Divemaster course in Cape Verde. A real experience of life and diving.
Are you thinking about becoming a Divemaster and looking for more than simply completing a course?
There are many places where you can earn a Divemaster certification. But there are few where you can truly live the process in an authentic, human and close way.
Cidade Velha, on Santiago Island, Cape Verde, is one of those places.
You don't come here only to do skills, log dives or study theory. You come to live the ocean day by day. To understand how a real dive centre works. To become part, for a few months, of a small community where the sea is present in everything.
Our Divemaster programme normally runs for about 3 months. We prefer it that way because we believe this kind of training needs time. Time to gain real experience. Time to build confidence underwater. Time to learn how to work with people, read the sea and grow as a diving professional.
We don't believe in a fast, automatic Divemaster.
We believe in training good professionals.
During those months you truly take part in the life of the centre. Helping with gear. Preparing dives. Filling tanks. Accompanying customers. Learning logistics. Being in the water constantly. Living intense days and quieter ones, because that is the real life of a dive centre.
And in the middle of all that, you also live Cape Verde.
Cidade Velha is a small, historic village full of soul. Something still exists here that many tourist destinations have already lost. Human closeness. Quiet. Slow time. People who greet you in the street. Long conversations looking out at the sea.
Life here is simple. Very simple.
It is not a luxury destination or a resort-style experience. And we believe that is precisely part of its magic.
Praia, the capital, is about 20 minutes away by minibus, and there you can find more movement, gyms, shops or city life. But day-to-day life in Cidade Velha revolves much more around nature, the sea and a simple, authentic way of living.
Underwater, Santiago remains one of the most pristine places to dive in Cape Verde. We have volcanic formations, caves, historic remains, groupers, moray eels, mantas, sharks, turtles and abundant marine life. Our dive sites still don't even appear on tourist maps.
And that completely changes the experience.
Here you don't feel like you are consuming a destination. You feel like you are discovering it.
Tony, our director and Master Scuba Diving Instructor, has spent years dedicated to the sea and to teaching. For him, training Divemasters is not only about teaching technical skills. It is also about teaching calm, responsibility, sensitivity and love for the ocean.
Cidade Velha Diving is a small, family-run centre. A young project born from a genuine passion for the sea and for sharing this island with people who value real experiences.
The Divemaster course is paid, like any professional diving qualification, but we try to make the experience go far beyond a certification. We want whoever comes here to leave with real learning, personal growth and a life experience they will remember for many years.
If you are already a Rescue Diver and feel ready to take the next step toward becoming a Divemaster, we believe this can be a very special place to do it.
We don't promise luxury.
We promise the sea, real experience and an adventure that will probably change you a little inside.
If any of this speaks to you, get in touch.