Where to do your STCW
Sorted by who approves the certificate, never by what it costs. Two schools in the same city at the same price can hand you very different documents.
Check the approval, not the price
STCW Basic Training has to be refreshed every five years, and the refresher is only two days — if your original certificate makes you eligible to sit it. Buy the wrong one and you redo the whole course at full price, five years later, and the money you saved is gone.
Two schools in the same city, at much the same price, can hand you different certificates. No price list tells you which. That is why this list is sorted by approval and never by cost.
Ask any school one question, in writing: will this certificate make me eligible for MCA updating training in five years? No clear written answer, walk.
The full module on what to buy →Showing 10 of 10. MCA-approved first, unconfirmed last.
- MCA approvedMarshall Islands approved
Crew Training Solutions
Palma de Mallorca
- STCW, indicative
- €998
- Duration
- 5 days
- PSA
- Security awareness included
Security awareness sits inside the €998, so it is not comparable to a cheaper price that excludes it.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - MCA approved
Professional Yachtmaster Training (PYT)
Durban and Cape Town
- STCW, indicative
- Not published
- Duration
- Run over up to 10 working days
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
The reason the 'avoid South Africa' advice is wrong. MCA-accredited, in both South African hubs. Prices are quote-only — they publish none, so ask.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - MCA approved
South West Maritime Academy
Cromhall, near Bristol
- STCW, indicative
- £850 inc VAT
- Duration
- 5 days
- PSA
- Security awareness included
States five MCA-approved certificates on completion, security awareness among them.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - MCA approved
UKSA
West Cowes, Isle of Wight
- STCW, indicative
- £850 (£1,050 residential)
- Duration
- 5 days
- PSA
- Security awareness included
Publishes course dates and remaining places openly, well ahead. Prices rise February 2027.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - SAMSA approved
Get Onboard Superyacht Academy
Cape Town
- STCW, indicative
- Not published
- Duration
- Not published
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
Accredited by SAMSA. No MCA approval stated.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - SAMSA approvedRYA approved
Sail & Power SA
Cape Town
- STCW, indicative
- Not published
- Duration
- 9–11 days
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
SAMSA and RYA accredited. No MCA approval stated — ask before booking if you intend to refresh under the MCA.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - SAMSA approved
STC — Southern Africa
Cape Town and Durban
- STCW, indicative
- Not published
- Duration
- Not published
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
Listed as SAMSA accredited. No MCA approval stated.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - Unconfirmed — ask them
Bluewater
Palma de Mallorca
- STCW, indicative
- ~$1,200
- Duration
- 5 days
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
Their crew-training FAQ does not state the approving administration. Advises going straight to PDSD, a one-day course that contains the security awareness syllabus.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - Unconfirmed — ask them
Bluewater
Antibes
- STCW, indicative
- Not published
- Duration
- Not published
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
Course page carried no published dates or price when checked.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026 - Unconfirmed — ask them
Certified Training
Cape Town
- STCW, indicative
- Not published
- Duration
- Not published
- PSA
- Security awareness — ask
Runs weekly. Approving administration not confirmed at the time of checking.
Their course page ↗Checked August 2026
South African prices are quoted as a market range rather than per school, because the schools above mostly do not publish them: R6,500 – R10,000 (roughly €365–€560) for STCW Basic Training, typically over 9–11 days.
This is not an endorsement list, and nobody here pays to be on it. It is a record of what each school states publicly, with the month it was checked. Approvals shown as unconfirmed are ones we could not verify from the school's own material — not a mark against them, and exactly the thing to ask about.
Prices are indicative and move. Confirm everything — price, dates, approval and what is bundled — with the school before you pay. Fort Lauderdale is not covered yet.