Transparent Pricing — PADI Courses in Seoul | NB Divers

REAL ALL-IN TOTALS

Before you calculate,
here are the real totals

The three plans most first-timers choose — with tuition, materials, pool entry and gear rental all added up. Nothing extra is charged during your course.

01

Pool Try-Dive 1:3

Seoul indoor pool · about 2 hours
$101
₩152,000 · billed in KRW
Instruction & liability insurance$67
Pool entry venue$21
Scuba gear rental venue$13
Tank & weight belt included
02

PADI Scuba Diver 1:1

Dedicated instructor · certification issued
$673
₩1,010,000 · billed in KRW
Tuition$400
PADI materials$204
Local pool & gear ×2 venue$69
$69 (₩104,000) of this is paid at the pool
03

PADI Open Water 1:1+1:3 MIX PLAN

Lifetime certification · recognized worldwide
$1,155
₩1,733,000 · billed in KRW
Tuition (30+30+10+10)$534
PADI eLearning & certification$204
Local pool & gear ×2 venue$69
Deep pool ×1$93
Ocean training, 1 day$190
Ocean gear (wetsuit)$65

You don’t pay everything to NB Divers. We only charge tuition, PADI eLearning, open-water training (deep pool & ocean) and gear rented from NB Divers.
venue items — pool entry and pool gear rental — are paid directly at the pool. USD shown at ₩1,500/$ for reference; final amounts are billed in KRW.

Different group size, course or location? → Get your exact total with the calculator below

TOTAL COST CALCULATOR

Your
Cost Estimate

Select your course, class format, PADI manual, and training venue to see your estimated total in real time.

100% refund guaranteeSmall cohortsNo upselling, no pressure
01Select category
Start DivingBeginner
Level UpIntermediate
First AidEFR
Tec1:1 only

Estimated Total

Select a course to see the cost breakdown.

Take Your Estimate
Into a Consultation

Press the button and the estimate you just built is dropped straight into the chat. An instructor picks it up from there and guides you through the next step.

Classes run with small, limited groups.

TRAINING EXPENSE REFERENCE

Pool & Open Water
Expenses

Training expenses are billed separately from course tuition. The more students share a session, the lower the cost per person.

Local Pool, Jamsil Sports Complex
For pool sessions at Jamsil (walking distance from NB Divers), you only pay your own entry fee of $21 per session, regardless of class size. No additional transport or instructor fee applies.
Ratio1 Session2 Sessions
1:1
Instructor + 1 student		$190 per person$278 per person
1:2
Instructor + 2 students		$117 per person$183 per person
1:3
Instructor + 3 students		$93 per person$152 per person
  • Included: Round-trip transport, pool entry, insurance
  • Not included: Meals and personal expenses
  • If you arrange your own transport, the transport portion is deducted or reimbursed
PADI ELEARNING REFERENCE

PADI Manual
Prices

Reference prices for official PADI eLearning materials. Updated annually, verify the current price at PADI.com or our store before purchasing.

Open Water DiverOpen Water Diver eLearning
$204
Advanced Open WaterAdvanced Open Water eLearning
$177
Rescue DiverRescue Diver eLearning
$187
Emergency First ResponseEFR E-Learning
$117
ReActivateReActivate E-Learning
$87
Deep Diver SpecialtyDeep Diver E-Learning
$140
Underwater PhotographerDigital Underwater Photographer
$140
Peak Performance BuoyancyPPB Specialty eLearning
$140
Dry Suit DiverDry Suit Diver E-Learning
$140
Enriched Air (Nitrox)Enriched Air Diver E-Learning
$167

* Reference prices shown in USD, based on PADI.com rates. Rates fluctuate, confirm the final amount at PADI.com or our store before purchase.

BEST VALUE PACKAGE

Master Scuba Diver (MSD)
Package

The highest recreational diving rating in the world, completed in just 9 days with NB Divers. Our Black Belt.

BEST VALUE
Master Scuba Diver (MSD)
Highest recreational level · 9-day intensive (vs. ~19 days individually)
Individually: $1,709
$1,129
total package
13.5 sessions vs. 20.5 course by course
Open Water5 days
Beginner
EFR1 day
First Aid
Advanced2 days
Level Up
SpecialtiesDeep · Photo · PPB
Dry · EANx
Expert
Rescue3 days
Safety
MSD1 day
Complete!
01
13.5 sessions
20.5 if you register course by course
02
No re-enrolling course by course
One registration, all the way to MSD
03
Weekends or every other week
around your schedule
04
Gear and next-course terms are covered in your consultation
05
Valid for one year
Spread the sessions across 12 months
OWD holders: $869
|
AOWD holders: $799
|
Valid for 1 year

Curious about the
Master Package?

The 9-day journey, all 5 perks, and payment options, explained live in chat.

Gear Rental

The prices below are for Fourth Element sets rented from NB Divers — your instructor picks gear that fits the water temperature and your size. Shared gear from the pool or a local shop can be rented separately on site, from ₩20,000 per pool day and ₩30,000 per ocean day.

Pool Set
$49 / per day
Wetsuit Full Set
$69 / per day
Neoprene Drysuit Set
$79 / per day
Butyl Drysuit Set
$129 / per day
Small Items
Gloves$3
Hood$3
Mask$3
Snorkel$2
Fins$3
Boots$3
Dive Computer$7
Suits & Major Gear
3/5mm Wetsuit$20
7mm Wetsuit$27
Hydra Drysuit$40
Argonaut Drysuit$67
BCD$10
Regulator$10
Undersuit (incl. laundry)$23

* Fourth Element gear standard. Equipment collected at the center on training day.

Why the rental costs this

A rental car costs more or less depending on the car. Dive gear works the same way. Masks, snorkels, fins, wetsuits, hoods, gloves, boots and drysuits all retail at different prices, so they rent at different prices too.

A full set of rental gear at a pool or a local resort still costs less than a single Fourth Element wetsuit.

WHY THIS PRICE

Same Open Water,
different education

The difference in price is the difference in how much of an instructor’s time is actually yours.

A typical budget course

1–2 hours of instructor attention per studentduring pool training
Time-basedclass ends when the clock runs out
No free practice, or paid
Whichever instructor is assigned
Whatever gear is on hand

NB Divers

6+ hours of instructor attention per studentpool training · Open Water · max 3 students
Skill-basedwe continue until you can do it — not until time is up
Unlimited free practiceuntil you’re truly confident
Instructor matchingnationality · gender · age · preference — female & kid-friendly instructors
Gear matched to water temperaturefrom wetsuit to drysuit

The course ends when you’re ready — not when time runs out.
Divide the price by instructor hours per student, and it isn’t expensive. It’s honest.

Refund Policy

One instructor day, divided among you

Sending a million won to someone you have just met is a lot to ask. So a first certification course starts with a ₩100,000 deposit. You meet your instructor, see how we work, and pay the balance after that. Divers who already know NB skip the deposit.

One rule covers everything. The cost of an instructor day is divided among the divers training together. Up to 7 days before the start, a change in group size is simply recalculated. Within 7 days, the share of whoever drops out stays where it is, so the divers who remain never pay more. A course spread over several dates is priced date by date, so cancelling one day settles only that day.

Example — one open water day, three divers

Course fee
₩100,000₩300,000 for the instructor day, split three ways
Your diving cost
₩100,000The dives you make that day
Diving cost for your instructor
₩35,000Your instructor gets in the water too · ₩100,000 split three ways
Transport
₩50,000₩150,000 split three ways
Extra instructor hours
₩100,000Travel, setup and pack-down · ₩300,000 split three ways
Total per diver
₩385,000

Of those five lines, only one disappears when you cancel: your own diving cost. The instructor still gets in the water and the vehicle still runs. That is why a cancellation within 7 days returns ₩100,000 and nothing else.

Cancellation and change standards

Cancel up to 7 days before the start
Full refundIncludes statutory withdrawal within 7 days of payment, before the course starts
Change dates or group size up to 7 days before
Free of chargeIf the group gets smaller, the fee is recalculated for the divers who remain
Cancel or miss a day within 7 days of the start
Only your own diving cost is refundedThe course fee, the diving cost for your instructor, and transport are not refunded. Whether or not you come, the instructor still enters the water and the vehicle still runs
Change dates within 7 days of the start
Free if another diver takes the slotWe cannot guarantee a replacement. If nobody takes it, the cancellation standard above applies
Running a cancelled date later
You pay only the cost of that dateAny dates that have not yet run stay valid
Weather or other force majeure
Full refund even the day before or the day ofYou may take a new date instead of a refund
Withdrawal after the course starts
Only the days completed are charged
  • The course fee is ₩300,000 per instructor day, divided among the divers training together.
  • PADI eLearning becomes an agreement between PADI and you the moment your account code is issued. After that, refunds follow PADI policy and NB Divers cannot process or refund them.
  • This policy applies to courses booked on or after August 24, 2026. Bookings made before that date follow the previous policy.
  • The full clause is in Article 5 of our Terms of Use.
FAQ

Why This Price?

Anything else, ask us directly on live chat. We reply within 24 hours on weekdays.

What’s the difference between a PADI certification and a license?

A certification is the official PADI credential issued at recreational levels, from Open Water through Rescue.

A license applies to professional levels such as Divemaster and Instructor, and grants the authority to work in diving professionally.

Dive centers that blur this distinction tend to blur their training standards too. NB Divers follows PADI standards exactly and explains clearly what each level means.

Why does NB Divers use precise PADI terminology?

Using PADI’s standard terms correctly reflects how seriously we take training. When terms get mixed up, students can’t tell exactly where they stand in their education.

It’s the mark of a dive center trusted for the quality of its training, not its price, and it starts with a single word.

Why aren’t you the cheapest option in Seoul?

Price connects directly to training quality and safety. Small classes mean more in-water time per student, experienced PADI instructors teach you directly, and we use proven equipment. We spend on leaving you with fundamentals that keep you safe for life, not on being cheap.

Are there costs beyond the tuition?

Costs are split into ① course tuition ② PADI eLearning materials ③ pool and open-water training expenses. The calculator above shows you the estimated total of all three in advance, there are no hidden costs. Manual prices vary with exchange rates, so confirm the final amount before purchase.

Can I pay in installments?

Installment plans are available depending on the course and package. We accept credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfer, we’ll walk you through the details in a consultation.

Do I have to buy equipment?

No. NB Divers rents you a Fourth Element set, with your instructor picking gear that fits the water temperature and your size. Shared gear from the pool or a local shop can be rented separately on site, from ₩20,000 per pool day and ₩30,000 per ocean day. You decide on buying only after you have had real experience.

NB DIVERS · SEOUL

What matters more than the price
is the right, safe training for you

NB Divers guides you transparently to the certification plan that fits your goal, schedule, and experience level. No upsells. No payment pressure. Only the courses you need, at your pace.

✓
Stop anytime, 100% refund on the remainder
You can stop whenever you choose. We settle only the courses completed and refund the rest in full.

Estimated Total
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Estimated Total Cost

Select a course to see your cost breakdown.