Diving is the deepest part of what Gran Canaria sells on the water, and the four centres below cover a price range from €55 to €455 that runs across everything from a snorkel with a guide to a full certification. The choice looks complicated and is not, because it comes down to two questions — which coast, and what is outside the price.
The headline prices are close; the exclusions are not. Four try dives cost €89–95, but what sits outside the number differs by centre — the dive computer, insurance, the rest of the kit; read the inclusions, not the first figure.
The first dive: four prices within six euros
| Centre | Base | Try dive | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico Diving | Puerto Rico | €89 | 3 hours, max 4 per instructor, from 10 years, equipment, insurance and tax included |
| Calypso | Maspalomas | €89 | complete equipment included; dive computer rented separately |
| Blue Water Diving | Puerto Rico | €90 | training session then a dive in the sea; 10% off for booking online, no deposit |
| Davy Jones | Arinaga | €95 | a one-day experience dive at the El Cabrón reserve, no previous knowledge needed |
The Puerto Rico Diving try dive is the most fully described of the four: three hours in total, theory and a shallow-water skills session, then a guided dive of up to 45 minutes, never more than four participants to one instructor. Photos or a GoPro are an option at €10 — the Discover Scuba and Photos package is €99. The centre holds 4.9 on Google from 398 reviews.
El Cabrón, and why a dive centre sits on the other coast
Every other operator here works the sheltered south-west. Davy Jones is in Arinaga on the east coast for one reason: the El Cabrón marine reserve is there.
Its visitor pack is €100 for two shore dives in one day, and the price includes tank and weights, transfers in and out of the reserve, free collection from and return to your hotel, tea and coffee, and local taxes. Equipment rental is the line to plan for: €25 for the day, or €30 with a dive computer.
Entry is from the rocks, which is why the day is built around the state of the sea rather than a boat timetable. If you prefer to dive from a boat, Calypso sells two guided boat dives for €115, picking divers up at the hotel and driving to whichever harbour suits the conditions.
Where does the money actually go?
The headline prices are close; the exclusions are not. Puerto Rico Diving states that equipment rental, insurance and sales tax are inside all of its Discover Scuba prices and that its prices include the 7% IGIC. Calypso includes complete equipment but rents the dive computer separately, adds €8 a day for diver insurance on the certified programme and asks for a medical certificate.
Davy Jones puts tanks, weights, transfers and IGIC in the price and charges for the rest of the kit. Blue Water Diving does not itemise its list at all — the page promises 10% off for online booking and asks for no deposit.
What if you would rather not dive at all?
The same Puerto Rico centre runs a guided snorkelling trip from shore at €55: an hour and a half to two hours in the water with a PADI-certified guide, mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit included, from 8 years old, with free hotel pickup from Puerto Rico, Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, Arguineguín or Puerto de Mogán. The pickup is free and named by the operator itself, and the trip asks for no experience at all.
What age can a child start?
Ten years old on the Puerto Rico Diving try dive, eight on their snorkelling trip. The other centres do not publish an age on these programmes, so we confirm it with the operator before booking.
Do I need a medical certificate?
Calypso asks for one on the certified two-dive programme. For uncertified divers, Calypso covers insurance under the centre's own policy. On the beginner programmes elsewhere no certificate is named at all.
What comes after the first dive?
The three-day PADI Open Water Diver course at €455, which includes the digital theory, equipment, insurance, tax and the certification fee. The whole list of programmes is on the Gran Canaria diving page.
Updated 3 September 2026. Prices, inclusions and ages are taken from the operators' own pages, ratings and review counts from Google.
