Scuba Dive Minimum Age

Short answer: It depends on the operator: minimum ages run from no minimum to 21 across 309 tours. Updated 2026-11-02

We compared 309 scuba dives in 41 destinations. The minimum age for scuba dives ranges from any age to 21. 51 tours take children of any age. 22 tours accept children under 6.

By destination

Destination	Minimum age	Tours stating it
Hurghada Egypt	all ages to 14+	26 of 26
Phuket Thailand	all ages to 15+	21 of 21
Antalya Turkey	all ages to 14+	18 of 18
Oahu Hawaii, USA	all ages to 15+	15 of 15
Cozumel Mexico	8+ to 12+	15 of 15
Bali Indonesia	8+ to 14+	15 of 15
Maui Hawaii, USA	5+ to 14+	13 of 13
Punta Cana Dominican Republic	5+ to 14+	13 of 13
Aruba Caribbean	all ages to 18+	12 of 12
Sharm El Sheikh Egypt	all ages to 12+	12 of 12
Cabo San Lucas Mexico	10+ to 16+	10 of 10
Dubai United Arab Emirates	10+ to 18+	10 of 10
Tenerife Spain	6+ to 10+	10 of 10
Cairns Australia	all ages to 16+	10 of 10
Cape Town South Africa	all ages to 16+	10 of 10
Playa del Carmen Mexico	10+ to 12+	9 of 9
Tulum Mexico	all ages to 15+	9 of 9
Kauai Hawaii, USA	10+ to 15+	8 of 8
Curaçao Caribbean	1+ to 10+	8 of 8
Cancun Mexico	10+ to 15+	7 of 7
Roatan Honduras	all ages to 18+	6 of 6
Gran Canaria Spain	8+ to 10+	6 of 6
Madeira Portugal	10+ to 12+	5 of 5
Key West Florida, USA	5+ to 12+	4 of 4
Puerto Vallarta Mexico	all ages to 10+	4 of 4
St. Thomas US Virgin Islands	10+ to 10+	4 of 4
Montego Bay Jamaica	12+ to 12+	3 of 3
Crete Greece	8+ to 10+	3 of 3
Mallorca Spain	all ages to 10+	3 of 3
San Juan Puerto Rico	10+ to 10+	3 of 3
Big Island Hawaii, USA	10+ to 10+	2 of 2
Santorini Greece	12+ to 18+	2 of 2
Algarve Portugal	10+ to 10+	2 of 2
St. Lucia Caribbean	10+ to 12+	2 of 2
Split Croatia	8+ to 12+	2 of 2
Koh Samui Thailand	12+ to 12+	2 of 2
Las Vegas Nevada, USA	21+ to 21+	1 of 1
Fethiye Turkey	10+ to 10+	1 of 1
Ibiza Spain	10+ to 10+	1 of 1
Dubrovnik Croatia	10+ to 10+	1 of 1
Gold Coast Australia	10+ to 10+	1 of 1

Youngest ages accepted

Tour	Minimum age	Where	From
Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling and Diving Cruise from Cairns	All ages	Cairns	$197	Check dates
Oahu Shark Dive on the North Shore	All ages	Oahu	$99	Check dates
Ras Mohammed & White Island: Snorkel, Optional Dive & Lunch	All ages	Sharm El Sheikh	$30	Check dates
Ocean Freedom: Great Barrier Reef Stylish Snorkel, Dive Reef Tour	All ages	Cairns	$160	Check dates
Great Barrier Reef Full Day Tour from Cairns	All ages	Cairns	$197	Check dates
Snorkel & Dive the Reef: Sustainable, Scientific & Cultural Tour	All ages	Cairns	$233	Check dates
Shark Cage Diving and Viewing with transport from Cape Town	All ages	Cape Town	$295	Check dates
Red Sea Diving Trip from Hurghada: Beginner to Advanced Divers	All ages	Hurghada	$68	Check dates
Silversonic 3 Outer Barrier Reef Sites in 1 Day from Port Douglas	All ages	Cairns	$200	Check dates
Silverswift 3 Great Barrier Reef Sites in 1 Day from Cairns	All ages	Cairns	$220	Check dates
Hurghada Scuba Diving Full Day Boat Trip With Lunch & Transfer	All ages	Hurghada	$12	Check dates
Great Barrier Reef with Cultural Guides-Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel	All ages	Cairns	$164	Check dates
Makadi Bay Scuba Diving & Snorkel for Beginners 2 Dives Boat Trip	All ages	Hurghada	$12	Check dates
Hurghada: Full-Day Diving Tour with Lunch & Two Dive Sites	All ages	Hurghada	$38	Check dates
Rhapsody Phuket Coral & Racha Sunset Catamaran Cruise	All ages	Phuket	$118	Check dates

Questions

How old do you have to be for a scuba dive?

It depends on the operator: minimum ages run from no minimum to 21 across 309 tours.

Which scuba dive is best for young children?

Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling and Diving Cruise from Cairns by Down Under Cruise and Dive has the lowest minimum age (all ages) and 3969 reviews.

How up to date is this information?

We last checked these listings on 2026-11-02 and re-check every listing monthly. Operators can change their rules, so confirm before you book.

How we collect and check this data