Dive Centre Bondi has won the PADI Outstanding Contribution to Diver Education award, our sixth PADI Outstanding Contribution award since 2020. PADI presents these awards each year to select dive centres in a region. We share this one with every instructor, divemaster and team member.
By Woody Lammar, Dive Centre Bondi
We are proud to share that PADI has awarded Dive Centre Bondi its Outstanding Contribution to Diver Education award. It recognises the way we train divers at every level, from a first breath underwater on our PADI Open Water course through to the professional pathway.
This award belongs to the people who earned it. Every course, every pool session and every ocean dive at Bondi is delivered by our instructors, divemasters and team, and this is their win.
What is the PADI Outstanding Contribution award?
The PADI Outstanding Contribution awards recognise select PADI dive centres and resorts in each region for exceptional contributions to diver training. PADI presents them each year, and each award sits in a category, such as entry level training or continuing education. Ours this time is Diver Education.
We are grateful that PADI keeps noticing the work that goes on every day at 198 Bondi Road.
Our PADI Outstanding Contribution awards since 2020
This is our sixth PADI Outstanding Contribution award since 2020, across five different categories, and we have won one every year since 2020.
| Award | Category |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Outstanding Contribution to Continuing Education |
| 2021 | Outstanding Contribution to Freediver Training |
| 2022 | Outstanding Contribution to Entry Level Training |
| 2023 | Outstanding Contribution to Entry Level Training |
| 2024 | Outstanding Contribution to Professional Training |
| 2025 | Outstanding Contribution to Diver Education |
Together they follow the whole journey a diver takes with us: learning to dive, building skills and experience, freediving, and becoming a professional.
What does the award mean if you want to learn to dive?
It means the training you get here sits on a long record of teaching, not a single good year. We have been certifying divers in Bondi since 1997, and PADI's own records show 15,188 certifications issued by our store. Our reviews average 4.9 out of 5 from over 1,100 reviews.
How we teach matters just as much as the numbers. We cap our classes at five students per instructor, where the PADI maximum is eight in open water. We run the Open Water course over three days, which gives more time in the water and room for people who learn at different paces. If you have been thinking about it, our Open Water course in Sydney is where most of our divers start.
Already certified? Keep going with Advanced Open Water (see what we teach on the adventure dives) or the Rescue Diver course. If you want to work in diving, our Divemaster course is the first step on the professional pathway.
For those who want to teach, Dive Centre Bondi is a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre, one of only two in Australia in 2026, and our Platinum Course Director leads every Instructor Development Course personally. Every candidate we have trained has passed the PADI Instructor Examination. You can read more in our post on becoming a PADI Platinum Five Star IDC Centre.
Thank you to our team
Thank you to everyone at Dive Centre Bondi. Awards like this are won in small moments, over many years.
- Our instructors. You give every student time, keep groups small and make the first ocean dive something people remember for the right reasons.
- Our divemasters. You help on courses, guide our dives and set the example for new divers, often early in the morning and in all weather.
- Our shop and operations team. You fit the gear, fill and service the cylinders, answer the phones and keep the centre running, so the instructors can concentrate on teaching.
- Our casual instructors and staff. You step in when it is busy and hold the same standard.
- Our students and customers. Thank you for trusting us with your training, for leaving the reviews and for bringing your friends and family.
We also thank PADI for the recognition, and every diver who joins our free monthly clean-up dives to look after Bondi's beaches and dive sites.
Come and dive with us
The best way to see what this award is about is to join us in the water. If you are brand new, get certified with us and start your PADI Open Water course. If you want to try it first, book a Discover Scuba session. If you are already a diver, our Ocean Clean Ups are a good way to meet the team.
Thank you again to our team and to everyone who has learned to dive with us. We are only getting started.
FAQ: PADI Diver Education Award
What is the PADI Outstanding Contribution to Diver Education award?
It is a PADI award recognising a dive centre's exceptional contribution to diver education. PADI presents Outstanding Contribution awards each year to select dive centres and resorts in a region, and Dive Centre Bondi has won the Diver Education category.
How many PADI awards has Dive Centre Bondi won?
Dive Centre Bondi has won six PADI Outstanding Contribution awards since 2020: Continuing Education (2020), Freediver Training (2021), Entry Level Training (2022 and 2023), Professional Training (2024) and Diver Education (2025).
Who gives the PADI Outstanding Contribution awards?
PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, presents them. They go to select PADI dive centres and resorts in each region for exceptional contributions to diver training.
Where can I learn to dive with an award-winning PADI dive centre in Sydney?
Dive Centre Bondi at 198 Bondi Road runs the PADI Open Water course over three days, with a maximum of five students per instructor. You can book it online or call the centre.
Is Dive Centre Bondi a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre?
Yes. Dive Centre Bondi is a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre, one of only two in Australia in 2026, with an in-house Platinum Course Director who leads every Instructor Development Course.
