How to choose the Best Dive School

When the world offers you countless numbers of dive schools to choose from, putting your finger on what is good or bad can be fairly tricky. In a top diving destination like Bali, there are a variety of good dive schools to complete your dive training at. However, care and consideration should still be taken to avoid investing your money in a bad experience. How can we find the best divemaster course and get the best diving experience?

Do your online homework

Google, along with other search engines, is a free-flow of easy-access information. Going online to search for the best dive schools is an effective method, as you’ll be able to find the most relevant, active and best dive school websites you are looking for. Nearly if not all good dive schools have an up-to-date website that covers what they are all about, their courses, staff, pictures, and other relevant information.

It’s as simple as typing in: how to choose the best dive school, best dive school in Bali, best dive school trip advisor, best Dive Instructor Bali, and so many more. You can also replace dive school with other words like: dive centre, dive shop, dive resort. Checking online reviews can also be one of the most powerful tools there are to date.

Compare multiple websites and list the ones that are decent – trust your own judgment.

Go dive shop hopping

A well-designed and optimized website does not necessarily indicate they provide the best services. Some schools may only appear artificially great, but in reality, it could be the work of a SEO guru to help them rank higher on Google.

If you’re fortunate enough to be based in Bali already, or here on holiday, pop in to the dive shops dotted around the island’s tourist hubs. The best dive schools will have modern facilities, equipment, classrooms, and dive boats that meet the appropriate standards. Amazing facilities can be costly but it usually shows the care they put in to their products and service – and ultimately the operation of their dive school.

Bali has a solid dive community across the island. Visiting dive resorts or shops may give you the opportunity to meet fellow divers and enquire around.

Speak to dive instructors

Once you have decided on a dive school or two to check out, ask to speak to the dive instructors. It is crucial that you meet the right team for you and your training. Make sure you get the rudimentary questions out of the way: How long have you been an instructor? Why did you become an instructor? Tell me more about the dive location? What is the Divemaster program like?

If you are ready to commit to a Divemaster or Instructor course, then you are going to be diving, working and studying with that team for a few weeks at least, so ensuring that they can answer all your questions and that the program and the shop is a good fit for you is really important!

Finding the best dive school is not always eas. Here at IDC Bali, we take scuba diving seriously. Contact us to learn more about our PADI-certified courses or speak to our instructors to get to know them.