All excursions / On the water

No certification neededMinimum age 10Swimmers onlyAll equipment included

Discover Scuba in St Kitts

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 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.

A diver giving the OK sign
A diver giving the OK sign. Stock photo.
A diver over coral
A diver over coral. Stock photo.
Snorkelling in clear water
Snorkelling in clear water. Stock photo.

Training comes first

You learn the kit in the pool or shallow water before the open sea.

The instructor stays close

Within arm's reach of you for the whole first dive.

Sea state decides

If the dive is called off you pay nothing, and anything paid comes back in full.

What happens on a Discover Scuba dive?

You start on land, then in shallow water. Open sea comes last.

  1. 1
    A diver in full kit
    A diver in full kit. Stock photo.

    The kit

    The instructor runs you through the equipment, 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.

  2. 2
    Snorkelling over a reef
    Snorkelling over a reef. Stock photo.

    Pool or shallow water

    That training takes a good share of the three to four hours and it is the part people underestimate. A fair number decide here that diving is not for them, and waist-deep water is the cheap place to find that out.

  3. 3
    Two divers on a reef
    Two divers on a reef. Stock photo.

    The dive

    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 confirm what is planned in writing when we confirm the booking.

  4. 4
    A beach in St Kitts and Nevis
    A beach in St Kitts and Nevis. Photo M. Alejandra Gómez, CC0.

    No lifeguards

    Beaches here have 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 on a first dive, and why doing this off your own back from a beach is a bad idea.

How long is Discover Scuba, and does it fit a cruise day?

Ships in Basseterre are usually alongside from about 8am to 5pm or 6pm. A first dive sits at the long end of what 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.

  1. StartOn land with the instructor, learning the kit
  2. TrainingPool or shallow water, practising the skills
  3. The diveOpen water, with the instructor beside you
  4. FinishBack on shore, three to four hours after the start

How much does Discover Scuba diving cost?

US$329 a person, the same from age 10 up, with the instructor deciding on the day. Under 10 cannot dive. 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.

Included

  • Instructor
  • Pool or shallow-water training session
  • The dive itself
  • All the equipment, including tanks and weights

Not included

  • Lunch
  • A photographer
  • Any certification. This is a supervised first dive and it does not make you a diver on paper.
WhoPriceWhat is in it
Discover scuba, one personUS$329Instructor, pool or shallow-water training session, the dive itself, and all the equipment including tanks and weights
Age 10 and overUS$329The same, with the instructor deciding on the day
Under 10Not availableThe minimum age for a PADI Discover Scuba experience is 10

What to bring

  • A swimsuit worn under your clothes, a towel, and something dry for afterwards. There is nowhere comfortable to change at the dock.
  • 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 it out at the dock does not work, 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.

Is it right for you?

  • Under 10 cannot dive. The minimum age for a PADI Discover Scuba experience is 10 and it is not negotiable at the dock.
  • You need to be able to swim, and to be comfortable in water over your head, before anyone puts a tank on you.
  • Asthma, a heart condition, recent surgery or a pregnancy are all on the standard medical questionnaire, and any of them will stop the dive on the day. Deal with it with your own doctor first.
  • If you are already certified, this is the wrong page. Take the two tank boat dive instead.

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.
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.
What is the age limit for Discover Scuba?
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.
What if our ship is 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.

More St Kitts excursions

Send a request. Pay only once it is confirmed.

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 reply within one working day, and only then do we send a payment link.

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