Scubago

What Scubago does

Scubago is an online marketplace platform headquartered in Hong Kong that connects recreational and technical divers with dive centers, liveaboards, instructors, and certification courses across more than 80 countries. The self-serve, product-led platform aggregates a content library of 5,000+ dive sites organized by continent and ocean basin, supplemented by a wildlife encyclopedia covering 14 taxonomic categories and a travel blog. Bookings for courses, fun dives, and events are facilitated directly on the platform, while liveaboard dive cruises are referred to partner LiveAboard.com for fulfillment. Multi-currency pricing (USD, EUR, CHF, GBP, THB, PHP, MXN) and deposit-based booking mechanics support cross-border consumer transactions.

The underlying technology is a web-based directory and booking platform with search and discovery functionality for dive sites, centers, courses, and wildlife. Scubago is structurally integrated with SSI (Scuba Schools International), enabling direct booking of certification programs including Open Water Diver, Freediver, Divemaster, and specialty tracks, with digital certification issuance upon completion. The platform supports no native mobile application and offers no public API or SDK for third-party integration.

Scubago generates revenue primarily through transaction fees on bookings between consumers and dive service providers, complemented by affiliate/referral revenue from the LiveAboard.com partnership. The company is operated within the HEAD Watersports ecosystem, a conglomerate that also includes SSI, Mares, Aqualung, Apeks, rEvo, and Zoggs. The customer base is horizontal and fragmented, spanning beginner, experienced, freediving, family, technical, eco-conscious, and professional diver personas. With 251-500 employees, Scubago functions as the consumer-facing discovery and booking layer for a vertically integrated diving group.

Name

Scubago

Legal name

Scubago (legal entity name not explicitly disclosed on website)

Website

https://scubago.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Scubago is a Hong Kong-based online marketplace connecting divers worldwide with dive centers, liveaboards, and certification courses. The self-serve platform aggregates 5,000+ dive sites and books courses across 80+ countries, operating within the HEAD Watersports and SSI ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diving Travel Marketplace

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

akta.pro primary industry

Dive Centers & Scuba Training (PADI/SSI, certifications) (THAAAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Diving Experiences (Scuba Dives, Dive Trips, PADI/SSI Courses) (THAJAJAD), Snorkeling Tours & Reef Experiences (THAJAJAE), Dive & Snorkel Guides / Dive Masters (Boat-Based & Shore-Based) (THAAALAC), Dive & Snorkel Equipment Rental, Retail & Boat Services (compressors, gear hire) (THAAAIAL)

Keywords

• Dive booking platform
• Scuba diving marketplace
• Liveaboard reservations
• Dive course booking
• Dive center directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Booking Commission/Transaction Fees: Scubago facilitates bookings for dive courses, events, and experiences through its platform, earning transaction fees on completed bookings between customers and dive service providers.
2. Affiliate/Referral Revenue: Partnership with LiveAboard.com generates referral revenue when users are directed to book liveaboard diving trips through the Scubago platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Scubago is an online marketplace that connects recreational and technical divers with dive centers, liveaboards, and certification courses worldwide. The platform aggregates over 5,000 dive sites across all continents and oceans, enabling users to discover diving destinations, book courses, and arrange liveaboard trips through a web-based booking experience.

Product overview

Scubago is a unified scuba diving discovery and booking platform that aggregates dive destinations, dive sites, dive centers, liveaboards, and courses into a single marketplace. The core Scubago Platform connects divers with worldwide diving opportunities, supported by content features including the Destinations and Dive Sites directories, a Wildlife Guide for marine species education, and a Blog for travel inspiration. Course and event booking is facilitated through integration with SSI (Scuba Schools International) for certifications. The Liveaboards feature is provided through a partnership with LiveAboard.com, extending the platform's booking capabilities to include dive cruise experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scubago Dive Booking Platform

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LiveAboard.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScubago partners with LiveAboard.com to offer liveaboard diving holidays to its users. The partnership provides access to 500+ liveaboards and routes worldwide, including destinations like Maldives, Red Sea, Indonesia, Galápagos, Cocos Island, Fiji, and more. Scubago receives referral fees for bookings originated through their platform.
• SSI (Scuba Schools International)coreTechnology or IntegrationScubago is powered by divessi.com infrastructure and integrated with SSI certification programs. The platform allows booking of SSI-certified courses including Open Water Diver, Freediver, Divemaster, and various specialty programs. SSI digital certifications are issued upon course completion through the platform.
• HEAD WatersportsminorOthersHEAD Watersports is the parent company/group that includes SSI and divessi.com. Scubago operates within this ecosystem alongside other diving brands including Mares, Aqualung, Apeks, rEvo, and Zoggs.
• Dive Equipment Brands (Mares, Aqualung, Scubapro)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor diving equipment brands including Mares, Aqualung, and Scubapro are featured on the Scubago platform as partners for courses, events, and content. These partnerships appear in branding for featured courses and site imagery.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TourRadar: TourRadar is a multi-day guided-tour marketplace with similar structure to Scubago (commission-based marketplace, SEO/content-led acquisition). While broader in scope, it competes for the same high-value scuba-trip itineraries.
• SSI (Scuba Schools International) / MyDivesSi: SSI is Scubago's certifying-agency partner and operates the underlying dive center / certification infrastructure (divessi.com) that powers Scubago. The ecosystem overlap is so deep that Scubago functions as SSI's consumer-facing booking layer.
• LiveAboard.com: LiveAboard.com is Scubago's partner for liveaboard bookings and operates as a vertical marketplace for dive cruises, with 500+ vessels and global routes. It is a partner but also an adjacent competitor for the highest-value segment of the dive booking funnel.
• PADI Travel: PADI Travel is the official booking platform of PADI Worldwide (the other major dive certifying agency) and offers similar dive trip, liveaboard, and course booking globally. It is the closest head-to-head competitor to Scubago, since both lock in customers through certifying-agency partnerships.

Emerging players

• Diviac: Diviac is an early-to-mid stage dive community + logbook + booking platform that targets certified divers with dive logging and trip planning tools. It overlaps Scubago on dive site discovery and community features but with a narrower transactional footprint.
• DiveWorld / divebooker: Divebooker is a niche online booking marketplace aggregating dive centers and resorts across Southeast Asia and beyond. It directly competes for SMB dive center listings and certification-course bookings in Scubago's highest-volume geographies.

Broad incumbents

• GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a major European-headquartered experience marketplace that lists diving activities and liveaboards alongside thousands of other tours, posing incremental competitive pressure in destination discovery.
• Viator (Tripadvisor Experiences): Viator is the largest global tours-and-experiences marketplace and carries scuba diving as one of many activity categories, often competing for the same high-value traveler via paid acquisition and destination pages.
• Musement (TUI Musement): Musement is a tours-and-activities platform owned by TUI that operates diving and water-sport categories across Europe and selected international destinations, with similar Mediterranean overlap to Scubago's European footprint.

Regional players

• Klook: Klook is an Asia-Pacific-focused OTA that lists water-sport activities (including diving) in tier-1 APAC destinations like Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia — overlapping Scubago's largest-volume markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/scubago
• Facebookfacebook.com/scubago1
• Pinterestpinterest.com/scubago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scubago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@scubago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scubago