Buoyancy, equalising, safety and the small habits that make you a better diver.
49 stories
Diving TipsFor most beginners on Koh Tao, the Open Water course is the best place to start: it's built for people who have never dived, starts in a calm pool and leaves you certified for life. Here's how it compares with a Try Dive.
Diving TipsDepth, breathing, training, safety, equipment and cost compared side by side, so you can decide whether a snorkel afternoon, a Try Dive or a full Open Water course is the right fit for your Koh Tao trip.
Diving TipsWith us the Open Water course takes 3.5 days: a 4 pm orientation on arrival, then three training days. Here is every session with its time, why other schools quote 2.5–4 days, and how many nights to book.
Diving TipsScuba certifications never expire, but your dive history matters. When a refresher dive makes sense in Koh Tao, what to expect after a long break, and how La Bombona Diving's Reboot Course works.
Diving TipsWhat actually happens on a guided night dive in Koh Tao, step by step — the briefing, torch signals, what you see in the beam, how to tell if you’re ready and the mistakes first-timers make.
Diving TipsThe nine best shallow dive sites in Koh Tao, with depth ranges, conditions, marine life and suitability ratings for beginners, Open Water divers and snorkelers.
Diving TipsThe 15 things to check before booking a dive school in Koh Tao — ratios, where skills are taught, gear servicing, the boat, price inclusions — each with our own answer, plus the three questions to ask first.
Diving TipsPick by nights on the island: one night try dive, four Open Water, six Open Water + Advanced, two months Divemaster — with our prices, boat times and what each day looks like.
Diving TipsHow to take clear, colourful underwater photos on your Koh Tao dives — the gear that actually matters, buoyancy first, light and colour at depth, starter camera settings, composition, what you will photograph and simple post-processing.
Diving TipsThe 19 mistakes new divers make most often — before, during and after the dive — why each one happens, what it can lead to, and the habits that turn a nervous beginner into a confident diver.
Diving TipsOur Koh Tao prices side by side with the island range — try dive 2,500 ฿, Open Water 11,000 ฿, fun dives, packages, specialities — plus the real extras and what a whole trip costs.
Diving TipsAn honest look at Koh Tao's safety record, the real risks for first-time divers, how to pick a safe dive school, the medical questions that matter and what your first dive actually feels like.
Diving TipsA full cost breakdown for diving on Koh Tao — courses, gear, packages, travel, seasons and the small extras — plus practical tips for getting world-class diving without overspending.
Diving TipsWhich card you need for each dive on Koh Tao — try dive, pinnacles, night dive, the wreck — then the ladder from Open Water to Instructor with RAID, PADI and SSI names side by side.
Diving TipsThe accepted behaviours every diver should follow before, during and after a dive — buddy rules, boat manners, buoyancy, hand signals, marine life and photography etiquette, plus the most common mistakes to avoid.
Diving TipsOur ranking of the top 10 dive schools for an Open Water certification in Koh Tao, judged on safety, instructor quality, equipment, class sizes and value — with strengths, considerations and a real student review for each.
Diving TipsWhat causes seasickness, what to eat and avoid, which medications are safe alongside diving, where to sit on the boat, how to rehydrate after vomiting and what to expect on the Koh Tao ferries.
Diving TipsHow pressure affects your ears at depth, which ear conditions are compatible with diving, step-by-step equalisation, the warning signs that mean stop, and when to see a doctor.
Diving TipsHow many calories scuba diving really burns (300–700 per hour), why cold water, currents and gear push the number up, and how to fuel and recover on dive days.
Diving TipsMask, fins, wetsuit, BCD, regulator, dive computer and the safety kit — how to choose each piece, what it costs in Thailand, and our advice on what to buy first (mask, then computer) and what to rent until 30 dives.
Diving TipsVisibility, sea conditions, water temperature and whale shark windows for every month of the year — plus which dive sites work in each season and when to come for the best value.
Diving TipsEverything you need to plan fun dives in Koh Tao — sites for every level, the marine life you can expect, prices, the best months and how to dive responsibly.
Diving TipsThe ten hand signals every diver needs — OK, up/down, stop, equalise, problem, come here, out of air, share air, help and safety stop — with photos and step-by-step instructions.
Diving TipsWhat to expect from Rescue Diver training in Koh Tao — the three-phase course structure, prerequisites, agency comparison, how to tell if you're ready, and what the certification opens up afterwards.
Diving TipsSail Rock, Chumphon Pinnacle, White Rock, Twins, Southwest Pinnacle, the HTMS Sattakut wreck and more — the dive sites that make Koh Tao special, who they suit, and when to dive them.
Diving TipsChumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle, HTMS Sattakut, Sail Rock, Hin Wong Pinnacle, Shark Island and the two newer wrecks — depths, recommended certification, marine life and how to pick the right advanced dive for the day's conditions.
Diving TipsWhy the pre-dive buddy check matters, how to run through BWRAF and RAID's BRAID step by step, the mistakes divers make when they rush it, and how to adapt the check for cold water and night dives.
Diving TipsAge requirements, safety protocols, kid-friendly dive sites, the best season for families and how to prepare your child for a first dive on Koh Tao.
Diving TipsSolo diving is an amazing experience, but only for experienced divers. Our guide to planning a solo dive safely in Koh Tao — timing, redundant gear, self-rescue skills and pre-dive checks.
Diving TipsScared to scuba dive? What the fear actually is, what we do with a nervous student on the sand at Koh Tao, one real story, and what to do if it rises underwater.
Diving TipsHTMS Sattakut, Junkyard Reef, Buoyancy World and Hin Fai BioRock — how Koh Tao's artificial reefs are built, what lives on them, and what certification you need to dive them.
Diving TipsWhat a scuba refresher course covers, who needs one and when, how it compares with Open Water and Advanced courses, and how to prepare for getting back in the water.
Diving TipsA rundown of the best freediving schools on Koh Tao — Apnea Total, Kaizen, Freedive Koh Tao, Go Diving and Black Turtle Dive — plus how to pick the right course level and stay safe.
Diving TipsThe three recreational wrecks of Koh Tao — HTMS Sattakut, HTMS Suphairin and HTMS Hanhak Sattru — plus the deeper Trident and Unicorn, the best season, marine life and how to train for them.
Diving TipsWhy Koh Tao is ideal for enriched air diving, how nitrox compares with air, the dive sites that benefit most, certification requirements and the equipment you need.
Diving TipsWhy Koh Tao suits sidemount training, the benefits of the configuration, a full equipment checklist, the best sidemount dive sites and how to master buoyancy, streamlining and gas management.
Diving TipsEverything a first-time visitor needs to plan a dive trip to Turtle Island — how to get here, how to pick a dive school, the seasons, the must-dive sites, safety and conservation, and what to do on land afterwards.
Diving TipsPADI, RAID and SSI compared across the whole training pathway — Open Water, advanced, rescue, specialities, Divemaster, instructor and technical — plus what actually decides the quality of your course in Koh Tao.
Diving TipsYou don't need to be a swimmer to try scuba diving in Koh Tao. Here is how try dive programmes work for non-swimmers, what the training looks like and what you need to know before an Open Water course.
Diving TipsWhat a Koh Tao Open Water course really costs, how the four days are structured, how many nights to book, where to sleep, how to pick a backpacker-friendly dive school and the health, packing and no-fly rules you need to plan around.
Diving TipsWaterproof housing, red and magenta filters, LED lights, grips, float arms and batteries — every GoPro accessory you need for underwater footage on Koh Tao, with depth ratings, price ranges and where to buy on the island.
Diving TipsEverything about diving Sail Rock — the famous Chimney swim-through, the pelagic fish and whale sharks, the best season and conditions, how to choose a dive operator, and how to dive it responsibly.
Diving TipsWhy conventional sunscreen harms Koh Tao's corals, which ingredients to avoid, which mineral-based brands divers trust, and how to protect your skin without hurting the reef.
Diving TipsA step-by-step guide to choosing, checking, rinsing, deep cleaning, storing and servicing your scuba gear so it stays reliable in Koh Tao's warm, salty tropical waters.
Diving TipsWhat a first try dive on Koh Tao is really like — the gear, the RAID approach to safety, the best season, and the coral reefs and tropical fish you can meet on your very first descent.
Diving TipsWhat a first dive on Koh Tao actually involves — hour by hour, with our boat, our sites and our prices — plus try dive vs Open Water, swimming, nerves and the medical form.
Diving TipsNervous before your first dive? Steady breathing, step-by-step training, mental rehearsal, gear checks and the buddy system — practical ways to turn pre-dive nerves into confidence in Koh Tao.
Diving TipsA RAID diver's safety checklist for Koh Tao — pre-dive preparation, buoyancy control, dive planning and gas management, rescue skills, speciality courses, night diving, sustainable practices and underwater photography.
Diving TipsHow Koh Tao's dive community protects its reefs — from RAID's eco-conscious training and local conservation projects to the best practices every diver, from a first try dive onwards, can follow underwater.
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