Buoyancy and trim
To begin with, children work on a stable, level position and controlled depth, so they glide over the reef rather than touch it.
CMAS Gold Dolphin Diver · Kids Scuba · Hurghada
The third and highest level of the CMAS Dolphin pathway for children. After Bronze and Silver, your child now refines buoyancy, trim, communication and buddy habits, so that they become a calm, capable young diver before the adult courses begin.
The CMAS Gold Dolphin Diver course is the third and highest level of the CMAS Dolphin pathway, the children’s scuba program that runs from Bronze through Silver to Gold. In Hurghada it costs €320 per child with Red Sea Diving, while we list CMAS federation, registration and certification fees separately unless your confirmed booking includes them. The normal route in is CMAS Silver Dolphin Diver, and the course then sharpens buoyancy, trim, communication and buddy awareness. Every dive uses air, takes place in daylight, keeps direct access to the surface and never needs a decompression stop.
Moreover, the goal is not to turn children into adult divers too quickly. Instead, Gold Dolphin helps them become safer and more capable within children’s limits, following the standards of the World Underwater Federation and the applicable national federation.
| Course | CMAS Gold Dolphin Diver, the third and highest CMAS Dolphin level |
|---|---|
| Price | €320 per child |
| CMAS fees | Separate, unless your confirmed booking includes them |
| Age range | CMAS children’s program, roughly 8 to 14 years |
| Normal entry | CMAS Silver Dolphin Diver, subject to federation requirements |
| Documents | Medical and consent forms completed with a parent or legal guardian |
| Breathing gas | Air, with no mandatory decompression stops |
| Depth | Set by age, so up to 15 meters only at 12 to 14 after progression |
| Conditions | Daylight, with direct vertical access to the surface |
| Supervision | Direct supervision, since it is not an independent qualification |
| Training | In-water and open water training as set out in your confirmed program |
| Next pathway | CMAS One-Star Diver, once age and requirements allow |
| Location | Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt |
| Operator | Red Sea Diving, a dive operator in Hurghada since 2000 |
The CMAS Gold Dolphin Diver course is for young divers who already have CMAS children’s training, normally the Silver Dolphin certificate. However, the national federation decides the exact entry rules, so we review each child before we confirm a place.
No Silver yet? In that case, start with the Silver Dolphin course, or even earlier with Bronze Dolphin if your child is new to diving.
Bronze teaches a child to dive, and Silver teaches them to cope. By contrast, Gold teaches them to dive well, with control and awareness that carry straight into adult training.
To begin with, children work on a stable, level position and controlled depth, so they glide over the reef rather than touch it.
Then they learn calm, controlled kicks, which save air, keep the sand down and protect the coral.
In addition, they use a wider set of signals, such as stop, direction, gas, cold, stay close and end the dive.
Moreover, they keep track of the team, hold the right distance and watch their own comfort, even though an adult still supervises.
Likewise, they learn to respect the agreed depth, time and route, as well as to respond at once to the instructor’s signals.
Finally, they learn to name butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish and corals, so every dive becomes a small lesson in biology.
We build the program around your child’s certificate, logbook and progress rather than a fixed calendar. Therefore we set out the sessions and dives in writing before you book.
To begin with, the instructor checks the Silver Dolphin card, the dives since then and how recently the child last dived.
After that, the child repeats the key Silver skills where standing up is always possible, so confidence returns quickly.
Next comes the heart of the course, because level trim and controlled depth take patient practice.
Once the skills feel easy, the child dives in open water, always within the depth that CMAS allows for their age.
Then the young diver follows an agreed route, depth and time, while also keeping an eye on the buddy.
Finally, every child talks through the dive, since the instructor assesses understanding as well as skill.
However, we never push a child to finish on a schedule. If a skill needs another session, we simply add one, and we agree it with you in advance.
A CMAS Gold Dolphin Diver follows the same age-based depth limits as Bronze and Silver, and those limits stay deliberately conservative.
However, a Gold card never means a child should go straight to the maximum. Instead, the instructor sets each dive by age, completed progression, ability, comfort and the conditions on the day. In short, good buoyancy matters far more than depth.
You can also read about the local dive sites around Hurghada, since the sheltered reefs near town are where young divers train.
Gold Dolphin is still a children’s qualification, so the CMAS children’s rules apply to every dive.
Because children lose heat faster than adults, we also check that each child’s exposure suit suits the water temperature. Furthermore, a parent or legal guardian completes the medical documents with us, and when the form calls for it, we ask for a doctor’s clearance first.
You can read the rest of our procedures on the diving safety page, as well as the current fitness guidance from Divers Alert Network.
The CMAS Gold Dolphin Diver price with Red Sea Diving is €320 per child, and it covers our local training program in Hurghada. Meanwhile, we list the CMAS fees separately, unless your confirmed booking includes them.
Therefore we confirm the exact inclusions and every CMAS fee in writing before you book.
Hurghada gives a young diver warm, clear water and sheltered reefs within a short boat ride, which makes it an ideal place to complete the children’s pathway. Depending on the site, children may see butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, moray eels and stingrays over hard and soft corals. Of course, marine life is wild, so we can never promise a particular encounter.
Meanwhile, parents who dive can join our daily diving trips in Hurghada, and the whole family can also spend a snorkeling day at the Dolphin House.
Gallery
Parents of older children often weigh these three. In short, the answer depends on your child’s age and on the certificate they already hold.
For children up to 14 who hold Silver, at €320 per child. Moreover, it completes the Dolphin pathway while the child still dives under direct supervision.
From age 14, also at €320. By contrast, it is the adult entry level, with four open water dives and training to 20 meters.
From age 10, at €350, with four open water dives. However, it starts from zero, so it suits children new to diving rather than Dolphin holders.
After Gold, the adult CMAS ladder continues with Two-Star Diver and then Three-Star Diver. You can also compare every PADI program on our PADI courses page.
Why us
Above all, every young diver develops at a different pace, so our instructors plan around the child rather than the calendar.
Moreover, we teach Bronze, Silver and Gold here, so a child can complete the whole Dolphin pathway with one team.
Furthermore, age, ability, comfort and the actual conditions decide every dive plan, never the maximum depth.
Indeed, we have run diving trips from Hurghada for more than two decades, as our about us page explains.
In addition, young divers learn that protecting the reef is part of being a good diver, not an extra rule.
Likewise, we set out the €320 price and every CMAS fee in writing before you confirm.
Questions
The Red Sea Diving price is €320 per child. However, we charge the applicable CMAS federation and certification fees separately unless your confirmed booking includes them.
Please send your child’s full name, age, current certification, number of logged dives, deepest dive so far and the date of the last dive. In addition, tell us the height, approximate weight, shoe size, your travel dates and your hotel in Hurghada.
Yes. Local transfers within Hurghada come with the €320 on training days, so simply tell us your hotel when you book.
Air cylinders and weights come with the course. However, full equipment rental depends on your confirmed booking, so send the child’s height, weight and shoe size and we will match the sizes.
Silver Dolphin is the normal route into Gold. However, the exact entry requirements depend on the CMAS federation, so we check your child’s certificate and logbook before we confirm.
No. Gold Dolphin remains a children’s qualification, so the child still dives under the direct supervision that CMAS requires.
Depth depends on age and completed progression. Children from 8 to 10 stay within about 7 meters, while children from 12 to 14 can reach 15 meters only after the required shallower dives.
No. Children’s dives take place in daylight, and the program requires direct vertical access to the surface, so we never take children into wrecks or caves.
No. Every Gold Dolphin dive uses air and stays inside no-decompression limits.
Above all, finer buoyancy and trim, more signals, stronger buddy habits and the discipline to follow a dive plan from start to finish.
Yes. Gold is the third and highest level of the CMAS Dolphin pathway for children.
From age 14, and once the requirements are met, the young diver can move on to the adult CMAS One-Star Diver course, then Two-Star and Three-Star.
Send us your child’s name, age, current certificate, number of dives, deepest dive and date of the last dive, together with height, weight, shoe size, your travel dates and hotel. Then we confirm the program, the €320 price and any CMAS fees in writing. For liveaboard diving in Egypt, see also redsealiveaboard.net.
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Red Sea Diving, Madares Street, Hurghada 1, Hurghada 84511, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. Diving and dive training here since 2000.
This page was last reviewed by the Red Sea Diving instructor team in September 2026.
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