Discover Dive Zone Whitianga
Dive Zone Whitianga, situated in the magnificent Mercury Bay, is the hub of diving knowledge and offers a gateway to outstanding dive locations on the Coromandel Peninsula. Spoilt for choice with beautiful islands and secluded bays, you’re bound to find a sheltered spot here when the weather elsewhere would normally prevent you from diving. Their purpose-built dive vessels depart from the Whitianga marina, literally a stone’s throw away from a multitude of ideal dive spots. Living a life less ordinary starts right here.
Dive Zone Whitianga has become the largest PADI dive training facility in the country, teaching both recreational and career dive courses from PADI Open Water through to PADI Specialty Dive Instructor as well as PADI Freediver training.
Dive Zone’s full-time Diploma in Professional Scuba Instruction programme offers the opportunity to gain nationally and internationally recognised qualifications, enabling graduates to work in the dive and outdoor tourism industry.
Darrell Bird, owner of Dive Zone, says, “It’s important to us that you finish your course feeling experienced and confident, with the opportunity to have a higher number of dives under your belt than the standard course requirements. Because our shop is open 7 days a week, there’s definitely no shortage of opportunities to get out on the water and interact with real learner divers. With a great seaside community to reside in, beautiful beaches, as well as good services and facilities and seasonal work opportunities, Whitianga ticks many boxes. How could you not be excited at the thought of spending your year exploring the underwater world in such a stunning location?”
Students work their way through the range of levels of dive qualifications from PADI Open Water through Advanced, Rescue, Dive Master and ultimately PADI Dive Instructor and PADI Speciality Instructor courses. “This qualification is recognised worldwide and sets graduates up with a head start when entering this exciting industry.”
Dive Zone offers NZQA registered courses via their approval to subcontract to the Academy of Diving Trust, which is NZQA registered. This means the Diploma course meets the government’s Fees Free policy criteria and also enables students to apply for Student Loans and allowances while on course. Darrell says, “It’s awesome to see our young people enter as newbies and watch their personal growth through the course till they exit at the end with such worthwhile qualifications – many then take up jobs within the industry. We also love it when our ex-grads return and share their stories of where their quals have taken them.”
Dive Zone believes their standard of delivery of this programme is particularly high and the proof for them is that they are regularly contacted by other dive businesses seeking our graduates every year. Dive Zone aims to ensure their students experience many opportunities to get out on the water on our boats and to dive on days off course – getting more dives under their belt. And because they’re also taking trips of recreational divers and school groups out to learn to dive, Dive Zone students get to practise their training on real life people – all year around. Darrell says, “Learning by doing is our motto, and because of the way we’ve set up our facility, you get more time in the water and more hands-on experience all throughout your training.”
One of the most attractive parts about being a PADI Dive Instructor is the multitude of stunning locations throughout the world that you can work in – think idyllic tropical locations like Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, Florida, the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Hawaii.
The most beautiful (and tropical) locations in the world become your office when you embark on a career of diving. And given that oceans cover 70% of the earth, you shouldn’t be too hard-pressed to find a location that floats your boat.
If you love the outdoors and have a passion for adventure, then diving is the life for you.
Dive Zone offers recreational PADI training all year round and has intakes in February and August each year for the Diploma programme. And along with that, their store at 10 Campbell Street offers great dive gear purchase and hire options, tank testing and refills, and gear testing.
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