15 Three-Day Dive Courses Worldwide Worth Booking

1.3-Day PADI Open Water Diving Course in Dubai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 173 reviews · from $354Our pick

Train with Nemo Diving Center at Palm Jumeirah on a flexible three-day PADI Open Water course. You’ll complete forms, equipment fitting, confined-water skills, and four open-water sessions. Instructors including Abdel, Hasan, and Mostafa can help you arrange weekday or weekend training, with e-learning available before or during the course for an extra 370 AED.

“Fantastic few days learning to dive with the Nemo Diving Centre with some very experienced instructors (especially Hasan) who were incredibly patient and attentive throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills as the instructors foRead more”

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2.Padi open water diver course, become a diver in 3 days

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 113 reviews · from $586

Learn scuba skills with BB Divers on Koh Chang in three days. You’ll study theory, train in a pool or shallow bay, then complete four open-water descents around Koh Chang and Koh Rang National Park. Pierre is named in the operator’s personal reply to a highly praised course review. Equipment, meals, insurance, transfers, and your PADI manual are included.

“We picked BB Divers for our Open Water Diver certificate and we couldn't be happier. Our first day of theory and pool practice took place in Cliff cottage restaurant, which is located in an incredible environment, with cozy seating options, dRead more”

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3.Become certified diver in 3 days – PADI Open Water Diver course on Koh Tao

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 104 reviews · from $375

Learn scuba skills with PADI 5 Star IDC center Scuba Birds in Mae Haad, Koh Tao. Over three days, you’ll study, practice in shallow water, complete four open-water sessions around Nang Yuan Island, and finish with a PADI certificate and log book. Instructor Dominik Maier is one named teaching option.

“What a unique experience! My instructor was Dominik Maier who was an equally hilarious yet stern when needed teacher. I was very nervous at certain points as I have never scuba dived before, and he was able to calm both myself anRead more”

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4.Hurghada: 3-Day PADI Open Water Diving Course

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 78 reviews · 3 days · from $412

Train with a PADI instructor in Hurghada over three days, with two underwater sessions each day, equipment, meals, drinks, and hotel transfers included. Instructors speak several languages, and past students have praised Achmed and Khaled for patient, clear teaching. Allow extra money for the PADI manual, exam, and certification.

“Tolle Tauchschule mit sehr freundlichem Personal. Ich hatte viel Spaß und habe viel gelernt bei meiner allerersten Taucherfahrunf. Leider habe ich mich nicht in die Tiefe getraut, aber würde es mit mehr Zeit sofort wieder in dieser Tauchschule probieren. Vielen Dank!”

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5.3-Day Freediving Level 1 Course

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · from $450

Spend three full days learning freediving in Nusa Penida with theory, pool practice, and open-water sessions. Freedive Nusa supplies the equipment, digital study materials, certification, and underwater photos. Small groups of up to four per instructor make this a focused course for swimmers with no prior freediving experience.

“It was so cool to free-dive! First I was afraid of being in the water without breathing but got used to it gradually. Roberto was my instructor and he was very supportive and super nice! Will continue practicing in Korea. Awesome experience!”

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6.3-Day PADI Open Water Diver Course, Koh Samui

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $681

Learn the skills for your PADI Open Water certification with Discovery Dive Centre on Koh Samui. Complete the theory by app before pool practice, then make four boat sessions over two days. Instructor Yuan from Germany is noted for his patient, professional teaching. Pickup, lunch, transport, and equipment support are included.

“Had a very good experience, and I would say everyone with other dive leaders was too. New/ fast boats, fluent English and other languages, good lunch and well organised from pick up to drop off.”

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7.Gold Coast: 3-Day PADI Open Water Course

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 28 reviews · 6 hours · from $315Best value

Meet at 19 Karloo Street in Surfers Paradise for a three-day PADI Open Water Course with classroom work, confined-water practice, and open-water sessions. Your instructor teaches in English, Japanese, or Spanish, with Ryan, Rhan, and Josh noted for calm, patient instruction. Gear and boat transport are included, while the PADI e-book and certification cost AUD 99 extra.

“It was great!! Ryan is a great instructor super calm for beginners.”

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8.From Phuket: 3-Day SSI/PADI Open Water Diver Certification

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · 3 days · from $530

Learn scuba skills with a dedicated Thai, English, or French instructor during a three-day SSI or PADI course from Phuket. You begin at a Chalong pool, then head to Racha Yai and Racha Noi for five sea sessions, meals, equipment, transfers, and certification. Olivier and Ootdy are among the instructors praised for patient, safety-minded teaching.

“We could not wish for a better instructor. Olivier is excellent teacher. He was able to explain to us everything in such a simple and interesting way. He was always helpful, patient, supportive and we felt absolutely safe during diving with him. The whole course was a lot of fun and he made this experience unforgettable (and made lovely videos for us)! Also the whole crew on the boat was amazing, and I absolutely recommend this!!”

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9.Koh Chang: 3-Day PADI Open Water Scuba Dive Course

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 3 days · from $498

Train for your PADI Open Water certification with BB Divers in a small group of up to three people. You will study online, review theory, practice in a pool, then complete open-water training from a boat near Koh Chang. English, French, Thai, Dutch, German, and Chinese instruction is available.

“I had such a great time doing my open water diving PADI course, with the very reknowned BB divers. The teaching was thorough, but still very fun, thanks to my instructor Charles, who made my experience very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested!”

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10.Cairns: Pro Dive Great Barrier Reef 3 Day/2 Night Dive Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 3 days · from $739

Join Pro Dive Cairns for three days and two nights aboard a premium liveaboard, with access to 19 Outer Reef sites across four reef areas. Certified scuba divers can take up to 11 sessions, including two after-dark sessions, while snorkelers can enjoy the reef at a slower pace. Meals, equipment, transfers, and twin or double-share cabins are included.

“From hotel pick up to dives and drop off everything work perfectly. All we did for 3 days was sleep, dive, eat and repeat”

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11.3 Days PADI Open Water Diving Course in Dubai (All inclusive)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $406

Train at DiveCampus, Dubai’s 220,000-litre indoor pool, then complete sea sessions for your PADI Open Water license. The three-day course includes PADI e-learning, five confined-water sessions, and four open-water sessions. Small 1:1 or 1:2 classes may include instructors such as Sara, Ahmed, Bonnie, Eslam, or Aziz.

“What a fantastic team at Dive campus. From the 1st minute to the end of the course, the staff were unbelievable. Great teaching and feedback all the way through and top level professionalism. Looking forward to diving with you in the future.”

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12.PADI Open Water Course in 3 Days

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 3 days · from $465

Learn scuba skills in Tenerife with multilingual instructors, starting with video lessons and confined-water practice before four open-water sessions. The three-day PADI course includes equipment, insurance, registration, and hotel pickup in southern Tenerife. Marcin and Thomas are among the instructors praised for calm, patient teaching.

“We hebben een ontzettend gave tijd gehad met onze instructeur Thomas, die ons in onze eigen taal heeft leren duiken! Het was fijn dat we in onze eigen taal precies uitgelegd kregen hoe alles werkte. Ook hebben we ons heel veilig gevoeld en toch ontzettend veel lol gehad. Na de opleiding hebben wij met korting nog een hele mooie duik gemaakt op een speciale locatie. We kunnen dit avontuur iedereen aanraden!”

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13.Sanur Open Water Course learn diving in 3 Days – Get certified & Dive everywhere

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $480

Learn scuba skills with a PADI instructor in a group of up to six. You’ll study online, train in Sanur’s pool, then complete four ocean sessions in Sanur Bay and either Padang Bai or Tulamben. Ask for Astama or Benny Wiratno Bunadji if available. Lunch, equipment, transport, manual, and certification are included.

“Ask for Benny Wiratno Bunadji as an instructor, he was very easygoing, but professional. His english is very good, and learning with him was quick and easy. He was friendly and took my preferences into consideration, recommending betteRead more”

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14.Ko Tao: 3-Day Open Water Scuba Diving Course

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $341

Spend three days at Escape Divers in Mae Haad learning scuba skills, completing classroom work and an exam, then practicing in the Gulf of Thailand. Training materials arrive before you do. Equipment, insurance, lunch on two days, and certification are included. Ask if Cody is available for patient, personal instruction.

“die Planung und Durchführung hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Ich kann mich über nichts beschweren. und mein Tauchlehrer Cody war ausserdem sehr sympathisch und geduldig und hat mir viel beigebracht. Ich hatte sehr viel Spaß.”

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15.Koh Samui: 3-Day PADI Open Water Diver Course

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 7 hours · from $672

Complete PADI e-Learning before arrival, then train in a pool and make four ocean sessions around Koh Tao and Sail Rock. The Dive Academy limits groups to four people, supplies equipment, insurance, transport, drinks, and a Thai-style lunch. Certification allows you to scuba dive worldwide to 18 meters.

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