Getting certified in Kaş? Here's what you'll want to know: which SSI courses run, which bays the training uses, how many days it takes, where to stay and what to bring. Plus the wrecks and walls waiting for you afterwards.
Kaş has two strong points for a course. First, the water: with little river inflow it stays clear all year, so during skill practice you always see the bottom, your instructor and your buddy. Second, distance: the sheltered training bays and your post-certification targets are all within range of the same boat leaving the same harbour.
Kaş's character is depth and topography, so for a very first certification Fethiye's shallow, wide training water can be a slightly easier start. But if your goal is to get certified and dive the plane wreck or the Canyon in the same holiday, Kaş is the region that offers both in one place.
The centre we recommend is an SSI Diamond Center, so its catalogue is SSI. SSI cards are recognised by PADI and CMAS and accepted worldwide. The list below is the centre's published program set; the current schedule and prices come from the centre.
Your first step into the underwater world: in confined water, one to one with an instructor. A recognition rating, not a certification.
The skills to dive to 12 metres with an SSI professional. Two dives in one day; the program credits toward Scuba Diver or Open Water within 6 months.
For those without time for Open Water: qualifies you to dive in open water under a dive professional's supervision. Upgrades to Open Water with additional training.
The globally recognised entry certification. Personalised training and in-water practice make you truly comfortable underwater; afterwards you dive with a buddy anywhere.
For certified divers returning after a long break: you review your Open Water skills with an SSI professional and receive a recognition card.
You try deep diving and navigation plus three more specialties of your choice, one open-water training dive each. This is the path to deep sites like the plane wreck.
Recognising and managing stress, preventing accidents, handling emergencies properly. Many divers call it their most valuable course; it's also the first step on the professional path.
The first rung toward guiding; it requires logged dives and prerequisite certifications. If this is your goal, discuss the requirements with the centre.
Skill sessions and first sea dives run in sheltered, shallow bays. The centre picks the bay on the day, based on wind and sea.
A sheltered, calm bay: its shallows are the classic for try dives and training, its deeper reaches suit experienced divers. The intricate bottom earned it the nickname 'Stonehenge'.
Shallow reefs across the harbour; an easy dive with colourful marine life.
This is the reward for finishing a course in Kaş. Deep sites like the plane wreck and the Canyon need advanced certification, and the advanced course can be taken in the same place.
A transport plane sunk at 22 m as an artificial reef, Kaş's icon. A 29 m wingspan; cockpit and wings are legendary for photos, and the cargo bay is entered with a guide.
Glide between walls and passages; big pelagics can appear in the deep.
A replica of the Uluburun, the oldest shipwreck known, placed at 18 m in Hidayet Bay, with a scene at 15 m recreating the moment of its discovery. Home to groupers.
Colourful sponges, moray and octopus dens: the classic Kaş reef dive.
The steps are the same everywhere: theory, confined-water skills, open-water dives, assessment. The centre's published durations: Open Water fits comfortably in 3-4 days, the advanced level in about 2.
Start the digital materials at home and your days in Kaş are spent in the sea. Materials and the certification fee are included in the course.
Core skills are practised in shallow, calm water where you can see the bottom; Kaş's clarity is a real help here.
You apply what you learned on real dives. The boat leaves from Kaş Harbour; the bays are close.
After assessment you receive your internationally valid SSI card.
Staying in Kaş town is the most practical: the boat leaves from Kaş Harbour and most accommodation is within walking distance. If you're coming from nearby towns, the meeting point is still the harbour.
The closest airport is Dalaman, about 2 hours by car; from Antalya Airport the drive is about 3 hours. Bus and car-hire options run on both routes, and the D400 coastal road makes the drive part of the holiday.
Add a buffer day on top of the course's own length. If the sea closes for a day the program can shift, and not landing the last day of the course on the last day of your holiday is the safest plan.
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.
Ad: Blue Team Diving. Maceraya provides advertising and promotion services to this centre; you arrange the program, booking and payment directly with the centre.
Blue Team Diving has run diving programs in Kaş for many years and is an SSI Diamond Center: Diamond is the highest official partnership level SSI awards to a dive centre. You talk to them directly about programs, dates and prices; the centre takes the booking and the payment.
Blue Team Diving · SSI Diamond Center
