Koh Tao Scuba Diving Adventure Package | 1 Week | 22,000 baht

Koh Tao PADI Diving Course Package: Introduction

Our one week Dive Adventure package gives you the chance to explore the incredible coral reefs and sunken deep sea pinnacles around Koh Tao while witnessing amazing tropical marine life, learning new skills, meeting new people and having a great time!

You'll learn to dive during the 4 day PADI Open Water course, then explore deeper and further on Koh Tao's more challenging dive sites with the 2 day PADI Advanced Open Water course.

By the end of the program you'll possess the internationally recognized PADI Advanced Open Water certification, allowing you to dive to depths of 30 meters, with a buddy.

If you're planning to travel elsewhere throughout South-East Asia and beyond, your PADI Advanced Open Water qualification allows you to enjoy all the best dive sites as a safe, confident diver.

Dive training is carried out at a PADI 5 Star dive resort, so you'll be learning from the best. You'll be taught by one of our very experienced western dive instructors, giving you all the information and skills you need to have a great time.

What's included in the 1 week Koh Tao PADI Scuba Diving Package

Let's take a detailed look at exactly what's included:

Koh Tao Accommodation

This package include 1 weeks accommodation, within close walking distance of the dive shop on tropical Koh Tao. You'll have your own room, with double or twin beds, 24 hour power and fan, en suite western bathroom. All clean and comfortable.

Everything you need to have an enjoyable stay is nearby - ATM's, shops, bars and restaurants, the dive school and, of course, the beach!

PADI Diving Courses

During your one week stay you'll complete both the PADI Open Water course [4 days] and the PADI Advanced Open Water course [2 days]. That leaves you with one spare day to explore the island, relax or even sign up for a couple of extra fun dives if you catch the 'diving bug'.

Here's exactly what's involved in each step:

[i] PADI Open Water Diver Course

First, you'll learn to scuba dive with the 4 day PADI Open Water course.

We kick off with some scuba diving theory, during which you'll cover everything you need to know to become a safe diver. Information is delivered by watching videos, reviewing your own copy of the PADI Open Water manual, then discussing the content with your instructor.
We'll cover topics such as how scuba gear works and what happens to your body when you descend underwater. We'll talk about the buddy system and other safe diving practices, and focus on how to plan your dives safely using PADI's Recreational Dive Planner. The dive theory section concludes with a short exam to verify your understanding, but don't worry - it's very simple!

Next, after learning how to assemble and don the scuba unit, you'll take your first underwater breaths in shallow water. Once you're comfortable, we'll take you through lots of scuba diving skills which teach you how to deal with certain situations which you'll encounter while diving.

Examples include learning to clear water from your mask and regulator, and discovering how to communicate underwater by using hand signals. We'll teach you how to control your buoyancy, by inflating and deflating your buoyancy control device (BCD-or jacket), and fine-tuning your position in the water through breathing control.

You'll also practice emergency out of air procedures [which unless you're either foolish or unlucky, you will never need to use in a real life situation], plus we'll work on other practical skills such as cramp removal and tired diver tows.

Once you've mastered all those shallow water scuba skills, it's time for the best bit - four proper open water dives.

You'll be out on the tropical coral reefs around Koh Tao - two dives to a maximum depth of twelve meters, followed by a further two dives to a maximum depth of 18 meters. Weather dependent, we'll be visiting a different dive site for each dive, so you'll get to see masses of diverse marine life. Each dive will be around 45 minutes, depending on your air consumption rate. Expect to see coral reefs, rocky pinnacles, masses of reef fish, sting rays, moray eels, turtles and more!

Better still, the last two dives of the PADI open water course will be filmed by one of our underwater videographers, capturing your underwater experience on camera. The footage will be edited into a professional movie complete with soundtrack, and we'll enjoy watching the footage, complimented by a few cold beers in one of Koh Tao's laid back beach bars.

[ii] PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course

Now the action steps up a gear with the PADI Advanced  Open Water Course. Over two days, you'll get to enjoy 5 more training dives which introduce new and exciting areas of diving, bringing new experiences and accessing more challenging dive sites.

The PADI Advanced Open Water course is more focused on diving, with the academic content of the course being completed by reading through chapters of the Adventures in Diving Manual. You'll answer some short knowledge reviews which will be discussed together with your instructor, before heading out to the ocean for further adventure!

Two of the advanced dives are mandatory:

In the Deep Dive you'll get right down to 30 meters, which is awesome! Deep dive skills include completing a problem solving challenge at depth to highlight the effects of nitrogen narcosis, and examining the effects of the surrounding 4 atmospheres of pressure. Then you'll get to explore the dive site before making a slow, safe ascent, including completing a safety stop for 3 minutes at 5 meters.

During the Underwater Navigation dive, you'll take the lead, combining natural navigation with a timing device and compass to find your way around the dive site. You'll be taught to make use of bottom composition, rock and coral formations, light, contour and more, building a mental image of the dive site to successfully navigate and maximize the effectiveness of your exploration - lots of fun!

The other 3 dives are your choice - you can discuss the options together with you instructor, and make choices which best benefit your diving skills and match your interests.

There are many options including Underwater Photography, James Bond-style dive propulsion vehicles (DPV's), Fish Identification and Underwater Naturalist dives, Search and Recovery, Computer Diving and more.

Especially popular elective dives include the Night Dive and Peak Performance Buoyancy dives.

In the Night Dive, armed with an underwater flashlight we'll explore one of Koh Tao's dive sites in darkness. You'd be surprised how different it is - coral species feeding on rich nutrients in the tropical current, great barracuda hunting small prey, and sting rays and moray eels out swimming in the open.

The Peak Performance Buoyancy dive concentrates on perfecting your equipment configuration, weighting and breathing control to achieve optimum buoyancy. This means you'll be more comfortable in the water, avoid damaging fragile corals [or yourself] and improve your air consumption rate which means you can dive for longer. After an initial assessment of your weighting by your instructor, you'll play lots of underwater games which get you concentrating on your breathing control. This dive can really improve your scuba diving and sets you up for specialized diving activities such as Digital Underwater Photography.

Course Materials and PADI Dive Certification Cards

There are no hidden extras - our 1 week dive-adventure package includes absolutely everything you need. Specifically you'll get the PADI Open Water manual, PADI Recreational Dive Planner, PADI Adventures in Diving Manual and Adventures in Diving Underwater Slate.
Plus both the Open Water and Advanced Open Water dive certification cards are included.