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It's cyrstal-clear why Windstar's scuba diving programs are so popular

With scuba diving programs that offer convenience, great dive guides, top gear, instruction (if needed), and more, Windstar Cruises' Adventures in Diving program is among the best afloat. Windstar’s three sailing yachts offer access to world-class scuba diving sites not often reached by larger cruise vessels or land-based dive operators. That’s why it’s crystal-clear that Windstar’s dive offerings are a popular choice for novice and veteran divers alike.

Windstar’s luxurious ships travel to nearly 50 nations, calling at 100-plus ports of call throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and more. Many of these ports offer reefs, walls, and wrecks just waiting to be explored. “Our voyages are loaded with opportunities for scuba divers,” says Diane Moore, vice president of marketing and sales for Windstar Cruises.

Passengers aboard Windstar’s ships have an array of scuba diving opportunities, depending on the ship and the itinerary. Generally speaking, there are two programs to get Windstar passengers underwater: Certified Diver and Discover Scuba Diving.

The Certified Diver program is for those scuba divers already certified by a recognized certification agency like the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) or the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). For these divers, it’s just a matter of presenting their “C-card,” participating in a short pool check-out session to refresh diving skills, and choosing their dives during the cruise. Windstar’s ships are also registered “PADI Resorts,” providing a high level of service and instruction to veteran and first-time divers.

Windstar’s excellent Discover Scuba program is for passengers who would like to try scuba diving under the close supervision of trained PADI instructors on board. Learning to dive is easy and actually quite intuitive. Divers use a buoyancy vest to stay suspended underwater, a mouthpiece (called a “regulator) to breath compressed air from a tank on their back, a mask to see underwater and fins to propel them among colorful fish.

Scuba diving certificiation is completed through a combination of classroom, pool and "open water" time (a relatively shallow diver excursion with one or two tanks, depending on the location). Once completed, the certificiation card ("C-card") allows divers to rent or buy scuba gear, get air tanks filled and dive at sites around the world--where Windstar ships will often be found.

In addition, Windstar’s expanded “Adventures in Diving” program offers guests the opportunity to improve their diving skills while diving with PADI instructors on more challenging excursions. By completing three adventure dives, guests will earn the PADI Adventure Diver certificate. Courses can include wreck diving, deep diving, navigation diving and more.

A number of specialty courses may also be available, including Peak Performance Buoyancy, Fish Identification, and even the coveted PADI Advanced Open Water certification, which includes instruction and five dives. Certain cruises may also have specially priced packages, such as the popular Dive the Five package offered on many sailings.

The Caribbean is synonymous with great scuba diving that typically includes warm, clear, and calm conditions and a wide variety of diving options. Quite simply, Windstar carries passengers to some of the Caribbean’s best diving.

Some of the possibilities for Windstar passengers sailing the Caribbean include pristine Mingo Cay near St. John, the famed wreck of the RMS Rhone off Tortola, the Purini gunship off Mayreau; the fish-filled Islet Cabrit off Isle des Saintes, and many other renowned Caribbean dive destinations. With sailings from Barbados and St. Thomas, Windstar's diverse Caribbean itineraries provide an abundance of ideal scuba sites.

In Europe, the possibilities are equally world-class and include the shallow pinnacles of “Les Sardinaux” off St. Tropez, the wreck of La Pecorella in Porto Vecchio, various wreck sites off Dubrovnik, the Octopus Diving Centre at a site off Santorini and Cabuel Point off Monte Carlo, which many Windstar dive guides rate as one of the most beautiful dives in the Mediterranean (thanks to a fish- and coral-filled pinnacle wall and canyon).

All three of Windstar’s ships are especially well-suited for scuba diving and other warm-weather (and water) activities. Though scuba diving directly from the ship has been limited since 9/11, the ships’ water sports platforms are still ideal private marinas for snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, and waterskiing.

Whether you're an experienced diver or a first-timer, a Windstar cruise and the line's Discover Scuba program offers the perfect opportunity to test the waters