Getting Scuba Certified in Ko Tao, Thailand

If you’re looking to get PADI certified to enter the ranks of scuba diving coolness, Ko Tao, Thailand is your place. Although a number of other towns offer certification courses, including Ao Nang, Krabi and Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao is by far the cheapest option (by at least $60-200USD), and what the island is all about.

Thailand has some of the worlds best diving locations

Having found my two previous scuba experiences at the Barrier Reef stressful due to a mixture of sea-sickness and the rushed nature of 20 minute briefings for beginner dives, I was trepidatious about giving scuba another go. However, I figured what better way to decide once and for all if scuba was (or wasn’t) for me than to first learn the fundamentals in a relaxed, supportive environment.

Arriving in Ko Tao, it was clear that scuba courses are the biggest business on the island, with dedicated diving resorts lining Hat Sai Ri beach. The general model is that you get free accommodation in basic quarters throughout the duration of your course, and can then stay on for a reduced rate before or afterwards.

After speaking with a few different operators that had come recommended to us from other travellers but which failed to impress, we landed on one of the larger operators - offering the typical high-season price of 9800B for the four day PADI Open Water certification along with free accommodation.

It was easy to guess that it was more factory operation than boutique but sometimes there is safety in numbers and they had the air of a quality operator. Add to that the offer of 700B for each additional day over super peak season (New Years period) and we were sold. We were assigned a room in what we affectionately coined ‘the slave quarters’; basic fan rooms and strangely flowered sheeting combined with the usual Thai shower over your toilet.

An eel pops out to say hello!

Day one kicked off in a blissfully air conditioned classroom (caffeine was suddenly needed for the first time in many weeks) where we met our groovy instructors: Richard from Ireland and Lucy from England. Richard led the first session where he covered the major diving fundamentals using PADI’s highly effective manual followed by some corny but helpful PADI DVDs. The vibe was positive and the class multinational, with students from 9 countries. We were impressed that those who were more comfortable reading and taking exams in a language other than English had access to all materials in their home language.

The schedule for the remainder of training would be: Day 2- further instruction, and then an introductory pool session; and Days 3 & 4: 2 dives each day and a final exam. We were given homework to read the first few chapters and complete the review practice exams.

On Day 2 after another helpful morning info session, we collected our wetsuits, fins, and BCDs (buoyancy control devices- essentially an inflatable vest) and headed for the confined pool session. After demonstrating we could swim and float in the water, we were split into groups to work on core diving skills with our designated buddy (a diving MUST is that you have a ‘buddy’ nearby at all times).

Despite the disgustingly chlorinated pool water, the session was extremely helpful getting us comfortable with core diving skills: buoyancy control, what to do if the regulator (breathing device) gets knocked out of your mouth, breath control, what it feels like to be low on air, how to use your buddy’s regulator and how to buddy breath and ascend in case of emergency.

The stunning seascape

Over the next two days we did our four dives and learned how to set up our air tanks and do final readiness checks. It wasn’t the most spectacular diving but it was still great fun with heaps to see including triggerfish (huge territorial fish with scary teeth and crazy eyes), clownfish, eels, and stingrays. I got more and more comfortable with each dive and began to feel like a pro towards the end. The final exam was very doable and I finished my OW feeling empowered and enthusiastic about diving.

We got two hard sells at the end to take the Advanced Open Water (AOW), which according to our instructors was ‘what diving is all about’. Over a two day period you do five dives including a DEEP dive to 30m/100ft- where you are tested for nitrogen narcosis (a stoned type feeling that occurs at great depths and can be equal parts dangerous and pleasant) and a night dive. At the culmination, you are certified to navigate on your own, use a dive computer and do dives down to 30m. I was feeling pretty satisfied but my husband/buddy was keen to do it to give us the flexibility to do wreck dives given OW certification only enables you to dive to 18m. With our return student discount and without buying the manual, the course was 7250B.

So, away we went again with Lucy. There was very minimal classroom time as the course was primarily focused on in-water training. We learned further skills on how to calculate minimum surface time in-between dives, how to navigate underwater, and more advanced diving fundamentals. We were also told that we’d learn specialties such as how to do great underwater photography and naturalist skills. We were disappointed to find that these were largely skimmed over and seemed more geared towards renting out overpriced underwater cameras (2000 baht per day) than imparting knowledge.

Scuba diving introduces you to a whole new world

It was a mixed two days but overall we enjoyed ourselves. On the downside, I found myself really exhausted doing five dives over two days, having only taken a day break (which happened to be New Year’s Day) in between OW and AOW, and really didn’t feel like diving by day two. The conditions also got increasingly worse and I only briefly saw one shark at the best shark spot in Ko Tao.

On the upside, the night dive under the full moon was terrifyingly exciting and empowering. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I’d be brave enough to scuba dive at night. Navigating with my buddy on our own was also exhilarating and added an entirely new dimension to diving.

Overall, I’d highly recommend at the very least getting your PADI Open Water certification in Ko Tao, particularly if you think scuba is too scary or expensive. It may very well be you favourite experience in Thailand and will give you a new, fantastic skill to take home with you for post-holiday adventure.

Suggestions for getting the most out of your scuba course:

• Ask for your manual right away and take the time to review it before starting your course. You’ll absorb the information more effectively and will be able to cut down your nightly homework time.
• Minimise or lay-off the booze during your course. Diving alone can be tiring and it’s a lot of info to assimilate so you don’t want to get any of it wrong; no one wants decompression sickness or worse.
• If you elect to get your Advanced Open Water (AOW) certification after your Open Water (OW), give yourself a minimum of two days to re-charge. Doing lots of dives as a new diver in a short period will leave you wiped out; it’s best to work in a couple of days rest in-between to get the most out of your AOW.
• Enquire about where the dives will be and consider going to a different school to get more variety in the dive sites.

If you’re looking to save your precious backpacker dollars, the most economical location in Thailand to get certified is Ko Tao. For more spectacular diving, head to Ko Phi Phi or Phuket on the west coast but be prepared to pay at least 1500B per dive during high season.

Comments

• Robert Harrison says:

  My wife and I are going to be in Thailand from Sept. 23 -27. We have three days available Sept. 24,25,26 and would like to know if we can get open water certification in that time frame. We can start the e-course on line in advance if that is necessary. Please advice re. the 3 day time frame, cost and location.
  
  Robert
  

  6 months ago

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