SSI Training Centre · Courses from 1 October 2026Become a certified diver
Study online at home, then three days at Moore Reef with four ocean training dives — every minute of it on the Great Barrier Reef. Dive anywhere in the world, to 18 metres, forever.
The certification that opens everything up
SSI Open Water Diver · ISO 24801-2
The certification that opens everything up. Study online at home, then three days at Moore Reef with four ocean training dives. Your skills sessions happen in our custom training centre built into the Moore Reef pontoon — enclosed, sheltered from wind, one to three metres deep, shallow enough to stand up in. Then you dive the reef right beside it. Your SSI digital card lands on your phone — valid for life, recognised worldwide.
Ages 10+ · Online + 3 days · Max 18 m · RSTC medical form · Valid for life
Your training happens on the reef
The only SSI Training Centre in Cairns where every course runs entirely on the Great Barrier Reef — no pool, no liveaboard, home every night.
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. Valid for life, recognised worldwide.
Questions everyone asks
What's the minimum age?
Ten for the Intro Reef Dive, the Open Water course and Return to Diving. Advanced and Rescue start at 12. Divers aged 10 and 11 are limited to 12 metres, and anyone under 15 is certified as a Junior Diver, diving with a dive professional or a certified adult until they turn 15.
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.
When do courses start?
1 October 2026. Register your interest below and you'll be the first to know when bookings open — founding-class spots will be limited while our instructors run small early groups.
Be first in the water
Bookings open soon. Leave your details and we'll email you the moment your course can be booked — before it's released anywhere else.
No payment, no obligation — just first access when bookings open.