Scuba Diving and Snorkelling in Nha Trang: Prices, Sites

Rainbow Divers publishes USD 50 for one boat dive, USD 80 for two and USD 105 for three in Nha Trang. Sailing Club Divers publishes USD 100 for one day of three dives. Scuba diving at Hon Mun has been suspended since June 2022.

By Vincent Nguyen

Two Nha Trang dive centres print their own prices: Rainbow Divers lists USD 50 for one boat dive, USD 80 for two and USD 105 for three. Sailing Club Divers lists USD 100 for one day of three dives. Scuba diving at Hon Mun has been suspended since June 2022, so ask which site your boat will use.

Scuba diving and snorkelling in Nha Trang: prices and trip times

Fun dives and packages

Prices below are as each centre prints them. Neither page shows a date.

Rainbow Divers’ private speedboat needs at least 2 and at most 4 divers. Its night dive from the speedboat needs at least 2 divers.

VinWonders gives lower reference prices, VND 300,000 to 400,000 for snorkelling and VND 600,000 for a try dive. It says these are reference figures. The centres’ own lists above are in US dollars.

What the price includes

Rainbow Divers lists harbour transport, standard dive equipment, a boat with snacks, fresh fruit and refreshments, and professional guides. It typically makes two dives with a generous surface interval between them.

Sailing Club Divers lists an instructor or divemaster, the marine park fee, lunch, drinks, fruit and all equipment rental. Hotel transfers are included only for hotels in the centre of Nha Trang.

Rainbow Divers says it always has an experienced, attentive divemaster on the boat. It says it chooses the best dive sites available according to weather and boat traffic.

Group sizes differ. Sailing Club Divers takes a maximum of 3 divers with 1 PADI instructor or divemaster. Rainbow Divers says dive groups are at most 4 to 1.

Try dive and first-time options

Sailing Club Divers’ Discover Scuba Diving requires a minimum age of 10 and good physical health. It practises three basic skills: mask clear, regulator recovery and buoyancy.

Rainbow Divers prices a Try Dive from the beach or a pool at USD 60, with 2 subsequent ocean dives at USD 75. Its Discover Scuba Diving programme in Nha Trang is USD 135 per person: a pool or beach session, then 2 boat dives the next day to 12 m.

Sailing Club Divers runs Discover Scuba Diving with 2 boat dives and a maximum depth of 12 m. It takes a maximum of 2 divers with 1 PADI instructor. Its page shows no price.

Snorkelling for non-divers

Rainbow Divers lists snorkelling in Nha Trang at USD 35. Adding a Try-Dive costs an extra USD 30.

Sailing Club Divers says snorkellers ride the same boat to the same sites. It says there is no age restriction on snorkelling as long as you can swim.

PADI Open Water course

Rainbow Divers says on its FAQ that its prices are higher than other dive centres in Vietnam. It lists three Nha Trang options, each with theory online:

• Budget: pool in Nha Trang, 1 beach and 3 ocean dives, USD 395 when conditions allow.
• Standard: pool in Nha Trang or Saigon, 4 ocean dives, USD 450.
• Premium for a minimum of 2 students: 2 boat dives and 2 speedboat dives, USD 675.

Rainbow Divers says it offers all initial training in a swimming pool or shallow safe dive sites, and that pool training must be performed by an instructor. It says its prices include PADI materials, certification fees, equipment rental and instruction. It offers free DAN insurance cover for all Open Water students. The minimum age is 10.

Open Water divers are certified to a maximum of 18 m, or 12 m for juniors, says Rainbow Divers. Students complete theory online, then pool time and four open-water ocean dives. A shorter Scuba Diver course, with 2 dives in 1 day, starts from USD 325.

Sailing Club Divers says the course takes 2 to 4 days, with 5 to 10 hours of eLearning. It expects shallow dives to 12 m, with 18 m the maximum allowed depth. The ratio is at most two students per instructor, up to four on request.

Its course price includes equipment rental, the eLearning code, the pool fee, certification fees, lunch, boat transfers, marine park fees and boat insurance. The page shows no price figure.

Day trip to Whale Island

Rainbow Divers runs a Whale Island dive day from Nha Trang with pickup at 5.30am and 2 hours by road. It lists USD 350 for 1 diver, USD 250 each for 2 and USD 175 each for 3 or more. Accompanied snorkellers pay USD 75.

Dive sites and what to see in Nha Trang Bay

Rainbow Divers says its daily Nha Trang boats head to the Hon Mun Marine Park, to sites such as Madonna Rock and Moray Beach.

Madonna Rock and Hon Mun sites

Local Vietnam places Madonna Rock on the north-east side of Hon Mun, a small rocky outcrop with caves, archways and swim-throughs. Rainbow Divers describes underwater tunnels and swim-throughs.

Sailing Club Divers lists banded barracuda, lionfish, mantis shrimp and nudibranchs at Madonna Rock. Local Vietnam adds parrotfish, moray eels, scorpionfish and octopus.

Sailing Club Divers lists Madonna Rock with a mild to moderate current, depth 6 to 30 m, visibility 10 to 15 m and water at 26 to 28 degrees. Local Vietnam says it reaches around 35 m, but most dives stay in the 15 to 25 m range. The two sources differ on the maximum depth.

Rainbow Divers adds Moray Beach for macro life and Electric Nose, a deeper site for advanced divers. Local Vietnam says Mama Hanh is shallower, with a maximum depth of around 14 m.

Hon Mun diving suspension: what the notices say

In June 2022 the Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Standing Committee directed that diving tourism at Hon Mun be suspended because the reef was declining. VnEconomy reports that the board suspended swimming, diving, boats and glass-bottom baskets in the waters of Hon Mun from 27/6/2022 until further notice.

The board’s ticket site carries a notice dated 27/6/2022: diving in the reserve is done only at the Hon Rom dive point. VnEconomy says the board arranged limited diving at the north-east of Hon Rom, with a restricted number of guests.

In August 2023 Tuoi Tre News reported a proposal that a reopened Hon Mun site would be open only to professional divers with an international diving certificate. VnEconomy says the board was studying a dive site in front of Hon Mun but called it only a proposal.

In June 2024 Khanh Hoa designated four new diving areas for one year. They are north of Hon Rua, the Vinh Hoa artificial reefs, north-east of Tri Nguyen and the waters between Bai Tranh and Bai Soi.

The same report says Hon Rom still allows diving, and the board’s deputy head said it would be suspended in future. Rainbow Divers says the government set up a marine park around Hon Mun in 2003 and more recently restricted access.

Local Vietnam says some operators have resumed diving in limited, controlled form, with rotating sites, strict buoyancy rules and daily quotas, while other zones remain restricted. It advises confirming the current status with your operator before booking.

Hon Mot wreck

Sailing Club Divers says the Hon Mot wreck lies at about 10 to 20 m, is approximately 30 m long and rests on its starboard side. It lists Hon Mot with no current, depth 6 to 30 m and visibility 6 to 12 m.

Dam Bay and Hon Bac

Sailing Club Divers lists Dam Bay with no current, depth 6 to 15 m, visibility 5 to 10 m and water at 26 to 28 degrees. It says the best time there is February to October. It describes Dam Bay as a rich underwater experience for beginner and holiday divers.

Hon Bac has depth 6 to 30 m, visibility 6 to 12 m and a no current to moderate current. The same centre’s text says visibility typically ranges from 10 to 15 metres. The best conditions are typically April to September.

Lobster Cave

Sailing Club Divers says Lobster Cave is not an entry-level dive and is for experienced divers only. It lists depth 6 to 20 m and a length of 15 m.

Reef health

Tuoi Tre News says surveys found 74.5 percent coral coverage in the north and south-west areas of Hon Mun, within the good level of 51-75 percent. Local Vietnam says the World Wildlife Fund ranked the area the most biodiverse marine area in Vietnam, with around 350 hard coral species and 230 reef fish species. It adds that hard corals grow roughly 1 centimetre per year.

Who it suits (and who should skip it)

• First-timers: both centres run a try dive to 12 m.
• Non-divers on a dive boat: Rainbow Divers lists snorkelling at USD 35.
• Certified divers: Sailing Club Divers lists dive packages with named sites.
• Experienced divers: Lobster Cave is for experienced divers only.
• Skip it if you must fly soon: you cannot fly within 18 hours after your last dive.
• Skip it if you cannot swim: Sailing Club Divers asks that you can swim.
• Skip it in October and November: Local Vietnam says rough seas regularly cancel boat trips.

How to get to the dive boats

Rainbow Divers’ Nha Trang centre is at 132 Nguyen Thien Thuat Street. Google Maps gives the same address.

Sailing Club Divers’ dive shop is at 10 Da Tuong, Nha Trang. It is open daily from 07:00 to 20:00.

Rainbow Divers includes transport to and from the harbour in its day price. Sailing Club Divers includes hotel transfers only for hotels in the centre of Nha Trang. Rainbow Divers says its sites are around a 40 minute cruise by boat.

For taxis and Grab, see getting around Nha Trang.

When to go and how long

Rainbow Divers says diving is available all year, with February to October its favourite months. Sailing Club Divers gives April to October for Madonna Rock, February to October for Dam Bay and April to September for Hon Bac.

Local Vietnam gives March to September for Hon Mun, with July to September the peak window for visibility. It says October and November are best avoided because of storms and rough seas. Read Nha Trang storm and flood season before you book in those months.

A Sailing Club Divers day runs from 7:00 am to 14:20. The Open Water course takes 2 to 4 days. Rainbow Divers says its sites are around a 40 minute cruise by boat.

Leave a gap before a flight. Sailing Club Divers says you cannot fly within 18 hours after your last dive.

Nearby and how to combine it

Diving fits well beside a boat day that stays on the surface. Read the island-hopping guide for the board’s bay fees and tour prices.

• Hon Tam island: a stop on Sailing Club Divers’ 1-day package.
• Oceanography Museum: a mainland stop for the marine life you saw underwater.
• Nha Trang in 3 days: where a dive day fits in a longer plan.

A simple plan: dive trip from 7:00 am to 14:20, then a rest afternoon because of the flying rule.

Before you go

• Check you can swim: Sailing Club Divers asks that you can swim.
• Be ready for a swim test on a course: 10 minutes treading water and 200 metres swimming.
• Ask which site your boat will use: Hon Mun diving is suspended.
• Ask what is included: marine park fee and lunch are listed by Sailing Club Divers.
• Ask for the course price if it is not on the page.
• Plan flights 18 hours or more after your last dive.
• Ask which agency certifies the centre; Sailing Club Divers says it is a PADI 5 Star centre.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Sailing Club Divers on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Nha Trang Tourist Pier, Cau Da on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Hon Mun Island on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Hon Mot Island on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Rainbow Divers Nha Trang on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by @Sailing Club Divers, @윤철, @김성미, @Kiên Ngọc, @Nguyễn Minh Tâm, @Майя Рудина, @Sunny Ge, @Joy Pal.

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Not confirmed: Hon Mun diving today: the newest notices found date from 2022 to 2024, so ask your centre which site it uses. Sailing Club Divers course prices: its pages show no price, so ask before you book. Operator licensing: no official rule was checked, so ask for the centre's PADI or SSI status.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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