Each of the 17 Sandals resorts in the Caribbean offers complimentary scuba diving in their all-inclusive package. This is a rarity for a luxury resort and is one of the many reasons guests interested in Scuba diving return over and over to a Sandals Resort.
You do need to be PADI certified, but you can get certified on your trip. If you’re already certified, you can enjoy two dives a day on one tank or one dive a day with a double tank. You can dive between 20 and 100 feet. Transportation to the dive sites on specially outfitted boats is included, as is all equipment, and dives are led by professional dive masters.
If you get certified on the trip, you can choose between the full 2-day certification course or the 3-hour Discover Scuba Diving course. Resort-certified divers get 1 dive a day at a maximum depth of 40 feet.
We recommend making reservations for dive trips as soon as you arrive at the resort, since space is limited on the boats.
Each resort offers a variety of dive spots—up to 30—so you’ll have a range of experiences available. Sandals resorts are located in some of the best islands for diving, such as Grenada, St. Lucia, Curacao, the Bahamas, and Barbados.
Best Sandals Resort for Diving
It can be hard to choose the best Sandals resort for diving, because there are so many wonderful options, but here are our top picks:
- Sandals Royal Bahamian
- Sandals Grenada
- Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Halcyon Beach, and Sandals Regency La Toc, St. Lucia
- Sandals Royal Curacao
- Sandals Barbados and Royal Barbados
While scuba is available at every Sandals resort, not every resort has the diving operation onsite. In some cases, you’ll need to take a shuttle to another location. Sandals resorts with onsite diving operations include Sandals Royal Curacao, Sandals Royal Bahamian, Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Grenada, Sandals Grande Antigua, and Sandals Ochi, Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals South Coast, and Sandals Negril in Jamaica.
Scuba at Sandals Cost
One of the reasons that Sandals Resorts are so popular for scuba diving vacations is that scuba is free at Sandals. If you are certified, you can dive twice a day with a single tank or one dive a day with a double tank. Everything is included—boat trip, tank, and equipment. Wetsuits cost extra, but the Caribbean is usually so warm that you won’t need them.
Scuba at Sandals reviews mention how great it is to be able to dive every day and not pay extra. It’s quite a cost savings.
If you aren’t certified, you can get certified during your Sandals vacation. The full PADI certification course takes about 2 days. Once you’re certified, you can take advantage of the free scuba diving.
Tip: take the written certification course online before your trip—this will help you get certified and diving more quickly.
You also have a faster option if you want to get diving quickly. Sandals Discover Scuba Diving course takes just 3 hours and enables you to do a free dive each day for the next two weeks.
Sandals scuba diving certification cost is about $450 for the full certification course and about $120 for the Discover Scuba Diving course.
Scuba at Sandals FAQ
Can you get scuba certified at a Sandals resort?
Yes, you can easily get certified to scuba dive at any Sandals resort. They offer a paid certification course which costs about $450 and takes 2 days. Once you’re PADI certified, you can take part in the free daily dives.
Which Sandals resort is best for scuba diving?
You can find some of the best scuba at Sandals at Sandals Royal Bahamian, Sandals Royal Curacao, Sandals Grenada, and the three Sandals resorts in St. Lucia.
Is scuba diving at Sandals free?
Yes, scuba diving at Sandals is free for certified divers.
