Tried and tested: Learning how to scuba dive at the UAE's largest indoor tank

Wondering if scuba diving is for you? 

Thanks to the year-round sunshine, blue-flag beaches, array of marine life, and incredible nearby dive sites, living in the UAE is the perfect excuse to take up diving as a hobby (and a great way to beat the summer heat).

Dive Campus, located in Al Quoz, holds the region’s largest indoor ‘Dive Tank’, made with upcycled shipping containers. With 220,000 litres of fresh water, the tank measures four metres deep, 12 metres long, and five metres wide.

Ideal for scuba and free diving training, anyone from beginners to seasoned divers can experience the Discover Scuba Diving sessions in the tank, starting from Dhs200 per class.

What to expect

The homegrown concept started back in 2021 as an online shop and has since become a certified PADI training academy and a home for Dubai’s burgeoning community of diving enthusiasts, adventure seekers, and ocean lovers.

Across two floors, Dive Campus features a café and chill-out zone, a multi-brand equipment store with a pre-loved section, training rooms for instructors, and a freshwater tank.

There’s also a fully equipped scuba van offering frequent day trips to the best diving spots in the UAE, from Fujairah to Ras al Khaimah, to put the theories into practice.

Testing the waters…

We recently visited Dive Campus for the no-experience-necessary Discover Scuba Diving session. As complete first-timers, we were made to feel immediately at ease with the owners, who are also avid divers, and the experienced instructor.

Here’s a look at what happened when we took the plunge…

Wet suits on, our trainer, Ahmed, gave us a briefing about the equipment, hand signals, how water pressure affects us, and how to equalise ear pressure.

You’ll learn to master underwater skills with confidence in the shallow, such as breathing underwater, what to do if your mouthpiece falls out, how to remove water from your goggles, and how to clear your regulator underwater. Ahmed demonstrated all of the techniques and we practiced them at our own pace until we were confident enough to go deep.

Hand-in-hand, we then followed the instructor down into the tank, who constantly made sure we were comfortable by gesturing and ensuring we were equalising our ears regularly and breathing (slowly). There really is no feeling like breathing underwater for the first time. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised by the lack of underwater-anxiety we faced, breathing with control and independently equalising our ear pressure almost immediately.

We were underwater for around 30 to 40 minutes in total and, in no time, four metres deep, weightless, playing catch, and swimming and dancing around – even as beginners. The tank also has plexiglass windows so that friends and family can watch and snap you during training.

Verdict: Our first-ever dive was a surprisingly chill yet adrenaline-pumping activity. We felt safe and comfortable under the guidance of our instructor with high-quality gear and a supportive environment.  The introduction session at Dive Campus has only made us want to pursue our PADI license even more and become more self-sufficient in diving to be able to explore the beautiful underwater world.

Ready to dive in? All you need to bring is swimwear, the cost includes all the equipment required for your first dive including a wetsuit and flippers, as well as dressing rooms with towels and toiletries. Plus, if you enjoyed the dive, you can then use the session towards completing your PADI course.

Dive Campus, Al Quoz, Dubai. Daily, 10am to 10pm. Try from Dhs200. divecampus.com

Images: Provided