Frequently Asked Questions

Well, for one, you have zero chance of being attacked by killer sharks with lasers on their heads.

And more usefully, a pool provides a controlled and familiar (and shark-free) environment for developing the dive skills and gaining comfort in the water.

Secondly, you can learn at your own pace – you don’t have a deadline of being in a 3-4 day course, or having your flight back home in a few days.

Lastly, this frees up more time on vacation to actually go diving and see sharks and other cool marine animals (yes, that is a thing and no, they won’t attack – divers go to great lengths to be in the water with sharks.   It is an amazing experience).

Vinnie says: 

All else being equal, I think it is better to do the full course with a single instructor, who can (or should, at any rate – it doesnt always happen) then modify the process a little to take into accounts the development of each student.

However, all else is rarely equal.    One main benefit of doing the training in the pool:  you get to work at your own pace without feeling rushed.

Another very under-rated benefit:  you get a lot more water time.   We do a minimum of 2 sessions, each of them several hours – which is almost two or three times the in-water training time most dive centers provide.

I am obviously biased because we are the ones teaching these programs, but in my opinion, the increased water time is far more important than continuity with an instructor:   I can see the difference myself.   Just make sure you do your open water dives with a dive center that is committed to producing good divers.

And if you want the best of both worlds, you can complete the course with us on one of our regularly-scheduled diving camps.

It depends where you go.

We have discounts over regular rates for completing the course in the Andamans.       Other dive centers charge whatever they charge and it varies a lot by destination.      So it is hard to give an estimate.

You have several options.

We run regularly-scheduled weekend camps to Netrani and Pondicherry, which is a great way to finish your course without taking an expensive holiday (and also focus more on learning).

You can join us on one our trips to destinations suitable for newer divers, where can complete the course with one of our instructors at fairly reasonable rates.

You can also go complete the course at our mothership in the Andamans, in Havelock or Neil.     You’ll get a committed team of dive professionals who understand that creating good divers goes well beyond just checking off a list of skills.

Lastly, you can choose to complete the course at a dive center of your choice, anywhere in the world.  We will provide you a referral form (a record of training completed), and they will complete the dives.

All 3 programs are designed to make you a better diver.   The only difference is where the diver is starting from.

The Dive Refresher is the “standard” program, if you will – it is for divers who are reasonably comfortable in the water, and want to refresh their skills and/or get a few pointers to improve their diving.

The Customized/Remedial program is for divers who do not feel comfortable with their skills or in the water.   As the name implies, it has a greater focus on building the diver’s skills and confidence in the water, to make sure they are able to dive safely and have fun.

The Advanced Dive Fundamentals program is for divers on the other end of the spectrum – keen and motivated divers who want to go the extra distance and really improve their skills well beyond “sufficient”.    Here, the emphasis is more on building extensively upon the skill base that they already have.

If you arent sure which is best for you, ping us.

Yep, we do.   We sell gear from Mares, Scubapro, Aqualung, Shearwater and Tusa.

However, we are not “gear retailers” in the traditional sense.   Think of us more as gear advisors:   we will work with you to to narrow down on the best gear that fits your budget and needs.

And typically, we will have the best prices in India on it as well.

The only catch is – we dont keep a lot of inventory on hand (that’s what lets us keep prices low), so the gear will be ordered/delivered to you in a few days.    So you are trading off instant gratification for expert advice tailored specifically for you.

We will NEVER sell you gear just to make a sale.     It goes against everything we stand for.    Also, gear sales are more of a service for our divers, not exactly a huge margin business (see “lowest prices in India” above!).    So if we are going to sell out, it sure as heck isn’t going to be over a reg or a computer – we may be easy but we are not cheap  🙂

You can read more about it on our Gear Page.

Why yes, we do.

We run 8-10 group trips a year, to various parts of the world:  they range from short/inexpensive (3-5 days, Rs 40,000-1L) to long/expensive (up to 2 weeks and 4.5L).     We have trips that are suitable for beginners, for advanced divers, for families with non-diving partners and more.

If you want a personalised trip for yourself and/or your group, we can arrange that as well.    You will get expert advice on where to go that is suitable for your experience level and interests and we will pick reliable operators who prioritise both safety and fun.    And you will pay the same or, more often, less than if you were to book this directly.

Read more on our Trips page.

Two things:  experience and commitment to producing good divers.

Experience:  Vinnie is one of India’s most experienced dive professions (if not *the* most experienced) and has taught programs from beginner all the way to instructor.   And Vidit has also been teaching for almost a decade now.

Commitment to producing good divers (here, we will let Vinnie describe it in his own words):    DIVEindia was born out of a passion for diving, and never in my wildest dreams did i imagine it would grow and be as successful as it was.    However, my passion has always been diving – not running a business.   If I wanted to do the latter, i would have stayed on in management consultant and put my Wharton MBA to better use.     I do this because I like doing this:   I enjoy teaching and I enjoy getting divers hooked to the sport.   It is kinda like being a drug dealer, only a little more socially acceptable.   And my experience as an instructor gives me the tools to help produce good divers.

(And that second-last sentence is also why we rarely let Vinnie do anything without an adult supervising him)

Nope.

After Vinnie ran face-first into a wall and then got a job ringing the bell at a cathedral, he is very shy about being seen in public without a dive mask.

Well, either that, or the nature of the diving operations means we do not feel the need to have an office – all questions and classes are handled by email, phone, Whatsapp and video conference, and we only meet at the pool side to conduct training classes.

Pick whichever story you prefer.   Besides, why would you want to go out in Bangalore traffic if you could avoid it?     Choose life – use electronic media!

Discount?   Que es?  No habla Ingles, por favor.

Our prices are exactly as listed on the website, whether you email, call, Whatsapp or send a carrier pigeon.

Actually, we take that back.   You will get a 10% discount if you send a carrier pigeon.   And a 10% surcharge if you call after 9pm.   20% if it after 9pm on Saturday or Sunday.   Don’t say you weren’t warned  🙂

Jokes apart:   we are very proud of the quality of training we offer.   And we are able to offer that because we are not operating at cut-rate prices:  that gives us the headroom to spend more time with students.    Cutting prices invariably leads to a drop in quality and that is something we will never do.

Think about how much you would spend on a holiday.   Now spread that over multiple years of fun, safe and confident diving.   In that context, a few thousand rupees is insignificant.    And this isnt us being self-serving – we strongly believe that anytime you are learning a new skill (be it diving, be it science, be it a musical instrument), focus on quality, not the cheapest price.   In the long run, it is always more economical.

Also:  given the ratios and water-time we offer, our courses compare favorably to programs costing twice as much, incidentally.   So there is that.

In general, Open Water.   This is the first “complete” certification level – Level 1 or Autonomous Diver.     With this card, you can go diving to most dive sites barring a few advanced/deep sites which require more training.  Scuba Diver is more of an intermediate program – yes, you do get a certification card but you are far more limited in the choice of dive sites you can go to.

However, for people who are nervous in the water and perhaps not ready to go to deep sites, but who still want to be able to go diving, the Scuba Diver course is a great option.   You can dive.   You can still explore the underwater world – and that is the best way to gain confidence and get better in the water.   Then, when you are ready, you can upgrade to full Open Water.

We recommend atleast a week before your in-water sessions, so you have time to complete the theory in a relaxed, non-rushed manner.

That said, if it is less time, we can still work around it but please give yourself atleast 2 days advance notice.   At minimum, you need to watch a few hours of videos before coming for the training – otherwise, it adversely impacts the quality of your learning.

It varies, but typically, we meet at 8am and the session runs till 12:30 or so, give or take.

For refresher, reviews and other programs for certified divers, we may meet a little later, depending on what else is happening on that date and what program we are doing with you.

Please note – these are indicative and subject to change.   So do verify the time for your session with us first.

Of course we do – what kind of slackers do you think we are?

(Actually, don’t answer that question!)

Yes we do.