Independent PADI Diving Instructor in Hong Kong
From zero to certified — explore the ocean with confidence.
Small-group classes, beginner-friendly. Real-world training in Sai Kung.
Replies within 24 hours · No pushy sales
Four ways to start your journey
Discover Scuba Diving
Want to try diving but not ready to commit to a full certification course
Open Water Diver
International PADI certification
Advanced Open Water
Dive to 30m, 5 specialty dives
Reactivate
Haven't dived in a while? Refresh your skills and confidence
Why dive with Nic
Focused Small Groups
Max 4 students per class. I notice every hesitation and every small win — that's what makes you safer and faster to progress.
Flexible Scheduling
I've taught many time-pressed professionals — finance, healthcare, IT, founders — so I understand how fragmented your schedule can be. Weekends, weekday evenings, long weekends — I'll help you find the right time slots.
Built for Beginners
Body tense up underwater? Worried you can't clear your mask? Struggle with ear equalization? I'll patiently guide you from shallow water until you're breathing comfortably in the water.
We Stay Connected
Getting certified is just the start. Fun Dive group chats, overseas trips, WhatsApp follow-up — as long as you want to keep diving, I'm here.
I don't profit from retraining
If you need extra training, you only pay actual costs (boat, air, gear, pool). I don't charge for my own time — because helping you pass is my job as your instructor, not a revenue opportunity.
Have these worries before? Totally normal.
These are what beginners most often ask. Tap to read my honest answers.
To become an Open Water Diver, you don't need to be a swimming champion, but you do need basic swimming ability for safety reasons.
PADI's in-water skills evaluation requirements are:
• Continuously swim 200 metres/yards (or 300 metres/yards with mask, fins, and snorkel). No time limit, any stroke is fine.
• Float and tread water for 10 minutes, again using any method.
This ensures you stay calm in water — not that you swim fast. I'll assess your water comfort in the pool first; if you need more practice, we'll add sessions. No student has ever failed because they couldn't swim.
Panic isn't weakness — it's a natural reaction to an unfamiliar environment. We start in the shallowest water, teach you breathing rhythm, and constantly check in with hand signals. The moment you want to pause, we pause. No rushing.
Sai Kung, Hong Kong
World-class diving in your own backyard
Sai Kung Pier is just 45 minutes from Central by car. Sharp Island, Ninepin Islands, Tung Ping Chau, Basalt Island — these are the real waters where my students complete their open-water dives.
In summer, visibility reaches 15 metres, and you'll see soft corals, anemones, wrasses, and sea stars. Winters are colder but clearer, often revealing rarer marine life.
Best of all: no annual leave, no flights, just a weekend trip. Once certified, you can join my Fun Dive group anytime to keep diving.
- 45-minute drive to the pier
- 260+ species of hard coral
- Divable all year
Real student stories
No marketing fluff — just words from real students.
“I almost drowned in a pool as a kid and avoided deep water for 20 years. On Day 2, when we practiced removing the mask, I cried. Nic didn't rush me — he let me sit and talk for 20 minutes. Now I've finished my Advanced course too.”
Karen, 31
Course: Open Water Diver
“I was sure I'd panic. Nic started in the shallow end and explained every step. By the last dive, I realized I could actually do this.”
Marcus, 28
Course: Open Water Diver
“I just wanted to try once. The moment I saw my first fish underwater, I was already planning my Open Water course.”
Wing, 35
Course: Discover Scuba Diving
“I have two kids, so weekends are precious. Nic worked around my schedule and split the course across 3 weekends. He's genuinely patient.”
Sam, 40
Course: Open Water Diver
“I hadn't dived for a year after my OW and thought I'd forgotten everything. Nic ran a half-day Reactivate, and just like that, I was ready. A few months later I joined his Bohol trip.”
Jamie, 26
Course: Advanced Open Water
Names shared with student consent. Some are pseudonyms for privacy.
After certification
Your dive licence is the start, not the finish line
A lot of people finish OW and never dive again — the course ends, and the relationship with the instructor ends with it. That model never sat right with me.
After you finish OW, I'll invite you into my student group — alongside previous students, we regularly Fun Dive at Sai Kung and Basalt Island, and occasionally organise overseas trips to the Philippines, Indonesia, and beyond.
For me, OW isn't a transaction. It's the start of you actually entering the diving world. I'd like to walk that road with you, for a while.
Meet your instructor
I'm Nic.
I'm a PADI-certified diving instructor based in Hong Kong, focused on guiding beginners through their first underwater experience.
Ready to start your diving journey?
Message me first — no commitment, just a chat to see if this is right for you.
Chat with Nic on WhatsAppReply within 24 hours · No pushy sales