Hidrospot - Escola de Mergulho
Tv. do Choupelo 31, 4405-759 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia, PRT
About the Center
Hidrospot - Escola de Mergulho, located in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, is a dive center certified by SSI and TDI. It specializes in a wide range of courses, from Discover Scuba Diving to professional levels like Divemaster and Instructor Development Course, as well as specialties such as Enriched Air Nitrox and Technical Diving. They also offer Freediving training, with courses ranging from basic levels to Extended Range.
Hidrospot's facilities include lockers, a bar for post-dive relaxation, a swimming pool for confined water training, and the option for night dives. They provide a comprehensive equipment rental service and a dive shop for all needs. Air fills, including Nitrox, are also available.
The center is dedicated to exploring the underwater world and promotes marine conservation through its participation in SSI's "Mission Deep Blue" movement. This commitment highlights the importance of conservation and sustainable use of aquatic environments. Their mission is to make the beauty of the underwater world accessible to their clients, offering a memorable and educational diving experience.
Hidrospot also offers comprehensive training packages that combine courses like Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, and Master Diver, providing a clear pathway to advanced certification. Their team is committed to delivering high-quality training, whether for those looking to discover diving for the first time or for those seeking to advance their professional careers in diving.
Available Courses
8 cursosCurso Open Water Diver
Hidrospot's Open Water Diver is the full SSI certification programme — 6 theory sessions, 6 pool sessions, and 4 open water dives in the Atlantic off Porto and Gaia. The price of €460 includes equipment, insurance, all…
Curso Advanced Open Water
The SSI Advanced Adventurer at Hidrospot is five open water dives across five different specialty disciplines — a way to sample what's available in the specialties catalogue before committing to any of them fully. The…
Try Scuba
The Try Scuba is Hidrospot's entry point — a single pool session that gets you breathing underwater without any commitment to a certification programme. Porto isn't tropical diving, but that first breath from a regulator…
Basic Diver
The Basic Diver sits between the Try Scuba pool session and the full Scuba Diver certification — it adds an open water dive to the confined water training, giving you the experience of actual sea diving without…
Scuba Diver
The SSI Scuba Diver is the option Hidrospot recommends for people who want a proper introduction to diving but can't commit to the full Open Water Diver schedule. Three theory sessions, three pool sessions, and two sea…
Public Safety Diver 1
Hidrospot runs the full four-level SSI Public Safety Diver programme, designed for professional divers working in emergency services — firefighters, police, military. Level 1 covers foundational skills; Level 2 adds deep…
SSI Explorers (Scuba Rangers)
The SSI Explorers programme at Hidrospot is designed for children between 8 and 12 years old. Sessions run in the pool or confined water areas at a maximum depth of 5 metres — the safety boundaries are built into the…
Try Freediving / Pool Freediver / SSI Freediver
Hidrospot's freediving programme runs under Peter Li (Jiaxin Li), who holds SSI Freediving Instructor, AIDA Instructor, and AIDA Youth Instructor credentials. His personal bests — 5'36" static apnea, 130 metres dynamic…
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Frequently asked
What people ask before booking
Hidrospot is an exclusively SSI centre. All courses — recreational, freediving, technical, and professional — are certified through SSI. The centre is also licensed by IPDJ I.P., the Portuguese sports institute.
The Open Water Diver is €460 and includes equipment, insurance, all dives, and the SSI certification. The programme runs 6 theory sessions, 6 pool sessions, and 4 open water dives.
Yes. Freediving is taught by Peter Li (Jiaxin Li), who holds SSI Freediving Instructor, AIDA Instructor, and AIDA Youth Instructor ratings. His personal bests include 5'36" static apnea and 130 metres dynamic bifin — the programme has genuine depth behind it.
Yes. The SSI Explorers programme is designed for children aged 8 to 12. Sessions are held in a pool or confined water areas at a maximum depth of 5 metres, taught by specially trained instructors.
The SSI Try Scuba is a single pool session priced at €25. If you want to include an open water dive, the Basic Diver at €250 adds one sea dive to the pool session, and that dive can be credited toward a Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver course within 6 months.
Yes — the Extended Range programme covers XR Foundations, XR Nitrox Diving, and full Technical XR. Vitor Sequeira, the technical director, is an Extended Range Trimix Instructor, so the training goes up to trimix dives. There's also a Public Safety Diver track that includes decompression diving below 40 metres and overhead environments.
Yes. Hidrospot runs trips along the Portuguese coast and internationally. Sofia Gonçalves, one of the instructors, specifically handles the organisation of international travel.
Yes — equipment is available for rental or purchase on site, according to each diver's needs.
Tv. do Choupelo 31, 4405-759 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia, PRT