PADI Drift Diver Course in Jeddah | Jeddah Diving Center

Stop fighting the current. Learn to fly with it.

Every diver encounters currents. Most treat them as a problem to overcome, swimming against the flow, burning through air, cutting dives short. Drift diving flips that entirely. You stop fighting and start moving with the water, covering more of the reef with less effort, reaching dive sites that anchored boats can’t access, and experiencing a kind of underwater movement that nothing else in diving replicates.

The PADI Drift Diver Course gives you the knowledge and skills to do this safely and confidently. Two open water dives in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most recognized drift diving destinations, under the direct supervision of your certified instructor.

How the Course Works

eLearning, Before Your Dive Days

You complete the theory online before arriving for your dives. The eLearning covers planning and organizing a drift dive, understanding how currents work and how to read them, site selection, potential hazards and how to manage them, and an introduction to drift diving equipment, floats, lines, and reels. You arrive informed and ready, not learning the basics on the boat.

Two Open Water Dives In the Red Sea

Both qualifying dives are conducted in open water, in a real current. You practice buoyancy control and navigation while drifting, communication with your buddy and the dive boat, techniques for staying together as a group in moving water, entry and descent techniques specific to drift diving, controlled ascents and safety stops in a current, and the correct use of a Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) for signaling your position from depth. Every skill is trained in the actual conditions you’ll use it in.

What’s Included

PADI eLearning, complete online theory before dive day
Two open water dives in the Red Sea
Full equipment throughout the course
Dive fees and boat access
Certified PADI instructor
International PADI Drift Diver certification, valid for life

One price. Everything covered. No additional costs on the day.

Who Is The PADI Drift Diver Course For

Any certified diver, Open Water and above, who wants to dive in currents safely and enjoyably. If you’ve encountered currents before and felt unprepared, this course closes that gap. If you haven’t yet, it makes sure you’re ready when you do.

The Red Sea is globally recognized for its drift dives. Completing this certification here isn’t just practical; it puts you in one of the best environments in the world to actually use what you learn.

Minimum age: 12 years.
Prerequisite: PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or equivalent entry-level certification

Why Book With Us

Our open water drift dives take place in the Red Sea, not a pool, not a sheltered bay. You train in real current conditions with a certified instructor beside you the entire time. Pricing is fully transparent and all-inclusive from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is drift diving?

Drift diving is a technique where divers move with the natural flow of an underwater current rather than swimming against it. The dive boat follows on the surface, rather than anchoring, and picks divers up downstream at the end of the dive. It allows access to sites that can’t be explored from a fixed position and is widely considered one of the most enjoyable forms of scuba diving.

Is drift diving dangerous?

Drift diving carries specific risks, primarily losing contact with your buddy, surfacing in an unexpected location, or being caught in a stronger current than anticipated. The Drift Diver course is specifically designed to address all of these: you learn to read currents, stay connected with your group, signal your position from depth, and complete controlled ascents even in moving water. Preparation is what makes the difference.

What equipment do drift divers use?

In addition to standard scuba gear, drift divers use floats, lines, reels, and surface marker buoys (SMBs or DSMBs) to maintain contact with the dive boat and signal their position when surfacing. The course introduces all of this equipment and teaches you how to use it correctly.

What is a Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB)?

A DSMB is an inflatable buoy deployed from depth while the diver is still submerged. It rises to the surface on a line, signaling the boat exactly where the diver will surface. In drift diving, where divers may surface well away from their entry point, a DSMB is essential safety equipment. Deploying it correctly is a core skill covered in this course.

Why is the Red Sea good for drift diving?

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most recognized drift diving destinations. Its reef systems, walls, and channel sites produce consistent, well-defined currents that carry significant marine life, pelagic fish, rays, and reef species that follow the flow. Conditions vary by site and season, making it a genuinely ideal environment to learn and develop drift diving skills.

What are the medical requirements?

Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Certain medical conditions, medications, or recent surgery may require written approval from a physician before diving. Download and review the PADI Diver Medical form before enrolling. For medical questions, consult your physician or contact Divers Alert Network (DAN).