Koh Tao Diving Information
There are over 40 Koh Tao diving centres. They all offer a range of underwater courses for those travelling to Koh Tao to get certified or go fun diving. Some are boutique, in-house resort style setups. Others are small to medium sized businesses in their own right catering to personalised experiences. There are also much bigger ones that cater to large groups and more social experiences. So whatever you are looking for, you will find there are plenty of dive centres on Koh Tao that will meet your needs.
We appreciate that it can be difficult when researching dive centres on Koh Tao to choose the one that will be best for you. Most of them have great reviews on Tripadvisor, Facebook and Google, and they mostly offer very similar products in terms of scuba diving courses. We’ve put together a list of our top dive centres that we recommend to help you decide, with some basic but unbiased information about each dive school, how they operate, and what sets them apart from other dive centres on Koh Tao.
A few things to bear in mind to help you make your decision:
Agencies
There are many different scuba diving agencies around the world and most are internationally recognised. So in our opinion this should not be a consideration when deciding between dive centres on Koh Tao.What matters is that you go with a reputable dive centre and that you get the best instruction possible.
Languages
Most dive centres on Koh Tao can accommodate courses in different languages. However many will use freelance staff for this rather than a member of their full-time team. If you have a specific language in mind it’s best to go with a dive school that specialises in that. Also note that if you want to learn in any alternative language to English, then it’s best to book ahead to guarantee staff availability.
Atmosphere
Dive centres on Koh Tao range from very big to very small. Dive businesses on Koh Tao are inclusive and welcoming to their customers. But make sure you pick a dive school where you’ll feel comfortable spending your time – and your money! You can get a pretty good feel for most dive companies by exchanging a few emails. If you are unsure, pop in on arrival to meet the staff in person and narrow it down from your list of favourites.
Group Sizes
At bigger dive schools there are many people to learn with and share your experience, which can be great for solo travellers, but you are likely to be taught in bigger groups and may not get the best overall diving experience. Smaller dive centres offer a more personal experience so you’ll learn in smaller groups. You will get more individual attention from your instructor, but not necessarily the same social buzz. Our advice is to go with one of the dive centres on Koh Tao that teaches in small groups. One that also has a social scene outside of diving so you can get the best of both worlds.
Price
All dive centres on Koh Tao are part of the local Dive Operators Club. This club has an agreement in place that means all dive schools on the island should be charging an agreed minimum price. So whatever dive course or fun diving trip you plan on taking, prices start at:
Fun Dive (certified divers only): 800-1000THB
Try Dive: 2,500THB
Open Water Diver: 11,000THB
Advanced Diver: 10,000THB
Rescue Diver: 10,000THB
Professional Level Courses: The minimum price for a Divemaster course is currently 30,000THB, and the price for Instructor courses start at around 40,000THB. Please note that at professional level, costs for course materials and certification fees are often not included in the quoted minimum price.
