Scuba Diving Certification in Koh Tao: Course, Cost and Process

Koh Tao has long been a center for diving training, as the Thai Tourism Authority (TAT) also calls it. According to them, Thailand ranked second worldwide in PADI diving certifications in 2025. On the island, the Open Water Diver introductory course lasts two and a half to four days, usually with four dives in the sea. At the dive bases listed in the dive guide, it costs between 10,950 and 12,500 baht, around €290 to €330. Without a certificate, you can try out discovery diving for one day to see if diving is for you.

Diving without a certificate

During discovery diving, you go into the sea with an instructor without taking a course beforehand. Since April 22, 2025, an instructor may supervise a maximum of two participants. Big Blue, Seashell, and Chalok Reef Divers dive to a maximum depth of 12 m and take children from the age of 10. A day with two dives in the sea usually costs between 3,500 and 3,800 baht on Koh Tao, around €93 to €101. Calypso in Tanote Bay offers a half-day with one dive at the house reef up to 5 m for 2,500 baht and counts it fully toward the course. Seashell lists the Japanese Gardens at Koh Nang Yuan as the location for the first dive.

The Open Water Course

You learn the theory digitally at all the dive bases; many send you access before the trip. Then you practice in the pool or in shallow water and make four dives in the sea. According to the 2025 rules, an instructor supervises a maximum of four students, and practice takes place on sand outside the reef. Cameras are prohibited during the course, except in the photography course. With the certificate, you are allowed to dive to 18 m in calm conditions. This is Level 1 in the guides.

Prices and duration according to the dive bases' websites on October 25, 2026. Equipment and learning materials are included in the price everywhere, and most also include the fee for the certificate and insurance.

Base	Association	Price	Duration
Big Blue, Sairee	SSI	12,000 THB	2.5 days
Crystal Dive, Mae Haad	SSI	12,500 THB	3 days
Roctopus, Sairee	RAID	11,000 THB	3 days
Seashell, Sairee	SSI	11,000 THB	3 days
Chalok Reef Divers	SSI	10,950 THB	2 to 3 days
Calypso, Tanote Bay	SSI, CMAS	11,900 THB	3 to 4 days
Haad Yao Divers, Koh Phangan	PADI	13,800 THB	4 days
Lotus, Koh Phangan	SSI	10,500 to 12,500 THB	3 days
Silent Divers, Koh Samui	PADI	18,200 THB	3 days

On Koh Samui, the course costs more, but the dive base picks you up at the hotel, and at Silent Divers, transfers and lunch are included in the price. Most dive bases offer the Junior course from the age of 10, while Roctopus and Haad Yao Divers offer the full course from the age of 15.

PADI, SSI or RAID?

On Koh Tao, most dive bases train according to SSI, Roctopus according to RAID, and many on Koh Phangan and Koh Samui according to PADI. This matters little to you. PADI and SSI conduct their Open Water Diver course according to the same standard, ISO 24801-2. PADI states that it accepts certificates from other associations for further training, and Big Blue and Crystal Dive accept divers with certificates from PADI, NAUI, RAID, or CMAS for the Advanced course. Therefore, choose the dive base based on location, language, and group size.

German-language diving course

You can learn in German on Koh Tao at Calypso in Tanote Bay, which has been training in German since 1999, and at Rainbow Fish Divers on Sairee Beach, which offers all courses in German. Chalok Reef Divers offers German in the booking form. On Koh Phangan, Haad Yao Divers lists German among its languages, and Silent Divers does too on Koh Samui. Ask when booking whether the instructor speaks German during your days.

What to clarify beforehand

Before the course, you fill out a medical questionnaire. If you answer yes to certain questions, you must see a doctor and obtain their approval, otherwise you may not participate in the course. Big Blue recommends doing this before arrival. Therefore, read the form at home and, if you answer yes, have yourself examined by a doctor experienced in diving medicine. Pregnant women are not allowed to dive according to the form.

Without a visa, as a German or Austrian national, you may stay in Thailand for a maximum of 30 days since September 15, 2026, with a passport that is valid for another six months. For a longer stay with diving courses, the embassy in Bern classifies diving under the TR3 tourist visa, with up to 60 days.

Some dive bases help with accommodation. Crystal Dive provides you with an air-conditioned room during the course at no extra charge, Chalok Reef Divers sells the course with three nights in the hostel, and Big Blue has a dormitory for course participants. Ask about the conditions, as the information on the websites is partly contradictory.

After the course

Many stay for the Advanced course, two days with five dives for 10,000 to 12,000 baht on Koh Tao, around €265 to €320. It opens up sites up to 30 m to you. Most dive bases require it for the Chumphon Pinnacle, where whale sharks come, and the wreck of the HTMS Sattakut. More about this can be found in Whale Sharks off Koh Tao.

Which sites you can dive with your new certificate, including depth, level, and entry, and all dive bases with their dive boats and departure times, are listed in the Koh Tao and Koh Samui Dive Guide. You can find the dive bases and dive centers alone in the booklet Dive Bases and Accommodations on Koh Tao and Koh Samui.