Narwhal Ilhabela

Operating out of Ilhabela, Brazil, Narwhal is a PADI Five Star Dive Resort that has been introducing people to the underwater world since 1984 — a track record that now counts more than 20,000 students. With ten PADI instructors on the team and courses and dives running every day, it's a centre built for anyone from first-timers to divers looking to level up.

Courses and diving

Beginners can get their feet wet with PADI Discover Scuba Diving, a roughly three-hour taster from USD 100. From there, the pathway runs through the PADI Open Water Diver Course and the Advanced Open Water Diver, while the PADI Enriched Air Diver course opens up nitrox diving over about two days.

Divers here share the water with sharks, whales, turtles, ocean fish, rays, molluscs and crustaceans. The waterfront base comes with its own dive boat, an onsite training pool and classroom, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and a retail shop, plus air fills, nitrox and equipment rental. Staff speak English, Spanish and Portuguese.