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Meet the full team, with certification cards →
Learnto dive inDiani Beach
Sixteen SSI programmes, taught in small groups on Indian Ocean reefs a short boat ride from the beach.
Whether you want one morning underwater or a professional rating, the route is the same: learn it properly, at a pace that suits you, with an instructor who has time to watch.
Written by The Scuba Duka team · Reviewed by Ali, founder and Divemaster Instructor · October 2026
Start from where you are
Most guests arrive unsure which programme they need. These are the three usual starting points. Tell us which one sounds like you and we will confirm the rest.
I have never dived
One morning, or a certification
If you have a single free morning, Try Scuba puts you on a reef with an instructor beside you. If you have three or four days, go straight to Open Water Diver — it is the certification that works anywhere in the world.
I am certified already
Refresh, then build
If it has been more than a year, start with a Scuba Skills Update — not to sell you a course, but because the first dive back is better when the skills are fresh. Then add the specialty that fixes whatever bothers you.
I want to go further
Rescue, then leadership
Diver Stress & Rescue teaches you to spot problems early and handle them, your own and other divers'. Beyond it sit the leadership ratings, for guests who want the professional route rather than another certification card.
The full course library
Every course has its own page carrying prerequisites, session counts, maximum training depth, typical duration, inclusions and what the programme does not do. Prices below are in US Dollars, with Shilling equivalents and full inclusions on the prices page.
Compare all sixteen courses in one table →
First time in the water
Experience · from age 8
SSI Try Scuba
A supervised first taste of breathing underwater, finished on a shallow reef. Half a day.
$160Entry
SSI Basic Diver
More water time for guests who want a second step before committing to a certification.
$170Entry certification
SSI Scuba Diver
A limited-scope certification for visitors whose holiday will not stretch to full Open Water.
$370Certification and progression
Flagship certification
SSI Open Water Diver
Digital learning, confined water and open-water dives on Diani reef. Dive anywhere in the world.
$490Family · from age 10
SSI Junior Open Water Diver
The same certification structure for younger divers, with depth limits and supervision rules that apply until they come of age.
$490Progression
SSI Advanced Open Water Diver
Built from four specialties and twenty-four logged dives rather than a single weekend course.
$450Refresh
SSI Scuba Skills Update
For certified divers who have been out of the water a while. Half a day, no ego required.
$150Progression
SSI Diver Stress & Rescue
Recognising trouble early and handling it calmly. The course that changes how you dive.
$465Any programme
Private One-to-One Training
One instructor, one student, and a schedule built around your days rather than a course start.
course price + $50Specialties
Specialty
SSI Perfect Buoyancy
Trim and air control. The specialty we suggest first, because it protects the reef as well as your air.
$220Specialty
SSI Waves, Tides & Currents
Why we choose the site we choose, taught on a coast where the tide decides the day.
$210Index
All specialty courses
How specialties stack towards Advanced, which we run here, and which to take first.
see the indexEcology and professional
Ecology
SSI Marine Ecology
Read the reef you are diving: what lives where, and why it matters here.
$160Ecology
SSI Shark Ecology
Knowledge, not sightings. Behaviour, conservation and responsible encounters.
$160Leadership
SSI Dive Guide
The first leadership rating: guiding certified divers, within a defined scope.
$945Professional
SSI Divemaster
Logged dives, Science of Diving and professional status, with a clear account of what it does and does not guarantee.
$949The pathway
Try Scuba→
Basic Diver→
Scuba Diver→
Open Water Diver→
Specialties & Advanced→
Stress & Rescue→
Dive Guide→
Divemaster
Nobody has to walk the whole line. Plenty of divers stop at Open Water and spend twenty years enjoying it. The pathway exists so you can see what is available, not so you feel behind.
How we teach
The same four commitments apply to every programme on this page, from a first breath to a professional rating.
01
Two to four students
Group size is a decision, not an accident. Small groups mean the instructor can watch your buoyancy, your breathing and your face — and repeat a skill until it is comfortable rather than merely completed.
02
Theory before you travel
You create a MySSI profile, select The Scuba Duka as your Training Centre and work through the digital materials at your own pace. Your training record, logged dives and certification card live in the app.
03
Medical disclaimer before you dive
A medical disclaimer forms part of the form you complete before diving. If anything on it applies to you, it goes to a physician — we are not doctors and will not clear you medically. No schedule is allowed to rush that.
04
Conditions set the plan
Every course day has a primary site, an alternate, and clear criteria for postponing. Tide, wind, visibility, current and entry condition are logged before you get in the water.
What we will not do
We will not compress a certification to fit a flight, sign off a skill that is not comfortable, or tell you a course is right when a shorter one would serve you better. If your dates do not fit the programme you want, we will say so before you book rather than after you arrive.
Who you will dive with
Seven people run the centre, four of them born and raised in Diani Beach. Between the four instructors sit more than 13,000 logged dives on this stretch of the Indian Ocean. Two qualified dive guides, Sampuli and Captain Michael, guide dives alongside them.
Ali
Founder · Divemaster Instructor25+ years diving in Kenya and abroad. Born and raised in Diani Beach.
Kassim
Scuba Instructor17+ years and 8,000+ logged dives, from Diani to Kisite Mpunguti. SSI and PADI certified.
Salim Swaleh
Scuba Instructor4,000+ logged dives on Diani sites. Teaches SSI beginner to specialty courses.
Omari
Scuba InstructorSSI and PADI Open Water Instructor, 1,000+ logged dives. Shoots underwater photo and video.
Sampuli
Dive GuideBorn and raised in Diani Beach. 100+ logged dives. Guides guest divers and runs equipment checks.
Michael
Dive Guide · Captain20+ years scuba diving and captaining boats. Handles the boat and guides dives.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need to get certified?
Open Water Diver is usually planned across three to four days here, and less if the digital theory is finished before you arrive. Tell us your dates and we will confirm what actually fits.
Do I need to be able to swim?
Requirements differ between programmes — Try Scuba asks that you are fit and comfortable in water, certifications carry a defined water-fitness requirement. Your instructor talks it through before anything is booked.
How much does a course cost?
Courses run from $160 for Try Scuba to $949 for Divemaster, and Open Water Diver is $490. Each price on this page is in US Dollars, with Shilling equivalents and full inclusions on the prices page. Prices and inclusions →
What is included in a course?
Instructor, SSI digital materials, all equipment, tanks and weights, boat or shore logistics, hotel pickup across Diani, Galu, Tiwi and Ukunda, plus fruit and water. Certification fees and park fees are confirmed at booking.
Can children learn here?
From age 8 for Try Scuba and from age 10 for junior certification, subject to maturity, water comfort, equipment fit and guardian consent. We tell you before you book whether we think your child is ready.
Is my certification recognised elsewhere?
Yes. SSI certifications are internationally recognised, and your card lives in the MySSI app rather than in a wallet you might lose.
Tell us your dates and whether you have dived before. We will tell you which course actually fits.
No pressure, no upsell, and no course compressed to fit a schedule.