The perfect after school activity!

The SSI Explorers program allows children starting at age eight to go underwater and sample the different ways they can explore the aquatic world around them. They will gain a solid foundation in ocean conservation and have the opportunity to experience four main aquatic adventures: snorkelling, scuba diving, freediving, and swimming like a real mermaid. SSI Explorers can also expand their diving knowledge as they continue their underwater experience with speciality courses like marine mammal ecology, underwater photography, and many others.

Besides it being a great after-school activity that the whole family can enjoy, the SSI explorers course will teach your children important life skills, even before they reach the minimum certification age for the Open Water course. These underwater adventures will enable young divers to acquire maturity, self-esteem, and a sense of responsibility.

SSI Explorers – The brand-new program for young aquatic enthusiasts

SSI Explorers takes kids’ diving to a whole new level. Combined with the guidance and supervision of qualified SSI Explorers Instructors, this program includes a comprehensive printed Explorers manual to help your child learn the knowledge and skills they need to safely participate in snorkelling, mermaid, freediving, and scuba in a pool or confined water environment. The manual is very engaging, with colourful cartoon drawings and authentic ocean images for this young audience.

"Join Emma and Nico on exciting underwater adventures as they guide your children through the educational content in a fun and engaging way, using Spike the shark as their equipment expert and Shelly the sea turtle as the ocean environment champion." 

What is the SSI Explorers Program?

The SSI Explorers program is an introductory experience program that includes kid-friendly components from each of SSI’s training categories. It updates and replaces the SSI Scuba Rangers program, incorporating snorkelling, freediving, mermaid, and scuba experiences to teach children between eight and twelve years old about marine conservation and the underwater world.

The program is divided into six parts:

• Blue Oceans Explorer
• Snorkel Explorer
• Mermaid Explorer (coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Freediving Explorer (coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Scuba Explorer
• Explorer Specialty Experiences

What do you do on the program?

We offer almost 30 different Explorers sessions, which all build towards the ultimate goal of Master Explorer.

Participants must complete the Blue Oceans and Snorkel Explorers programs first. These two programs introduce the participant to marine conservation and safe snorkelling skills. Once they are finished, the participants can complete the Scuba Explorer program, consisting of 5 Scuba sessions, learning all the skills from the Open Water Diver course. It doesn’t stop there; Scuba Explorers are now eligible to complete many cool explorer specialities like:

• Wreck
• Ecology
• Underwater Communication
• Night and Limited Visibility
• Enriched Air Nitrox
• Boat
• Mermaid (coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Mermaid Photo (coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Freediving ((coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Static Freediving (coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Dynamic Freediving (coming soon to The Dive Academy)
• Photo
• Video
• Navigation
• Scooter and DPV
• Search and Recovery
• Perfect Buoyancy
• Rescue
• Explorer Assistant

For each part they complete, participants will earn a digital recognition card. The specialities can be completed in any order after the five main parts of the Explorers program, and you can pick and choose which sessions to attend based on your own availability and our speciality schedule!

How much does it cost, and when does it run?

Pool sessions are AED250 per (group) session and last for 1.5 hours. They take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, from 16:00 till 17.30. Scheduling is also possible in the weekend. Please note that the cost of pool sessions and materials and certifications are separate.

Private sessions with parents can be booked as well. Since we are dedicated for your child, the price for a private session is AED350 per child (max 2), parents can join as well for an additional pool session fee of AED250 (if you are certified).

Pool sessions are booked online through our booking platform here, and must be booked only after you have purchased either the Pay As You Go or Master Explorer product, as some learning must be completed before pool sessions. 

What materials and certifications are needed? 

There are two SSI Explorers kit options. You can choose Pay As You Go or The Master Explorer package. All participants will receive a beautifully designed and colourful workbook that uses underwater characters like turtles and sharks to explore the different parts of the program. The book includes diplomas for completing Explorers content, a logbook, and a sticker collection to keep your participants engaged and excited about their learning experience.

Scuba Explorer - Pay As You Go (AED215), includes the materials needed to begin Scuba Explorers, including the workbook, Blue Oceans, Snorkel, and Scuba, and one digital recognition card. Certification cards for each specialty cost AED45 after this.

Master Explorer materials package (AED514.95), includes the materials for the entire Scuba Explorers program and unlimited digital recognition cards.

With either option, recognition milestones are key to SSI training; Explorers can receive the following recognition ratings based on their experience:

• Speciality Explorer - Scuba Explorer + 2 Explorer Specialties
• Advanced Explorer - Scuba Explorer + 4 Explorer Specialties
• Master Explorer - Scuba Explorer + 4 Explorer Specialties and Rescue Explorer
• Scuba Explorer Pro - Scuba Explorer, Rescue Explorer + 8 Explorer Specialties and Explorer Assistant

Safety is our priority; all of our Scuba Explorers sessions have a maximum ratio of 3 Explorers to 1 Instructor, so your child is well looked after and gets the most out of each session. We will also have a second Dive Academy representative present for safety and to take photos which are included in each session.

Frequently asked questions for Scuba Explorers