What does dive school software need to do?
A dive school sells the same courses every week, but no two weeks run the same. Students start on different days, need pool sessions and open water dives in the right order, and every one has to be checked, taught, signed off and paid for. This page sets out what dive school software has to handle, and how DiveOps does each part.
The short answer
Dive school software runs a course from the first question to the new certification. DiveOps takes course bookings and payment online, answers course questions on WhatsApp 24/7, checks certifications and medicals, groups students under instructors, tracks every pool session and dive to sign-off, and works each course into instructor pay.
(opens full size in a new tab)Why do dive schools outgrow spreadsheets and WhatsApp?
Most schools start with a booking spreadsheet, a whiteboard of who teaches whom and a phone full of WhatsApp chats. It works until the busy season, when a student's medical is missed, two instructors think the other has the new group, or nobody can say who has finished their dives.
Dive school software puts the course, the student, the instructor and the money in one place, so each of those questions has one answer.
- Course questions arrive on WhatsApp at night and in other languages.
- Students start on different days and finish at different speeds.
- Every student needs a certification and medical check before the water.
- Instructors are paid per course, per dive or by commission, worked out by hand.
Courses booked and paid online, at any hour
Each course is priced once in the dive menu, with its length, its dates and how many places it has. Divers book on your booking page: they see the places left on each course date, pick a start day and pay online, by card or a deposit, before the booking is confirmed. A full course stops taking bookings by itself.
The same dive menu gives the WhatsApp assistant the prices and details to quote. When someone asks when the next Open Water starts, it answers in their own language, in under 2 minutes, and sends the booking link while they still want to book.
- Course dates with places left, and bookings stopped when a course is full.
- Course bundles, such as Open Water plus Advanced, sold as one.
- Online payment or a deposit before the place is confirmed.
- Course questions answered on WhatsApp 24/7, with a one-tap hand-off to your team.
Every student carried to instructor sign-off
Once booked, students land in dive groups under their instructor. Each student's progress is counted as they go, pool sessions and dives separately, so the plan for tomorrow shows who still needs their second pool session and who is ready for open water. Students without an instructor wait in their own list until someone takes them.
When a student has done everything the course needs, they move to Ready to sign off. The instructor signs them off, with an undo for mistakes, and the diver's certification level on their record goes up by itself.
- Progress per student, such as Pool 1/2 and Dives 2/4.
- A Needs an instructor list, so no new student is forgotten.
- Ready to sign off, then sign-off that updates the diver's certification.
- The Planner and trip sheets to put each group on the right boat.
Certifications and medicals checked before the water
Every diver has one record. For SSI divers you can check their certification against SSI from that record, and for anyone you can add a photo of their card and mark it verified, with who checked it and when.
Medical forms are signed online on the diver's own phone before they arrive, as part of booking or through a details link you send. Anyone who needs a doctor's sign-off is flagged, and paper forms can be uploaded too.
- SSI certification check from the diver's record.
- Card photos marked verified, with a record of who checked.
- Medical forms signed online before arrival, doctor sign-off flagged.
Instructors paid for the courses they teach
Set how each instructor earns: a percentage of the course price, a fixed amount per course or per dive, or a split between instructors. As courses are taught and signed off, the pay is worked out and flows into payroll, so the month end is checking figures, not building them.
- Commission by percentage, per course or per dive, with splits.
- Course pay flowing straight into payroll and payslips.
Booking a place on a course or trip
Some schools call it ticketing: selling a set number of places on a course date or a dated trip. In DiveOps each course date and dated trip has its places, divers book and pay for a place online, and the count goes down as places sell. Divers can add more than one course or trip to the same booking and pay once.
Works alongside SSI, PADI and other agencies
DiveOps runs the school, whichever agency certifies your divers. SSI centres can check certifications and set up a diver's SSI profile from DiveOps. See software for SSI dive centres and software for PADI dive centres for the detail by agency.
The bottom line
Dive school software should answer the course question at night, take the booking and payment, check the diver, put them with an instructor, track them to sign-off and pay the instructor, all from one login. DiveOps does each of those today, with the shop till, boats and books in the same place.
Book a demo and watch a course enquiry on WhatsApp turn into a booked, paid student in a dive group.
Questions, answered.
What is dive school software?
Software that runs a dive school's courses end to end: course dates and places, online booking and payment, student records with certifications and medicals, instructor groups, progress to sign-off and instructor pay. DiveOps does all of this in one login with the rest of the centre.
Can students book a course and pay online?
Yes. Divers see your course dates with the places left, pick a start day and pay by card or a deposit on your DiveOps booking page, which you can also embed on your own website.
How does DiveOps track a student's progress?
Each student sits in a dive group under an instructor, with pool sessions and dives counted separately. When everything is done they appear in Ready to sign off, and signing them off updates their certification level.
Does it work with SSI and PADI?
DiveOps works alongside SSI, PADI and other agencies. SSI centres can also check a diver's certification and create their SSI profile from inside DiveOps.
Can it pay instructors per course?
Yes. Instructor pay can be a percentage of the course price, a fixed amount per course or per dive, or split between instructors, and it flows into payroll.
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