We often get asked if it is possible to incorporate PADI courses in our Dive Safaris. The short answer is yes! Although, at Galapagos Safari Camp, we only offer Advanced PADI courses to divers who already have their Open Water Certification. This is because we don’t feel 100% comfortable with our guests learning to dive in the Galapagos, for reasons we outline below.
Considering an Open Water PADI Course in the Galapagos? Here’s What You Should Know:
While the Open Water PADI course is conducted in shallow, calm pockets of seawater (similar to a swimming pool), these areas generally lack the rich marine life seen at the main dive sites. For many, this diminishes the unique appeal of traveling to the Galapagos for diving.
The Galapagos Islands are renowned for challenging dive conditions, which are better suited to experienced divers. Most dive sites feature cold water temperatures, strong currents, and sometimes unpredictable conditions—particularly during the cooler season from July to December (see When to Visit the Galapagos Islands). The sea can also become choppy during this period, requiring divers to feel confident gearing up on swaying boats and navigating entry and exit in dynamic waters.
The waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands also have high levels of salinity which can make buoyancy control more challenging.
Our Dive Safaris are typically group experiences, with divers of varying skill levels. While Galapagos Safari Camp guests have a private Divemaster, separation from the group (and Dive Guide) is only allowed in emergencies or for an early ascent.
If you are new to diving or haven’t dived recently, we strongly recommend increasing your dive count at home or completing the PADI ReActivate Scuba Refresher Program beforehand. This preparation will enhance your diving experience and contribute to the safety and enjoyment of the entire group.
For those already certified, the Galapagos offers an excellent opportunity to take your diving to the next level. Consider adding the PADI Advanced Open Water Course to your Galapagos Dive Safari. This program provides supervised diving with a certified PADI Instructor and expands your diving skills in a truly extraordinary environment.
If you are considering an Open Water PADI course, there are plenty of destinations that offer more favourable conditions for beginners, such as the Caribbean.
These locations feature warmer water, gentler currents, and calmer seas, offering ideal conditions for learning. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll be perfectly prepared to tackle the diving in the Galapagos.
Once you have your PADI Open Water Certification (and ideally, a few open water dives under your belt as well), you are ready to proceed to the next level. And there can be no better place to get your PADI Advanced Open Water Certification than the Galapagos Islands. Even PADI ranks the islands among the world’s top 5 Destinations Where You Need The Advanced Open Water.
The PADI Advanced Open Water course is a great way to enhance your Dive Safari, while continuing to build your confidence as a scuba-diver under the supervision of a PADI instructor. The course is designed to build upon the skills acquired in the Open Water Course, such as buoyancy control and underwater navigation, as well as teach you important new skills such as drift diving, deep diving and night diving.
The online training course takes approximately 6-8 hours to complete and should be taken before your visit to the Galapagos Islands. There is no exam.
You can purchase this element of the course on the PADI website. You will be required to either email us a copy of your eRecord showing your submitted exercises, or print it out and bring a copy with you. Alternatively, you can share the ID number on your eRecord with your instructor who will use that to search the portal to view your eRecord.
The practical element of the course can be completed within 2-4 days in the Galapagos with a PADI instructor, as part of your Dive Safari experience at Galapagos Safari Camp.
The course requires five specialty dives, two of which – Deep Diver and Underwater Navigator– are obligatory. You can choose the remaining three specialty dives. For the Galapagos Islands, our dive school partner recommends Drift Diver, Peak Buoyancy Diver and Night Diver.
When you dive below 18m/60 feet (the maximum depth for Open Water Divers) there are important safety considerations to be aware of. In the PADI Deep Diver course, you’ll learn how to safely dive to a maximum depth of 30m/100ft*, how to manage your gas supply, and how to identify and manage symptoms of narcosis.
Read more on padi.com
*the depth of the dive will be between 18-30m / 60-100ft. The actual depth will depend on the age of the diver and the depth of the dive site you visit.
12-15 years old: Max depth = 21m/70ft
15+ years: Max depth = 30m/100ft
It’s very easy to get lost underwater and learning how to navigate back to the boat or entry point on the coast is crucial if you want to avoid long, exhausting swims on the surface. In the PADI Underwater Navigator course you will learn how to use a diving compass, estimate distances underwater and follow natural clues to find your way back to the boat without surfacing.
Read more on padi.com
The Galapagos Islands are known for their strong ocean currents. It is, after all, these converging currents that give the archipelago its unique ecology and extraordinary marine wildlife. Understanding the causes and effects of aquatic currents is essential when diving in the Galapagos. In the PADI Drift Dive course you will learn how to descend in a current and stay close to your buddy, as well as how to maintain your buoyancy and confidence when ‘flying underwater’!
Read more on padi.com
Maintaining controlled buoyancy is what defines a good scuba diver, and yet it is a skill that many divers struggle with, especially in the Galapagos where there tends to be high levels of salinity in the sea. In this PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course, you will learn how to achieve effortless buoyancy, which in turn reduces your air consumption and enables you to hover gracefully so that you are less likely to disturb the surrounding marine life – a skill that other divers will thank you for as well!
Read more on padi.com
Diving at night is a completely different experience to diving during the day, and will open your eyes to a whole new world. Although Open Water Divers can dive at night, the experience can be quite daunting if you haven’t received the proper training. As with all specialty dives, we can’t underestimate the value of being well prepared, so that you can fully embrace new experiences, instead of worrying about your safety. In this PADI Night Dive course you will learn how to navigate underwater at night without getting disoriented, how to correctly use your dive light for communication and how to maintain contact with your buddy. What’s more, you’ll be able to observe nocturnal creatures, including bioluminescent organisms – one of nature’s many wonders!
The night dive takes place in the calm, shallow waters of Academy Bay, which is only a 15-minute boat ride from Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz.
There are many more Specialty Dives to choose from, however the ones listed above are the courses we personally recommend for the Galapagos Islands. We can, however, also offer Fish Identification, Digital Underwater Photography (NB: the Videographer course is not possible), and Multilevel Diver (learning how to use a dive computer). If there is a particular specialty dive you have your heart set on, which is not mentioned here, please let us know and we will be happy to check if it’s possible.
Each specialty dive may also be credited toward the related specialty certification. For example, if you do a drift dive during your Advanced Open Water Diver course, you’ll have one of the two dives required for the PADI Drift Diver certification.
Day 1: Deep dive + Navigation dive
Day 2: Two specialty dives of your choice e.g. Buoyancy + Drift
Day 3: One Night dive
Note:
Day 1: Deep dive + Navigation dive
Day 2: Two specialty dives e.g. Buoyancy + Drift
Day 3: One specialty dive, e.g. Fish Identification + 1 ‘Fun Dive’ (not part of the course)
Note:
Day 1: Two obligatory dives: Deep dive + Navigation dive
Day 2: Three specialty dives: e.g. Buoyancy + Drift + Night
Note:
To take the PADI Advanced Open Water Course, divers are required to have one of the following certifications:
As with all our Safaris, itineraries are fully customized according to the guests’ needs and interests. If you would like to incorporate the Advanced PADI Course into your Galapagos Dive Safari, please contact one of our Safari Designers who will be happy to discuss the various options with you, and send you a quote.
We’re flexible and we love to personalize. How about..?
Talks with Galapagos experts, fishing trips with locals, tea inside a lava tunnel…
…picnic in the wilds, art classes, surf classes, ceviche-making and more!
