Dive services
Equipment Hire in Australia
Rental gear ranges from basic recreational sets to drysuits, steel cylinders and DPVs.
Equipment hire and equipment retail are separate capabilities, and a business offering hire is not automatically an equipment retailer or vice versa.
Rental ranges vary enormously. Some centres hire a basic recreational set; others hire drysuits, steel cylinders, stage cylinders, DPVs and technical configurations.
Rental equipment does not need to be new. It does need to be maintained, and that is what is worth assessing.
Equipment does not need to be new. It does need to be maintained, and the signs are visible if you look.
- regulators that breathe smoothly and do not free-flow
- BCDs that hold air and inflate and deflate cleanly
- cylinders within current test date
- gauges and computers that work and are readable
- suits that actually fit, with intact seals and zips
- fins and masks in usable condition
This matters most in Tasmania, southern Australia and remote destinations, where specialist sizes — large drysuits in particular — are not always stocked.
Arriving at a remote destination to find no suit in your size effectively ends the trip.
What a complete listing records
A simple yes or no tells a diver very little. These are the fields that actually distinguish one provider from another.
- recreational sets — BCD, regulator, computer
- exposure protection and available sizes
- drysuits and sizes
- cylinders including steel
- technical equipment and stage cylinders
- DPVs
- lights and accessories
- cameras
99 businesses across 9 states and territories have this capability recorded as verified or advertised. Always confirm current availability and turnaround directly.
Queensland
- Pro Dive CairnsA PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre operating since 1983, pairing a Cairns training centre with two deep heated pools with three-day outer reef liveaboard trips.
- Divers DenCairns' longest-established dive company (founded 1974), a PADI Career Development Centre and Eco Centre running day trips and the OceanQuest reef-based liveaboard.
- Dreamtime Dive & SnorkelCairns' Indigenous-guided reef day trip, run by Reef Magic Cruises, visiting two outer reef sites with optional introductory and certified dives.
- Ocean Free & Ocean FreedomSmall-vessel Cairns day trips, positioned around lower passenger numbers than the large reef catamarans.
- Coral Sea DreamingAn 18-metre sailing ketch taking up to 12 guests on overnight Cairns reef trips, with all dives guided and one of the few introductory night-dive licences.
- Passions of ParadiseA family-owned Cairns operator sailing the 30-metre catamaran Passions III to two outer reef sites a day at its own moorings, with introductory and certified diving.
- Down Under Cruise & DiveA locally owned Cairns day-trip operator of more than 30 years, running the 35-metre superyacht Evolution to two outer reef sites with introductory and certified diving.
- Quicksilver ConnectionsPort Douglas' largest reef operator, founded in 1979, running wavepiercers to its Agincourt Reef pontoon and a PADI 5 Star IDC training centre with a heated pool.
- Yongala DiveAn Ayr-based operation specialising in the SS Yongala, with a shorter boat transit to the wreck than Townsville departures.
- Adrenalin Snorkel & DiveTownsville's longest-established dive day-trip operator, a PADI 5 Star centre running the SS Yongala wreck, John Brewer Reef and the Museum of Underwater Art.
- Pleasure Divers Magnetic IslandMagnetic Island's longest-running dive centre, an SSI facility on the Geoffrey Bay foreshore with the island's only purpose-built training pool.
- Pro Dive Magnetic IslandA Magnetic Island operation offering training and local diving.
- Airlie Beach Dive CentreA small Airlie Beach PADI Dive Center focused on personalised training and families with children, with its own boat, air fills and servicing.
- Reef Safari DivingA Whitsundays operation providing diving in conjunction with sailing and reef tour products.
- Whitsunday Dive AdventuresA purpose-built PADI 5 Star IDC three minutes' drive from Airlie Beach, with two classrooms, a 3.8-metre pool and daily dive trips.
- Lady Elliot Island Eco ResortAn eco-resort on a no-take coral cay reached only by air, with beach and boat diving and a resident manta ray population of about 40.
- Lady Musgrave ExperienceA Bundaberg operator running daily trips to Lady Musgrave Island's lagoon and its wind- and solar-powered reef pontoon, with overnight stays and ex-HMAS Tobruk dives.
- 1770 ReefAn operation running trips from the Town of 1770 to Lady Musgrave Island and the southern Great Barrier Reef.
- Heron Island ResortA resort on a no-day-tripper coral cay off Gladstone whose PADI Marine Centre runs three boat dives a day plus night dives to around 20 nearby sites.
- Sunreef MooloolabaThe Sunshine Coast's only PADI 5 Star IDC, with roots to 1976 and three dive vessels running the ex-HMAS Brisbane, Flinders Reef and humpback whale swims.
- Scuba World MooloolabaA Mooloolaba SSI Instructor Training Center with air, Nitrox and oxygen, Extended Range and rebreather programmes, and boat trips to up to 15 local reef sites.
- Wolf Rock Dive CentreA Rainbow Beach operation specialising in Wolf Rock, an advanced offshore pinnacle site known for grey nurse sharks.
- Brisbane ScubaA Brisbane training and service business supporting the local resident diving population.
- Go Dive BrisbaneA Windsor dive centre founded in 2000, operating as a PADI Instructor Development Centre and TecRec Centre with a large Scubapro and TUSA showroom.
- Manta Lodge & Scuba CentreNorth Stradbroke Island's only full-service scuba centre and an SSI Instructor Training Center, with two boats, on-site lodging, and technical and freediving training.
- Tangalooma Island ResortThe Moreton Island resort beside the Tangalooma Wrecks, where Adventure Moreton Island runs introductory and certified wreck dives and PADI Open Water courses.
- Gold Coast Dive CentreA Gold Coast training and service business serving local divers and visitors.
- Gold Coast Dive AdventuresA Gold Coast operation focused on guided local diving and charter access to offshore sites.
- Aqua Dive Gold CoastThe Gold Coast's PADI 5 Star IDC, operating from a floating dive centre in Southport with ten instructors, its own boat and Wave Break Island dives.
- Sea the Gold CoastA Southport ocean-adventure company founded in 2014, running small-group Wave Break Island and shipwreck dives with PADI courses.
New South Wales
- Sundive Byron BayByron Bay's PADI 5 Star dive centre, running three daily departures to Nguthungulli Julian Rocks with training from Try Scuba to Divemaster.
- Byron Bay Dive CentreByron Bay's original dive centre, running daily Julian Rocks dive and snorkel trips from The Pass with PADI and SSI training and an onsite pool.
- South West Rocks Dive CentreA family-run South West Rocks operation that has run daily charters to Fish Rock since 1980, including the 125-metre cave traverse.
- Fish Rock Dive CentreA South West Rocks operation running regular Fish Rock and Fish Rock Cave trips from a 12-metre purpose-built vessel, with Nitrox supplied and PADI training.
- Jetty Dive CentreCoffs Harbour's PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre, running the Solitary Islands dive fleet from the Jetty Strip with training, retail, Nitrox and whale swims.
- Wooli Dive CentreThe closest operator to North Solitary Island and Pimpernel Rock, with its own 12-metre catamaran and riverside divers' accommodation in Wooli.
- Scuba Haven Port MacquarieA Port Macquarie SSI centre offering air and Nitrox, equipment servicing, and boat, shore and river dives around Port Macquarie and Laurieton.
- Feet First DiveA Nelson Bay SSI centre running Broughton Island boat dives and Port Stephens shore dives, with rebreather and Extended Range training.
- Grey Nurse ChartersA PADI-registered dive boat running charters around Port Stephens, Newcastle and Swansea, with PADI courses to Divemaster and TecRec.
- Dive NewcastleA Beresfield dive superstore teaching RAID courses, with air fills, servicing, rental and a large scuba, freediving and spearfishing range.
- Dive SwanseaAn SSI Instructor Training Center 60 metres from the Swansea Bridge shore dive, with boat trips to Moon Island and rebreather and Extended Range training.
- Central Coast DiversAn SSI Instructor Training Facility at Killarney Vale with two full-time Instructor Trainers, onsite servicing for all major brands, and freediving courses.
- Terrigal Dive CentreA dive shop on the waterside at Terrigal Haven, running boat and wreck dives including the ex-HMAS Adelaide, a few minutes offshore.
- Dive Centre ManlyA Northern Beaches operation with a long-standing presence at Shelly Beach, offering recreational training, boat diving and technical pathways.
- Frog Dive SydneyA Willoughby PADI 5 Star IDC founded in 1985, teaching recreational through Trimix and rebreather courses with PADI, SDI and TDI, and testing cylinders in-store.
- Abyss Scuba DivingA Sydney operation associated with training across recreational and technical levels, boat diving and equipment services.
- Dive Centre BondiAn Eastern Suburbs PADI 5 Star IDC on Bondi Road teaching through Instructor and technical levels, with air, Nitrox and Trimix fills and manufacturer-approved servicing.
- Geo DiversA Sydney PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre running small-group courses with two PADI professionals, from Discover Scuba through Instructor training.
- Pro Dive SydneyPro Dive's inner-Sydney training centre at Alexandria, close to Camp Cove, Clovelly, Gordons Bay and Bare Island, with courses to Divemaster, hire and servicing.
- Pro Dive BrookvalePro Dive's Northern Beaches centre at Brookvale, running the 43-foot dive boat Sea Life V alongside courses, hire, air fills and servicing.
- Shellharbour ScubaA Shellharbour Village dive shop giving access to Bass Point and Bushrangers Bay, teaching SDI and TDI courses from beginner to technical levels.
- Dive Jervis BayA Huskisson operation with two dive boats and on-site accommodation, diving the walls, sponge gardens and seal sites of Jervis Bay Marine Park.
- Underwater Safaris NaroomaA small-group Narooma operator running seal dives and snorkels at Montague Island (Barunguba) since 2014, with seasonal grey nurse shark dives.
- Merimbula Divers LodgeAn SSI dive centre with its own accommodation, classroom, shop, air and Nitrox and a purpose-built boat, running small classes on the far south coast.
- Dive EdenAn Eden operator running boat, wreck, wharf and cave dives around Twofold Bay, with Try Scuba to Advanced courses and studio accommodation near Cocora Beach.
- Sapphire Coast ScubaAn Eden-based operation offering PADI Open Water training, guided dives for certified divers, equipment hire and air fills.
- Sydney Dive SafariAn SSI Career Development Centre five minutes from Bare Island, with two full-time Instructor Trainers, air and Nitrox, servicing and a large showroom.
Victoria
- Academy of ScubaA PADI 5 Star IDC that now describes itself as the only dive centre based on Western Port Bay, diving Flinders' seadragon habitat and Port Phillip's piers and reefs.
- Aquatic AdventuresA Rowville dive centre operating since 2000, a PADI 5 Star IDC and SSI Instructor Training Center with TecRec training and the Aquaholics dive club.
- Scuba CultureA Melbourne business providing training and equipment support for local divers.
- The Scuba DoctorA Victorian equipment and service business with an extensive retail presence, located to serve both Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula divers.
- Diveline Scuba CentreA Frankston PADI 5 Star IDC teaching since the early 1970s, with IANTD technical and cave training, a marine biologist on staff, and in-house cylinder testing.
- Ocean DiversA Victorian operation associated with recreational and technical training and access to Port Phillip diving.
- Snorkel & Dive Safari AltonaA Melbourne retail and training business, listed among Victorian operations associated with technical services.
- Australian Diving InstructionA Geelong PADI 5 Star IDC serving Geelong and Melbourne's west, with air, Nitrox and Trimix, ScubaPro servicing, guided boat and shore dives, and accredited first aid training.
- Geelong Dive CentreA Geelong business providing training, equipment and local diving support.
- SCUBABO QueenscliffScubabo Dive Victoria's Queenscliff base, with SSI instructors, on-site accommodation and a pool, and boat dives to wrecks and bay reefs from Queenscliff and Portsea.
Western Australia
- Perth ScubaOne of the most fully documented operations in Western Australia, covering recreational, professional, technical and freediving training alongside substantial equipment facilities.
- Dolphin Scuba DivingA Perth business providing training, equipment and service support.
- Perth Diving AcademyA Perth dive business established in 1978, with heated-pool training centres at Balcatta and Hillarys and a Fremantle base with its own jetty, training wreck and Rottnest boats.
- Dolphin Dive FremantleA Fremantle operation serving local divers, with proximity to Rottnest Island departures.
- Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks NingalooExmouth's original dive centre and Ningaloo's only PADI 5 Star IDC, running whale shark and humpback swims, reef diving and Navy Pier trips from three boats.
- Ningaloo Reef DiveA Ningaloo operation based at Coral Bay providing reef diving and training.
- Dive NingalooAn Exmouth operation focused on certified scuba diving, including Navy Pier access.
- Ningaloo Blue DiveAn Exmouth operation running diving alongside wildlife tours. Product categories should be checked before booking.
- Sail NingalooA multi-day sailing and diving operation on Ningaloo Reef, offering a liveaboard-style format.
- Batavia Coast Dive & WatersportsA Geraldton business providing equipment, training and support for divers heading to the Abrolhos Islands.
- Southcoast Diving SuppliesAn Albany business providing equipment and dive services for the southern WA coast, including HMAS Perth access support.
- Esperance Diving & FishingAn Esperance business providing diving and fishing charters to the Recherche Archipelago, along with equipment support.
- Extra Divers Christmas IslandChristmas Island's locally operated dive centre in Settlement, with a 16-diver boat at Flying Fish Cove, shore and night dives, courses and diver accommodation.
- Cocos DiveThe main dive operation in the Cocos Keeling Islands, servicing atoll and outer reef diving.
South Australia
- Adelaide ScubaA Glenelg North PADI 5 Star centre with a heated indoor pool, in-house servicing and three dive boats moored behind the shop, running midweek and weekend charters.
- Diving AdelaideAn Adelaide training and guided diving operation serving local sites and organised trips.
- Underwater SportsAn Adelaide PADI 5 Star IDC established more than 28 years ago, with the city's largest purpose-designed scuba store, in-house servicing and hydrostatic testing, and its own boat.
- The Dive ShackAn Adelaide business combining retail, servicing and training for South Australian divers.
- The Dive Shop Port LincolnA Port Lincoln business providing equipment, fills and dive services — a conventional dive business distinct from the region's cage tourism operators.
- Kangaroo Island Dive & AdventuresA Kangaroo Island operation providing local diving and wildlife-oriented in-water experiences.
- Dive ExperienceA Mount Gambier business serving the region's cave and sinkhole diving community, including equipment and gas support.
Tasmania
- Go Dive TasmaniaHobart's only PADI 5 Star dive centre, operating since 2003, with a city store and The Adventure Lodge divers' accommodation at Eaglehawk Neck.
- Eaglehawk Dive CentreThe principal operation at Eaglehawk Neck, servicing the Tasman Peninsula's sea caves, walls and deeper wrecks.
- Bicheno Dive CentreA Bicheno operation servicing the Governor Island Marine Reserve and east coast diving.
- Tasmania Tech and Dive CentreThe Tasmanian operation most clearly associated with technical diving services, spanning recreational and technical training with technical gas support.
- The Dive Shop HobartA Hobart equipment and service business supporting local cold-water divers.
- Tasmanian Divers NorthA northern Tasmanian operation serving the Bass Strait coastline and local diving community.
- Tasmanian Divers SouthA southern Tasmanian operation serving the Hobart region and surrounding diving.
Australian Capital Territory
- Indepth ScubaA Canberra operation that functions as both a training school and a life-support service facility, with cylinder testing and a full range of gas fills.
- Lady of the Sea Diving AcademyA Canberra operation with an unusually complete set of facilities for an inland centre, including an onsite pool, classroom, retail shop and dive boat.
Services Related to Equipment Hire
Regulator ServicingWho services which brands, what oxygen cleaning involves, and why selling a regulator is not the same as servicing it.Cylinder TestingVisual inspection, hydrostatic testing and valve servicing — and why inland divers care most.Nitrox FillsStandard mixes, custom blending, and why a simple yes or no is not enough information.Air FillsThe most basic dive service, and one worth checking for hours, pressure and cylinder requirements.Equipment RetailersA dive shop and a dive centre are not always the same business.
Equipment Hire FAQs
Is hiring cheaper than buying?
For occasional divers, yes. Divers who dive regularly usually find owning at least a mask, computer and exposure protection worthwhile within a season or two.
Should I hire a drysuit before buying one?
Yes. Fit and style preference vary considerably, and hiring for the course and early dives is the sensible way to find out what suits you.