Cascais Dive
SSI Instructor Training Center at Cascais marina, Estoril, running small-group boat reef dives from Estoril to Cabo Raso since 2011.
Last updated September 2026
Book your dive directly with this centre.
About
Nuno Pereira had already opened one dive centre, on Praia City in Cape Verde in 2008, by the time he settled in Cascais and founded CascaisDive in 2011. The centre works out of Cascais marina in Estoril as an SSI Instructor Training Center, taking divers from a first try-dive through the full recreational ladder to instructor level. Four more instructors round out the team: Mariana Mendes, who dived in Thailand before Cascais; Rui Faísco, with the centre since 2011 and an instructor since 2015; Larry Wheeler, who spent nine years diving in Italy before settling on this coast; and Filipe Rebelo, an instructor since 2012 who came into diving through a conservation project abroad.
Boat trips run from Estoril toward Cabo Raso, a 15 to 30 minute ride on the centre's own 7 m RIB, with two to three dives a day typically starting at 09:30 and depths from 6 to 30 m depending on conditions and certification. Groups are capped at four divers to a guide, every dive runs with a guide or instructor, and a private guide can be booked for an extra EUR 50 a dive. Trips need a minimum of four divers; smaller groups can charter the boat outright for a four-hour exclusive block instead of waiting for numbers to fill. Guests are asked to bring their own cup or bottle instead of single-use plastic, a small marker of the centre's environmental leaning.
Booking runs on paper trails only: everything is arranged by email or Facebook Messenger, with arrival dates, certification level and dive count confirmed in writing before a spot is held. Phone calls are not how this centre takes bookings.
What divers say
Reviewers keep coming back to the same thing: guides who explain the dive as they go, not just point and swim. Several accounts single out the instructors by name for how thoroughly they walk divers through what they are about to see, and one describes an instructor calling off a dive outright in poor visibility instead of pushing ahead with the schedule. Divers were offered a rearranged date or their money back. Independent online discussions of diving near Lisbon echo the same read on the centre: solid, professional operators on this stretch of coast. The complaints that surface are narrower: a slow reply to an email booking enquiry in one review, and a missed same-day appointment in another, met with a direct reply from the centre's own management disputing the booking record.
Facilities
Pricing
We do our best to show current pricing, but rates may change without notice. Last verified September 2026. Always confirm the latest prices on Cascais Dive's official website before booking.
View pricing details▾
Courses
Guided Dives
Other Services
Per-person prices include a 10 or 12 litre cylinder, weight belt and dive guide; payment is by bank transfer or cash in euros, due in full before the activity, with no card machine on site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cascais Dive still based at Praia da Duquesa?▾
No. A few older listings around the web still carry an earlier Praia da Duquesa address, but Cascais Dive's current base, confirmed on its own site, is Av. Marginal 6538 at Cascais marina in Estoril.
How do I book a dive, and what do you need from me?▾
Booking runs by email or Facebook Messenger only; phone calls aren't how reservations are taken. You'll need to give your arrival and departure dates, full name, certification level and agency, and roughly how many dives you want.
What's the maximum group size, and can I get a private guide?▾
Dives run at a maximum of four divers per guide. If you'd prefer to dive with just your own group, a private guide can be booked for an extra EUR 50 per dive on top of the standard rate.
Can you train divers past Open Water level here?▾
Yes. As an SSI Instructor Training Center, Cascais Dive runs the full recreational ladder from a first try-dive through Advanced Adventurer, plus further SSI specialty programmes and professional-level training up to instructor rank.
What's included in the price of a dive, and what costs extra?▾
The standard boat-dive price covers a 10 or 12 litre cylinder, weight belt and a dive guide. Wetsuit, BCD, regulator, computer and other kit are rented separately, by the item or as a full set for the day, and boat trips need a minimum of four divers unless you charter the boat outright.
Is this stretch of coast a marine protected area?▾
Part of the wider coast is: the Avencas Marine Protected Area covers about 2.5 km between São Pedro do Estoril and Parede. CascaisDive's own dive-site cluster, from Estoril toward Cabo Raso, sits several kilometres to the west of that boundary, outside the protected area.
Is this your dive center?
Claim this page to manage your details, update pricing and hours, showcase your dive sites, and reach divers planning their next trip.