Study Scuba Diving

Studying Scuba Diving in Australia: What the Course Covers

Scuba diving courses for international students are usually outdoor leadership qualifications with a diving specialisation. You progress through recreational dive training to dive leadership and instructor level, and learn dive planning, underwater navigation, rescue and emergency management, dive theory and physiology, equipment maintenance, marine environment awareness, supervising and briefing divers, and teaching diving skills. Courses also cover first aid and oxygen administration, risk assessment and the work health and safety rules for leading outdoor activities. Training normally combines classroom study with pool and open water dives, often in reef locations such as Queensland.

Qualifications and AQF Levels

Qualification	AQF level	What it prepares you for
Certificate III in Outdoor Leadership (diving specialisation)	AQF 3	Dive master, dive guide and assistant instructor roles
Certificate IV in Outdoor Leadership (diving specialisation)	AQF 4	Dive instructor and dive trip leader roles

Study Pathways

Most students complete a Certificate III and then a Certificate IV in Outdoor Leadership with diving units, alongside international recreational diving certifications up to instructor level. Earlier versions of these qualifications were called Certificate III and IV in Outdoor Recreation. If you want to work in commercial or occupational diving (for example construction, offshore or scientific diving), that requires separate commercial diving training and certification and is a different career path from recreational dive instruction.

Related Occupations and Visa Pathways (as at October 2026)

Occupation	ANZSCO	CSOL (482 and 186)	Skilled lists (189, 190, 491, 485)
Diving Instructor (Open Water)	452311	Yes	STSOL
Diver	399911	Yes	Not listed

Our Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) guide explains which visas use each list and what that means for diving instructors and commercial divers. Diver (399911) covers commercial and occupational divers rather than recreational dive instructors.

Career Outlook

Dive instructors and guides work for dive shops, dive boats and liveaboards, resorts and tourism operators, mostly in coastal and reef regions such as Far North Queensland, the Whitsundays and parts of Western Australia. Work is often seasonal and depends on tourism, and many instructors also work in related tourism, marine and boating jobs.

What a Dive Leadership Course Involves

Most of the course happens in the water. You build up logged dives and supervised teaching time as you move from diver to dive leader and then instructor. Along the way you usually complete:

• advanced and rescue diver training, including emergency first response and oxygen administration;
• dive master training, where you assist instructors and guide certified divers;
• instructor development, where you learn to teach classroom, pool and open water sessions;
• specialties such as night diving, deep diving, navigation or reef conservation;
• boat operations, trip planning and briefing customers.

You also need to pass a dive medical, so check that you meet the fitness standards before you enrol.

Applying for a Student Visa to Study Scuba Diving

A diving course can look like a holiday choice, so explain the professional plan behind it, such as working as a dive instructor in reef tourism, and how it fits your background in tourism, outdoor education or the marine environment. Our Student visa (subclass 500) page sets out the current visa conditions.