartagena Divers has been very good. I have known Alberto Lotero for 19 years and since then, every time we dive together, he discovers new things for me. The location of Cartagena Divers is magnificent, the service is very good, the instructors and divemasters are very attentive, the boat is very comfortable and the investments are wonderful. Highly recommend this dive center.

Laura Garcia: Amazing scuba diving with Malcon in Providencia!! We really enjoyed the island we spent with him! Very appealing!

Magdalena Quirno Lavalle: Excellent diving experience! Álvaro accompanied us with great kindness and his great experience as a PADI diver. Highly recommended, hopefully we can return soon!

John Edison Muñoz Cardona: Great place to get your PADI certificates. The location is very convenient, I did my training with Alvaro, a very patient and friendly guy that helped us through the diving process. They were very attentive at the beginning with the theoretical lessons, always making sure you completed all the requirements. The only aspect for improving is the social media since the communication was a bit rude at the beginning, probably without intention, but could be missinterpreted.

Nuria Arnaiz: Punctual when picking me up at the port of my hotel, the rented equipment in very good condition and the DM with good group management.Juan, who coordinates reservations, very attentive.

Cat: First scuba diving experience and couldn’t have asked more a more professional, friendly and knowledgeable staff. I was able to practice in the pool a day before with our Scuba Instructor Alvaro which made me feel more comfortable. Highly recommend this team. Easy payment, prompt communication, Spanish and English speaking. And the pictures/short video clips of us diving came out wonderful. Truly a great experience!

Joe Giacomet: Had a great dive with them, Albert was our dive master. Would recommend.

Felix Enescu: Did a two dive trip in January and all was ok.Equipment was in good condition and worked perfectly, dive master was professional and handled everything very well.Boat was ok, water and fruit were served between dives.I was in a group with only one another certified diver and dive master. All the groups on the boat were small and set according to experience.Special thanks to my dive master, when we finished my first dive, I still had a lot of air (other diver was a big air consumer) so the dive master went only with me for another shorter dive ( about 20 minutes). Of course we end the dive above safety level at 600 psi.

Juan Felipe Lopez Sierra: Very professional, diving with small children and they are very accompanied

Victoria Var-Heibak: Had a great time! I hadn’t been in a year so I was a little nervous and rusty but they made me feel super comfortable and the dive experience itself was gorgeous.

Sergio Alejandro Mejía Orrego: Very good experience, I got certified a few months ago, I went back to diving with Divers de Barú, I hope to continue doing it and go for the next levels of certification. Very good instructors and diving places.THANK YOU

Jason Herzfeld: Buzos de Barú was very helpful in organizing our group and making sure we all had a safe and fun time! Very easygoing bunch with good fresh fruit on board, as well as great pictures!

Gabriel Matei: Great experience, 2 dives with pictures and videos included for a really good price and the areas are full with fishes, corals, even a boat! I definitely recommend them for someone who's not certified because they are taking care of you✌️✌️✌️

Camila Sirolli: An unforgettable experience! Very good professionals, thank you very much for the accompaniment on my first dive! Hopefully I can come back!The best of Cartagena, hold on Baru Divers! Super equipped everything. Thanks for the good vibes, greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷🇦🇷Oh and the crazy photos! Thanks to my instructor Eduardo for capturing beautiful moments 📸📽️🌊

Nigel Bouckley: This is a five star resort for a reason. All the staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and profesional in their conduct of training. Safety is important to them and during my last two courses with them I felt safe and assured that they were looking after my welfare.The dive sights were interesting and varied and they catered for the abilities of those on the boat, often having several instructors / guides leading the various groups.My instructor for the week was Santiago, who spoke very good English as well as being a good communicator under water.I will definitely be back this year for more dives and learning - thank you all.

Alexandra M Solano Reyes: I would dare to say that Buzos de Barú is the most complete diving center in Cartagena. The attention before, during and after the experience is excellent. They are my trusted dive center in Cartagena. Thanks for everything! 💙🧜‍♀️

M Masry: Some of the best diving I had in years.Staff is great, boat is clean, and a sublime operation. I have been diving for 35 years and teaching for 25, I would not do it any better. Thank you very much.

Danielle Osfalg: I really enjoyed and had a great time with this company. First of all, the owner Juan made it so easy to sign up and all the paper work etc was easily accessible via internet. He and staff was also kind enough to pick me up from a boat I was on and bring me back because we had a dinghy problem. The dive masters were extremely helpful and friendly and spoke English and took very good care of us before, during and after our diving experience. The most important was the safety of each person and and they observed and paid good attention to everyone s needs. We did 2 dives at the island of Baru (which was a short distance from Cartagena from Nautica Marina ) and both were very different and interesting. First one was a lot of marine life, fish , corals etc but the second one was even more interesting with the addition of a sunken shipwreck and some cool objects covered in barnacles ( which i don’t want to give details so not to spoil the surprise) . On top of that i did not have a camera and my divemaster not only guiding us thru and paying attention to safety but also made the day unforgettable with the beautiful pictures he took of us during our dive session ( which i will share some here and THANKYOU again! You rock! 🤘🐬😘).So from my point of view I highly recommend Juan and the scuba team . Thank you guys!! I hope to visit Cartagena and find you again for some more fun diving adventures! Till then..

Franco Chirizzi: Excellent place for diving. The previous training and accompaniment are 10

Daniel Soba: The attention of the entire team was impeccable.I did a Refresh because it had been 2 years since I had dived. From Juan who immediately solved a problem I had with my credit card to Santiago the Instructor who was excellent, always attentive to everything.highly recommended

Ronald Pichler: Very profesional crew and divemaster. Good english. Well run organization

Ronald Ortega: The experience was absolutely amazing, the team is knowledgeable, they have great patience and safety first attitude. I love it, next time in town, I will make the time for certification. Thanks a lot guys, sincerely Ronald O.

Charlotte Clarke: Had a great day, the wreck dive was very cool!

Katja Rissmann: Can highly recommend diving with Paraiso Dive! We contacted them very last minute and Jose replied quickly and was able to organise the discover scuba tour with us for the next morning. The boat leaves from the Cartagena Pier and took us about 25 minutes to the Blue Apple where we did a bit of theory in order to prepare for the dive. We dived twice at different spots and José and his team were great. I could not have asked for better support. The diving spots are beautiful and it was overall an unique experience.

Anne: Lovely crew, beautiful dive site and great vibe, we did a freedive trip and dived with a tortuga, highly recommend 🐢👌

Mauricio Vargas: Personalized attention and high quality service

Uwe Sandner: Excellent dive center with new equipment and comfortable boat. Lovely, personable team

Dominique Läser: We absolutely loved our experience with them! I am a certified advanced diver, while my partner did his first discover dive with them.For my partner: they put a high emphasis on safety and making him comfortable with the gear, also making sure he feels comfortable enough and can discover the joy of diving while completely save. (I joined his session so he was more comfortable and have to say it was done amazingly). While he was very apprehensiv before, he really wants to do his open water now! Big shouthout for this to Chris!I did my dives (4 in total) with Junior and had a lot of fun. We did ship wrecks, different reefs and in the end also some spear fishing of the invasiv lion fishes (they have to get rid of them). During all times i felt super save and you could feel they understand what they are doing!If you are in Cartagena or terra bomba, this is the dive school for you!

Kathleen Keating: Cannot recommend diving with this company enough. This was our second dive day in Cartagena and wish we would have have done both days with Paraiso instead of the bigger company.José was an INCREDIBLE guide. He was great at communication leading up to our visit, making sure the experience was tailored to our interest, abilities, and confidence levels (as relatively new certified divers). The sites we went to were amazing and truly unforgettable. We were in Cartagena for a week and this was our favorite day by far.Also, the beach club was so nice! We loved hanging out there after the dives. Great food, drinks, and vibes.

Eli Lee: Big thanks to Junior, José, Lea, Kili and el Capitán!I did my open water course with Paraíso Dive Cartagena and absolutely loved it.Safety and professionalism all while having lot's of fun.¡Muchísimas gracias y hasta la próxima!

Kato Kenis: Probably the only trustworthy tourist organisation in Cartagena.

Kuei-Chiu Chen: My family and I visited Cartagena in July 2022. We first used the service of boat and guide from Paraiso Dive for offshore snorkeling. The dive master Lea was so good, showing us a few nice areas and attentive to safety at all times we felt we should continue with her for scuba dives (we are certified). In our first scuba dive it was a lovely sight to see a lot of garden eels protruding out of the sandy substrate like sea grass. The wrecks made up of at least five sunken ships were home to diverse species of fish, coral, and sponges. Our second dive focused on a vast area of healthy coral reefs with sea lilies. We saw damsel fish, parrot fish, butterflyfish, sting rays, a seahorse, a school of cuttlefish, and many more. After the dives we rested at Blue Apple Beach House for drinks and food and a quick wash-up before heading back to the marina. The services were great and the operation from this shop was safe. We would use them again for our future trips.

Ine Adam: I reached out very last minute if they still had a spot for me to dive and I got a super fast reply. Great communication, great bilingual guide (not everybody speaks Spanish so this was a huge relief). Excellent gear, great dive at fair price, with attention for the environment and overall good vibe. Highly recommend diving here!

Jason Griffin: We’ve dove a numerous different resorts and locations and diving here just felt different. The attention to detail in regards to our safety really resonated how poorly trained other facilities are. The team here led by Jota is top notch and the dive sites are beyond gorgeous. Reefs and wrecks were boasting with life and they were eager to show us their different species.After the dive we spent time at the Blue Apple which was a delight. Amazing food, great music, just a perfect spot to stop and reflect on the dives.Without a doubt would recommend this trip to experts or beginners. You won’t be disappointed.

Daniel Farah: An incredible experience, very beautiful views and very friendly and professional instructors!

Karen Albicy: Très bonne expérience avec toute l'équipe. J'ai été choyée et accompagnée a merveille. Je conseille vivement. J'ai pu voir de très bon paysage et été charmée par l'intégralité de la prestation.Ca a été la meilleure journée de mon sejour a Cartagene.

Toh Gouttenoire: Fantastic 2 dives, on all points!To resume we prefer small, personalized and safe operation and it was exactly that!First Jota could accommodated us just the day before, as we've been diving with a different company a couple day before but wanted a shorter boat trip than to Isla Rosario, and his proposed dive in Isla de Baru was exactly what we wanted.He listened to our experiences and desires and combining with the conditions Jota offered to dive on some wrecks, Underwater Museum and then on a beautiful sand plus coral reef.We felt super safe all along, following all PADI's procedure, he was really active in finding and showing us wild life, lots of it! Lots of new sightings!Equipment in great condition, friendly team, the post dive in Blue apple was very welcomed, it's a beautiful place.We will definitely come back!

Bert Coppens: My girlfriend and I, both uncertified divers, had an amazing time during our 2 dives. The explanation beforehand was super clear and the instructors were patient and very helpful to make sure we knew all the techniques for a fun and safe dive.The dives took us to very beautiful underwater sceneries with plenty of beautiful fish and coral.

Delphine Meynial: Super expérience avec la team ! Nous étions un groupe de 5 personnes (3 certifiés et deux baptêmes) et avons tous adoré notre sortie avec Paraiso Dive : équipe au top, sortie en petits groupes (nous étions 6 en tout sur le bateau sans compter l'équipe encadrante).Gros + également : ils sont venus nous récupérer (et nous ont redéposé) en bateau directement à notre location.N'hésitez pas !

Thomas Swart: Had a great last minute dive with Eduardo. J was very easy to communicate with to get over to the resort from Cartagena! Would definitely dive with Paradiso again!

Gloria van Ouwerkerk: Paraiso Dive is a great diving school to get your PADI Open Water. The material en diving lessons are from good quality. The teacher will take her time (big credits to Esmeralda) and teaches you how to become a good diver and not just to get your PADI quickly. Because I was the only one this week who applied for the PADI OW Esmeralda was my personal instructor. You can practise and improve your starting diving skills.The theory is a e-learning. It will take a few hours to get through it, but it’s worth it. The theory is very useful for the lessons. Try to do it in between the first en second day of diving.When you choose this dive school you should be a little flexible. When there is an opportunity to dive the next day instead of the day after, f.e. Because of the weather or applications, you will be asked to changes your days. It was no problem for me and it will get you great dives.

Johanna Aristizabal: (Translated by Google