SSI Training Centre · Bookable nowLearn to dive on the Great Barrier Reef
Every minute of your training happens in the ocean at Moore Reef — in a sheltered training centre built into our pontoon, with the reef right beside it. No pool. No classroom. No nights away. You're home in Cairns every evening.
Six ways to dive with us
From your first breath underwater to rescue-level training, plus a way to finish a course you started somewhere else. All of it on the reef, all of it with SSI, the certification agency recognised at dive centres worldwide.
image© Bob BobisavljevicIntro Reef Dive
SSI Basic Diver · add-on to your reef day
Your first dive, on the Great Barrier Reef. Learn the skills in the sheltered training centre, then dive the reef with your instructor beside you. It counts toward a certification later. Book your Moore Reef day cruise at the standard adult or child fare and add this on — from $466 all up with an adult fare.
Bookable todayAges 12+ · Half day · Max 12 m · RSTC medical form · Reef fare additional
Add to your reef day — $149 →
image© Predrag VuckovicBecome a Diver
SSI Open Water Diver
The certification that opens everything up. Study online at home, then 3 days at Moore Reef: 9 training dives in all — 5 in the sheltered water beneath the pontoon, then 4 open-water dives on the reef. Dive anywhere in the world, to 18 metres, forever.
Ages 10+ · Online + 3 days · Max 18 m (12 m for ages 10–11) · RSTC medical form
Book now →
Complete Your Course
SSI Referral · open water training dives
Theory and confined water done at another SSI centre? Do the dives that matter here. 2 dives in 1 day, or all 4 across 2 days, on the outer Great Barrier Reef.
Ages 10+ · 1 or 2 days · SSI students with records signed off
Register your interest →
image© MaresGo Further
SSI Advanced Open Water Diver
2 days, 3 dives a day — 6 dives across 5 SSI specialties, Deep Diving and Navigation included. Come out certified to 30 metres.
Ages 12+ · 2 days · Max 30 m · Open Water required
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image© MaresRescue Ready
SSI Diver Stress & Rescue
2 days, 5 training dives plus a fun dive. Learn to spot stress, prevent incidents and manage emergencies — the course every serious diver rates as their best.
Ages 12+ · 2 days · Open Water + current First Aid, CPR & O₂ required
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image© Predrag VuckovicReturn to Diving
SSI Scuba Skills Update · add-on to your reef day
A couple of hours in the training centre to get it all back, then straight out on a guided reef dive. This is an upgrade, not a stand-alone course — book your Moore Reef day cruise at the standard adult or child fare and add the Scuba Skills Update to it. From $545 all up with an adult fare. Bookable now.
Ages 12+ · Half day · For certified divers · Guided dive included · Reef fare additional
Book now →How the prices work: Open Water, Advanced and Diver Stress & Rescue include your Moore Reef day cruise on every course day. The Intro Reef Dive and Scuba Skills Update are add-ons — book the standard Moore Reef day cruise fare (adult $317, child $177) and upgrade.
Every minute of your training is on the reef
No pool, no classroom
Your skills sessions happen on the custom training platform in our dive training centre at the Moore Reef pontoon — enclosed, sheltered from wind, 1 to 3 metres deep, shallow enough to stand up in. Open Water students complete 9 training dives across 3 days: 5 here in the sheltered water, then 4 open-water dives on the reef right beside it.
Home every night
No liveaboard, no shared cabin, no nights away. Head out with us in the morning, train on the reef, and you're back in Cairns each evening.
The rest of your day is Moore Reef
Waterslide, underwater observatory, snorkelling, lunch on the pontoon — and whoever you came with gets the full reef day while you're in your course.
A certification the world recognises
SSI certifications are ISO-recognised and accepted at dive centres worldwide. Your digital card lives on your phone, ready whenever you travel.
Your first dives are real dives
Most people's first four dives are in a quarry or a chlorinated pool. Yours are on the Great Barrier Reef.
Study at home, then dive with us
Download the free SSI app
Your theory lives in the app, and so does your certification card once you pass. Create a free account with the email you book with.
Do the theory at home
Six sections of digital learning with videos and quizzes — 8 to 12 hours at your own pace, on the couch or on the plane. Finish before you arrive and your days in Cairns are spent in the water.
Train at Moore Reef
Skills in the sheltered training centre, then your open water training dives on the reef beside it. Small groups, an SSI instructor with you the whole way.
Get certified
Final exam, water fitness evaluation, and your SSI digital card lands on your phone — usually the same day. Recognised worldwide.
Why we teach SSI
SSI and PADI are both recognised worldwide, and the card you walk away with is the same either way: certified to 18 metres. What differs is how the course is taught.
Skip it, come back to it
SSI lets you leave a skill and return to it when you feel ready. If mask clearing takes you three goes, you move on and come back, rather than being stuck on it while the group waits. When you are new and a bit nervous, that matters more than it sounds.
4 students to 1 instructor
Small groups are the SSI standard and they are why there is time to do that. You are not one of twelve people waiting for a turn.
The agencies work together
Anything below Master level is interchangeable. Do your Open Water with us and your Advanced somewhere else, or arrive with a PADI card and keep going with SSI. Nothing you have already earned is wasted.
Questions everyone asks
What's the minimum age?
It depends on the programme. Introductory (non-certified) dives are 12 and up, which is the minimum Queensland's code of practice sets for non-certified diving. The SSI Open Water Diver course starts at 10: divers aged 10 and 11 are limited to 12 m and train in a smaller group: no more than 2 children aged 10 or 11 with one instructor, and no more than 4 people in the group. The Advanced Open Water and Diver Stress and Rescue courses are 12 and up. Anyone certified under 15 receives a Junior Diver certification and dives with a dive professional or a certified adult until they turn 15, when it upgrades automatically. Divers under 18 need a parent or guardian to sign a consent form and to be present.
Do I need a medical?
Every diver completes the RSTC Diver Medical questionnaire before getting in the water. All “no” answers and you're cleared to dive. Any “yes” needs a doctor's signature first — we send the form at booking so you can sort it at home.
Do I need to be able to swim?
For the Intro Reef Dive you need to be reasonably comfortable in the water — your instructor stays with you the whole dive. Certification courses include a swim evaluation.
How long before my flight home?
Allow at least 18 hours between your last dive and any flight. Don't book a course right up against your departure.
I certified with PADI years ago — can I do your courses?
Yes. PADI, SDI and NAUI certifications are recognised for our continuing education courses and refreshers.
Can I cancel or reschedule my course?
Yes. Free cancellation or rescheduling up to 5 days before your course commences.
When do courses start?
Open Water and Advanced Open Water are bookable now. Pick your dates on the course pages and you will see live availability for every departure. Diver Stress & Rescue runs on request — use the form on that page and our reservations team will come back to you with dates. Intro Reef Dive and Return to Diving can be booked now too.
What learning to dive here looks like
Ready when you are
Pick your dates and book online in a couple of minutes. Not sure yet? Leave your details and we'll answer your questions first — no pressure either way.
No payment, no obligation.
Before you book, have a read
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most about learning to dive.
How to Check a Dive School Is Actually Accredited
There is no government register of dive schools. How accreditation actually works, how to verify a centre, and the red flags that matter more than any certificate.
Nine Questions to Ask Any Dive Centre Before You Book a Course
Price is the easiest thing to compare between dive centres and the least useful. Nine questions that expose what actually differs – plus the one not worth asking.
Learning to Dive on the Reef vs in a Pool: What Actually Changes
Same certification either way. What changes is whether you spend your first nine dives cold and half-blind, or warm and able to see.
Scuba Diving Courses in Brisbane vs Cairns: Which Is Worth the Trip?
Brisbane has genuinely good training conditions, so the usual argument does not apply. What does apply is a two-hour flight and a World Heritage reef at the other end.
Scuba Diving Courses in Melbourne: Certify at Home or on the Reef?
Melbourne’s dive sites are world-class and its water is 13 degrees. An honest look at where to do your first dives, and the referral option most people miss.
Scuba Diving Courses in Sydney vs Certifying on the Great Barrier Reef
Same certification either way. An honest comparison of learning to dive in Sydney against certifying on the Great Barrier Reef — including what Sydney genuinely does better.