Whitsunday Diving Academy
Whitsunday Diving Academy
Whitsunday Diving Academy
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About
At the Whitsunday Diving Academy we specialise in teaching diving. We don't compromise when it comes to providing the best instructors and thorough curriculum. Affiliation with PADI - offering a full range of courses. One of the best equipped scuba training centres in Queensland. Small and compact groups for individual attention to all participants. Extensive pool training for beginners at their “own pace.” Flexible schedules and “work hours.” Constant communication and feedback towards “Continuing Education” in SCUBA diving. The Whitsunday Diving Academy is committed to: Water Safety: Our visitor orientation initiative in conjunction with Royal Lifesaving Queensland and the Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association; Starting them Young: Our School and Youth oriented programs aimed at developing responsible eco-tourism and awareness while incorporating related school syllabus in diving courses to offer in-depth and hands on practical knowledge; Scuba Diver Education: All our dive courses are to the highest standard. Careers in Diving: We have dedicated programs towards becoming a Dive Pro! Marine Conservation and Education: Through Forums and Awareness programs focusing on the health, state and protection of our Blue Planet.
Jubilee Pocket, Queensland, Australia
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Whitsunday Diving Academy
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
19 reviews
Excellent
15
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
3
sapiontek91
Whitsunday Islands, Australia1 contribution
Jul 2017 • Friends
The entire crew at the Whitsunday Diving Academy was nothing but accommodating. The diving instructor, Tom, was very knowledgeable and always ready to answer all questions. I believe my classmates and I were given the highest quality learning during the four day course. It was a fun and exciting course, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in becoming PADI Open Water Certified. Very enjoyable experience!
Written July 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz
Naples, FL17 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
I recently completed a PADI Open Water Certification with Whitsunday Diving Academy and had an awesome experience. Tom runs a very thorough and professional course and he is super knowledgable about diving in the Whitsundays as well as around the world. The team is really passionate about what they do and seemed to go out of their way to make sure we had an enjoyable experience. The facilities are really well maintained and they have heaps of equipment so there's something for everyone. I feel very prepared to go on more dives after taking this course and am looking forward to diving with these guys again. Thanks Tom, Billie, Chris....and everyone else I forgot, we hope to see you again soon!!
Written July 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Danielle R
London, UK50 contributions
Jun 2017 • Solo
I stayed at the Whitsundays Diving Academy while I completed the practical aspects of my PADI open water diver. The team were very friendly and welcoming. The dive centre was not very busy so the teaching felt very personal and tailored to my needs. Additionally the owner, Chris, picked me up and dropped me off after my course and let me use the laundry facilities.
Although the second dive day was called off due to currents and poor visibility the team took me out the following day so that I could complete my certification before I left Airlie Beach.
While it is evident cyclone Debbie has done a lot of damage (to the reef and to Airlie) the team were able to find dive sites that were still full of life and really exciting for a first time diver.
I would highly recommend this place to any level of diver!
Although the second dive day was called off due to currents and poor visibility the team took me out the following day so that I could complete my certification before I left Airlie Beach.
While it is evident cyclone Debbie has done a lot of damage (to the reef and to Airlie) the team were able to find dive sites that were still full of life and really exciting for a first time diver.
I would highly recommend this place to any level of diver!
Written June 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Torakiki85
Sydney, Australia25 contributions
Feb 2017 • Friends
I spent 3 days in Airlie beach and I came with my cousin for her birthday and was a disaster! When we arrived to the diving we saw the smallest boat ever, it was just for 8/10 people and I didn't expect it because on the website was way much bigger!
After that they gave us the equipment, I was supposed to dive and my cousin to snorkel but we found out that she was the only one to do it and she didn't want to do it alone so I decided to don't dive to stay with her. On top of that they didn't give us the stinger suit but the wetsuits to dive so it was completely difficult and impossible to snorkel with it!!! When we ask why they didn't give us the right one they said "This is the company, we don't have it so use the other one".
Because they were all diving and we didn't want to spend the day on a boat where we couldn't even lay on it they left us on a small beach on hook island for hours without food or drink,we didn't get nothing to eat from 7 o'clock until 16 o'clock time that we went back!! We also asked for vegetarian and no dairy meal days before via mail because we have several allergies and when we went on the boat they said "Oh there is only food with meat and cheese, if you don't want it just push it on a side". WE HAVE ALLERGIES! We cant eat that food because we get sick also by contact!!!
At the end of the day I asked a refund for the snorkelling part ($160 to do NOTHING!) and they gave me $20 cash for the food that we didn't eat and the guy pushed me away form the stairs saying that I had to leave and go away! They ruined my whole day and my cousin's birthday!!
I've been in Australia for one year and this is the first time that I've been treated like this! Disrespectful and rude people!
After that they gave us the equipment, I was supposed to dive and my cousin to snorkel but we found out that she was the only one to do it and she didn't want to do it alone so I decided to don't dive to stay with her. On top of that they didn't give us the stinger suit but the wetsuits to dive so it was completely difficult and impossible to snorkel with it!!! When we ask why they didn't give us the right one they said "This is the company, we don't have it so use the other one".
Because they were all diving and we didn't want to spend the day on a boat where we couldn't even lay on it they left us on a small beach on hook island for hours without food or drink,we didn't get nothing to eat from 7 o'clock until 16 o'clock time that we went back!! We also asked for vegetarian and no dairy meal days before via mail because we have several allergies and when we went on the boat they said "Oh there is only food with meat and cheese, if you don't want it just push it on a side". WE HAVE ALLERGIES! We cant eat that food because we get sick also by contact!!!
At the end of the day I asked a refund for the snorkelling part ($160 to do NOTHING!) and they gave me $20 cash for the food that we didn't eat and the guy pushed me away form the stairs saying that I had to leave and go away! They ruined my whole day and my cousin's birthday!!
I've been in Australia for one year and this is the first time that I've been treated like this! Disrespectful and rude people!
Written February 19, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
artichoke32
Sydney, Australia3 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
Not answering the phones for over a day or responding to messages should have given us the idea but this place looked like it was going to be worth it!
I went as an experienced diver with my partner, who has never dived before. We made it clear that we wanted to do our dives together as Introductory dives and were told this was no problem. She would go through her basic skills at the pool in the morning.
We arranged to do 3 dives and were offered a pickup the next day. Be very clear about your address and get the number of the driver as we had issues getting picked up.
The setup at the dive academy was good and it seems like a great idea to get your wetsuit etc organised before you go on the boat, but that system doesn't work when you dont get to try on or test your equipment before you leave. Wetsuit doesn't fit? too bad, you're going to be cold. Reg leaking? Have a nice day snorkelling.
They skipped teaching the skills at the pool because we didnt have time and my partner would be taught out in the water.
We were told to use the bathroom now as there is no toilet on the boat! You're going to be on the boat all day (or so we thought) and if you need to use the bathroom you'll have to do it hanging off the back. While this is embarrassing and I would imagine not what you're supposed to do in a marine area, it is also extremely dangerous because the skipper at least twice turned the motor back on while someone was next to it in the water.
Lunch is a sandwich and some mixed lollies....nothing wrong with that but when the guys dropped the box of lollies they scooped them back up with one guy throwing them overboard and the other back into the box....not sure which was worse to see.
The biggest issue: SAFETY! My partner had to do her skills in deep water hanging onto a mooring line with the boat banging against her back. The next thing we know we are descending and go straight to 10m, with the dive taking us to 12m. For a person who has never done SCUBA in their life before.
The instructor led from the front at a distance and rarely checked back, he was busy diving for himself and trying to find cool swimthroughs and overhangs, while I held on to my partners hand and tried to keep her calm and control her BCD myself. When we didn't want to do the swimthroughs/small caves he seemed annoyed and just went in himself.
These people are a danger and I hope no-one gets hurt due to their negligence. You can do better.
My partner was too upset by the experience to want to do another dive. She was going to snorkel for one dive and then see if she was comfortable to come on a more sensible third dive after the break.
This is when we found out that there wasn't enough tanks or time to do 3 dives...see there were 6 staff diving and 4 guests, and the girlfriend of one of the instructors needed to get back to work so we were headed back early, and due to all the staff diving there wasn't enough air available despite them promising me there would be when I asked about how few tanks were onboard earlier in the day.
So it was a quick snorkel for my partner and a bleak dive in a colourless area for me (having spoken to some other skippers they couldn't believe we were taken to this bay which was worst hit after the cyclone...but it was just laziness) we were then absolutely racing back to the mainland at top speed with everyone getting soaked and freezing so that the instructors girlfriend could be back at work in time.
Because that's the most important thing.
Don't do it to yourselves. Find another operation.
I went as an experienced diver with my partner, who has never dived before. We made it clear that we wanted to do our dives together as Introductory dives and were told this was no problem. She would go through her basic skills at the pool in the morning.
We arranged to do 3 dives and were offered a pickup the next day. Be very clear about your address and get the number of the driver as we had issues getting picked up.
The setup at the dive academy was good and it seems like a great idea to get your wetsuit etc organised before you go on the boat, but that system doesn't work when you dont get to try on or test your equipment before you leave. Wetsuit doesn't fit? too bad, you're going to be cold. Reg leaking? Have a nice day snorkelling.
They skipped teaching the skills at the pool because we didnt have time and my partner would be taught out in the water.
We were told to use the bathroom now as there is no toilet on the boat! You're going to be on the boat all day (or so we thought) and if you need to use the bathroom you'll have to do it hanging off the back. While this is embarrassing and I would imagine not what you're supposed to do in a marine area, it is also extremely dangerous because the skipper at least twice turned the motor back on while someone was next to it in the water.
Lunch is a sandwich and some mixed lollies....nothing wrong with that but when the guys dropped the box of lollies they scooped them back up with one guy throwing them overboard and the other back into the box....not sure which was worse to see.
The biggest issue: SAFETY! My partner had to do her skills in deep water hanging onto a mooring line with the boat banging against her back. The next thing we know we are descending and go straight to 10m, with the dive taking us to 12m. For a person who has never done SCUBA in their life before.
The instructor led from the front at a distance and rarely checked back, he was busy diving for himself and trying to find cool swimthroughs and overhangs, while I held on to my partners hand and tried to keep her calm and control her BCD myself. When we didn't want to do the swimthroughs/small caves he seemed annoyed and just went in himself.
These people are a danger and I hope no-one gets hurt due to their negligence. You can do better.
My partner was too upset by the experience to want to do another dive. She was going to snorkel for one dive and then see if she was comfortable to come on a more sensible third dive after the break.
This is when we found out that there wasn't enough tanks or time to do 3 dives...see there were 6 staff diving and 4 guests, and the girlfriend of one of the instructors needed to get back to work so we were headed back early, and due to all the staff diving there wasn't enough air available despite them promising me there would be when I asked about how few tanks were onboard earlier in the day.
So it was a quick snorkel for my partner and a bleak dive in a colourless area for me (having spoken to some other skippers they couldn't believe we were taken to this bay which was worst hit after the cyclone...but it was just laziness) we were then absolutely racing back to the mainland at top speed with everyone getting soaked and freezing so that the instructors girlfriend could be back at work in time.
Because that's the most important thing.
Don't do it to yourselves. Find another operation.
Written October 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sebastian P
Gothenburg, Sweden51 contributions
Dec 2016 • Solo
If everything goes as it should, then this is certainly a really good diving center.
But much can go wrong with diving, and if something goes wrong, you can expect the owner and the boss will not care at all about you! Everting is about money... I always avoid companies that ignore on their customers / guest when it comes to the end.
I wanted to complain, the owner refused to come out of his office and talk to me and the boss was really unpleasant, on the verge of threatening.
My complaint is that they lied to me when booking, when I booked everything was peace and ok.
When I got there, the boat was broken, which it was not true. The boat was on reperation. It all ended that I had to make my two dives from the beach. I needed my ceritifkat and just had to like the situation ..?
That whitsunday ignore on me as a customer is very sad as this could have been a good experience. I got my certificate, my instructor was really good and I was having fun. But that's when things do not go as it should; that's when companies show their right face.
There are many other dive centers in the area, choose them!
But much can go wrong with diving, and if something goes wrong, you can expect the owner and the boss will not care at all about you! Everting is about money... I always avoid companies that ignore on their customers / guest when it comes to the end.
I wanted to complain, the owner refused to come out of his office and talk to me and the boss was really unpleasant, on the verge of threatening.
My complaint is that they lied to me when booking, when I booked everything was peace and ok.
When I got there, the boat was broken, which it was not true. The boat was on reperation. It all ended that I had to make my two dives from the beach. I needed my ceritifkat and just had to like the situation ..?
That whitsunday ignore on me as a customer is very sad as this could have been a good experience. I got my certificate, my instructor was really good and I was having fun. But that's when things do not go as it should; that's when companies show their right face.
There are many other dive centers in the area, choose them!
Written July 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlanVicci
5 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
Ian, Wayne and their team are the friendliest and most organised crew I've dived with in 25 years. They are very professional and safety is paramount to their operation. All of your needs will be met regardless of your diving experience and being a teaching academy means no detail is left out no matter how small. They have their own teaching pool on site, so if you require a refresher as my wife and I did, an hour the day before gets you going again. Good value for money and they even dropped us back at our hotel. I would highly recommend Whitsunday Dive Academy if you're looking for a great day out.
Written April 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjukes4
Melbourne, Australia67 contributions
Apr 2014 • Solo
This is an absolutely first rate team who provide PADI lessons and a wonderful experience.
Waded through the reviews of Dive Academy in Airlie and Greg Nadine and Wayne provided the best responses - and they lived up to expectations when I got there.
Wayne is simply the most patient and knowledgeable teacher I've come across in 50 years - and a great guy to boot. He took a concerned diver with problems passing the practical part of the open Water Certificate and after two lessons in the pool had me diving like a (cautious) porpoise. His ability to quickly identify what was holding me back - and fix it - has opened up the world of diving for me.
Nadine was a font of information and unflappable. Her pre arrival and post departure service and her ability to deal with silly questions from a novice has been a treat
Even the tail end of a cyclone did not deter them. Final lessons were postponed but delivered and Wayne's dives on the program all had special moments and were full of creatures and a real learning experience.
During the course, and the delay, stayed at the Academy. Accommodation is basic but adequate (and plans are in place to take it up a notch or two) But it was clean, comfortable and the bed was just excellent. There's wifi, a lounge and a full kitchen (where people leave your food alone). The people going through on courses and dives were memorable.
And - through their connection to MS Kiana - Greg booked me into an unforgettable adventure (see separate review)
Airlie will never be my favourite place but Wayne, Nadine, Greg and the crew are now favourite people and I'll get back there at the first opportunity.
In a nutshell - 5 for diving and instruction, 5 for the people, 31/2 for accommodation
Waded through the reviews of Dive Academy in Airlie and Greg Nadine and Wayne provided the best responses - and they lived up to expectations when I got there.
Wayne is simply the most patient and knowledgeable teacher I've come across in 50 years - and a great guy to boot. He took a concerned diver with problems passing the practical part of the open Water Certificate and after two lessons in the pool had me diving like a (cautious) porpoise. His ability to quickly identify what was holding me back - and fix it - has opened up the world of diving for me.
Nadine was a font of information and unflappable. Her pre arrival and post departure service and her ability to deal with silly questions from a novice has been a treat
Even the tail end of a cyclone did not deter them. Final lessons were postponed but delivered and Wayne's dives on the program all had special moments and were full of creatures and a real learning experience.
During the course, and the delay, stayed at the Academy. Accommodation is basic but adequate (and plans are in place to take it up a notch or two) But it was clean, comfortable and the bed was just excellent. There's wifi, a lounge and a full kitchen (where people leave your food alone). The people going through on courses and dives were memorable.
And - through their connection to MS Kiana - Greg booked me into an unforgettable adventure (see separate review)
Airlie will never be my favourite place but Wayne, Nadine, Greg and the crew are now favourite people and I'll get back there at the first opportunity.
In a nutshell - 5 for diving and instruction, 5 for the people, 31/2 for accommodation
Written May 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John S
Melbourne, Australia2 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
Did my advanced open water with them. They were really accommodating with timing and the instruction was very good. We had to defer one days diving because it was too windy so i was happy to see that they prioritised safety over just getting the course done. Diving locations were really good. Would happily go back.
Written July 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scubanation
Cambodia34 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
As Dive Centre owners ourselves, it's always nice to come across a Dive Centre as well run as this one. From the Course Director Wayne, who we saw in action running his IDC, to Candy who ran the boat trips and our DM (sorry - can't remember his name) - all were excellent. If you want to scuba dive the islands from Airlie Beach as opposed to doing a gloryfied snorkelling trip with a dive added on as very overlooked part of the trip, then you need to go with these guys.
We did 3 dives on a day trip from Airlie Beach to 2 different islands, and although the vis wasn't the best, we still found enough to entertain ourselves. In fact, we only booked for 2 dives and the 3rd was a bonus which we gladly grabbed.
We had a good look around the brand-new classrooms and the huge training pools. There's a lot of investment and thought gone into this Dive Centre and a major refurbishment was nearly complete when we were there. Loved the way it was run by the staff, so if you're interested in diving, learning to dive or going professional, we would unhesitatingly recommend these guys.
We did 3 dives on a day trip from Airlie Beach to 2 different islands, and although the vis wasn't the best, we still found enough to entertain ourselves. In fact, we only booked for 2 dives and the 3rd was a bonus which we gladly grabbed.
We had a good look around the brand-new classrooms and the huge training pools. There's a lot of investment and thought gone into this Dive Centre and a major refurbishment was nearly complete when we were there. Loved the way it was run by the staff, so if you're interested in diving, learning to dive or going professional, we would unhesitatingly recommend these guys.
Written January 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jhutlock
Austin, Texas
I am a certified diver in the US. Does Australia have any additional requirements for divers.
Written July 9, 2016
If you are PADI diver in the USA you are qualified to dive in Australia. I do not think that there are any other requirements. The only thing is how recently have you dived? Some dive resorts ask you to conduct some skills before you dive i you haven't dived in the last year.
Written August 18, 2017
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