Become a Diving Professional

Gap Year | Career Development | 2023 Program

Are you thinking of working on yachts or doing a gap year after School or University? Give yourself a head start by becoming a professional diver. It takes less than a year and will provide you with the confidence and experience you need to skip straight to the dream job by becoming a qualified diving instructor.
The skills you learn during our Career Development Program aren’t just for the water, you can put them to good use back on land too. Under the guidance of our professional team, you will obtain leadership, social and life skills. With hands-on experience in diver training, charters, retail and dive resort operation, this training will set you apart from the rest!

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Pro Dive Academy

Dive instructors that have been trained through Pro Dive are highly sought after, both in South Africa and abroad.

Why Dive in Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth is well known for being the Friendly City. However, one cannot help but wonder if our city would adapt its slogan if more people were aware of the beauty hidden beneath our waves. Our healthy reefs provide a colourful kaleidoscope of corals and sponges to which an abundance of beautiful marine life call home. Our marine protected areas and nutrient rich ocean provide sustenance for Whales, Dolphins, Sharks, Penguins and Seals which make regular sightings a common occurrence– In fact, Port Elizabeth is the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World and is home to the World’s largest breeding colony of African Penguins & Cape Gannet’s.

Port Elizabeth is the gateway to South Africa’s renowned Garden Route, has a collection of Big 5 Game Reserves located nearby, pristine beaches, SANCOB Penguin Sanctuary, restaurants, Cinemas, shopping centres and loads more attractions to enjoy on days off.

Scuba Diving Careers

Diving is a multifaceted industry with career opportunities in:

  • Instruction
  • Retail
  • Business management
  • Maintenance
  • Skippering
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Safety

Modular Programme

Become a professional diver in under a year:

Career Development

Whether you continue working in the diving industry, making use of the endless International Job Opportunities or spend the year mastering the sport of scuba diving, you will obtain essential skills that can be applied to any profession, namely;

  • Self Confidence,
  • Leadership,
  • Social & Life Skills,
  • Communication
  • Marketing & Advertising
  • Safety and First Aid.
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Best Location

Situated at the coast, we have one of the best training locations in the country due to our diverse diving conditions.  You will be do both shore & boat dives with one of the busiest diver training centres in South Africa, having trained more than 12 000 divers.

PADI Accredited

Pro Dive was established by Louis & Michelle van Aardt 25 years ago and is a highly recognised PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre with numerous awards and an impeccable safety record.

What You Will Learn

Exposure to every aspect of the scuba diving industry including: charters, retail, equipment servicing, boat maintenance, diver training and sardine run.  The scope of what you will learn at Pro Dive Academy is unmatched by anyone else in South Africa.

Marine Research Experience

You will get hands-on experience with collecting data, research, marine species and education programs, under the supervision of marine biologist, Dr Shirley Parker Nance.

Essential Life Skills

Under the guidance of our professional team, you will obtain leadership, social & life skills and this training will set you apart from the rest!  This programme will provide you with the confidence and experience you need to work anywhere in the world.

World-class Facilities

Pro Dive has fully equipped dive centres in Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay. Port Elizabeth’s dive centre has a heated training pool, lecture rooms, service centre, dive shop, travel office and the best equipped dedicated diving boats.