SSI Scuba Skills Update + Moore ReefReturn to Diving
Certified, but it’s been a while? A couple of hours in the sheltered training area to get it all back — then straight out on the reef.
You did your course somewhere warm in 2019 and have not been in since. Or you have 50 dives logged and nothing in the last three years. Either way you are standing on the pontoon feeling less certain than you would like.
Return to Diving is the SSI Scuba Skills Update. A couple of hours with an instructor on the training platform in our dive training centre, working back through the skills until it all comes back — which it will, faster than you think. Then you go straight out on a guided dive on Moore Reef with your instructor beside you.
It is an add-on to your Moore Reef day cruise rather than a course of its own, so the rest of the day is unchanged. Buffet lunch, the glass bottom boat, the semi-submersible, and whoever you came with doing all of it while you dive.
Do you need a refresher?
No rule forces you into one. This is simply what we suggest, and what most dive crews anywhere in the world will ask you about before they put you in the water.
| Since your last dive | What we suggest |
|---|---|
| Under 6 months | Probably not needed. Book the guided certified dive and come diving. |
| 6 to 12 months | Worth it if you are feeling rusty, or if you have only ever dived on holiday. |
| Over 12 months | Do it. Most dive centres, including ours, will ask for a Scuba Skills Update at this point. |
Not sure where you sit?
Tell us when you book how long it has been and roughly how many dives you have logged. If we think you do not need the refresher, we will tell you so and put you straight on a guided dive instead.
The things that go first
Your instructor works through these with you on the training platform, in shallow sheltered water, at whatever pace you need. Nothing is timed and nothing is tested. You move on when you are comfortable, not when the clock says so.
Kitting up
Assembling your gear and running your pre-dive checks until it is second nature again.
Mask and regulator
Clearing your mask and recovering your regulator, without the adrenaline.
Buoyancy and weighting
Usually the first thing to go, and the thing that protects the coral. Weighting, trim, and holding a hover.
Air sharing
Sharing air with a buddy, calmly and in the right order.
Descents and equalising
Getting down the line slowly and comfortably, ears and all.
Signals and planning
Hand signals, buddy checks, and how a dive is briefed and planned out here.
How the day runs
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8.45–9.45am | Check in at the Sunlover desk, Reef Fleet Terminal, 1 Spence St, Cairns. Check-in closes at 9.45am and boarding is not held. |
| 10.15am | Depart Cairns. Ninety minutes out to the reef, with morning tea on the way. |
| 11.45am | Arrive at the Moore Reef pontoon. Safety and dive briefing, paperwork checked, gear fitted. |
| Late morning | Your Scuba Skills Update on the training platform, in shallow sheltered water beneath the pontoon. |
| Afternoon | Your guided dive on the reef beside the pontoon, with your instructor. Buffet lunch is served midday. |
| 3.45pm | Depart Moore Reef. Afternoon tea on the way home. |
| 5.30pm | Back at the Cairns Marina. |
What it costs
| What | Detail | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Scuba Skills Update + 1 guided dive | Added to your Moore Reef day cruise | $228 |
| Moore Reef day cruise | Booked at the standard adult or child fare | Additional |
From $545 all up with an adult reef fare. Book your Moore Reef day and choose Certified Scuba (Refresher + 1 Dive) under DIVING Experiences.
Included with the dive
Your SSI instructor, the Scuba Skills Update, all scuba equipment, and one guided dive on Moore Reef.
Included with the day
Snorkelling gear and wetsuit, glass bottom boat, semi-submersible, underwater observatory, waterslide, enclosed ocean pool, buffet lunch, morning and afternoon tea.
Not included
Your Moore Reef day cruise fare, which is booked separately, and anything from the bar.
Certified divers, any agency
You need an entry-level certification or better. SSI, PADI, NAUI, CMAS, BSAC, SDI — it makes no difference to us. Bring your card, or a screenshot of it from your dive app. If you cannot find it, tell us when you book and we will do what we can to track it down before you travel.
Minimum age is 12. Divers aged 12 to 14 dive to a maximum of 18 metres and dive with a dive professional or a certified adult.
You complete the SSI Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire as part of our forms in the free SSI app, so anything on it can be sorted at home rather than at the terminal on the morning of your trip.
Plans can change
Free cancellation or rescheduling up to 24 hours before your session.
Back in, at your own pace
Common questions
How long does the refresher take?
About two hours in the water on the training platform, plus the briefing beforehand. You dive the same day, on the same trip — there is no second visit and no extra day in Cairns.
Do I get a new certification?
No, and you do not need one. Recreational diving certifications do not expire, so the one you already hold still stands. The Scuba Skills Update is a refresher that gets you comfortable again, not a course that replaces it.
I cannot find my certification card.
Tell us when you book. Most agencies can reissue a digital card through their app within a day or two, and we will help you chase it. We cannot put you in the water as a certified diver without proof of certification.
Should I do this or the Intro Reef Dive?
The Intro Reef Dive is for people who have never been certified and dive with an instructor holding on. If you hold a certification, Return to Diving is the one — you will go further, do more, and be treated as the diver you already are.
How deep will we go?
Your guided dive is planned to the depth you are certified and comfortable for. Moore Reef is shallow, sheltered reef diving, so most dives sit well inside recreational limits with plenty to look at the whole way.
Do I need my own equipment?
No. All scuba equipment is included. Bring your own mask and dive computer if you have them and prefer your own, but nothing is required.
Can my family come if they do not dive?
Yes, and most do. They book the same Moore Reef day and snorkel, take the glass bottom boat or the semi-submersible, or stay dry on the sundeck while you are down there.
What if I get seasick?
Tell us when you book. The pontoon is a fixed, stable platform and the training platform sits beneath it, sheltered on every side, so the skills session is a far easier environment than a moving boat.
Ready to get back in the water?
Book your Moore Reef day and choose Certified Scuba (Refresher + 1 Dive) under DIVING Experiences — $228 per person on top of your reef day fare.