Half-Day Aruba Intro Diving Course for Beginners

Aruba

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Experience scuba diving in Aruba during a half-day introductory course, and explore a shallow reef or one of the island’s legendary shipwrecks. Learn the basics of equipment and safety in a classroom and pool, then head for open water. Practice buoyancy and communication while swimming alongside a dive instructor and discover vibrant fish and brilliant coral as you dive the Caribbean Sea for the first time.

Introductory diving lesson in Aruba
Class instruction, pool session, and open water dive
Discover the underwater marine species of Aruba
No previous experience is necessary

What's Included

Instruction Session
All dive equipment
Open water dive
Water

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piet's Pier Bar
J.E. Irausquin Blvd 85, Noord, Aruba
Meet us 30 minutes prior to your tour at our equipment room on Piet's Pier between the Barcelo and Hyatt Regency on Palm Beach.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

What To Expect

Red Sail Sports Aruba

Pedernales

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Safety Precautions: All participants are subject to medical clearance and may be asked to complete a medical questionnaire. In order to scuba dive safely, you must be in moderately good physical health. Your respiratory and circulatory systems must be in good condition. All body air spaces must be normal and healthy. Individuals with heart problems, colds or congestion, epilepsy, asthma, or individuals under the influence of alcohol or drugs should not dive. If you are pregnant or think you may be, please talk with your doctor before participating in this activity. If taking medication, consult your doctor before participating in this program. Tour operator has the right to refuse service to anyone who does not meet these basic physical requirements. It is also a safety requirement that you do not snorkel or scuba dive the same day that you fly; please schedule your scuba activity accordingly.
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for child aged 10 and under
Near public transportation

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 4 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Christine_D

This experience was fabulous. The team made our 14 year old super comfortable with her first ever scuba dive. The training in the pool was informative and the perfect amount of time and support. The dive itself was incredible and we saw turtles, eels, and more. The team was very friendly and helpful with communication prior and during. Would highly recommend this tour!

Reviews

4.4

based on 99 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Wow

Wes_W, Feb 2026

Great experience, the instructor was excellent. I always felt safe in the pool or the ocean. If you ever thought of giving diving a try this instructor and boat crew are the people to do it with. It was a wonderful experience.

Perfect First Dive Experience

Christine_D, Jan 2026

Great lesson for beginners

Jessica_F, Nov 2025

Great scuba instructor- he was very patient with my kids. They all made it to the open water dive and loved it.

Must do experience on the island!

Maryellen_W, Oct 2025

This is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. I really appreciated our dive instructor, as he made us feel safe throughout the entire experience (I was definitely anxious). We saw everything from octopus, to rays, to tons of tropical fish, lobster, shrimp, and more. It was really a magical experience and I highly recommend if you’re on the island. It’s a great way to be introduced to the concept of scuba diving in an environment that takes away a lot of the fear. It was a lovely baby step into diving that I think I’m going to absolutely explore more in the future.

Dwayne and Mel's Great Adventure.

Melanie_P, Mar 2025

Absolutely fantastic experience. Lennart (Leonard) was wonderful, professional, calm, patient. He emphasized calmness from the moment we met. We had plenty of practice in the pool and tons of reinforcement of information prior to diving in. All safety measures in place. Our dive was beautiful, and we didn't have complications, but I would have felt safe with Lennart as a guide, if something did go wrong. Lennart took beautiful photos and videos that he shared with us. We saw 3 sea turtles, tons of beautiful marine life, puffers, Sgt Majors, Blue Tang, many. many schools of fish all around us. We ended our journey safely with a cameo appearance of a Spotted Eagle Ray. Tons of value for want they charge for this trip. Remarkable. Say 'yes' to this experience if you've always wanted to try Scuba! Maybe you will get Lennart...but all the other Dive Masters were very kind, thorough and capable all around us!

Must do

katy_s, Mar 2025

First time diving experience. We are not certified (yet) but wanted to see how we would enjoy it. My husband and I absolutely loved it. We went to the pool first to get comfortable with the equipment and skills. Once we were ready we went to the boat. We got to dive around and old ship wreck site. The instructor was great at making sure I felt comfortable. He stayed within arms reach during the whole dive. We got to see a turtle, eel, and multiple beautiful fish. We can’t wait to dive again.

Go elsewhere.

Heidy_M, Aug 2024

No one came to great us for over an hour. Our excursion was supposed to start at 1pm and they didn’t check us in until 140 pm. Then the lady who checked us in I believe her name is steward Was absolutely rude ! My daughter filled out the medical card and stated she had intestinal issues (she’s lactose intolerant and refuses to stop eating cheeses so her tummy always hurts her) and they refused to allow her to scuba dive . I asked for a refund for her and they stated because I booked with viator they cannot . So I went to viator link and requested a refund . They straight lied to viator and stated that my daughter was allowed to participate when she wasn’t ! I did this excursion with my husband back in March and didn’t have this issue with the company. Will not do this excursion again .

You won’t regret it !

Heidy_M, Mar 2024

If you are on the fence about scuba diving just do it ! I was so nervous and our instructor helped to ease my anxiety during our pool practice and before getting into the ocean . Very knowledgeable as he has been doing this for 40 plus years! I cannot wait to come back to Aruba and do this experience again .

Very Nice and Easy Dive

Jose_S, Jan 2024

Dive in Aruba was excellent, clear vision, supper clean water, lot of marine life, including seas turtles. I recommend this dive to any individual interested on learning or just having one-time experience. Carlos the instructor was very clear and super nice explaining the basics. The dive went well.

We had a AWESOME time

Bryan_H, Dec 2023

This was our first time scuba diving and it was AWESOME. Carl is an excellent teacher. He made us feel comfortable and was very patient and attentive during our dive. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to experience diving.

Awesome adventure.

Ed_W, Sep 2023

The guide/instructor, Danny, was great. He was patient and informative. The Captain was very professional and knew what he was doing. This tour opened a whole underground world up to me and I am so thankful I was able to see it. Kind folks and an unbelievable adventure. Highly recommend.

Awesome Experience!

Tony_M, Jun 2023

The instructor was great! Really knowledgeable and very helpful! Took us out to see a shipwreck…unforgettable experience!

Unbeliever and fantastic

Nathaniel_M, Jun 2023

Absolutely MUST DO! Company was great! The I strut or and captain were fantastic! No complaints or issues at all, will be getting my open water this year! Awesome wreck and tons and tons of fish and turtles and even a Moray Eel!

Unexplained Delay

BJmarwitz, May 2023

Our paper work told us to meet at the Red Sail location at 1230 pm. When we arrived no one was there. The captain and diver instructor arrived a few minutes later. At 1:00 pm the dive instructor told us that the red sail employee with our paperwork was supposed to be there as well. At 115 the captain said he called the Red Sail manager and was told the employee was on the way. The employee arrived at 130 with no apology or explanation. Once our excursion began, the captain and dive instructor were amazing. If not for the unexplained delay, and the lack of any acknowledgement of wasting our time, I would have given this 5 stars and recommended it to everyone.

Great experience and knowledgeable teacher!!

Thomas_B, Jan 2023

Great experience and knowledgeable teacher!! Saw many species of fish, turtles and a shipwreck! Everyone loved the dive!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Dear Thomas, Thank you for making Red Sail Sports Aruba your dive institute of choice to learn the first steps of safe diving. We are happy to know that we have surpassed your expectations in all aspects of our facility and knowledge delivery. As you have outlined, the uniqueness of this experience lies in the fact that our Aruba has many excellent dive sites, including those that are very accessible for beginner divers. Continue with the diving, as there are many more beautiful sites to explore. Stay well,

Disappointed

Rebecca_M, Dec 2022

We weren’t allowed to participate. I’ve waited so long to do a dive in the Caribbean and this just ruined our vacation. So disappointed.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Dear Rebecca, We appreciate that you took the time to leave this review for us on Tripadvisor. We can certainly understand your disappointment in not being able to dive together with your son. As we are in the business of diving, we love nothing more than to teach everyone how to dive safely. IN your situation, the Dive instructor noticed that your son was coughing quite a bit after coming out of the pool, he mentioned this to you and explained that diving with a cold would not be the best combination for a safe and comfortable dive. You both agreed that the dive should be postponed to another day. I hope this day will be soon, so you both are able to explore the beautifull marine life there is to see. Happy Holidays!

Awesome intro to Scuba

Scott_G, Dec 2022

We were in Aruba for 2 weeks, and this is one of the highlights of our trip. My 12 yo son and I did the intro to scuba; included some didactic, pool time to get familiar with equipment, and a boat dive on a wreck to 25’. Max of 4 people, we had 3. Carl was great, calm and professional. Highly recommend. The company is Red Sail, on palm beach, and you could save about $10 each by booking directly through them. Very reasonable at about $100 each, about a 4 hour experience

Best Experience Ever

Natalia_A, Oct 2022

We had a wonderful time! We were able to learn everything pretty easily thanks to her being an excellent teacher and it was just such a beautiful experience that we are going to do again before leaving Aruba

Karl the divemaster provides great memories!

Rob_S, Sep 2022

Karl was hilarious, helpful, and easy to dive with. I absolutely look forward to returning to Aruba now that I'm certified, so we can explore additional places in the area! Hopefully he's still around when I return!

We caught a Wahoo on our...

saoirse_m, Sep 2022

We caught a Wahoo on our trip! Our trip was very fun and we will be coming back tor sure on out next trip!

Waiting, waiting and more waiting to have a memorable experience

George_S, Aug 2022

It was a rough start as I arrived 30 minutes before the start as instructed and was not acknowledged by any Red Sail staff as they walked past and proceeded to have their lunch on the pier. Over an hour later we were finally greeted by someone and given paperwork to fill out. After the pool session we had to wait again for about an hour for the dive boat to get back from another trip. Eventually, got to do dive with my son for his first time. It is a very short experience on the boat and the dive was memorable but short also.

Great Scuba!

Christopher_B, Aug 2022

First time for my daughter to dive. Manny was very helpful and professional throughout the entire trip. Highly recommend!

Awesome dive

Wendy_K, Jul 2022

Great and save introduction to diving. First a practise in the swimming pool and then an 8 meter dive to a shipwreck. Seen some turtles.’only 5 minutes with the boat

Great experience

Lily_M, Jul 2022

Great experience! Friendly crew! Took us to a shipwreck, seen so many different fish! Worth every penny!

Wonderful introduction to SCUBA

dycy, Jun 2022

This was a great tour and a wonderful introduction to SCUBA. Freddy was our instructor and we lucked out that it was just my son, myself and Freddy. You need to take a quick course online prior to meeting (10 minutes top) We spent some time in the pool going over a few techniques to get comfortable We then awaited the boat and went out to a wreck that was only 3 minutes away. It was 20-25 feet deep, super clear water and it was WARM!!! Freddy showed us around. It was very relaxed, great sights, lots of fish. If you like snorkeling - this is a great thing to add to it. Also if you are staying at or near the Hyatt - it leaves right from the pier.

Must Book in Aruba

Vladlen_V, May 2022

This was an incredible experience, the instructor, Manny, did a phenomenal job. We did a crash course scuba lesson And then once we were comfortable, we went straight to the real Diving. We took a boat out to see the pedernales shipwreck.

Response from Host, May 2022

Dear Vladlen_V, Thank you very much for your recent review of your scuba diving lesson with Manuel. I'm so pleased to hear that you had such a good experience learning the scuba diving skills and enjoyed all the marine life at the Pedernalis dive site. Please continue with diving whenever you get the opportunity. The ocean needs more ambassadors to protect it. We hope to welcome you back to Aruba again soon. Stay well,

Amazing Dive

Joani_M, Apr 2022

We had an amazing time diving with Ernie! He made me feel super comfortable and we cannot wait to do it again!

Everything I had hoped for.

Anthony_A, Mar 2022

I went as a solo diver for my very first scuba dive and I was a bit skittish at first. But under the careful care of Laurent (sp?) in the pool and then Lisa on the actual dive, it really was one of the most memorable experiences on any of my travels. We swam with sea turtles and so many schools of fish just at arm's length - the whole rainbow really. It was a great introductory to scuba diving and I can't wait to go back and dive again and again.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Dear Anthon, Thank you very much for taking the time to share feedback about your diving experience with us, and I am delighted that all areas met your expectations. Safety and Service are at the heart of everything we do; therefore, I am happy to know that you felt so well looked after by Leendert and Lisa, two great Dive Professionals. We sincerely look forward to welcoming you back for another memorable stay in Aruba, and please continue to dive; there is a lot of beautiful marine life still to be explored. Stay well, Peter

Hell to tha yeaaaahhhh

Verenis_H, Oct 2021

What an amazing experience!!! Ernie was a great instructor, very patient as I was a first time diver. He instructed us every step of the way, made sure I was comfortable, and kept us close. Shipwreck and marine life was dope! 110% recommend!!!