Daily dive trips to St Maartens best dive sites

The PADI Discover Scuba Diving program is a short try-diving experience for adults and children aged 10 years and older. This introduces you to the basics of diving but doesn’t certify you as a diver. The ‘DSD’ is usually a one-day or half-day activity, so it’s a great option if you’ve been thinking about trying SCUBA for a while but don’t have much time while you’re on holiday. It’s also perfect for building up confidence in the water before jumping straight into a full course.

In a typical DSD program, a qualified PADI professional gives you a short but detailed briefing on the effects of water pressure, how to communicate underwater, how your equipment works, and how to enjoy diving safely. Then you’re ready to go! The first session is a “confined water” practice, in a swimming pool or calm pool-like area, where you’ll get to grips with breathing through your regulator and swimming efficiently in your gear. You’ll also be shown a few simple skills from the full Open Water course. When you’re ready for more, the second dive is an ‘open water dive’, which means your PADI professional can take you to an easy, shallow dive site in the open ocean – this is what it’s all about, after all!