Spanish Dancer Divers

Zanzibar's famous PADI 5 Star dive center in Nungwi. Best dive spots, small dive groups, multilingual, friendly atmosphere. Find your freedom underwater!!

PADI Courses

PADI Zanzibar open water course

Beginners

If you are not certified as a diver, these PADI courses are for you. Get a taste of diving and Discover Scuba, or get your entry level Open Water Diver certification course.

Try Diving
(Discover Scuba Diving)

If you wish to just try diving without doing a full certification course, Discover Scuba Diving is the course for you.

Pre-requirements
Must be able to swim comfortably.
Must be in good health. Please review the PADI Medical Questionnaire.

TRAINING
Every day @ 15:30
Participate in 30-minutes of theory class, learning the basic safety rules of diving. Next, dive into half-hour of practice session in shallow water. By this point, you will already know how it feels like being underwater.

FUN DIVES
In the next morning @ 08:30
Join us on our dive boat for two open water dives, at the Mnemba Atoll Marine Park. You will be guided by a PADI instructor while diving to a maximum depth of 12 meters.

Want to see exactly what you will be doing?? Watch our video

Questions & Answers

  • Swim suit.
  • Towel.
  • Wind breaker for the boat on your diving day(especially for May-October).

Unless you are certified as a diver, you must alway participate the Discover Scuba Course before going on an open water dive. This applies even if you already dived many times before.

No, our boat trip includes two dives in two distinct locations, we do not offer a one dive boat trip.

If you can comfortably swim and snorkel, your success chances are at 95%.

In case you feel uncomfortable during or after the training dive, you are not obligated to participate in the open water dives. In that case we will only charge $60 for the training.

  • Your friend/partner is welcome to join you on the open water dives in Mnemba Atoll.
  • In case they did not dive for a while, they are also welcome to join your training course (free of charge), in order for them to get a refresher for their skills.

Discover Scuba Diving

The best way to try diving

$195

  • Training dive in shallow water
  • Two dives in Mnemba Atoll
  • Pre-book to get a 10% DISCOUNT
START YOUR ADVENTURE now!

Get Certified as a PADI Open Water Diver

PADI Open Water Diver Course is the way the world learns to dive.

If you wish to become a diver, this certification course is the first entry level to the world of diving. The theory is done online, while the practice part takes only 3 days to complete.

Dive theory with Spanish Dancer Divers is easy, flexible and in your own pace and language. We understand the value of your vacation time. That is why we are using the new PADI Open Water eLearning. In this way, you can complete the theory study at home, while keeping your valuable vacation time for the Fun Part.

On average, the eLearning takes about 10–15 hours to complete.

Before sending the eLearning to students, we require a $100 deposit per person (paid by card or PayPal). 

Day one (5-7 hours)
Learn and practice dive skills in shallow, protected water.  Doing so, will build your confidence as a diver and prepare you for your first open water dive. Once you are ready and confident, you will experience your first open water course dive to 12 meters.

Day two (5-7 hours)
Acquire and practice additional dive skills in shallow water. Once you have mastered these skills in shallow water, it is time to practice them in deeper water, on your second open water course dive to 12 meters.

Day three (5-6 hours)
Now it is time for some real fun dives!! In the morning, you will join us on our dive boat. We will be heading out for two dives to 18 meters, in two of our best dive spots.

When getting back, you will be logging your dives with your instructor. In the next days, you will receive your PADI certification eCard by email.

Questions & Answers

  • When registering for the eLearning, you can choose between 22 languages.
  • The practice part of the course will be done in English.

Your friend/partner is welcome to join you on the last day of the course for the last two open water dives of to 18 meters.

Not, unless you fail this medical questionnaire.

In the first 2 days of the course you will given an hour brake to get lunch (there are many restaurants around).

On the last day of the course, when going to Mnemba, we provide snacks and light lunch onboard.

A deposit of $100 must be paid before you receive the eLearning.
The rest can be paid while you are here.

Not possible.

OPEN WATER DIVER

The best way to learn to dive

$495

  • Includes eLearning
  • Mnemba Atoll upgrade $30
  • Pre-book to get a 10% DISCOUNT
START YOUR PADI course today!
PADI Zanzibar learn to dive

Continue your Dive Education

If you are already certified as an open water diver, these are the next steps to expand your diving horizon. Advanced Open Water -> Rescue Diver -> Divemaster

Advanced Open Water

2 days course expanding your diving horizons. Upon completion, you will be certified to a maximum depth of 30 meters.

The theory is done via eLearning before arrival and takes about 5 hours to complete. We require a $100 deposit (paid by card) before sending you the eLearning. The practice part consists of 5 adventure dives from the list below:

Navigation Dive
Obligatory

Learn to use a compass and begin to navigate the underwater world. Start to understand the importance of visual references. Practice how to measure distance underwater.

Deep Dive
Obligatory

Experience your first real deep dive. Understand how increased pressure affects the way you dive and think underwater. Crack a raw egg underwater and play with the yoke while it float magically in front of your eyes without breaking. Take a sealed plastic bottle down and watch the effect pressure has on any airspace.

Enjoy an absolutely magical experience. See creature that are normally sleeps during the day such as Squids, Nudibranchs and Frog Fish. See octopus and moray out hunting. You might even find the famous Spanish Dancer feeding on the rock. At the end of the dive, we may switch off ours lights. While lights are off, plankton illuminate in front of our eyes as we move our hands through the water. This is a dive that you would love.

Master and control your buoyancy with greater efficiency and ease. As a result, you will increase your comfort underwater and improve your air consumption. Take off your fins, do a somersault, float upside down and play games. There are quite a few things we can do underwater to experiment with our buoyancy.

Underwater Photography

Learn how to capture all the wonders of the underwater world. Take the memories of your experience back home. Make all your friends and family jealous by showing them your very own copy of all the images or videos that you have captured underwater.

Multilevel & Computer Dive

Understand the importance of dive computers. Find how they can help to maximize your depths and times in the safest possible way. Dive computers are supplied for this dive.

Drift Dive

Practice drifting a dive site while avoiding any contact with the aquatic life and bottom. Practice using a Signal Marker Buoy to advise the boat of your location at the end of a dive.

Aware – Fish Identification Dive

Master buoyancy control while observing and identifying different fish families, groups and species. Use one of our fish slates, draw diagrams, take notes or even borrow one of our underwater cameras to assist you on your adventure. We recommend, before this dive, reading our Marine Life page.

Underwater Naturalist Dive

Practice the control of your buoyancy while passively observing the abundance of Zanzibar’s aquatic life. Learn to identify vertebrates (turtles, Dolphins, Fish etc.), Invertebrates (Octopus, Cuttlefish, Shrimps etc.) and Aquatic plants. Increase your knowledge of how to preserve the aquatic environment.

ADVANCE OPEN WATER

Expand your diving horizon

$470

  • Includes eLearning
  • Mnemba Atoll upgrade $30
  • Pre-book to get a 10% DISCOUNT
START YOUR PADI course today!

Emergency First Response

Obligatory before participating in the Rescue Course.
1-day course that will provide you with the knowledge to perform CPR, First Aid and Secondary Care. Whether you are a diver or not, this course will give you the necessary skills to properly handle a potentially life-threatening situation. The majority of the course is practical. You will watch videos, practice skills and participate in emergency scenarios, from dealing with a small wound to helping an unconscious person. Here at Spanish Dancer, we know that this is a serious subject but, that doesn’t mean we can not enjoy ourselves while we learn.

We require a minimum of two students to teach the EFR Course.

PADI Rescue Diver

You must have Emergency First Response or equivalent.
This is a 3-4 day course and covers the more serious side of Diving. But even so, we can still have fun while we learn all about rescue in diving. In fact, this might be the most rewarding course you will do. Consequently, you’ll be more confident and able diver.

You will need to read a manual and complete an exam. Still, most of the course is taught in water and that’s where we’ll be headed from day one. This is a very hands-on course, and you should be a confident diver before participation.

  • Self Rescue: Be self-reliant and be able to help yourself in certain situations.
  • Tired Diver: Assist an overexerted or a tired diver. Very useful in everyday diving.
  • Panicked Diver: Approach, make contact, help and even escape the clutches of a panicked diver.
  • Response from Shore or Boat: Make non water assists and safe water entry assists.
  • Distressed Diver Underwater: Identify distress and assist in the appropriate manner, while all the time keeping yourself safe.
  • Surfacing an Unresponsive Diver: Surface an unconscious diver using advanced buoyancy techniques to minimize your own stress and energy output.
  • Unresponsive Diver at the Surface: Tow an unconscious diver to safety while providing life-saving rescue breaths.
  • Exiting an Unresponsive Diver: Techniques to remove equipment as well as exit an unconscious diver from the water.
  • First Aid and Oxygen Administration: Provide oxygen and deal with pressure related injuries.
  • Response from Shore/Boat or Dock : Make an in water rescue to an unconscious non-breathing diver.

We require a minimum of two students to teach the Rescue Course.

PADI Divemaster Training

Become a PADI Divemaster with Spanish Dancer Divers. Be a part of our team for 3 months. Live with us, work with us and have fun with us.

Divemaster internships run once in every 3 months. The spaces are limited, and we only accept 2 candidates at a time. To apply, you need to be an Advanced diver and Rescue Diver qualified or have an equivalent certification and 40 logged dives.

PADI Divemaster internship in Zanzibar

To begin with, renting a room costs around $300-$400 per month. Together with expenses for daily needs and food, you should be calculating an average living cost of about $700 per month.

Furthermore, the course itself is free of charge in exchange for the 3-month working internship. However, there are still a few costs you will need to cover.

Before coming here, you should purchase the PADI Divemaster eLearning. It costs around $300. We could assist in purchasing it for you.

Upon arrival, you will need to pay $250 immigration visa for students which covers the 3 months Internship.

Finally, at the end of the course, you will need to pay, directly to PADI, $140 for your professional membership.

Our team members are International and friendly. We often meet for sunset drinks and have dinners and parties on a regular basis. As a team, we work together and socialize together.

During the Internship, you will be working 6 days a week. Starting at 7:30-8:30 until 18:00. As part of your duties, you will:
— help customers prepare their gear.
— Help load and unload the boats.
— Help keep the dive center clean and tidy.
— Guide snorkelers.
— You will get to dive a lot and increase your experience. Our Divemaster trainees do an average of 60–100 dives during their Internship with us.

You must complete the theory part of the course before your arrival.
The practice part of the course here in Zanzibar will include:

  • Theory studies include: DM Characteristics / DM Role / Risk Management / Dive Physics & Physiology and more.
  • Mastering of the Open Water skills demonstration in a PADI Professional level.
  • Help instructors teach PADI courses and guide dives.
  • Learn to teach Divemaster conduct programs such as scuba review, skin diving, discover scuba diving and discover local diving.
  • Stamina exercises including swimming, snorkeling, floating and others.
  • Other skills as setting and managing dive site, mapping a dive site, dive briefing, search and recovery skills, rescue skills and deep diving skills.

If you are a hard worker and manage to complete your Divemaster requests before the end of the 3 months Internship, you will have a chance of getting experience guiding divers underwater. Depending on the dive center needs, in some cases we offer our favorite Divemaster trainees a paid job for a few months after completing the course.

Read more about the personal experience of being a Divemaster in training in Spanish Dancer Divers.