Local Travel
We run dive trips to multiple locations within Southern Africa. This includes Sodwana Bay, Protea Banks, Aliwal Shoal as well as Sterkfontein Dam in the Drakensburg.
Let us introduce ourselves
A few words about us
Divetek was opened in 1984 by owner and head instructor David Cohen. David has been in the industry for over 38 years, and is a NAUI, SSI, SAUU, PADI, TDI, and Divetek qualified instructor.
We are the largest and most well stocked diving shop in Africa, and pride ourselves in the extremely high level and variety of dive training that we offer.
Divetek has multiple highly qualified instructors, and are able to teach students all the way from beginner to instructor level.
Each and every one of our instructors has gone through a vigorous training schedule themselves, and are therefore able to provide the highest quality of training. Our lectures and pool sessions are taught with in-depth knowledge, care, professionalism and of course with loads of enthusiasm. These courses need to be both informative and fun for each and every one of our students.
We offer NAUI courses, from the entry-level “learn to dive courses” all the way up to NAUI Master Diver, Divemaster and Instructor.
All of our courses have been written and revised to focus on South African diving conditions. They follow all NAUI standards with the addition of being made more specific to our diving conditions in this country.
We also provide more technical courses such as cylinder technician, regulator and BC technician, compressor operator, and technical diving courses.
Divetek prides itself on our thorough training standards. We make sure that every student we qualify are confident and safe divers who are able to dive the more rough conditions that South African waters offer, and LOVE it!
The ugly truth
Why are we different
The Ugly Truth is that many scuba courses that are fine for the calm warm waters of the Caribbean, simply don’t cut it here in South Africa.
80% of people who Learn to Dive in South Africa do not continue diving.
Firstly, most courses involve DVD Training and online “self-study” training ONLY . This does not give you or the instructor any understanding into your capabilities and knowledge before getting into the water. Live interaction with an experienced and well-trained instructor is imperative to you, both for your enjoyment and safety.
Secondly, it has unfortunately become too easy to become an instructor. These Instructor courses are now unable to impart the knowledge required to ensure the candidates have both the knowledge and experience to confidently teach clients to Scuba Dive. This general decline in standards and criteria has now become the norm. Most Instructors are not confident with core topics such as the Physics and Physiology involved in Scuba Diving.
Thirdly, everyone is busy. Courses have been made shorter and quicker to accommodate the busy lifestyles of clients. Too little time is spent in the pool getting comfortable. Ultimately the quality of training then suffers. A single weekend of pool sessions may sound convenient, but it is just not enough time in the water.
The tragedy is that so many people are being put off scuba diving.
Our CORE Focus has become providing the best possible courses. We take our time working through the theory and the pool sessions, and once our clients are confident, we take them to complete their qualifying dives at the coast. After all, if you want to learn to scuba dive – it is to dive in the sea, not a dam!
Our Instructors
David Cohen
Instructor Trainer
David is our head instructor and is responsible for our internship / pro course programme. He is very passionate about diving and has been in the industry for many years. David is responsible for taking our courses up to the highest standard, ensuring all our students get the best possible training.
Abigail Smith
JHB Head Instructor
Abby is one of our most highly qualified and experience instructors. Along with David, she writes all our curriculum and helps in the training of all our instructors. Abby joined Divetek through the internship programme and has made her way up to the top. If you ever need any help with your diving skills or theory, Abby is always willing to give up her time to help you.
Lawrence du Toit
PTA Head Instructor
Lawrence heads up our Pretoria branch and all of his training. He joined the team in 2017 through the internship programme and we have been lucky to have him ever since. Lawrence will go out of his way day or night for any of his clients and will always make sure your courses and trips are ones to never forget. You can always find Lawrence with a smile on his face and a go-pro in his hand
Chris Nicolay
Instructor
Chris is the baby of the group and one of our most recent instructors, having gone through our internship programme and qualified end of 2019. Chris is always very eager to learn and help out in any way he can. Chris has been put through his pace to make sure his lecturing, diving and instructorship is up to the high standard we require, and we are glad to have him on our team.
James Morton
Instructor
James is one of our younger but very experienced divers. He has qualified as an SSI and PADI instructor, worked at Sodwana Bay as a dive master as well as work in the commercial diving industry. James loves working with clients and will put in the extra effort needed to help with any issue you may have. James also works as our cylinder technician so is very helpful to have around on any dive.
Oscar Delport
Instructor
Oscar is a NAUI and SSI qualified instructor who worked his way up through the internship programme in 2017. Oscar currently works as our regulator technician and assists David in the technician training courses. He is responsible for keeping all our school gear up to the high standard that our students need, and he is always eager to assist on courses and trips.
Gerhard Erasmus
PTA Instructor
Gerhard joined us in 2018 where he worked his way up to SSI instructor through our internship programme. He currently works at our Pretoria branch with Lawrence helping on our courses. Gerhard has a great love and respect for the world that lies beneath and worked as a dive master at Sodwana bay before joining our team. He is very passionate about diving and is willing to try anything we throw at him.
What we can offer you
Worldwide travel
We plan international diving trips to any location in the world. You can either join us on any one of our top destination trips that we run each year, or we can plan a private trip for you and your group.
The Most thorough courses in Southern Africa
We guarantee that we offer the most thorough scuba training courses in the country.
Our Open Water Course includes 6 lectures, 6 pool sessions, 2 dives inland (Summer Only) and 3 dives at Sodwana Bay (5 Dives in Winter).
Internationally Recognised Qualification
All certification courses are internationally recognised and you may request a physical card. A digital card is included with all certification courses and is available in the NAUI app – Never lose your dive cards again!