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Koh Tao Diving Guide: Open Water THB 9,900 to 12,000

Koh Tao is a great place to learn: a PADI Open Water course costs THB 9,900 at Isla Tortuga Divers or THB 12,000 at Siam Scuba. Go between February and May for the calmest water, and save the chamber phone, +66 81 081 9777, before your first dive.

On this page
  1. Learn to dive on Koh Tao
  2. What a course costs
  3. Check your health first
  4. Where to dive
  5. Best time to dive
  6. Protect the reef
  7. Diving emergency: who to call
  8. Getting to Koh Tao
  9. Step by step
  10. Common questions

Learn to dive on Koh Tao

Palm trees above a pale sand beach and gentle waves at Chalok Baan Kao on Koh Tao
Chalok Baan Kao on Koh Tao

Koh Tao is where many people take their first dive, and anyone aged 10 or older can learn with PADI. Younger kids can try scuba in a pool from age 8. The Open Water course ends with four open water dives, usually over two days, and once certified you can dive down to 18 m.

PADI Open Water Diver course page showing three steps: eLearning, shallow water pool practice and open water certification dives.
PADI's three steps from eLearning to the open water dives. Source: PADI, Open Water Diver course page (opens in a new tab), captured 18 October 2026

What a course costs

Prices differ from school to school, so compare what each total includes before you book.

Course Isla Tortuga Divers Siam Scuba
Open Water THB 9,900, 3 full days THB 12,000
Advanced Open Water THB 9,000, 2 days THB 11,000, 1.5 days
Discover Scuba, 1 dive THB 2,500 THB 2,600

If you just want a taste, a one-day Discover Scuba dive is the easy start. Scuba Shack charges THB 12,000 for a four-day Open Water, with materials, equipment, certification and the online manual included.

Check your health first

Scuba needs a minimum level of health and fitness. Read the Diver Medical form before you enrol, because chronic conditions, certain medications or recent surgery may need written approval from a physician. Take medical questions to a doctor rather than to shop staff, since only a medical professional can clear you to dive.

Where to dive

For first dives, pick Twins beside Koh Nang Yuan, an Easy site that works in almost any conditions all year.

Save Sail Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle for later, since both are rated Advanced. Sail Rock is a full-day trip at THB 4,000 per diver, and its Chimney swim-through needs confident buoyancy. Chumphon Pinnacle has a strong current and whale sharks that are seasonal and never guaranteed. The island next to Sail Rock has its own page, our Koh Phangan guide.

Best time to dive

You can dive Koh Tao all year, but February to May is the sweet spot, with calm seas and visibility of 20 to 30 m and more. October to mid-December is the hardest stretch, with choppy seas on the north-shore sites. Many shops close for a couple of weeks in mid-November, and the water stays warm all year.

Protect the reef

Keep your fins off the coral and follow your guide. Marine and coastal resources around Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui are protected by a Department of Marine and Coastal Resources order, and a separate order protects coral at underwater pinnacles in six provinces, including Chumphon and Surat Thani.

Diving emergency: who to call

Save the SSS chamber number before your first dive: +66 81 081 9777, with +66 77 427 427 as a second line. In an emergency, call rather than email.

SSS Network Koh Tao page with the chamber phone numbers, the address on Koh Tao and the note that the Hyperbaric Services of Thailand team runs the chamber.
The chamber's own page with phone, address and the 24/7 medical team. Source: SSS Network, Koh Tao recompression chamber page (opens in a new tab), captured 18 October 2026

Hyperbaric Services of Thailand runs the chamber, with a medical team on site and 24/7 cover.

Suspected diving injury on Koh Tao The steps the recompression chamber lists, in order Call the chamber and do not wait to see if the symptoms pass First Keep the diver at rest, flat on one side Then Unresponsive but breathing normally: recovery position, watch the breathing Then Give medical oxygen at the highest concentration you have Then Keep the diver warm and hydrated Then Do not delay: early recompression gives the best chance of full recovery Always ThailandBuddy.com · Sources: SSS Network, Koh Tao chamber page Verified 18 Oct 2026 · Re-checked every 3 months Suspected diving injury on Koh Tao The steps the recompression chamber lists, in order Call the chamber and do not wait to see if the symptoms pass First Keep the diver at rest, flat on one side Then Unresponsive but breathing normally: recovery position, watch the breathing Then Give medical oxygen at the highest concentration you have Then Keep the diver warm and hydrated Then Do not delay: early recompression gives the best chance of full recovery Always ThailandBuddy.com · Sources: SSS Network, Koh Tao chamber page Verified 18 Oct 2026 · Re-checked every 3 months
The six steps the chamber gives for a suspected diving injury, in order.
Tap to enlarge diagram

If someone shows symptoms, call the chamber first and do not wait to see whether they pass. Keep the diver at rest, lying flat on one side, and give medical oxygen at the highest concentration you have. For any medical emergency, dial 1669, the national number.

Getting to Koh Tao

Boats moored along Mae Haad Pier on Koh Tao with a green hill behind
Mae Haad Pier on Koh Tao

Lomprayah is the main high-speed operator on the Gulf. These are its crossings to and from Koh Tao.

Route Boat Departs Arrives Fare
Pralarn Pier to Koh Tao Catamaran 08:00 09:30 THB 700
Pralarn Pier to Koh Tao Ferry 11:00 13:30 THB 550
Koh Phangan to Koh Tao Catamaran 08:30 09:30 THB 600
Koh Phangan to Koh Tao Ferry 12:00 13:30 THB 450
Donsak Pier to Koh Tao Catamaran 11:00 14:45 THB 750
Koh Tao to Koh Phangan Ferry 16:30 18:10 THB 450

If you start from Donsak Pier, the catamaran leaves at 11:00. Departures from Samui marked with an asterisk change onto a catamaran at Koh Phangan.

Photos (2)
  • Mariusz Malec
  • Hagen Jeschke

↑ Contents

Step by step

  1. Pick a course and a shopCompare the Open Water price and what it includes: THB 9,900 for three days at one school, THB 12,000 at others.
  2. Check your healthReview the Diver Medical form before you enrol; a physician may need to approve you.
  3. Time your tripAim for February to May for calm seas and visibility of 20 to 30 m.
  4. Save the emergency numberStore the chamber phone +66 81 081 9777 before your first dive.

Not confirmed: Shop prices move with the season and the package, so confirm the total and what it includes before you pay a deposit. Ferry fares from Chumphon are not confirmed here, so check the operator's page before you travel.

Common questions

How much does a PADI Open Water course cost on Koh Tao?

Expect THB 9,900 for three full days at Isla Tortuga Divers. At Siam Scuba and Scuba Shack the course is THB 12,000, and at Scuba Shack that covers materials, equipment, the PADI certification and the online manual.

How old do you need to be to learn to dive?

Learning to dive is open to anyone aged 10 or older. Children aged 8 or older can try scuba in a pool, and Junior Open Water Divers automatically become Open Water Divers at age 15.

How deep can you dive with Open Water?

With an Open Water certification, you can dive anywhere in the world to a depth of 18 m.

When is the best time to dive Koh Tao?

Aim for February to May, when seas are calm and visibility reaches 20 to 30 m and more. Outside those months you can still dive, as Koh Tao is divable all year.

Do you need a doctor's note to dive?

Read the Diver Medical form before you enrol. Chronic health conditions, certain medications or recent surgery may require written approval from a physician, and only a medical professional can give clearance.

What is the number for the Koh Tao recompression chamber?

Phone +66 81 081 9777 in a diving emergency, or try the second number, +66 77 427 427. Use the phone, not email.

How do you get to Koh Tao?

Take the 08:00 Lomprayah catamaran from Pralarn Pier to reach Koh Tao at 09:30 for THB 700. From Donsak Pier the crossing runs until 14:45 and costs THB 750.

Sources and reader comments

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Prices, timetables and opening hours change; check with the operator before you travel. See how guides are checked.

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