Certified GUIDED SHORE DIVES

GUIDED DIVES

Our GUIDED SHORE DIVES ARE THE ULTIMATE WAY TO EXPLORE THE ISLAND’S STUNNING MARINE LIFE WITH A LOCAL EXPERT LEADING THE WAY

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Certified diver? Keen to explore Magnetic Island’s underwater magic, minus the hassle of a boat?

If you’re freshly certified, having a guide means you’ll skip the guesswork and dive straight into the good stuff - hidden coral gardens, curious marine life and all the best-kept underwater secrets. It’s a chilled-out, stress-free way to experience Magnetic Island’s reefs, letting you focus on the dive while we handle the navigation!

If you’re a seasoned diver, a local guide is great for you too. We tailor the experience to the needs of our divers and if you’re on the hunt for rare and unique species of nudibranchs or other macro photo opportunities, abundant on our inshore fringing reef, we’ll focus the dive to meet your objectives. Plus our guides love macro diving and finding weird critters, so win win for everybody!

Details
CERTIFIED DIVE

What to Expect:

  • Easy beach entry - no boats, just step in and go!

  • Expert local guide - safety first, cool critters second (or maybe tied for first?)

  • Marine life galore - think vibrant corals, playful fish and if luck’s on your side, a turtle or a friendly ray!

  • Relaxed, low-stress diving - perfect for those who just want to breathe, explore and enjoy.

Curious about our dive sites? Check out our Dive Sites page for a sneak peek at where you could be exploring!

Cost $120 — Want more bottom time? Upgrade to a double dive for just $80 extra! When online booking, just add the second dive to your shopping cart during check out.

Duration 2-4 hours

When Tues - Sun at 8.30am, pending availability and weather

Includes

  • Qualified local dive professional 

  • Full gear hire 

  • EMC “Environmental Management Charge”

  • A valid dive license (from any agency) is required for this experience. Don’t forget to bring it with you—we’ll need to check it at the shop before you dive.

  • Refunds of your deposit are available with the appropriate amount of notice.

    • 48 hours or more notice = full refund (we return full deposit)

    • 48hours or less notice = no refund (we keep deposit)

  • Need to update your expired dive medical? Had a recent injury or surgery? Maybe you’re managing a new medical condition, that has presented itself since your last diving course. Before your dive with us, book yourself a convenient on-island dive medical with our local dive doctor. Read the blog, by Dr Jay Short. Booking details at end of article.

Guided shore dives Magnetic Island
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Alma Bay dive site Magnetic Island

FAQs

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  • Please do not book air travel until 24 hours after your dive has finished.

  • Please bring swimwear, towel, sun protection (and wet- weather protection/warm clothes if necessary)

    • You will walk from the dive shop across to our local shore dive site. Please bring footwear.

    • Food/ drinks are not provided during this experience.

  • Yes, they can! They can rent snorkel gear from Pleasure Divers and accompany you to the dive site. While you're underwater with your guide, they are welcome to snorkel independently.

    For more details, please see our Snorkel Hire page.

  • They will need to book a separate Introductory Dive experience for $200. If you’d all like to dive together as a group, including both certified and introductory divers, we offer a Private Experience for $800, accommodating up to 4 family members.

  • Our pricing is structured around operational costs and reflects staff time/wages. The included gear rental is an added bonus!

    Divers with a complete set of their own gear do have the option of diving unguided. Renting a tank for an unguided dive is a budget-friendly way to enjoy your underwater experience. Ensure you have a dive buddy.

    See our Scuba Hire page for more details.

  • All of our diving is weather dependent. We want to show you the very best of Magnetic Islands reef systems!

    The dive may be cancelled if participant safety is compromised by poor diving conditions or if the experience will be less than ideal

    In this case, we may be able to offer an alternative such as an SSI Specialty course (eg/ Perfect Buoyancy conducted in our on-site pool), if that interests you.

    We endeavour to give as much notice of cancellation as possible, however, predicting the weather is difficult and cancellation may occur at last minute.

  • Refunds of your deposit are available with the appropriate amount of notice.

    • 48 hours or more notice = full refund (we return full deposit)

    • 48hours or less notice = no refund (we keep deposit)

  • If you booked your Cert Dive through an agent, please contact your agent to receive your full refund.

  • Please note that Pleasure Divers is not paid by the agent until post-activity.

    So check your agent’s policy documents/ tickets for information about their refund procedures. Often agents will keep your deposit as credit for another bookable experience in their database.

    If your scuba dive is proceeding and you are not attending, agents may charge a cancellation fee (even if the instance is out of your control).

    We recommend that you obtain travel insurance to protect against such instances.

  • At Pleasure Divers, all of our diving is conducted from the shore. Shore-based diving is affordable, convenient and quick, allowing you to maximise your time exploring Magnetic Island.

    For tips onbooking boat trips with other local companies, please visit our FACT page on Yongala/Outer Reef.

    • Meet at Pleasure Divers

    • Complete Paperwork and check certifications

    • Dive Briefing

    • Walk to our local shore dive site (5mins max)

    • Complete the Dive and walk back to Pleasure Divers

    • Post dive debrief and log books

  • $120 for a single dive

    $200 for a double dive

    This includes a qualified, experienced dive guide to show you the site. It also includes all gear hire.

  • A single dive usually takes 2 to 2.5 hours. Typically 8.30-11am

    A double dive has a short surface interval between dives and takes 4hours. Typically 8.30-12.30pm

    Either way, you’ll still have the rest of the day to explore Magnetic Island and its beaches, hikes, restaurants etc.

  • This will range and vary, but typically we like to take no more than 4-6 certified divers to avoid overcrowding the dive site and ensure good supervision.

  • We are unable to guarantee a particular dive site ahead of time.

    The instructor/ dive guide leading the dive will select the dive site which offers the best experience for the group. This will be determined on the morning of the dive.

    Dive sites are within walking distance from the dive shop. Check out our dive sites page.

    Alma Bay

    • 5 minutes walking distance from dive shop

    • Gradual sloping sandy bay

    • Left hand side vs right hand side

    • Max depth: 6m-8m

    Geoffrey Bay

    • 8 minutes walk from dive shop

    • Home of the SS Moltke shipwreck and Snorkel Trails

    • Max depth: 8m

  • 45 minutes underwater time, roughly, pending air consumption.

  • Check our online calendar.

    Currently, Cert Dives are available daily at 8.30am. We are closed on Mondays.

  • Yes! Qualified divers who have not yet built up much experience are very welcome to join our Certified Guided Shore Dives. We will take it slow and easy just for you!

  • It is recommended that after an absence from diving of 2 years or more, you should book a refresher program, where an instructor can work with you on your skills and recap some important theoretical concepts which you may have forgotten!

    Please see our Refresher page under courses.

  • Absolutely!

    You can book as a solo, without a dive buddy. Your allocated buddy will be another diver in the group, or the Dive Guide.

  • Of course!

    Experienced divers love the laid back style of diving we offer here. No rush, no challenges, but plenty of macro life to hunt for and get excited about. Bring your camera rig!

  • Bookings are essential for our co-ordination, staffing and planning.

    Our online bookings close at close of business (4.30pm) the day before a Certified Guided Shore Dive.

  • Yes! Please bring your certification card with you, showing the date of certification and your certification number.

    If you do not hold a certified divers licence, please book our Introductory Scuba Dive.

  • Yes, we accept dive certifications from PADI, RAID, CMAS, BSAC, NAUI and more.

    Please remember to bring your certification card and logbook, as we don’t have access to all agency databases and records. We may not be able to look you up!

  • If your certification is with SSI, we can look it up in the SSI database. No worries!

    For certifications from other agencies, just ask, we might be able to access other databases, but it's best to have your certification card with you.

  • Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to dive in this group without proof of certification. If you’re unable to find your license, please provide another form of evidence of your training and experience, such as your diver logbook. If you are unable to produce any evidence of being a certified diver, we may take you diving in the Introductory Dive group.

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