Scuba diving in Albufeira is sold by dive centres, not by the boat-tour desks at the marina. You book a slot with a centre, fill in a medical questionnaire, get a briefing and go out on the centre's own boat to a site the instructor picks that morning. That is a different product from the 2.5-hour caves and dolphins tour, and it is priced, timed and cancelled differently. This guide explains what a try dive and a certified dive involve, what to bring, when the water is clearest, and what to book for the people in your group who would rather stay on the surface.
Easydivers Dive Center is the dive centre we list for Albufeira. Other Algarve schools run from Vilamoura, Portimão and Lagos, and some collect guests from Albufeira hotels. We are an independent guide, not a dive school: we do not sell courses, and the centre's own page is the rule on prices, depths and age limits.
What scuba diving in Albufeira involves
A dive morning has three parts. First, paperwork and a briefing at the centre — 30 to 60 minutes, longer for a try dive because the instructor teaches you the skills before you get near the boat. Second, a short boat ride to the site; the reefs used for teaching sit close inshore, so the transit is usually shorter than a cave tour's. Third, the dive itself, typically 30 to 45 minutes underwater, with a surface interval and a second dive if you booked a two-tank trip. Give the centre half a day for a try dive and most of a morning for two certified dives.
The boat is a working platform: tank racks, a ladder, a skipper who stays on board. There is no commentary about the cliffs, no cave entry and usually no swim stop for non-divers. If someone in your group wants the Benagil cave, that is a separate boat tour on another day. According to the Capitania notice the cave is a surface site with time limits and no swimming inside, and no centre dives in it.
Try dive, fun dive or course: which one you are buying
A try dive — often sold as Discover Scuba Diving, or batismo in Portuguese — is for people with no certification. An instructor teaches a few skills in a pool or in shallow water, then takes you on one guided sea dive at a limited depth, usually no deeper than about 12 m and often shallower. You do not come away certified, but many centres let the try dive count toward an Open Water course if you continue within a set period.
A fun dive is for divers who already hold a certification card. The centre checks the card and, if it has been a while since your last dive, may ask you to do a short refresher first. Most fun dives are sold as a two-tank trip with a guide leading the group. Your card sets your depth limit: an entry-level card usually means about 18 m, an advanced card deeper. The centre applies its agency's rule, not the diver's opinion.
A course takes several days. Entry-level certification (Open Water) is typically three to four days of theory, confined-water sessions and four sea dives; many centres let you do the theory online before you travel, which frees up holiday time. Advanced and speciality courses take one to two days. Most Algarve centres teach on PADI or SSI standards — the centre's page says which, and both cards are accepted worldwide. If you are choosing between formats for a whole group, our how to choose guide covers the surface options.
- Try dive: no card needed, about half a day, one shallow guided dive, all kit included.
- Fun dive: certification card required, usually a two-tank morning with a guide.
- Course: three to four days for Open Water, theory often done online in advance.
Where you dive: reefs, small wrecks and how the site is chosen
The dive sites off Albufeira are rocky reefs and ledges in roughly 8 to 20 m of water, with sand between them. Centre pages and listings we read mention small wrecks and purpose-sunk structures along the central Algarve coast, and some centres run longer days for advanced divers to the deeper artificial-reef wrecks off Portimão. Expect wrasse, bream, octopus, moray eels, cuttlefish and nudibranchs rather than tropical colour. The appeal is easy, sheltered diving a short ride from shore.
You do not pick the site. The centre chooses it on the day from swell, wind direction and the group's level, and a try dive always goes to the most sheltered, shallowest spot available. A listing that promises a named wreck to a beginner is over-promising. Ask the centre what the plan is when you check in, and treat any depth or visibility figure printed in a listing as a best case.
What you need: medical questionnaire, certification card, minimum age
Every diver, including try divers, completes a diver medical questionnaire before entering the water. A “yes” to any question — asthma, heart or lung conditions, recent ear or sinus surgery, some medications, pregnancy — usually means you need a doctor's signature before the centre will take you. Download the form from the centre's page and deal with it at home. A “yes” discovered at the counter on the morning ends the dive before it starts, and most centres treat it as a no-show.
Certified divers bring their card, or a verified digital card, and a logbook if they have one. The centre may ask when you last dived; if it has been more than a year or two, expect a refresher to be required before the sea dive. Try divers need nothing but a swimsuit, a towel and the completed questionnaire.
Minimum ages are set by the training agency and applied by the centre. Try dives are typically available from about 10 years old, with a shallower depth limit for the youngest; junior certification courses start around the same age. Under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign. Pregnancy rules diving out. If you fly home soon after, follow the usual guidance of waiting at least 12 hours after a single dive and 18 hours after repetitive dives before a flight — book the dive early in the holiday, not on the last day.
What is included in the price
A try dive normally includes everything: wetsuit, BCD, regulator, mask, fins, tank, weights, the instructor and the boat. A certified two-tank trip normally includes tanks, weights, the guide and the boat; full kit rental is sometimes included and sometimes a separate line, so read the listing. Courses include the kit for the training dives and, usually, the certification fee and materials — check whether the online theory is a separate purchase.
Not usually included: a private instructor, underwater photos or video, a dive computer (rentable), hotel transfers unless the centre states them, and nitrox fills. Lunch is not part of the day. If you own gear, ask whether the boat has space for it and whether the centre wants to see it before you dive.
Season, visibility and the best time of day
Some Algarve centres dive all year; the busy season matches the boat trips, April to October, with July and August the weeks when instructors and rental kit run out first. Water temperature climbs from the high teens in spring to the low twenties by late summer, so a 5 mm wetsuit is standard and the centre provides it. Our best time page has the month-by-month sea state for the whole coast.
Visibility is the honest unknown. On a calm day after a spell of settled weather it can be very good; after a swell or a plankton bloom it drops to a few metres. Late summer and early autumn tend to bring the calmest, clearest water, but no centre will promise a figure in advance and neither will we. Mornings are calmer than afternoons, which is why most centres run their main departure early — it also helps anyone prone to seasickness on the boat.
Booking lead time: for a try dive in July or August, book two to three days ahead; for a course, book before you travel so the days line up. Winter and shoulder-season dives often run on demand, so ask rather than assuming a daily schedule.
Prices and how to book
Dives are priced per product — try dive, single or two-tank fun dive, course — and the centre publishes the figures on its own page. We do not carry a live tariff here. Open the Easydivers page for what to check, then the centre's page or a booking platform listing for today's price. For scale, the surface alternatives on GetYourGuide when we checked in August 2026 were: coastline and caves boat from about €30, guided kayak from about €32, the 2.5-hour caves and dolphins tour from about €34 and a beach BBQ day from about €70. A try dive costs more than any of those because it includes an instructor and a full set of kit.
- Book on the centre's site or through a listing that names the centre and the product: try dive, fun dive or course.
- Check the confirmation for the meeting point — a shop, a beach or a marina berth, not always the tour boats' check-in.
- Read the cancellation window and the medical terms before you pay; both are stricter than for a boat tour.
- One diver in a group of six does not need six try dives. Try dives are priced as instruction, not as a group discount.
Cancellation and weather
The instructor or skipper decides on the day. Swell cancels diving more often than it cancels a catamaran, because a rough surface makes the shallow reefs murky and the ladder awkward. If the centre cancels, you are refunded or moved to another day; if the weather is marginal, they may switch to a more sheltered site rather than cancel. If you miss check-in, arrive without your certification card, or fail the medical questionnaire without a doctor's clearance, most centres treat it as a no-show — read the terms before you pay.
If you do not want to dive: snorkelling, kayaks and cave boats
Most groups have one diver and several people who want to see the coast. Uncertified guests who want their face in the water should look at snorkelling and coasteering or a kayak tour with a swim stop from about €32. Anyone who wants the cliffs and caves from a dry seat has the caves and coastline boats from about €30 and the glass-bottom boat. Put those on a different day from the dive, not the same afternoon — a two-tank morning followed by a bumpy speedboat is a tiring combination.
Where the dive starts
Check-in is at the centre's shop or the point named in your confirmation, which may be a beach or a marina berth rather than the tour boats' desk. If the meeting point is Marina de Albufeira, see the marina guide for how to get there. Eat breakfast first, bring your certification card, the medical form and a towel, and arrive with time for the paperwork — the boat leaves once the briefing is done.
Depths, minimum ages, prices and site plans are the centre's rules and change with the sea and the season. Confirm them on the centre's page before you pay.
Try dive, certified dive or a day on the surface
Try dive (Discover Scuba)
First-timers with no certification who want to breathe underwater once, safely, with an instructor.
- Skills practice in a pool or shallow water, then one guided sea dive at a limited depth.
- All kit, the instructor and the boat are included; you fill in a medical questionnaire first.
- Typically from about age 10; allow half a day. Priced per person by the centre.
Certified fun dive or course
Divers with a card, or anyone with 3–4 days who wants to leave the Algarve certified.
- Two-tank morning with a guide; your card sets the depth limit and the centre picks the site.
- Bring your certification card and logbook; a refresher may be required after a long gap.
- Courses run on PADI or SSI standards depending on the centre — see Easydivers.
Stay on the surface
The rest of the group: people who want the coast, the caves or the water without a tank.
- Snorkelling and coasteering or a kayak with a swim stop from about €32.
- Coastline and caves boats from about €30; the 2.5-hour caves and dolphins tour from about €34.
- Book these on a different day from the dive, not the same afternoon.
Operators that run this format
- Easydivers Dive CenterPADI and SSI dive centre at Marina de Albufeira offering try dives, certification courses and guided boat dives for certified divers.
FAQ: Scuba diving Albufeira
Can I scuba dive in Albufeira without a certification?
Yes, through a try dive, often sold as Discover Scuba Diving or a baptism dive. An instructor teaches a few skills in a pool or shallow water and then takes you on one guided sea dive at a limited depth, usually 12 m or less. You still complete the medical questionnaire, and you do not come away certified unless you continue into a course.
How much does a try dive in Albufeira cost?
Dives are priced per product by the centre, so check the centre's page for today's figure; we do not carry a live tariff. A try dive costs more than a boat tour because it includes an instructor and a full set of kit. For scale, surface trips on GetYourGuide started from about €30–€34 when we checked in August 2026.
What is the minimum age for a try dive?
Typically about 10 years old, which is the age at which the main training agencies allow children into a Discover Scuba session, with a shallower depth limit for the youngest. Junior certification courses start around the same age. The centre applies its agency's rule, and under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign the forms, so read the listing before you book for a child.
Do I need to fill in a medical form to dive?
Yes. Every diver, including try divers, completes a diver medical questionnaire before entering the water. A “yes” to a question about asthma, heart or lung conditions, ear or sinus problems, pregnancy or some medications usually means a doctor's signature is needed first. Download the form from the centre's page and deal with it at home rather than at the counter on the day.
What will I see diving off Albufeira?
Rocky reefs and ledges in roughly 8–20 m of water with sand between them, home to wrasse, bream, octopus, moray eels and nudibranchs. Listings we read also mention small wrecks and purpose-sunk structures along the central Algarve coast for certified divers. The centre chooses the site on the day by swell, wind and the group's level, and a try dive always goes to the most sheltered spot.
Can you dive inside the Benagil cave?
No. The Benagil cave is a surface site governed by the Capitania notice: motor boats enter for about two minutes, guided kayaks for about eight, and no swimming or landing on the inner beach is allowed. No dive centre runs dives inside it. If your group wants the cave, book a Benagil boat tour on a separate day from the dive.
When is the best time of year to dive in the Algarve?
Late summer and early autumn usually bring the calmest, clearest water, and the sea is at its warmest, in the low twenties. Some centres dive all year, but the busy season is April to October, with July and August the weeks when instructors and rental kit sell out first. Mornings are calmer than afternoons, which is why most centres schedule their main departure early.
What is included in a try dive?
Normally everything: wetsuit, BCD, regulator, mask, fins, tank, weights, the instructor and the boat. Certified two-tank trips normally include tanks, weights, the guide and the boat, with full kit rental sometimes included and sometimes a separate line on the listing. Underwater photos, a dive computer, hotel transfers and lunch are not usually included, so read the listing before paying.
Can I fly home the day after diving?
Follow the usual guidance of waiting at least 12 hours after a single dive and at least 18 hours after repetitive dives or several days of diving before flying. A morning try dive followed by a flight the next afternoon is fine; a two-tank trip on your last evening is not. Book the dive early in the holiday so the timing never becomes a problem.
Is Easydivers the only dive centre in Albufeira?
Easydivers Dive Center is the dive centre we list for Albufeira. Other Algarve schools run from Vilamoura, Portimão and Lagos and some collect guests from Albufeira hotels. Whichever you choose, book with the centre itself or through a listing that names the centre and the product — try dive, fun dive or course — and check the meeting point in the confirmation.
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