Bautismo de Buceo

The introductory dive at Pura Aventura follows the official PADI Discover Scuba Diving programme and runs as two distinct dives — the split is deliberate, because the first one is not about exploring; it is about getting sorted. On land, your PADI instructor goes through the equipment piece by piece: how the BCD inflates and deflates, how to breathe steadily through the regulator, the hand signals you will use underwater when words are not an option. You do not enter the water until everyone in the group has that clearly.

The first dive goes in shallow water. The depth keeps the instructor close and lets you practise without pressure: breathing through the regulator until it feels normal, adjusting buoyancy, and working through the exercises from the briefing in an environment where everything is manageable. Once the group is comfortable and the exercises are done, you surface for a break.

After the rest, the second dive goes to a maximum of 12 metres in open water. By this point the regulator should feel routine, and the session shifts from practice to actual diving — looking at the seabed, watching the light change as you go deeper, taking in the marine environment around Alicante. A PADI instructor stays alongside you for both dives.

The 130€ price covers full diving equipment, a dive-specific insurance policy and transport to and from the site. Pura Aventura runs the programme at several locations: Tabarca island, Cabo de Palos, Cartagena and Alicante, always entering from the shore in areas with calm conditions and visibility suited to first-timers. Photos and video during the dives are available for an additional 15€.

The PADI DSD programme is also designed to count toward an Open Water certification if you decide to continue. The exercises completed here can be credited against the Open Water course requirements — so the two dives at 130€ are not a dead end if this turns into something more.