About Us
At Ocean Delight, we are privileged to be your gateway to the captivating underwater world along Tamil Nadu’s stunning coastline. Located in Kovalam & Mahaballipuram near Chennai, the capital of the state, we invite you to explore the enchanting marine life of the region. Tamil Nadu stretches along the southeastern coast of the Indian Peninsula, forming a part of the Coromandel Coast along the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. With a 1,076 km (669 mi) coastline, making it the world’s second-longest urban beach, our very own Marina Beach.
As underwater consultants, we have been entrusted by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) to deploy and maintain artificial reefs in fishing villages across the Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur districts. Additionally, we are committed to educating local fishing communities on sustainable fishing practices and the importance of marine and coral conservation.
At Ocean Delight Scuba, we offer a comprehensive range of scuba diving certification courses. Already certified? Join our skilled, locally grown instructors on exciting expeditions to both well-known and unexplored dive sites. Dive into the adventure with us and discover the wonders beneath the waves.
Our Story
From the moment Venkat experienced the blissful feeling from his first dive, the thrill of swimming alongside the same fish he once caught in his nets inspired him to share this wonder with his community. On the sunny beaches of Kovalam Venkat met Rahul while surfing, a kindred spirit who shared his vision of blending adventure, conservation, and community. Their friendship and shared commitment to the ocean gave birth to
Ocean Delight Scuba
a place where the beauty of the underwater world is accessible to all.
Together, Apart from creating memorable experiences, thrilling expeditions or conducting certification training programmes that connect you with the rich marine life and cultural heritage of our region, They have been actively involved in deploying and maintaining artificial reefs along the coast of Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur, contributing to the region’s marine conservation efforts. Our locally grown instructors guide you through every step of the journey, ensuring a safe, enjoyable, and enriching experience.
MEET THE TEAM
Meet Venkat, affectionately known as Machado or Marian, the “King of the Ocean” in Tamil. Hailing from the picturesque fishing village of Kovalam, Venkat embodies the vibrant spirit of his coastal paradise. As India’s first scuba diving instructor from a fishing community, he holds a unique place in the industry. Venkat’s journey to the ocean was inspired by his father and a deep-rooted love for the sea. While his path began in mechanical engineering, his passion ultimately led him to pursue a life on the water. Starting as a surf instructor, he took his first dive in the Andaman Islands and instantly found his calling. Now, as a certified Scuba, Surf, SUP, and Kayak instructor, Venkat brings a wealth of knowledge and an unmatched connection to the ocean, making him the heart and soul of Ocean Delight Scuba’s team.
A computer engineer turned investment manager, scuba diving instructor, and yoga enthusiast, our co-founder brings a unique blend of skills and passions to Ocean Delight Scuba. Growing up by the coast, his love for water was ingrained from a young age. His journey into the aquatic world began with a national gold medal in rowing, followed by adventures in water skiing, surfing, kitesurfing, and freediving. These experiences ultimately led him to his true passion—scuba diving. With years of experience as a scuba diving instructor across India, Thailand, and Indonesia, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team. Known as our very own “Aquaman,” he’s here to make every dive a memorable adventure.
Experiences & Expeditions
Discover Scuba Diving
The Discover Scuba Diver is a one day program that lets you experience the thrill of scuba diving under the supervision of one of our instructors without having to go through a full course program.
Minimum Age: 10 years.
(Swimming skills are not required)
It consists of two parts:-
POOL TRAINING
A pool training session is conducted by our instructors to get you comfortable with your scuba equipment and familiar with breathing underwater.
OCEAN DIVE
Once you’re comfortable in the pool, we go for an open ocean dive. Our Instructor will take you up to a depth of 12m maximum and let you be stunned by the amazing underwater flora and fauna.
Includes
- ✓ Boat Ride to and from Dive Site
- ✓ All underwater Scuba Equipment
- ✓ Complimentary Underwater photographs
- ✓ Internationally Accepted Cert.
- ✓ Snacks included
Fun Dive
If you are already a certified diver, you can join our Home Ocean Grown Instructors Venkat & Rahul on their expedition. They are always on the look for new sites in our mighty little Bay of Bengal.
The minimum certification required is Open Water.
Equipment Rental included.
Private Couple's Diving
This is a tailor-made private diving experience. A perfect way to spend your anniversary or even get married underwater.
Your private qualified instructor and captain will take you out to sea for a mesmerizing underwater ride and you will get to enjoy a romantic cruise and a glass of bubbly after the dive.
Dive Courses
The Scuba Diver course covers the first 3 chapters of the Open Water Diver course and is suitable for divers that just don’t have enough time for the whole open water program.
The Scuba Diver course certifies divers to dive to a depth of 12 meters anywhere in the world with a qualified instructor/assistant instructor.
Minimum Age: 10 years.
24,900 INR
Duration: 2 days
If you are already a Scuba Diver, you can use this program to upgrade to the full Open Water Diver certificate and extend your diving depth limit to 18 meters.
This program picks up where you last finished during the Scuba Diver training and you will complete the remaining sections of the Open Water Diver course. This 2-day program will include the final chapters of the classroom theory and confined water training, before heading to do the final 2 dives of the course.
21,500 INR
Duration: 1-1.5 days
The Open Water Diver program is the most recognized entry-level diving course in the world certifying you to dive to a depth of 18 meters.
Minimum Age: 10 years.
Our 4-day course outline is conducted under the supervision of our experienced PADI instructors. Kids (< 14 years) will earn the Junior Open Water Diver certification and will be certified to dive a depth of 12m.
Course structure
The Open Water Course comprises of three main components – Theory, Confined Water/Pool and 4 Open Water Dives.
The confined water training ( pool training ) usually takes 1 day and we split the 4 Open water dives over two days based on your convenience and availability.
Flexible theory
You have the option of doing the theory here with us at the dive shop or we can email you the theory if you have a tablet/smartphone/computer, for which you can complete the Knowledge Reviews prior to coming in. Once that is completed, you can take the quizzes and exams with us here at our dive shop.
Pre-requisites
As part of the water skills assessment, you would need to complete a 10-minute float in water too deep to stand in and a 200 mt non-stop swim OR 300 mt. swim with mask, snorkel and fins.
With regards to medical fitness, please find attached our medical questionnaire. We are ideally looking for NO as answers to all of the conditions listed. If you would answer YES, to any of these we would need a doctors clearance prior to commencing the course stating that you are fit for diving.
35,000 INR
Duration: 3-4 days
You have to complete 5 dives to be successfully certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver. This course builds your confidence in navigation, fine-tunes your buoyancy and gives you access dive sites up to 30m.
Apart from the Deep & Navigation dive that is compulsory, you need to choose 3 more dives: Night, Drift, Peak Performance, Buoyancy, Boat, Fish ID, Search & Recovery, or Digital Underwater Photography.
29,000 INR
Duration: 2-3 days
It is just a one day course and can be taken by anyone, even non-divers. The training program that involves knowledge development sessions using manuals, videos, and demonstrations, as well as practice sessions.
Taking the course does not have any minimum age requirement or other pre-requisites. This course teaches participants how to respond to life-threatening emergencies. You are taught primary & secondary care, CPR & first aid, injury management, bandaging, risk assessment and much more.
13000 INR
Duration: 1 day
Most of our past Rescue Diver students describe this course as the most challenging, rewarding and fun course they have completed. This course focuses on safety in scuba diving and rescue skills, it also expands on the safety skills you have already learned and how to prevent problems, along with managing them if they occur. Rescue Divers look beyond themselves and consider other divers safety.
The Rescue Diver course is considered the stepping stone into becoming a professional diver leading into the Divemaster and Instructor courses. The Rescue Diver course usually takes place over 3 days. The course has two main components – knowledge development and in-water training exercises. Knowledge development is achieved through a combination of independent student study and instructor-led study sessions. The open water training exercises will take place both from the beach and our dive boats to prepare you for all possible eventualities and scenarios.
The Rescue Diver course philosophy is that there is rarely only one way to accomplish a task. There is no “right” way to perform a rescue, but rather many options from which rescuers draw depending on the scenario. The course takes a flexible, conceptual approach to perform rescues – a rescuer’s relative size and strength, for example, as well as environmental factors, dictate what rescue technique may be most effective. Rescue training exercises are provided for individual differences and capabilities while encouraging divers to experiment with alternate techniques. Student divers learn to first think about the options available for handling an emergency, then to act using the best method for the situation.
Key Learning Points
- ✓ Learn about self-rescue first.
- ✓ Recognize and manage stress in other divers.
- ✓ Emergency management and equipment.
- ✓ Rescuing panicked divers.
- ✓ Rescuing unresponsive divers.
- ✓ Helping a tired diver
- ✓ Response from the shore or a boat
- ✓ Rescuing distressed diver under the water
- ✓ Organizing and participating in the research of Missing diver
- ✓ Rescuing and surfacing the Unconscious Diver
- ✓ Rescuing unconscious Diver at the Surface
- ✓ Exit an unconscious diver from the water
- ✓ First Aid for Pressure-Related Accidents
Prior to Rescue diver certification, you must have completed a recognized First Aid course training within the last 24 months. Training may be completed along with the rescue diver course.
To enroll in the Rescue Diver course, you must be: 12 years or older. Have an Advanced Diver certification; This is a must for all frequent divers. Surface and underwater scenario practice of conscious, unconscious, and panicked divers, along with a full range of diving accident simulations. A very fun course due to its “role-playing” nature, it is recommended that all divers participate in this to broaden their skills and promote diver safety.
36,500 INR
Duration: 3 days
During your time with us, you will learn all the aspects and day to day goings-on in a busy working Dive Center, not some college classroom, talking about the real world. Most of your time you will be on the boats with real customers assisting our team of Instructors in the day to day operations of a Dive Center.
You will learn what it takes to be a professional Scuba Diver. You will hone your diving skills, perfect your Rescue Diving techniques and learn how to demonstrate skills to novice divers. Once certified you will become a member of our staff working as a professional diver alongside our Instructors, you will assist with a wide variety of Courses and you will also learn how to guide dives.
Becoming a Divemaster is a great accomplishment and as you enter the ranks of leadership level diving you will feel proud of your achievement. During your Divemaster Internship at Ocean Delight Scuba, you will gain the experience and confidence to call the Ocean your “Home and Your Office”, or living the Dream as many of us choose to call it. Our Divemaster Internship allows you to Get trained, Get Certified and Get experience as a Professional Divemaster, without the expense. As you travel the world working and diving you become an ambassador for Ocean Delight Scuba and the Instructors that taught you.
Please get in touch for further details
The Scuba Diver course covers the first 3 chapters of the Open Water Diver course and is suitable for divers that just don’t have enough time for the whole open water program.
The Scuba Diver course certifies divers to dive to a depth of 12 meters anywhere in the world with a qualified instructor/assistant instructor.
Minimum Age: 10 years.
24,900 INR
Duration: 2 days
If you are already a Scuba Diver, you can use this program to upgrade to the full Open Water Diver certificate and extend your diving depth limit to 18 meters.
This program picks up where you last finished during the Scuba Diver training and you will complete the remaining sections of the Open Water Diver course. This 2-day program will include the final chapters of the classroom theory and confined water training, before heading to do the final 2 dives of the course.
21,500 INR
Duration: 1-1.5 days
The Open Water Diver program is the most recognized entry-level diving course in the world certifying you to dive to a depth of 18 meters.
Minimum Age: 10 years.
Our 4-day course outline is conducted under the supervision of our experienced PADI instructors. Kids (< 14 years) will earn the Junior Open Water Diver certification and will be certified to dive a depth of 12m.
Course structure
The Open Water Course comprises of three main components – Theory, Confined Water/Pool and 4 Open Water Dives.
The confined water training ( pool training ) usually takes 1 day and we split the 4 Open water dives over two days based on your convenience and availability.
Flexible theory
You have the option of doing the theory here with us at the dive shop or we can email you the theory if you have a tablet/smartphone/computer, for which you can complete the Knowledge Reviews prior to coming in. Once that is completed, you can take the quizzes and exams with us here at our dive shop.
Pre-requisites
As part of the water skills assessment, you would need to complete a 10-minute float in water too deep to stand in and a 200 mt non-stop swim OR 300 mt. swim with mask, snorkel and fins.
With regards to medical fitness, please find attached our medical questionnaire. We are ideally looking for NO as answers to all of the conditions listed. If you would answer YES, to any of these we would need a doctors clearance prior to commencing the course stating that you are fit for diving.
35,000 INR
Duration: 3-4 days
You have to complete 5 dives to be successfully certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver. This course builds your confidence in navigation, fine-tunes your buoyancy and gives you access dive sites up to 30m.
Apart from the Deep & Navigation dive that is compulsory, you need to choose 3 more dives: Night, Drift, Peak Performance, Buoyancy, Boat, Fish ID, Search & Recovery, or Digital Underwater Photography.
29,000 INR
Duration: 2-3 days
It is just a one day course and can be taken by anyone, even non-divers. The training program that involves knowledge development sessions using manuals, videos, and demonstrations, as well as practice sessions.
Taking the course does not have any minimum age requirement or other pre-requisites. This course teaches participants how to respond to life-threatening emergencies. You are taught primary & secondary care, CPR & first aid, injury management, bandaging, risk assessment and much more.
13000 INR
Duration: 1 day
Most of our past Rescue Diver students describe this course as the most challenging, rewarding and fun course they have completed. This course focuses on safety in scuba diving and rescue skills, it also expands on the safety skills you have already learned and how to prevent problems, along with managing them if they occur. Rescue Divers look beyond themselves and consider other divers safety.
The Rescue Diver course is considered the stepping stone into becoming a professional diver leading into the Divemaster and Instructor courses. The Rescue Diver course usually takes place over 3 days. The course has two main components – knowledge development and in-water training exercises. Knowledge development is achieved through a combination of independent student study and instructor-led study sessions. The open water training exercises will take place both from the beach and our dive boats to prepare you for all possible eventualities and scenarios.
The Rescue Diver course philosophy is that there is rarely only one way to accomplish a task. There is no “right” way to perform a rescue, but rather many options from which rescuers draw depending on the scenario. The course takes a flexible, conceptual approach to perform rescues – a rescuer’s relative size and strength, for example, as well as environmental factors, dictate what rescue technique may be most effective. Rescue training exercises are provided for individual differences and capabilities while encouraging divers to experiment with alternate techniques. Student divers learn to first think about the options available for handling an emergency, then to act using the best method for the situation.
Key Learning Points
- ✓ Learn about self-rescue first.
- ✓ Recognize and manage stress in other divers.
- ✓ Emergency management and equipment.
- ✓ Rescuing panicked divers.
- ✓ Rescuing unresponsive divers.
- ✓ Helping a tired diver
- ✓ Response from the shore or a boat
- ✓ Rescuing distressed diver under the water
- ✓ Organizing and participating in the research of Missing diver
- ✓ Rescuing and surfacing the Unconscious Diver
- ✓ Rescuing unconscious Diver at the Surface
- ✓ Exit an unconscious diver from the water
- ✓ First Aid for Pressure-Related Accidents
Prior to Rescue diver certification, you must have completed a recognized First Aid course training within the last 24 months. Training may be completed along with the rescue diver course.
To enroll in the Rescue Diver course, you must be: 12 years or older. Have an Advanced Diver certification; This is a must for all frequent divers. Surface and underwater scenario practice of conscious, unconscious, and panicked divers, along with a full range of diving accident simulations. A very fun course due to its “role-playing” nature, it is recommended that all divers participate in this to broaden their skills and promote diver safety.
36,500 INR
Duration: 3 days
During your time with us, you will learn all the aspects and day to day goings-on in a busy working Dive Center, not some college classroom, talking about the real world. Most of your time you will be on the boats with real customers assisting our team of Instructors in the day to day operations of a Dive Center.
You will learn what it takes to be a professional Scuba Diver. You will hone your diving skills, perfect your Rescue Diving techniques and learn how to demonstrate skills to novice divers. Once certified you will become a member of our staff working as a professional diver alongside our Instructors, you will assist with a wide variety of Courses and you will also learn how to guide dives.
Becoming a Divemaster is a great accomplishment and as you enter the ranks of leadership level diving you will feel proud of your achievement. During your Divemaster Internship at Ocean Delight Scuba, you will gain the experience and confidence to call the Ocean your “Home and Your Office”, or living the Dream as many of us choose to call it. Our Divemaster Internship allows you to Get trained, Get Certified and Get experience as a Professional Divemaster, without the expense. As you travel the world working and diving you become an ambassador for Ocean Delight Scuba and the Instructors that taught you.
Please get in touch for further details
Testimonials
In the news...
‘Deep’ cleaning for ghost-net haunted Tiruvottiyur reef
CHENNAI: As part of a community-driven initiative, the Tiruvottiyur fishing village declared a holiday on Friday to collectively clean the artificial reef site near its shore. (read more)
Scuba divers photograph majestic Whale Shark at Kovalam reef
Kovalam is emerging as an ideal destination for scuba diving, all thanks to artificial reefs deployed in the region by Central Marine Research Institute (CMFRI)... (read more)
Get In Touch
-
1/191 Carmel Nagar, Kovalam, Tamil Nadu 603112
Opposite to Taj Fisherman's Cove
-
The whispering waters Pattipulam, SH 49, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu 603104
- +91 9841486218
- +91 9600019875
- bookings@oceandelightscuba.com
