Share this post:
Popular Posts
Visiting Medellin Recent Posts
Plan Your Trip Recent Posts
Living in Medellin Recent Posts
Greater Antioquia Recent Posts
No time to read? Ciudad Marina is the best dive shop in Laureles.
Most of the dive shops you’ll find scattered around Medellín are located in El Poblado.
However, that’s not to say that there aren’t dive shops in the other major sector in Medellín: Laureles.
If you’re living in Laureles (or visiting) and want to indulge in your favorite hobby, keep reading. I’ve done the research and put together everything you need to know about scuba dive shops in Laureles.
First on our list is Ciudad Marina. Ciudad Marina differs from many other dive centers around Medellin in that it doesn’t sell gear.
However, that’s not to say that it’s not worth joining!
This dive center has other perks that make it well worth checking out. I especially love this center for those who are already certified and are looking for a dive community in the area.
Let’s check out what to know about this dive center.
Ciudad Marina features a sports club which is just what it sounds like – a place where you and fellow divers can get together.
As part of the sports club, you’ll have the opportunity to practice diving and swimming in the indoor pool.
You can borrow snorkels, fins, and masks so that you can practice basic dive skills in the pool. It’s great for anyone who’s wanting to enhance freediving skills or go over basic open water skills.
To join the club you’ll pay a one-time fee of $90.000 Colombian Pesos (about $25 USD) plus a monthly fee of the same amount.
Ciudad Marina offers just three dive courses for you to participate in as well as two different diving experiences:
Let’s take a look at these in a bit more detail.
Mini-courses are one-day courses that are designed to introduce you to scuba. They’re a great way to figure out if you actually enjoy scuba before committing to a certification.
Your mini-course lasts between six and eight hours and includes:
The course is conducted right here in the Laureles neighborhood, meaning you don’t have to venture out of town to try out scuba!
The course is super cheap, too, costing you around $70 USD.
The next step up from the mini-course is the Open Water certification. There are three options offered at Ciudad Marina for this course:
The confined waters-only portion includes your scuba instructor, dive manual, and basic scuba equipment. It also includes six confined water dives in a swimming pool. This course costs $750.000 COP or about $200 USD.
If you do the open waters-only portion, you’ll get a scuba instructor, scuba equipment, four immersions at sea, and your Open Water certification. This portion of the course costs you $850.000 COP or about $230 USD.
Finally, the full open water course puts everything together. You’ll get all your swimming pool immersions as well as your immersions at sea. This course costs $1.500.000 COP or $415 USD.
After you complete your open water certification, you can take things to the next level with your advanced certification.
This course works much the same way as the open water course, offering you three options:
This course teaches you new skills and allows you to dive a whole 12m deeper than in your open water course. It’s an essential course if you plan on doing any diving in the Pacific Ocean.
The third course that you can take at Ciudad Marina is your PADI Rescue Diver course. Divers typically take this course after getting their Advanced Open Water certification.
Your PADI rescue diver course will cost you $2.100.000 COP (roughly $560 USD), but includes a ton of dives.
As part of your course, you’ll get:
That’s quite a bit more than some other PADI rescue dive courses offer, which is why I think this is worth the money.
Fun dives are dives where you get to go scuba diving. You can do these if you’re open water certified.
Fun dives are essentially scuba equipment rentals for the day, and with Ciudad Marina, they’ll cost you about $40 bucks!
Your fun dive includes:
Note: if you’re thinking that you’re certified and don’t need an instructor, think again! In Colombia, you must dive with a PADI divemaster or instructor.
The dive trips offered by Ciudad Marina are where the club really excels. That’s because this club actually has a location in Sapzurro, not just in Medellin.
Thanks to that, they offer some pretty spectacular dive trips at super-affordable rates!
The dive center’s trips leave from Medellín and can take you out to Turbo, Sapzurro, Capurganá, Triganá, Acandí, Playa Soledad, and El Aguacate.
The diver center offers discounted hotel rates, each of which includes breakfast, too. Plus, you can participate in eco-tours out to hidden beaches and tucked-away hikes.
Website: https://buceociudadmarina.com/
IG: @ciudadmarinabuceo
Address: Cra. 67b ##48c 24, Medellín, Antioquia
Tritones Buceo is a dive shop that focuses heavily on dive trips. That makes it a great choice for those who are planning to spend extended time in Colombia.
The dive center has everything you need in terms of diving resources. For instance, you can check out their dive shop to get your gear maintained or to purchase new items.
Or, if you’re looking for excursions and certification courses, the shop has that too. Let’s take a look at everything available at this dive center.
In terms of gear, you’ll find all the usuals at this dive shop. That includes fins, masks, wetsuits, dive bags, and snorkels.
The shop stocks the major scuba brands, such as Tusa, Cressi y Scubapro. That means you can get some pretty reliable gear.
Keep in mind that most items in the dive shop have to be ordered via Whatsapp. If you’re looking for something specific, your best bet is going to be to order ahead so you can ensure you get what you’re looking for.
As far as gear shops go, this isn’t Medellin’s finest. Still, it will definitely do if you’re in a pinch.
There are multiple courses offered at Tritones Buceo, including:
These courses include your course materials, a PADI instructor, and your confined water immersions. The immersions take place in a swimming pool conveniently located in the Laureles sector of Medellin.
After you complete your confined water dives you’ll have to schedule your open water immersions. These aren’t completed with Tritones, but you can do them anywhere in Colombia that has a PADI dive center at a discounted rate.
Now, what’s really fantastic about this dive school aren’t the major dive courses that you’d expect to find at a dive center.
Instead, what makes Tritones Buceo worth talking about is its “Noche de Buzos”. No, these aren’t nights where you get to go on dive trips. Instead, they’re get-togethers for scuba divers!
The get-togethers take place around Medellín, typically either at Pesqueira located in El Poblado or at the Hard Rock Café in the south of the city.
The events typically start at 7:30 pm and cover topics such as tips for night dives, learning to dive with sharks, and other useful information.
Plus, they’re great ways to meet other like-minded friends (you can never have too many dive buddies).
If you’re introverted like me and the idea of gathering with a group of strangers has your hair standing on end, don’t panic. Tritones Buceo also runs virtual courses that you can participate in.
The virtual courses are more like seminars.
They’re run via live stream on Instagram and Facebook and are chances for you to connect with dive professionals to learn more about life under the sea.
A few topics covered in the past include professional dive photography and ocean conservation techniques.
They’re usually run on Mondays at 8 pm, so even if you miss one, you can come back next week to see what’s on the program!
One of the many reasons why getting involved in a local dive club is so important is for the dive trips. On dive trips, you get a chance to explore new places with certified dive buddies.
Tritones Buceo runs regular dive trips, mostly to spots around Colombia including:
They do run the occasional trip out to the Maldives, however, if you’re wanting to go international.
My favorite part about the dive trips that Tritones Buceo operates is that many of them are focused on ocean clean-up. You can join trips that are specifically for rescuing Colombia’s coral reefs and cleaning trash out of the Caribbean.
Website: http://www.tritonesbuceo.com/
IG: @tritonesbuceo
Address: Calle 32 E #62 A 82, Medellín, Antioquia
Mascaron de Proa is another one of the major PADI Dive shops in Medellín. This dive center has tons of benefits, including offering one of the best dive shops in the city.
Plus, they organize regular dive trips out of Medellín.
Another thing I love about this dive center is that they offer weekend courses. That’s the ideal way to get certified without sacrificing your precious vacation days.
Here are the deets on this dive shop.
In terms of gear, Mascaron de Proa leaves very little to be desired. They have everything a diver could need, including:
On top of having a ton of different gear available, the shop also stocks some of the best scuba brands. I’m talking Cressi, Avanti, and Scubapro.
If you’re in need of quality dive equipment, this is a good shop to check out.
Just be prepared – the prices on these items can get pretty hefty. Still, you’ll be getting good gear with a solid guarantee.
Mascaron de Proa has three classes of dive courses:
Each of these categories offers a couple of different dive class options. In the beginner category, you’ll be able to get your Scuba Diver certification, which is a pared-down version of an Open Water certification.
Then, when you get into the intermediate category, you’ll be able to take your Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Rescue Diver certifications.
If you want to continue on your journey, you can get professional certifications such as specialty diver certifications or your Divemaster certification.
All the courses offered at Mascaron de Proa are pretty customized, so it’s best to get in touch with the school if you want to take one. The dates, prices, and what’s included all vary depending on your situation.
Finally, as with any good dive center, Mascaron de Proa offers dive trips!
Mascaron de Proa, however, differs in that they offer both customized and group trips. For customized trips, you can create adventures that head out to:
If you prefer to travel as part of a group, however, there are far more destinations. A few dive trips the center runs include:
The trips typically have a duration of three to five days, although this can vary depending on where you go.
Website: https://mascarondeproa.com/
IG: @mascarondeproabuceo
Address: Cl. 32E ##76 – 108, Medellín, Antioquia
With this guide to the best PADI dive centers in Laureles, you’ll have no problem booking scuba trips or picking up new gear.
I’m pretty sure that at least one of these dive centers will feel like your crew, and the perfect place for you to immerse yourself in the world of scuba.
If you like this blog, you might like the Casacol Instagram page to keep up with all the new articles. Anything we need to update or correct? Care to contribute? Email us at blog@casacol.co.
Feel free to contact us at any time regarding reservations reservas@casacol.co or investment opportunities sales@casacol.co or by visiting listings.casacol.co. Our Allies and Afilliations
© 2012-2023 Casacol SAS, All rights reserved