The course
2 days · 3 pool sessions · 2 open water dives
PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada · A real certification in two days · Ages 10 and up
The PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada is a genuine, lifetime certification that takes only two days. Because it covers the first half of the Open Water course, nothing you do here is wasted if you decide to continue later.
2 days · 3 pool sessions · 2 open water dives
€260 per person · eLearning and certification included
Ages 10 and up · no experience · certified to 12 m
The PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada costs €260 per person and takes two days. You complete the eLearning theory, three confined-water sessions and two open water dives on Red Sea reefs. Afterwards you are certified to twelve meters and always dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional. The minimum age is ten. eLearning, the certification fee, equipment, boat trips, lunch, marine park fees and hotel transfer within Hurghada are all part of the price.
Scuba Diver is not a shortened or watered-down card. In other words, it is the genuine first half of the PADI Open Water Diver course, and every session credits straight into it later without being repeated. Furthermore, full course standards come from PADI. Red Sea Diving is a PADI dive operator based in Hurghada, Egypt, and has run diving and liveaboard trips on the Red Sea since 2000.
| Course | PADI Scuba Diver, a genuine lifetime entry-level certification |
|---|---|
| Price | €260 per person |
| Duration | 2 days in Hurghada, plus the eLearning theory finished at home |
| Dives | 3 confined-water sessions plus 2 open water dives on Red Sea reefs |
| Certified depth | 12 meters, always under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional |
| Minimum age | 10 years. Ages 10 to 14 certify as Junior Scuba Diver |
| Prerequisite | None. Basic watermanship, a short untimed swim and float, plus the signed PADI medical form. No flying within 18 hours after diving |
| Location | Pool or sheltered shallow water in Hurghada, plus reefs around the Giftun islands reached from the Hurghada marina |
| Availability | Year-round, on request, subject to boat and instructor availability |
| Included | PADI eLearning, the certification fee, complete equipment and wetsuit, boat trips on both training days, lunch and drinks, marine park fees, hotel transfer within Hurghada |
| Not included | Underwater photos and video. Transfer surcharge from El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga |
| Operator | Red Sea Diving, a PADI dive operator based in Hurghada, Egypt, since 2000 |
The PADI Scuba Diver course is an entry-level scuba certification that qualifies you to dive to twelve meters under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional. Above all, it exists for people whose holiday is short. Three or four days of training is simply too much for a one-week trip with other plans in it, whereas two days usually fits.
It also suits divers who expect to dive with a guide anyway. Since almost every dive from Hurghada runs with a professional in the water, the supervision limit costs most guests nothing in practice.
Finally, it works well as a staged approach. You certify as a Scuba Diver now, dive for a season or two, and then upgrade whenever it suits you.
The PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada runs over two days in the water, after the eLearning theory is finished at home. Consequently the whole certification fits into a short holiday.
We send your PADI eLearning access as soon as you book. Consequently the theory is finished at home and your two days in Egypt stay in the water.
First your instructor fits the equipment personally and explains how each piece works. Then you review the theory points that matter most before the first session.
In a pool or sheltered shallow water you practice mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, equalizing and the out-of-air procedures. Nobody moves on until each skill is comfortable.
Next comes the reef. You repeat the key skills in open water, then swim the site with your instructor for the rest of the dive.
The second dive is noticeably easier, because the equipment already feels familiar. Afterwards we process your PADI certification, which usually appears in the PADI app within a day or two.
Both training days include the boat trip, lunch and drinks. Meanwhile the exact schedule shifts a little with the weather and the sea state.
The PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada asks for a minimum age of ten, basic watermanship and a signed medical form. Importantly, no previous diving experience is needed at all.
Children of ten to fourteen certify as Junior Scuba Divers, with the depth limits that suit their age. Younger children can start with PADI Bubblemaker or PADI Seal Team instead.
You complete a short untimed swim and a float with your instructor. However, neither speed nor style matters, and plenty of guests who call themselves weak swimmers pass without trouble.
Everyone completes the standard PADI medical form before training starts. Nevertheless, if any answer flags asthma, heart conditions, recent surgery or pregnancy, a doctor’s written approval becomes necessary first.
Plan the second day at least eighteen hours before your flight home. Otherwise you risk decompression problems, so we refuse bookings that break this rule.
The €260 price of the PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada covers one person from the first eLearning chapter to the certification card.
Underwater photos and video cost extra. In addition, transfers from El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga may carry a small surcharge, which we confirm before you book.
The honest difference is independence. A Scuba Diver dives to twelve meters and always with a PADI Professional in the water, whereas an Open Water Diver dives to eighteen meters with a certified buddy and no professional required.
The second difference is time. Scuba Diver takes two days at €260, while Open Water takes three to four days at €360. Therefore the choice is usually about how much holiday you can give it rather than about ability.
If you are still unsure, start here. Upgrading later means only the remaining sessions and dives, because the Scuba Diver work already counts.
Water temperature in Hurghada runs between twenty-two and thirty degrees across the year, so a thin wetsuit is enough. Visibility frequently passes twenty meters, and the training reefs sit in sheltered bays with almost no current.
As a result, your attention stays on the skills rather than on the conditions. Our Hurghada dive sites page shows the reefs we normally use, while the diving safety page explains our equipment, ratios and emergency procedures in detail.
Never tried scuba at all? Then Discover Scuba Diving at €50 is a sensible one-day taster first. Certified friends and family, meanwhile, can join our daily diving trips on the same boat, and children aged ten to fourteen can look at Junior Open Water Diver.
For independent medical guidance before you start a course, Divers Alert Network publishes clear advice worth reading.
All training for the PADI Scuba Diver course happens in Hurghada, on the Egyptian Red Sea coast. First the three confined-water sessions run in a pool or sheltered shallow water close to town, and afterwards both open water dives are made from a day boat leaving the Hurghada marina.
The reefs we use for training sit in the sheltered bays around the Giftun islands, roughly thirty to sixty minutes out. Because those sites are shallow, calm and almost currentless, they suit a first certification far better than the exposed offshore reefs do.
Hotel transfer inside Hurghada is included in the €260. Moreover, we collect students from El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay and Safaga for a small surcharge, which we confirm in writing before you book.
Non-diving family can join the Giftun island and snorkeling trip on a similar route that day. Further practical answers sit on our diving FAQ, while the full ladder of courses is listed on the PADI courses page.
Gallery
Why us
Above all, oxygen and full emergency equipment on board, plus a documented action plan and a proper briefing before every dive.
Indeed, more than two decades of diving and liveaboard operations out of Hurghada, on every Egyptian route.
Furthermore, course students are kept in small groups, so nobody waits on the surface while somebody else repeats a skill.
Regulators and buoyancy devices go through regular servicing, and sizes run from child to XXL.
Moreover, €260 covers eLearning, certification, equipment, both boat days, lunch and marine park fees, with no surprises at the marina.
In addition, buoyancy and reef contact are taught from the first session, because good habits are easier to build than to fix.
Questions
The PADI Scuba Diver course in Hurghada costs €260 per person. In other words, that covers eLearning, the certification fee, equipment, three pool sessions, two open water dives, both boat days with lunch, marine park fees and hotel transfer within Hurghada.
Two days in Egypt, plus the eLearning theory you finish at home beforehand. Therefore the whole course fits comfortably into a short holiday.
Usually yes. Even so, tell us as early as you can, because we need to send the eLearning access before the first training day.
Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and your passport or a copy. We provide everything else, from mask and fins to the wetsuit.
The three confined-water sessions run in a pool or sheltered shallow water in Hurghada. Meanwhile both open water dives are made from a day boat on the reefs around the Giftun islands.
None at all. The PADI Scuba Diver course starts from zero and assumes you have never breathed underwater before.
You complete a short untimed swim and a float. However, no speed or style is required, and your instructor will tell you honestly if anything needs work.
Ten years old. Children of ten to fourteen certify as Junior Scuba Divers, with depth limits set by age.
The PADI Scuba Diver certification qualifies you to twelve meters, and always under the direct supervision of a PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor.
No. That independence comes with the Open Water Diver certification instead, which is why many guests upgrade later.
Sometimes, but only with written approval from a doctor. Complete the PADI medical form first and send it to us before traveling.
Not within eighteen hours of your flight. Therefore we schedule courses at the start of a holiday rather than the end.
Yes. Everything you complete here credits into the PADI Open Water Diver course, so you only finish the remaining sessions and dives.
It depends on how soon you continue and on the sessions still outstanding. Ask us at the end of your second day and we will price it exactly.
No, the card is for life. Nevertheless, after a long break away from diving a short refresher is strongly recommended.
Send us your dates, your hotel, the number of guests, ages and anything medical we should know. Subsequently, we reply within twenty-four hours with availability, the eLearning link and the pickup time.
Prefer to talk? Message us on WhatsApp or write to info@redsea-diving.com.
This page was last reviewed by the Red Sea Diving instructor team in September 2026.
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