What a course is, which levels exist, how the systems differ, how many days it takes and where your card is accepted. Everything you need before you decide, told brand-neutrally.
We usually get back to you within 15 minutesA dive course is not a supervised holiday activity; it is structured training that turns you into a diver who can make their own decisions. The card you end up with is an international document that gets you air fills and rental gear at dive centres anywhere in the world.
The entry course usually fits in 3-4 days and the advanced level in about 2. Finish the theory digitally before you arrive and you spend more of it in the sea; we flex the schedule around your holiday with the centre.
The fundamentals: start at your own pace with digital materials, finish with the centre's instructor.
Practise equipment use and core skills in shallow, calm water.
Apply your skills on real sea dives.
After assessment you receive your internationally valid certification; we confirm in writing that materials and the fee are included.
The three major systems, SSI, PADI and CMAS, follow the same level logic and recognise each other's certifications. We recommend the centre that fits your plan and dates, not a brand; each card shows the level's brand equivalents.
SSI Try Scuba · PADI Discover Scuba Diving
Your first step into the underwater world: a one-to-one try dive in sheltered water with an instructor. No certificate is issued; the goal is a safe first taste. Details on our scuba diving page.
SSI Scuba Diver · PADI Scuba Diver
A shortened program for those without time for the full entry course: it qualifies you to dive under the supervision of a dive professional, and can later be upgraded to the full entry certification with additional training.
SSI Open Water Diver · PADI Open Water Diver · CMAS 1★
The globally recognised starting certification and most divers' first goal. After theory, confined-water skills and open-water dives, you earn a certification that lets you dive with a buddy anywhere in the world.
SSI Scuba Skills Update · PADI ReActivate
For certified divers returning after a break: you review core skills with an instructor, then join day trips with confidence. Most centres recommend it after a long time away from the sport.
SSI Advanced Adventurer · PADI Advanced Open Water · CMAS 2★
The next step after your entry certification: deep diving and navigation plus adventure dives chosen by interest broaden your experience and qualify you for deeper limits.
SSI Specialty · PADI Specialty
Deep, night, wreck, underwater photography, Nitrox… go deeper in whatever draws you. We check which specialties run at which centre for your dates and report back.
SSI Diver Stress & Rescue · PADI Rescue Diver
Learn to recognise stress, prevent accidents and handle emergencies properly; many divers call it their most valuable course. It's also a stepping stone on the professional path.
SSI Divemaster · PADI Divemaster · CMAS 3★
The first rung toward guiding and professional diving: it requires logged experience and prerequisite certifications. If this is your goal, we'll clarify the requirements and program with the right centre.
It's the most common question, and the short answer is: in day-to-day diving, very little. All three are internationally recognised, they accept each other's cards and their levels follow the same logic. Where they do diverge is the three rows below.
| SSI | PADI | CMAS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of the entry card | Open Water Diver | Open Water Diver | One Star Diver (1★) |
| Structure | Through a dive centre; training runs under the centre | Through dive centres and independent instructors | Federation and club based; in Türkiye through TSSF |
| Training materials | Digital, usually free access through the centre | Digital or printed, bought separately | Club and federation materials |
SSI, PADI and CMAS certifications are internationally recognised and accepted at dive centres worldwide. Your certification has no expiry date: once earned, it is yours for life.
In practice, centres ask divers returning after a long break to take a refresher; that is a safety habit, not a renewal requirement. Your records sit in the system's digital archive, so a lost card can be reissued.
Diamond Center is the highest official partnership level SSI (Scuba Schools International) awards to a dive centre; only a small number of centres meet its top standards across training quality, service, safety and regular activity. In every region it works in, Maceraya partners only with centres at this level: SSI Diamond or the equivalent standard in the PADI/CMAS systems. If we send you to a centre, it's because it clears that bar.
The exact price depends on the level, the dates, the group size and the centre, which is why we don't print a representative number here. Pick the program and we'll send you that centre's current quote, inclusions confirmed in writing, within minutes.
We confirm boat, equipment, instructor and VAT are included in every program; exact quote on WhatsApp within minutes. All 2026 programs →
Once you know what you're taking, the question becomes where. Bays, season, accommodation and the flow of the days change by region, and the region page walks through all of it.
Bays sheltered from the wind and shallow, calm training water, with walls just offshore for once you're certified. A comfortable region for a first certification.
Send us your date range and your goal; we'll build the program with the right centre.
The differences and equivalencies of the three training systems, and a guide to asking the right question: brand, or dive centre?
The holiday one-timer and the future hobby diver part ways on day one. Four questions to find out which path is yours.
Tell us your goal; we'll pick the system and the centre together and start planning today.
We usually get back to you within 15 minutes
