Scuba diving courses, experiences and gear hire
Shark Bay Eco Tours is the only dive centre in Shark Bay, offering PADI scuba courses, guided dive experiences, and scuba gear hire in Denham for visitors exploring the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. Whether you’re learning to dive for the first time, refreshing your skills, or looking for your next underwater adventure, our local team of PADI Professionals will get you kitted up, briefed properly, and diving with confidence.
From beginner certifications through to continuing education, plus flexible equipment hire for certified divers, we make it easy to plan your scuba diving in Shark Bay—with friendly service, quality gear, and local knowledge of the conditions and marine life that make this corner of Western Australia so special.
Aquarium shark dive experience
Dive with sharks in Shark Bay—no cages, just an unforgettable, up-close encounter in WA’s largest aquarium shark lagoon at Ocean Park. Our Shark Bay Shark Dive Experience is perfect for first-time divers (Discover Scuba Diving) and certified divers, with every session fully supervised by a qualified PADI Professional and designed to keep safety front and centre.
Underwater, you can come face-to-face with incredible species including tiger sharks (seasonal), lemon sharks and sandbar sharks, plus a huge mix of fish life like giant and golden trevally, estuary and rankin cod and even a friendly batfish! Shark sightings are guaranteed, with loads to see on every dive—making this one of the most unique scuba diving experiences in Shark Bay.
The Shark Lagoon uses water pumped directly from the ocean using solar power. The water isn’t filtered which means the tank is subject to visibility changes, and therefore is visibility dependent.
PADI DIVE COURSES
Scuba diving isn’t everyones cup of tea, but if you are someone who likes the sound of explore the other 70% of our planet, supporting ocean protection, and seeing things you’ve never seen before Scuba Diving may just be for you! And by the end of your course, you’ll carry the world’s most recognised scuba certification. Are you an already certified diver and are looking to further your diving education? We offer several courses to further your diving abilities, such as the PADI Advanced Course and the PADI Rescue Course.
Please Note: All students completing the PADI Open Water course must complete a RSTC Medical Statement (here) prior to booking. Any student who answers YES to having ANY of the medical conditions on the RSTC Medical Statement MUST obtain an Australian Standard AS4005.1 Diving Medical PRIOR to commencement of the course. Please note this cannot be done in Shark Bay, to find a diving doctor near you please visit the South Pacific Underwater Medical Society (SPUMS) website (here).
$795
PADI OPEN WATER SCUBA DIVER
- 3 Day Course (1 Day Pool, 2 open water)
- 4 Dives in Heritage Listed Waters
- Gear Hire and Certification Costs
- 10% OFF any dive gear purchases
- Access to elearning and course materials
Prerequisites
15 years of age or older
12-14 years of age for Jr Open Water
Able to swim 200m
Able to tread water for 10 minutes
Medically fit for diving (see below)
Ready to have the time of your life!!!!
$695
PADI advanced OPEN WATER SCUBA DIVER
- PADI Advanced Open Water Certification Card
- The Adventures in Diving manual
- 2 Boat trips (5 dives) in Shark Bays world heritage waters
- All air fills, gear hire & Certification costs (no hidden extras!)
- 10% OFF any dive gear purchases
Prerequisites
PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organisation)
15 years old (12 for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver)
$595
PADI rescue scuba diver
- PADI Rescue Diver Certification Card
- The Rescue Diver Manual and Accident Management Slate
- 1 Day Pool + 2 ocean dives (14 exercises)
- All air fills, gear hire & Certification costs (no hidden extras!)
- 10% OFF any dive gear purchases
Prerequisites
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or have a qualifying certification from another organization)
Be 15 years of age (12 for Junior Rescue Diver)
Have a current First Aid certificate (completed within the past 24 months)
Been a while since your last dive?
If it’s been more than 6 months since your last dive, we strongly recommend a Shark Bay scuba refresher course before heading out on a dive charter. Our refresher is a 2–3 hour session run in small groups on the Denham foreshore (weather permitting), scheduled at a time that suits you and instructor availability.
You’ll rebuild confidence by revising the essentials: assembling and checking your scuba gear, safe water entry, and practising key skills—then finishing with buoyancy practice so you feel comfortable and in control underwater again. We can still allow you to join a charter if it’s been over 6 months since you last dived, but if you become a danger to yourself or others you may be asked to sit out. Many dive centres require a refresher—this is the easiest way to get dive-ready again and make the most of your scuba diving in Shark Bay.
PRICE
$100
To book your refresher please email us on info@sharkbayecotours.com or give us a call on (08)9948 1765.
MORE ABOUT OUR DIVE COUrses
All students completing PADI continuing education courses must complete the Continuing Education Administrative Document. Any student who answers YES to having ANY of the medical conditions on the Medical Statement MUST obtain an Australian Standard AS4005.1 Diving Medical PRIOR to commencement of the course. Please note this cannot be done in Shark Bay, to find a diving doctor near you via South Pacific Underwater Medical Society (SPUMS) website – http://www.spums.org.au/diving-doctors-near-you.
PADI OPEN WATER
ADVANCED OPEN WATER
PADI RESCUE DIVER
PADI OPEN WATER
This is the entry level “license to dive” which is recognized by the diving community worldwide. It teaches you to independently plan and conduct dives with another certified diver, to a maximum depth of 18m.
Take this course if you want to:
- Explore the other 70% of our planet
- Support ocean protection
- See things you’ve never seen before
- Learn from an expert
- Carry the world’s most recognised scuba certification
This course consists of:
- 1 day of elearning self study
- 1 day in the pool to learn scuba skills
- 2 days open water diving in Shark Bay
This course includes:
- 4 dives in heritage listed waters
- Gear hire and certification costs
- High quality, fully serviced dive gear
- 10% off dive gear purchases
Prerequisites
- 15 years of age or older
- 12-14 years of age for Jr Open Water
- Able to swim 200m
- Able to tread water for 10 minutes
- Medically fit for diving (see below)
- Ready to have the time of your life!!!!
Please Note: All students completing the PADI Open Water course must complete a RSTC Medical Statement (here) prior to booking. Any student who answers YES to having ANY of the medical conditions on the RSTC Medical Statement MUST obtain an Australian Standard AS4005.1 Diving Medical PRIOR to commencement of the course. Please note this cannot be done in Shark Bay, to find a diving doctor near you please visit the South Pacific Underwater Medical Society (SPUMS) website (here).
ADVANCED OPEN WATER
Exploration, Excitement, Experiences – That’s what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. You don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. You try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving.
You’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three, for a total of five dives. During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time. The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.
The PADI Adventures in Diving certification will extend your diving range to 30m (21m for Junior AOW, divers under 15). Best of all, NO THEORY LECTURES and NO EXAM. During this course the emphasis is on practical application – classroom sessions are kept to a minimum and the focus is on developing your in-water skills.
This course includes:
- PADI Certification Card
- The Adventures in Diving Manual
- 2 boat trips to Shark Bay’s World Heritage listed waters – a total of 5 dives
- All air fills, gear rental, and certification costs covered by us – no hidden extras!!!
- Personal instruction in small groups
- All high quality, fully serviced dive equipment
- All transport from Ocean Park
Prerequisites
- PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organisation)
- 15 years old (12 for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver)
All students completing PADI continuing education courses must complete the Continuing Education Administrative Document. Any student who answers YES to having ANY of the medical conditions on the Medical Statement MUST obtain an Australian Standard AS4005.1 Diving Medical PRIOR to commencement of the course. Please note this cannot be done in Shark Bay, to find a diving doctor near you via South Pacific Underwater Medical Society (SPUMS) website – http://www.spums.org.au/diving-doctors-near-you.
PADI RESCUE DIVER
Scuba divers describe the PADI Rescue Diver course as the most challenging, yet most rewarding course they’ve ever taken. Why? Because you learn to prevent and manage problems in the water, and become more confident in your skills as a diver, knowing that you can help others if needed. During the course, you learn to become a better buddy by practicing problem solving skills until they become second nature. Plus, the course is just fun – it’s serious, but still allows for lots of laughter in between the focused learning.
PADI (Junior) Adventure Divers who are at least 12 years old and have completed the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive may enrol in a Rescue Diver course. You also need to have CPR and First Aid training within the past 24 months.
The PADI Rescue Diver course prepares you to deal with dive emergencies, minor and major, using a variety of techniques. Through knowledge development and rescue exercises, you learn what to look for and how to respond. During rescue scenarios, you put into practice your knowledge and skills. Topics include:
- Self rescue
- Recognizing and managing stress in other divers
- Emergency management and equipment
- Rescuing panicked divers
- Rescuing unresponsive divers
The rescue course is a demanding course, often cited as the most enjoyable, satisfying course on offer.
This course consists of:
- 1 day pool
- 2 Ocean dives – includes 14 exercises
- 5 Knowledge Development sessions supplemented by home study
- 2 Realistic emergency scenarios.
This course includes:
- PADI Certification Card
- The Rescue Diver Manual and Accident Management Slate
- All air fills and certification costs covered by us – no hidden extras!!!
- Personal instruction in small groups
Prerequisites
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or have a qualifying certification from another organization)
- Be 15 years of age (12 for Junior Rescue Diver)
- Have a current First Aid certificate (completed within the past 24 months)
All students completing PADI continuing education courses must complete the Continuing Education Administrative Document. Any student who answers YES to having ANY of the medical conditions on the Medical Statement MUST obtain an Australian Standard AS4005.1 Diving Medical PRIOR to commencement of the course. Please note this cannot be done in Shark Bay, to find a diving doctor near you via South Pacific Underwater Medical Society (SPUMS) website – http://www.spums.org.au/diving-doctors-near-you.
gEAR HIRE
Certified divers are able to hire dive gear from Shark Bay Dive. A dive certification card must be shown when hiring SCUBA gear. Credit card details must be provided when hiring any gear. If hire gear is not returned or is returned damaged, then the credit card on file will be charged the amount required to replace or repair the gear. Rates are as follows:
| ITEM | 24HR | 48HR | WEEKLY |
| REGULATOR | $25.00 | $37.50 | $75.00 |
| BCD | $25.00 | $37.50 | $75.00 |
| CYLINDER | $25.00 | $37.50 | $75.00 |
| WETSUIT | $15.00 | $22.50 | $45.00 |
| WEIGHT BELT | $15.00 | $22.50 | $45.00 |
| FINS AND BOOTS | $15.00 | $22.50 | $45.00 |
| MASK AND SNORKEL | $15.00 | $22.50 | $45.00 |
| SCUBA UNIT (REG, BCD, CYLINDER) | $60.00 | $90.00 | $180.00 |
| FULL KIT (ALL OF THE ABOVE) | $80.00 | $120.00 | $240.00 |
AIR FILLS $15
In Australia all scuba cylinders are required to be hydrostatically tested every twelve months. The cylinder is then stamped around the neck area indicating the month and year it was tested along with the test station number. If the cylinder does not have a current test stamp, it will not, and should not, be filled.
Purchase Dive Gear
Our Denham booking office is also your local dive shop in Shark Bay, stocking a solid range of Cressi scuba, spearfishing and snorkelling gear in-store, with the ability to order in equipment if we don’t have what you need on hand. We’re an authorised dealer for leading brands including Cressi, Oceanic, Mares, Probe, Rob Allen, Aqualung and more, and can help you source everything from regulators, BCDs and dive computersto wetsuits, cylinders, masks, fins, snorkels and spearguns.
Not sure what’s right for you? Our team will help fit and recommend gear based on your diving, comfort and budget—so you’re set up properly for scuba diving in Shark Bay. Students receive a student discount, and guests who join one of our tours receive 10% off storewide. Drop into our Denham dive store and chat with the crew about your gear needs.
OUR TOURS YOU MIGHT LIKE
scuba dive shark bay
Dive mainland Australia's western most dive sites searching for a wide variety of greatures, from rays and sharks to mantis shrimps and coral gardens.
Snorkel the stromatolites
Go behind closed doors and snorkel amongst the planets oldest living creatures in crystal clear water.
Steep Point Marine Safari
Explore the pristine waters of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area looking for iconic wildlife. Visit mainland Australia's most western point and step foot on Dirk Hartog Island during this full day tour.