Royal Caribbean becomes the first cruise line in the world with PADI Five Star Dive Centres on board, meaning adventurous Australians can become certified scuba divers while they cruise. For those already certified it means you get to dive at all the best dive sites along the way.
Is this the future of luxury diving?
Royal Caribbean has teamed up with PADI to offer a range of courses on 10 ships across its international fleet, including Explorer of the Seas, the 3,800-guest megaliner dedicated to South Pacific itineraries out of Sydney this summer.
The PADI Five Star Dive Centres boast world-class educational programs, professional instructors and top of the range diving equipment for hire. Currently available on Royal’s Quantum, Oasis, Freedom and Voyager class ships, they offer a range of programs for all levels. From a 30-minute Try Dive program (from US$29), through to PADI’s Open Water Diver course to earn their complete scuba diving certification, starting at US$599 per person.
Courses available on locally-based Explorer of the Seas this season include the Try Dive program, Reactivate Program as well as the PADI Scuba Diver program. Priced from just US$449, this course includes all the materials required for pre-cruise knowledge development, a confined water session in the ship’s pool, equipment hire and two dives in picturesque Vila, Vanuatu.
Discover a love of diving on Explorer of the Seas’ 10-night roundtrip voyage on Explorer of the Seas, departing Sydney on 30 March 2017. Guests can take advantage of the on-board PADI Five Star Dive Centre while they cruise to the enticing waters of Noumea, Mare and Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, and Mystery Island and Vila in Vanuatu. Fares start at $1,499 per person twin share in an Interior Stateroom.
Experienced divers, meanwhile, can hire their dive gear on-board and plunge straight into dive sites like Vanuatu’s famous Twin Bommies, a fabulous coral reef teeming with marine life.
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