kirra dive

Whilst holidaying in the area I took my 12 and 14 year old sons to Kirra Dive to dive for the first time, and complete the PADI course. I wanted a memorable holiday and an opportunity for them to experience something exciting and totally different.Kirra Dive was a great choice and the Dive Masters were awesome! They balanced the serious course material and the fun elements of diving perfectly. They were experienced, professional and on the day I didn't participate I was totally comfortable entrusting my boys to their care.Big thanks to Rudi, Ash and everyone at Kirra Dive, we had a great time! See you again soon!Alison

Unfortunately we had a very unpleasant experience with Kirra Dive and this was for a few reasons. My partner and I have dived with a few different Dive Shops in different locations around Australia, so we can only compare this to what we've experienced in the past. First of all, we felt, that the customer service was pretty average - everyone was friendly enough, but we just didn't feel looked after. An example was, that when we arrived at the Dive Shop, we were asked to come out the back to get out hire gear sorted. The Divemaster, who didn't introduce himself nor seemed overly interested, just pointed to the gear and said "just have a look there and see what fits". Which would have been fine, if things had been in some kind of order, however, there were Wetsuits hanging inside out, no sizes on them, some fairly dirty and many pretty torn - fair enough that hire gear gets a bit torn, but this was pretty bad. Anyway, it took forever to find the right size, then we got my BCD and the Divemaster seemed surprised that I also needed a regulator (I had booked and paid for a full gear hire in advance). Anyway, we had to try 3 regs until we found one, that didn't leak - of course that didn't make me feel very confident, also seeing that another Divemaster said - "ah, a little leak is not a problem, might only shorten your dive by about 5 minutes" - seriously?...But again, ok, hire gear, it can happen and we finally had functional gear and a fitting wetsuit sorted. The boat is ok, it is small and you get pretty wet on the way to Cook Island, but that wasn't a big deal. What happened during our first dive, however, was...The Skipper checked the surface current and then decided that we'd dive the North Wall. It was pretty rough, but of course we trusted that these guys know their dive sites and know, when it is safe to dive them. I had mentioned, that I wasn't very experienced and would like to dive with a Divemaster. No one seemed too concerned and in fact it was one of the other customers, who noticed, that I felt a bit uncomfortable and asked me, how many dives I had done etc - shouldn't that be the job of the Divemaster? But again, fine, I trusted that this dive site was suitable for anyone and that i could stick with the Divemaster, so i wouldn't get lost or drift away in the current. Long story short, the Divemaster abandoned me, my partner AND his own buddy after the first 10 Minutes of the dive for some unknown reason - he didn't signal very clear what was going on and next thing we knew, he was gone (vis was only about 5m). As far as we understood, he had asked us to wait where we were for a minute, while he looked for the other 4 divers, that had been behind us, but were no longer there, however, they, too had a Divemaster with them, so not sure, why he would abandone us to look for them. Anyway, we waited and he didn't return. The current became so strong, that we decided to abandon the dive and we popped up somewhere hundreds of meters away from the boat in rough seas and a strong current took us further out to sea quickly. Of course this is not the fault of anyone, but I feel, the Skipper and Divemasters should have known better than to dive this site in the conditions that were present. Anyway, we floated in the water for almost an hour, being swept further and further out, until the boat finally found us, by that time, I was freezing cold and a bit scared, too. But the worst thing was, that the Skipper then made it look, like we were Idiots for abandoning the dive and then being swept out to sea. He asked us how this could have happened, how did we not follow his instructions (again, I had asked to dive with the Divemaster, because I didn't feel confident I could follow the instructions by myself). Anyway, is just felt like a punch in the face to hear that instead of a simple "are you ok?". I want to add, that we didn't feel, like the boat wouldn't find us, we knew they would, but it was still a pretty scary situation for someone like me, who isn't overly experienced. And again, the Skipper and the two Divemasters just made me and my partner feel, like they couldn't care less. I will not go on a dive with Kirra Dive again, besides all this, it was quite expensive, too...That is not to say I won't dive Cook Island again, I could see, how this is a very nice and diverse Dive Site and I will definitely come back in better conditions. I guess the biggest point that let Kirra Dive down for me was their lack of caring, safety conciousness and customer service and the terrible hire gear. They could do much better than this!

Professional company that offers an amazing experience. The staff are not only friendly but the best in the industry!!

We went out for some snorkelling on the 12.30trip on a beautiful sunny day.there were 13people so it wasn't overcrowded but booked out most other times.We had coffee and muffins which we needed as we just flew in from Sydney.The diving was great seeing reef sharks, a whale and lots of turtles ,not to mention the coral. We were there for hours so its worth the money $80.00a head.If you're not at the Barrier Reef you can still see fish and coral.

I,like so many on the Gold Coast, stumbled about looking for something to do with my spare time and to amuse myself. I had done a bit of resort diving overseas but hadn't pursued it with any passion. I literally drove past Kirra Dive's humble shopfront one day and thought that I should pop in and find out what the local scene was like.My first experience was with the owner , Paul, who has such a relaxed and friendly manner that you feel like you have known him for years after a very short chat. He shares stories readily and despite his massive experience in the industry , never makes a new diver with an innocent question feel stupid.That started a love affair with the shop for me. Rudi, the chief instructor, continued the friendly vibe and pretty soon I found myself doing further courses and training. Now, years later, and hundreds of dives I am a qualified Dive Master (something that I had initially said to friends that I would never be bothered with). Don't expect that every day is going to be perfect diving the local conditions and you won't be disappointed. Local diving in the area is fickle, but when it is good, it is sensational. Club dives are regularly conducted in the safe harbour of the Tweed River. So if you are looking to start diving, or simply need a refresher, here is another great benefit of diving locally with Kirra Dive.The team has welcomed me and made me one of their own and I even get the chance to lead dives for them these days. Options exist for everyone- kids, "more mature aged" and everyone in between.Prices are reasonable and advice is plentiful.

Was recently on the gold coast and Booked on for a dive with these guys.. Horrible idea booking on was ok once they had the money it was terrible boat was cancelled twice apparently for bad weather! Which would have been understandable except the other boats went out and conditions were good found out they didn't have numbers too run!! That's ok no need to lie to me!! Tried to get a refund but they wouldnt refund me they just moved me too another day Finally when trip went out turn up to a tiny little boat and was cramed in like a sardine horrible ride out there and back The hire gear was horrendous!!!! Torn wetsuit, regs with cracked hoses broken mouth peace and terrible to breath from plus the air had a funny smell Asked a question about it and was laughed at told it was fine from a full of themselves dive master who got us lost and couldn't find the boat !! Air was bad got killer head ache and was crook for a day after the dive ( was talking to a few divers at the river and was told that they ended up in hospital from bad air from this shop) Worst dive experience ever Only good thing I can say is Cook Island is amazing to be able to get so close to that many turtles awesome !!!

I would not be in the water diving, nor writing this review if it weren't for the Crew at Kirra Dive, persistence, patience, professionalism (with some added shenanigans and good times) make this the #1 Dive shop on the Tweed by far. Add this to some great dive sites and it's a Definitely drop in and try it out for yourself. ! Oh and the Staff are Gr8 also - I won't list them here 'cause they have big enough heads already ;)

We use these guys pretty regularly for everything gear to air to random bits and pieces we need of a Sunday afternoon. Always found them to be friendly, helpful & definitely lots of fun.

Extremely unreliable is the last thing you want to think of a dive centre… We came to Kirra Dive to have our beloved dive equipment serviced. The first time we dove after that, my octopus was leaking profusely. We stopped at the dive centre afterwards and, after a brief discussion/argument; they decided to fix the problem (why wouldn’t they???). At the same time, I stupidly left my dive computer for a simple battery change. A few days later, I received a phone call from a friend who was picking it up asking whether I had handed my watch “in pieces”. I was terrified and asked to speak to the technician, who ended up hanging up on me and telling my friend I shouldn’t complain since I could simply keep the dive computer in my pocket! I came to Kirra dive again (another 45min drive!) and spoke to another person, who seemed reasonable and ensured my bracelet, which was broken in three pieces, would be replaced. After many phone calls, they finally left me a message saying that they would be glad to “only charge me the cost price of the bracelet”!!! I obviously didn’t accept it but they insisted my bracelet was already broken (or about to break… the story changed a few times) when I dropped it off. Why would I drop off a watch in 3 pieces for a battery change? If the bracelet had any cracks, why didn’t the person who received the watch say or note something? Why didn’t they call me when the bracelet finally snapped? After much fighting, I informed them I would come 3 days later to pick it up and hoped it would be ready at no cost. I finally picked up my watch (with a new bracelet installed upside down!) and went diving the day after. What is the first message displayed on my visor? “Low battery”!!!!!!!! After everything, they didn’t even change the battery properly (or used a faulty new battery or never did anything besides breaking it)…. Needless to say I will NEVER come close to this place again and sincerely recommend everyone to be cautious when trusting your expensive equipment to their hands. Diving is the most amazing experience one can possibly have but it must be taken seriously. Reckless operators such as Kirra Dive should not be allowed to do business.

I used to work at Kirra Dive, I really love the place. I have sent all my family and friends to come get their certifications here and every time I do they cant thank me enough. Rudi is a great experienced Instructor and is a great person to help you if you are feeling a little anxious about diving. All the crew are really lovely, its like a big family. I love the atmosphere of the dive shop, its just a really great environment to be in and everyone really like's diving together. Paul (the owner) has a workshop out the back so if you need any repairs and services he can help you out and it normally doesn't take to long to get your gear back. There are some really great places to dive in the area. Cook Island is a great spot to dive with a diverse marine life, its also a reserve. They also organise dive trips to places like Fiji and Palau. I would highly recommend doing any of your Certifications there or just coming down for a dive or snorkel. :)

I stumbled across Kirra Dive while I was living in Brisbane and looking for a place to do my PADI Open Water course. About an hour from Brisbane, Kirra Dive is definitely worth the drive. The staff are knowledgeable and welcoming, and the instructors Rudi and Kristie make their students feel comfortable and at ease while they're learning, and everyone has fun!The Tweed river is a great place to dive, but Kirra Dive also arranges regular trips took Cook Island, ex-HMAS Brisbane, liveaboard trips, and overseas trips. I've done several certifications through Kirra Dive, and am in the process of doing more, but the thing I love most about Kirra Dive is that whenever you're there you feel like part of the family.