Pro Dive Centre
Pro Dive Centre
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About
Pro Dive is a 5 star dive centre and is one of the largest dive training center's in South offering a Career Development Programme specialising in Resort Instructor Training. Not only do we provide you with the essential courses to become a SSI or Padi Instructor, but we also provide you with additional practical experience, skills and knowledge required in the daily operation of a dive centre. Pro Dive has weekly dive charters taking divers out to dive sites in and around Port Elizabeth. Pro Dive also offers Dive trips with their travel office situated in the dive centre.
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
66 reviews
Excellent
49
Very good
3
Average
3
Poor
3
Terrible
8
Eunice Sigale
9 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
My snorkeling experience was so great. I really enjoyed it, Denis made sure that we all were safe and he tried his best for us to see whatever he saw underwater. On top of that he was so respectful. I strongly recommend Pro Dive to everyone for everything whether it's scuba diving lessons, snorkeling and etc. Real professionals
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karyn
2 contributions
Oct 2020
My teenage daughters did their OW 1 through Pro Dive and I can highly recommend them.
The staff were professional, friendly and knowledgeable. The girls had a fabulous time under the tuition and guidance of Kayla, Steven and Tristan. The whole learning process was enjoyable and the girls can't wait to get back in the ocean where they saw beautiful coral, sharks including a Great White, stingray and dozens of species of fish.
Louis and Linda did an outstanding job of keeping us (the parents) informed and up to date at all times.
The staff were professional, friendly and knowledgeable. The girls had a fabulous time under the tuition and guidance of Kayla, Steven and Tristan. The whole learning process was enjoyable and the girls can't wait to get back in the ocean where they saw beautiful coral, sharks including a Great White, stingray and dozens of species of fish.
Louis and Linda did an outstanding job of keeping us (the parents) informed and up to date at all times.
Written 26 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nomadicwriter
Oxford, UK22 contributions
Apr 2022
After a slight mix up about the reservation, the guys got together instructors and equipment and put on a PADI Bubblemaker session for our 8 year old twin boys at short notice; the boys loved the experience.
It was an exceptional effort to do this, and we were very grateful. Everyone was very friendly, courteous, and helpful. The boys got on well with their instructors, who were professional in their approach.
It was an exceptional effort to do this, and we were very grateful. Everyone was very friendly, courteous, and helpful. The boys got on well with their instructors, who were professional in their approach.
Written 4 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
markwitte2019
Utrecht, The Netherlands7 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
My 17 year old daughter did a shore dive. The moment they were in the water the guide decided to stop the dive because of bad visability.
This is after 3 days of storm! So they should have known if they are so experienced.
My daughter is not supposed to know that with her little experience. But still there was no refund. I have been trying politely to ask the manager to refund the 80,- Euro's but she just refused to give the money back off a 17 year old.
(This all happened after she was obliged to do a medical check that already costed her €. 80,- something they knew...).
So they went in the water knowing there was a great risk for bad visability. Maybe next time they should warn for that risc before the dive and give you the choice. now she has to pay for a miss judgement of the dive school. They simply don't answer my mails anymore and keep my daughters money in the pocket.
This is after 3 days of storm! So they should have known if they are so experienced.
My daughter is not supposed to know that with her little experience. But still there was no refund. I have been trying politely to ask the manager to refund the 80,- Euro's but she just refused to give the money back off a 17 year old.
(This all happened after she was obliged to do a medical check that already costed her €. 80,- something they knew...).
So they went in the water knowing there was a great risk for bad visability. Maybe next time they should warn for that risc before the dive and give you the choice. now she has to pay for a miss judgement of the dive school. They simply don't answer my mails anymore and keep my daughters money in the pocket.
Written 2 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JIN
Bangkok, Thailand232 contributions
Apr 2019
We did 5 days Sardine run+ 1 day seal dive in Port Elizabeth. It was a memorable life time experience !! Prodive is a “Pro” they really do know what they are doing and very good at it.
Louis the owner always present to make sure everything goes well. Our skipper Garvey is very considerate to our comfort amid turbulence sea whilst strictly adhere to safety procedures. Tristan our dive leader was so dedicated to search for bait ball, his eyes were always on the surface and jumped into the ocean to check first without hesitation. Every staff are so friendly and always willing to help. You could always ask or tell them what you would like, and they never hesitate to see to it.
Why are these thing important ? I will have to explain a bit about sardine run.
Sardine run is a natural phenomenon of Sardine fishes chase by common dolphin and unify themself into a ball like shape. This also invite birds, seals, sharks and whales to come feed on the ball that’s why it’s call bait ball. We all want to see it like in the documentary. In reality, it’s not so simple they probably take a year to film that.
Diving needs a lot of luck to see what you want to see “fish do swim”. So it comes to how it is done that matters.
Being on a boat in the open sea from 8 am-5 pm everyday for 5 days is physically demanding especially when it was cold raining and windy. The staffs have to prepare for launching every morning from 6 am and clear everything after we get in. Skipper has to stand all day steering the boat, searching for action. Dive leader has to be alert all the time for action too. They never even once appear to slack, but even seemed to be more eager to see than us customer.
Sardine run is not for beginner divers, you have to be “self-sufficient” or you may be liability to others and can be very dangerous to your own safety.
Louis the owner always present to make sure everything goes well. Our skipper Garvey is very considerate to our comfort amid turbulence sea whilst strictly adhere to safety procedures. Tristan our dive leader was so dedicated to search for bait ball, his eyes were always on the surface and jumped into the ocean to check first without hesitation. Every staff are so friendly and always willing to help. You could always ask or tell them what you would like, and they never hesitate to see to it.
Why are these thing important ? I will have to explain a bit about sardine run.
Sardine run is a natural phenomenon of Sardine fishes chase by common dolphin and unify themself into a ball like shape. This also invite birds, seals, sharks and whales to come feed on the ball that’s why it’s call bait ball. We all want to see it like in the documentary. In reality, it’s not so simple they probably take a year to film that.
Diving needs a lot of luck to see what you want to see “fish do swim”. So it comes to how it is done that matters.
Being on a boat in the open sea from 8 am-5 pm everyday for 5 days is physically demanding especially when it was cold raining and windy. The staffs have to prepare for launching every morning from 6 am and clear everything after we get in. Skipper has to stand all day steering the boat, searching for action. Dive leader has to be alert all the time for action too. They never even once appear to slack, but even seemed to be more eager to see than us customer.
Sardine run is not for beginner divers, you have to be “self-sufficient” or you may be liability to others and can be very dangerous to your own safety.
Written 27 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew W
2 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
awesome, awesome, awesome.
waffle, waffle, waffle
just do it, just do it, just do it
epic, epic, epic
waffle, waffle, waffle
just do it, just do it, just do it
epic, epic, epic
Written 22 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sa H
Munich, Germany63 contributions
Nov 2016 • Solo
For me, safety comes first when I go scuba diving. Everything with pro dive had to be done in a rush. I signed up for a reef dive as an owd and was put in a mixed group of owds and aods. Nobody asked when I had done it last ( which would be an important question considering that people tend to forget important details over time). After putting together my equipment (nobody wanted to recheck it even though I had mentioned how inexperienced I was) I had to run down to the beach to have a very very short briefing on the most important signs and signals. The dive site wasn't really mentioned and no info was given about what we had to expect. The divemaster was the worst I've met so far. He was my buddy and didn't notice that I had problems with my ears so the whole group went down while I was struggling. Since the visibility was so bad I lost sight of them and decided to ascend again (I'm am owd with minimal experience ) but the dm didn't realize that either. Had it not been for another experienced diver on the group who came back up to help me I would've ended up on the surface for 40min since the boat was gone as well. Not once did my so called buddy (the dm) ask about the air pressure of my tank or if I was ok. In the end he sent me back to the surface alone (I told him I was low on air) and I found myself swimming in the middle of the ocean all alone (boat gone) fighting the arising panic and the feeling of being about to drown (no air, waves that made breathing through the snorkel almost impossible ).
I love scuba diving but this dive was a horrible experience and I'd never dive with the same dm again...
I love scuba diving but this dive was a horrible experience and I'd never dive with the same dm again...
Written 19 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there & thank-you for taking the time to comment on your experience.
Pro Dive has been in operation for 20 years and we are known for our high standard of service, so your comments are a concern. Please could you send me your full name and date you went diving with us so that we can investigate further.
Regards Management Team.
Written 20 November 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jaap R
Rotterdam, The Netherlands16 contributions
Dec 2015 • Solo
The divemaster on duty was the worst i have ever met. Dive briefing lasted under 2 minutes and no information at/ about the dive site. When we were about to descend, my buddy fot that dive had a small problem with his equipment that needed some attention, but in the meantime the DM and the rest of the group were gone, leaving the 2 of us at the surface. He never noticed that 2 divers were not there with the rest of the group. By the way, 8 divers is just too much for only 1 staff member. Thanks to the boatcaptain we found the group after a while, but our divetime was limited to 15 minutes, more or less. The dive center promised me a refund and now, 10 months later, i finally have my money back....
Written 17 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
millerslocal
Port Elizabeth, South Africa151 contributions
Feb 2019 • Solo
Really professional and friendly instructors who ensure you feel safe and confident. Enjoyed great conditions for both the shore dive and boat dive. Amazed at the quality of the coral we have just offshore.
Written 6 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
laureapmartin
Maharepa, French Polynesia6 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
This center was organizing a sea safari during the sardine run which was super expensive (300 euro for a day), but since it's THE sardine run, I decided that I should do it as it's supposed to be an amazing experience (once in a lifetime type!)
They were very pushing for me to book long in advance, and kept adding things (like gear rental since it wasn't included, plus credit card fees ...)
Once I arrived, they didn't explain anything on how the day will run, or safety, or even asking questions about my diving experience. We went on the boat and drove all day, we didn;t spot anything, not even a dolphin.
Since we didn't see anything, they took us to a diving spot, to see some sharks (that dive is usually 50 euros) - Once in the water the diving instructor lost the group, he finally found the divers again, but this shows how serious he was!
What was very frustrating was the fact that they had another boat, who did see marine life activity, they told the driver of our boat, and the driver said it was too late, too far to get to and we won't have enough petrol, so we headed back.
I totally understand that this is how wildlife works and we might not be always lucky, but given the price I assumed they would let me come back another day for free, or do a partial reimbursements (like for shark experience, or whale watching) but no they said they provided the service I paid for (a day at sea) - which was very disappointing.
It was a lot of money for that one day, and I would have appreciated a bit more understanding and flexibility on their end. It also seemed like not everyone paid the same amount of money, which made me feel like I got ripped off.
At the end of the day I paid for a 50 euro dive, 300 euro ... If you are thinking of doing it I would recommend doing it with a company that has a refund / voucher policy, and also that has more serious dive masters.
They were very pushing for me to book long in advance, and kept adding things (like gear rental since it wasn't included, plus credit card fees ...)
Once I arrived, they didn't explain anything on how the day will run, or safety, or even asking questions about my diving experience. We went on the boat and drove all day, we didn;t spot anything, not even a dolphin.
Since we didn't see anything, they took us to a diving spot, to see some sharks (that dive is usually 50 euros) - Once in the water the diving instructor lost the group, he finally found the divers again, but this shows how serious he was!
What was very frustrating was the fact that they had another boat, who did see marine life activity, they told the driver of our boat, and the driver said it was too late, too far to get to and we won't have enough petrol, so we headed back.
I totally understand that this is how wildlife works and we might not be always lucky, but given the price I assumed they would let me come back another day for free, or do a partial reimbursements (like for shark experience, or whale watching) but no they said they provided the service I paid for (a day at sea) - which was very disappointing.
It was a lot of money for that one day, and I would have appreciated a bit more understanding and flexibility on their end. It also seemed like not everyone paid the same amount of money, which made me feel like I got ripped off.
At the end of the day I paid for a 50 euro dive, 300 euro ... If you are thinking of doing it I would recommend doing it with a company that has a refund / voucher policy, and also that has more serious dive masters.
Written 28 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Laure,
We have always valued customer feedback as it can only improve our service delivery. However I find your "lashing" out over social media quite emotional, inaccurate and as a result of you over extending yourself financially.
We provided with a CLEAR indication of the price and the product that you were signing up for. With your blanket comments on all social media platforms it is obvious that you did not have the budget to book on this activity and we saw from the beginning how you tried to avoid all the extra charges.
Now that you did not have any success you are feeling bitter and are trying to blame us by lashing out where you can.
You received 5 star service on a 5 star boat with one of the best skippers in the country. He personally gave you a full briefing of what to expect before getting on the boat. There was the option to pay by eft, cash or credit card and it was your choice to pay by credit card and incur the additional cost.
It was also very clearly mentioned in the briefing and the booking information we sent you that with nature the sardine run action could not be guaranteed. From your comments you also seem to understand this fact. Yes, it was unlucky that you did not get to experience this on the day that you booked - however, we spent almost 8 hours out at sea and did more that what was expected to try and ensure the best experience on the day.
For your information our pricing is very much in line with all the operators along this coastline who offer the Sardine Run product and the fact that we have huge "repeater" bookings is a clear indication that our product is well priced and more than satisfactory.
Now lets get real....If we offered every-one extra days for free we would go out of business and by the way, this is how it works everywhere in the world!
Written 29 May 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hallo Remigiusz Adam! Was würden Sie gerne über diese Sehenswürdigkeit erfahren?
Hallo.
Ich mochten tauchen mit Schark,Haie ich komme am 29 August in Sud Afrika - Port Elizabeth bleiben ich bis Mitwoch 5 September 2018 .Ich am 1-2 September machen Ironman und frage ich ist moglich eine tauchen machen .?Haben sie noch platz? und Vievil kostet ?
maine email remy@wp.pl
LG Remi.
Written 6 July 2018
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