Nha Trang Scuba Diving Is Not Worth It

This Nha Trang scuba diving review is from my personal experience and in short it is not worth it. Despite being a beach city with multiple islands, you will be very disappointed especially since you are a passionate diver.

EscapeWithAnnualLeave presents you with a full personal experience review of scuba diving in Vietnam Nha Trang. Based on my experience, I will let you know what to expect for your consideration.

Table of Contents

What is it like to scuba dive in Nha Trang

Most of the scuba diving shops in Nha Trang follow the PADI standard. You can directly contact diving shops like Rainbow Diver to schedule a dive. Depending on the package you choose, it could cost you from USD 30 to over USD 50 per dive.

While the courses like PADI open water course are pretty standard across not only Nha Trang but in Asia, it would cost you around USD 400 or so.

That means cost-wise Nha Trang is just at par not cheaper not more expensive.

How about the diving sites and water quality

There are several hot spots for diving in there including Hon Mun, Hon Tre, Hon Mot, and Monkey Island.

However, it doesn’t matter which site you go for. Because, the water quality, the depth, and the visibility are more or less the same. You basically see nothing there.

Generally, the water is very shallow under the sea, even on the best weather day. Under the water you can only see limited coral reefs and possibly some fish, The marine biodiversity is very limited, so don’t expect to see any sea turtles, rays, nurse sharks (the ones that don’t bite), dolphins, mantas, etc.

The maximum depth feels below 10 meters. If you are an experienced diver like me, you will feel more like swimming with a cylinder rather than true scuba diving. I even paid an extra 300k VND ( ~12 USD) to purchase the photo service underwater.

It proves that the water quality is bad, even with professional photos. Additionally, you can check out the Nha Trang scuba diving post from Vinpearl, a Nha Trang resort. From there, you will know that even the tuned scuba diving photos could not show a variety of marine lives. I find that some experienced divers share the same feeling about diving in Nha Trang as well.

If you love marine life, go to the Philippines or Maldives instead. We have another blog post for Maldives excursions which is cheap and highly valued.

There is nothing under the water scuba diving Nha Trang — Wet suit for scuba diving in Nha Trang

Is a diving license required?

In general, yes you need to have either PADI or SSI open water for a formal dive. However, in Nha Trang given the water is very shallow and they have over-manpower, almost 1 – 1 instructor to customer.

So you don’t need to worry about the license issue. They will let you have fun diving even if you have no license at all.

But if you are considering acquiring a diving license, Nha Trang should be the last on your list. You can enjoy a better quality of the ocean in other ASEAN Countries.

Should I still go scuba diving in Nha Trang

If you read this part and know my experience, the answer is probably not. However, I am a licensed diver with a high demand for marine life.

So in case you just want to feel “scuba diving”. Having one dive or even two at Nha Trang could still be worth it. Despite the water quality and the sea life, the local diving companies do have professional equipment and offer 1-1 instructor guidance.

My recommendation is to book a boat trip via an online travel agency. There you can have the first slot for diving and the second slot for snorkeling. Yet, you may not want to buy the overpriced photo service at 300k VND. Usually, a boat trip with lunch included would cost you around USD 40 or so.

Number of instructors for each dive Nha Trang

Scuba diving gears on boat — Number of instructors for each dive Nha Trang

What else should I do?

So if you cross out the scuba diving Nha Trang but still want to have some sea experience. I recommend you to join a day trip to any of the islands or two in Nha Trang. As per above, it is not costly (generally around USD 40).

It generally includes two opportunities to get into water either via scuba diving or snorkeling. Some boats even include a water slide as a boat party. On the boat, you will have tea, coffee, and fruit.

Plus, it will take you to local water boat houses for lunch. There you can enjoy yummy local dishes, check out the local fishermen lives, and also take some great photos of the water boat houses.

Additionally, most of the day trips include pick-up and return to the hotel within Nha Trang city center. It equips your day with more varieties and experiences, as compared to a cylinder swimming under shallow water alone.

Boat for both snorkeling & scuba diving Nha Trang

Party boat or snorkeling are better options in Nha Trang — Boat for both snorkeling & scuba diving Nha Trang

I hope my experience of Nha Trang Scuba diving review can help you and enrich your journey. Leave me a comment for any inquiry or share your experience with me.