Rhodes diving: begin with your experience
Rhodes diving is easier to choose when you start with the kind of support you want in the water. The SSI beginner programme combines an introductory session with equipment, a briefing, hotel transfer and underwater photographs. The alternative includes instructors, a safety briefing, a refresher and one dive, with a Mandraki harbour meeting point. Those practical differences matter more than choosing by a similar-looking headline price.
Think about the whole outing, including reaching the meeting point, preparing, listening to the briefing and returning afterwards. A diving session is a different commitment from a snorkelling cruise with equipment available for water stops. If you are still choosing between land and water activities, the Rhodes tours page gives a wider view of the options.
Our picks: Scuba diving
The SSI introduction includes hotel transfer and underwater photos. The other option includes one dive and a refresher.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Discover scuba diving
- Full diving equipment
- Underwater photos and videos
- Free hotel pickup
A small-group SSI introduction with certified instructors.
Check availability →
Scuba dive and refresher
- All diving gear
- Refresher course
The booking covers one dive with instructors and a safety briefing.
Check availability →Diving sessions and refresher options
Two formats with equipment and instruction: choose by experience, included transport and how you want to spend the day.
SSI introduction with photos and hotel transfer
The SSI Discover Scuba Diving programme is listed as a two-hour experience. Certified SSI instructors, full diving equipment, a safety briefing and a small-group diving experience are included. Hotel pickup and drop-off are also included, with the place and time supplied in the booking confirmation. This combination is useful when you want the introduction and the journey organised together rather than arranging a separate harbour arrival.
Underwater photos and videos are part of the package. Food, drinks, personal expenses, towels and swimwear are outside the included services. Bring your own personal items and leave time to get ready. Treat the photographs as a record of your session rather than a promise of particular underwater scenery or wildlife. The programme’s appeal is the supported introduction itself, with equipment and instruction already brought together.
One dive with a refresher
The other programme includes all diving gear, instructors, a safety briefing, a refresher course and one dive. Its start is Mandraki harbour in Rhodes Town. Hotel pickup can be arranged at an extra cost, while food and drinks are separate. A second dive is available for an additional charge. This makes it important to compare the included single dive with the session you actually want to take.
The listing is presented with a one-day label. Avoid using that label as a precise number of hours underwater or a fixed return time. Build your day around the session arrangements rather than adding another timed activity immediately afterwards. If a refresher is central to your choice, describe your previous experience when arranging the outing so the instruction can be considered in relation to your needs.
Participation and medical preparation
Use the medical and participation process for the specific diving programme. Raise health questions before committing to the session, and give accurate information about previous diving experience. Medical suitability is a personal matter to address through the programme’s medical process. Likewise, an age condition on one introductory course should not be treated as the rule for every diving product available on Rhodes.
For a mixed group, make the participation decision person by person. One person may be seeking an introduction while another wants to refresh earlier skills. Keeping those aims clear helps you choose a session for its teaching format rather than expecting every member of the party to need the same programme. Anyone preferring a day based around surface swimming can compare the local boat trips instead.
Equipment, personal items and time ashore
Both diving formats include equipment and a safety briefing, so focus your comparison on the instruction, transport and extra dive arrangements. For the SSI session, plan your own towel and swimwear. For the Mandraki programme, decide how to reach the harbour or budget for the separately arranged pickup. Keep drinks and food in your personal plan because they are excluded from both packages.
Give yourself enough time to listen to the briefing without rushing. Take the instructor’s directions as the basis for the water session, including how the supplied equipment is used. Photos are included with the SSI introduction; that feature belongs to that package and should remain separate from the one-dive refresher comparison. Small details like these help avoid choosing an outing for a service attached to a different product.
Weather and the rest of your programme
Choose the available session for your travel dates and keep some flexibility in the wider itinerary. Sea conditions and the arrangements for the day matter more than a broad promise about the season. The weather guide explains how to organise outdoor activities around heat and changing conditions. If archaeology is another priority, put a Lindos day trip on a separate day so neither experience depends on a rushed connection.
Frequently asked questions
Which programme includes hotel pickup?
The SSI beginner session includes hotel pickup and drop-off. For the one-dive programme starting at Mandraki harbour, hotel pickup is a separately charged arrangement.
Is a second dive included?
The Mandraki programme includes one dive. A second dive is offered at an additional cost, alongside the included equipment, briefing, instructors and refresher.
Which option includes underwater photos?
Underwater photos and videos are included with the SSI beginner programme. Choose that package if recording your introductory session is part of what you want from the outing.