Honestly. I can not recommend scuba junkie penida highly enough. I have been coming here for a few years and I refuse to dive with any other dive centre on the island. The staff are so professional, Amelia and hanny on reception are so knowledgeable and helpful! All their instructors and guides are highly skilled and they're all just the most beautifully friendly people. The diving is incredible and they're the only dive centre on the island that does 3 dives a day every day of the year. I cant express highly enough how wonderful every experience ive had with them has been. I will be booking with them to do my dive masters course cos theres no place id rather learn from. This year I spent my birthday with them and they made it really special. Then I did my 100th dive (naked) and Amelia made sure it was at a warm dive site, and my instructor Maanah changed her day off to make sure she could take me on that day. It was an experience ill never forget. If youre reading this- do yourself a favour and book with them. You really cant go wrong!

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As the other reviews state, you will be well taken care of at SJ! Amelia answered all my questions before arrival (and yes, I asked many 🫣) and she helped me feel well prepared for the journey and my dives. Giaum (spelling?) was my dive instructor for 2 out of 3 dives. He was fantastic. A calming presence and patient instructor so I felt comfortable taking my first dives in almost 2 years. The rooms are simple in the hotel but perfectly adequate for a dive/stay combo. I hope to be back!

Scuba Junkie Review I had a wonderful experience with Scuba Junkie, and a huge thank you to my instructor, Aseya, for doing such an excellent job helping and supporting a non-swimmer like me throughout my dives. 🤿💙 I initially struggled quite a bit with mask flooding, which made me anxious and affected my confidence underwater. Aseya was incredibly patient and reassuring throughout the experience. She calmly guided me through what to do, helped me manage my breathing and stay relaxed, and never made me feel pressured or embarrassed. Her patience, encouragement, and attentiveness made such a big difference. Even when I was struggling, she stayed calm and supportive and helped me work through it safely. By the end of the experience, I felt much more comfortable and confident underwater. Thank you, Aseya, for being such a fantastic instructor and for making what could have been a very stressful experience into such a positive and memorable one. I really appreciate your help and encouragement! 🐠🌊 Highly recommend Scuba Junkie and especially Aseya as an instructor! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Diving (Underwater): (5/5) The diving itself was absolutely fantastic and the underwater sights were unforgettable! I got incredibly lucky and saw Mola Molas, Mantas, and even a Thresher Shark. Underwater, the guides are absolutely excellent—they are top-notch divers, highly professional, and extremely safety-oriented. The boat crew was also very helpful. If you are here for the marine life, you will definitely be rewarded. The Experience Ashore (Topside): (2/5) Unfortunately, the experience outside the water was very disappointing. I have dived all around the world, but I have never experienced anything like this at any dive center. While the initial impression of the shop was good, it faded quickly. Before anyone even properly knew my name, I was asked to pay upfront. Nobody introduced themselves or showed me around the dive center—I had to get basic information from other guests. For me, the interaction between guide and customer is a crucial part of a great diving day, but here it was almost non-existent. My local guide was very young, lacked experience, and struggled with English in my opinion, which led to communication barriers. The briefing was purely verbal without any visual maps and felt completely scripted—there was no real enthusiasm or motivation. During surface intervals, there was barely any conversation; the guides were mostly on their phones. No explanations about the marine life or the animals were given. Most disappointingly, my guide did not even know my name by the end of the day, even though our group consisted of only 4 people. Back at the dive center, there was a clear divide between guests and staff—the local guides mostly hung out in the smoking area. While they provided the data for our logbooks, that was about it. There was no sharing of stories or chatting about the day's highlights. I understand that high season is busy and can get stressful, but customer service should not suffer because of it. Of course, this behavior does not apply to every single staff member—thankfully, there were very positive exceptions like Mannaah or the italian Girl from the office. Conclusion: The diving was top-tier, but the hospitality ashore was a total letdown. If you only care about the marine life and don't value community, communication, or service, you will love it. For me, however, personal connection and topside hospitality are essential parts of a great dive center. I was before with the same company at Komodo- luckely total different experience in a 100% positive way!!

Travelled solo to do my open water with these guys and it was epic - from the moment I messaged them via WhatsApp it was 10/10 service. I booked a dorm and they were so clean / comfy. The food was good and the reception staff/ managers were so helpful the whole time. Most of all Julio soba was my instructor and he was epic. He didn’t just tick the boxes so I got my ticket, he explained why we did everything and made it fun. I also really loved his passion for marine life as well as conservation of the reefs, we saw manta, sharks, snakes, cuttlefish… all the fish. The gear is well serviced and the diving always safe. My only regret is not booking my advanced ticket immediately after, I almost cried when it was time to leave. Will definitely come back !