Almost everyone who steps onto our boat for the first time has the same two feelings: excitement, and a knot of nerves they are slightly embarrassed about. Let us say it plainly — the nerves are normal, and they usually dissolve within the first two minutes underwater.
Side Diving · Atalay Hoba has built its beginner trips around people exactly like you: no licence, no experience, maybe not even sure diving is 'your thing' yet. A patient briefing, professional equipment fitted to you, a shallow and short first dive, and an instructor beside you throughout — that is the whole formula, and it works.
Nervous? Good — That Means You Are Taking It Seriously
The three worries we hear most often on the morning boat ride are always the same. Here is our honest answer to each.
- “Will I be able to breathe down there?” Yes — and more easily than you expect. The regulator delivers air the moment you inhale, and the briefing includes calm practice before you descend. Most beginners tell us the breathing was the easiest part.
- “What if something goes wrong?” Your instructor is next to you for the entire dive — close enough to touch. Every underwater signal is agreed before you enter the water, and if you ever want to stop, you signal and surface together, calmly. Full diving and passenger insurance is included on every trip.
- “What if I embarrass myself?” You will not. Our instructors have introduced thousands of first-timers to the sea; there is no question they have not heard and no nervous habit they have not gently coached someone through. Nobody on our boats is judging you — half the guests are beginners too.
Diving is one of the rare adventure sports where the beginner version is genuinely gentle: you go slowly, shallowly and with a professional at your side. If you can breathe and you are curious, you are qualified. Read what the full first-timer day looks like on our discover scuba diving page.
The Briefing: Everything Explained Before You Get Wet
Nothing on our trips happens by surprise. Before your first dive, your instructor runs a complete safety briefing on board, in plain language, covering three things:
- Breathing. How the regulator works, how to breathe slowly and evenly, and how to clear water from your mask and mouthpiece — practised until it feels natural.
- Underwater signs. The simple hand signals for 'OK', 'up', 'down', 'look' and 'something is wrong'. Underwater, these become your shared language with your instructor, and you will be surprised how quickly they feel automatic.
- Equipment fitting. Your tank, regulator, wetsuit, mask and fins are all provided and individually fitted. Nothing is handed to you without being adjusted and explained first.
The briefing is not a lecture to sit through — it is a conversation. Ask anything, twice if you like. Our instructors would far rather answer the same question five times on deck than have you carry a doubt into the water. On our flagship Side Underwater Museum tour, groups are kept to just 3–4 divers per instructor, so the attention stays personal from briefing to final ascent. In Kemer, your dives are led by PADI-certified instructors.
Shallow, Short and Fully Guided — On Purpose
Your first dive is engineered to be easy. You descend with your instructor to just 5–8 metres — deep enough for the real underwater world, fish included, but shallow enough that light is bright, colours are vivid and the surface is always reassuringly near. The dive lasts 15–25 minutes: long enough to fall in love with it, short enough that you come up wanting more rather than feeling drained.
Then the day does something clever. Over a freshly prepared lunch on board, your body relaxes and your brain quietly files diving under 'things I can do'. So when the afternoon dive comes — this time to 12–13 metres — you are a different person from the one who boarded that morning. The second descent feels familiar, the deeper reef feels like a reward, and most beginners finish the day already planning their next trip.
Two dives, one day, from complete novice to grinning convert — that is the structure of every trip we run, from all five of our bases. Browse all our diving tours to see which coastline suits your holiday.
Everything Included, Nothing Hidden
Beginner-friendly also means budget-honest. The price you see is the price of the whole day:
- Included: two guided dives, all professional equipment (tank, regulator, wetsuit, mask, fins), free two-way hotel transfer, freshly prepared lunch on board, full passenger and diving insurance, and the complete safety briefing.
- Not included: beverages, optional underwater photos and videos, and personal expenses. That is the entire list.
Booking is just as straightforward: reserve free online, pay on the day of the tour in cash or by card, and cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before if your plans change. Compare all five trips on the prices page.
Two honest health notes before you book. Diving is not suitable during pregnancy or for guests with severe asthma, heart or respiratory conditions. And do not schedule a dive within 24 hours of your flight home — your body needs that time after the last dive. Non-swimmers in your group are welcome aboard as boat visitors at a reduced rate, with snorkelling, sun deck and lunch included, so nobody misses the day out.
