The 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.
29 June 2026 · updated 8 November 2026 · by Bryan Roseman
Key takeaways
- Dozens of shops, similar prices, the same photos. What separates them is who stands next to you in the water, what’s on your back, and what boat gets you there.
- The three questions worth asking before anything else: can I see your boat, can I see your equipment, how long have your instructors been teaching.
- Below, the 15 things to check — each with our honest answer, so you can hold other shops to the same standard.
- Group size is the single number that matters most. We run four students per instructor on every Koh Tao course.
Koh Tao has more dive schools per square kilometre than anywhere else in Thailand, and most of them will get you certified. The question is what the three and a half days feel like, and that’s decided by things no price list shows: how many people share your instructor, where you learn your skills, what state the regulator is in, and whether the boat is a dive boat or a converted fishing boat with tanks on it.
This guide is the list we’d give a friend, with our own answers filled in. Use them as a benchmark — any good shop on the island should be able to answer every one of these in a couple of minutes.
I’d ask three main questions.
Can I see pictures of your boat? Many dive schools use old converted fishing boats, and sure, they’ll get you there, but comfort-wise there are better options.
Can I see your equipment? This is keeping you alive underwater. If you see old, battered equipment, I’d choose another operator.
How experienced are your instructors? You should be aiming for someone with at least two years’ experience, especially if you’re a bit nervous.
If a shop answers those three well, the other twelve checks below will almost certainly come out fine too.
| Your situation | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Never dived, one day on the island | Try dive | A half-day, one guided dive to 12 m, no course |
| Never dived, want a certification | Open Water | 3.5 days, four ocean dives, certified to 18 m |
| Certified but rusty | Refresher | One morning to get skills and buoyancy back |
| Certified, want to dive | Fun dives | Two guided dives, local reefs or the pinnacles |
| Want something special | Night dive or Sail Rock | White Rock after dark; the Gulf’s best site every Friday |
| Want 30 m and the wreck | Advanced Explorer 30 | Two days, five dives including the HTMS Sattakut |
| Want to work in diving | Divemaster | About two months; Rescue, Deep 40 and Nitrox first |
The single most important number. Fewer students means more of the instructor’s attention, more repetitions of each skill and far less waiting around at 5 metres while someone else clears a mask. Ask for the maximum, not the average.
Us: four students per instructor, on every course, no exceptions in high season.
Pool, shallow bay or straight into the sea? None is wrong, but you should know before you book, and nervous beginners do better where there is sand to kneel on and a reef to look at.
Us: no pool. Skills are done on shallow sand from our boat — Japanese Gardens or Mango Bay from October to mid-June, Aow Leuk from June to September — with the reef a few metres away.
Ask how long your instructor has been teaching, not just that they’re certified. Two years is a sensible minimum, and a nervous student should ask for the most experienced person available.
Us: ask us who’s teaching your dates and we’ll tell you, by name, with how long they’ve been doing it. You can meet them before you commit.
Look at it. Faded BCDs, frayed hoses and masks with perished skirts tell you how the shop treats everything else. Ask when the regulators were last serviced.
Us: regulators serviced every six months by our own technician; tanks visually inspected every year and hydro-tested every five; every piece of rental equipment replaced within a maximum of two years.
Ask for a photo. A purpose-built dive boat has somewhere to kit up, shade, a ladder you can climb in fins and a toilet. A converted fishing boat has tanks.
Us: our own dive boat from Sairee Beach, capped well below its capacity, with a rooftop deck for surface intervals. Students and fun divers share the boat but dive in separate groups, each with its own instructor or guide.
Equipment, boat, certification fee, learning materials — and what is extra. A low headline price with “plus rental” and “plus certification card” is not a low price.
Us: everything’s in. The only extra on Koh Tao is the mandatory 100 ฿ dive insurance, paid once; there is no marine park fee here. Current prices are in the at-a-glance box at the top of this page.
RAID, PADI and SSI cards are all recognised worldwide and interchangeable for further training. What differs is teaching style, and that’s worth five minutes of reading, not a reason to rule a shop out.
Us: we certify through RAID, mainly for its neutral-buoyancy-first approach. Our PADI vs RAID comparison explains the difference properly.
Ask what time the boat leaves and how sites are picked. “We go to the best sites every day” is marketing; “it depends on the wind, here’s what we do in each season” is a dive shop.
Us: morning boat around 6:45, afternoon around 11:45. Training sites follow the sheltered side of the island by season (see point 2); fun dives go to Twins, White Rock and the pinnacles, Sail Rock on Fridays.
Full courses, not just the briefing. Theory and skills feedback in a language you think in make a real difference to how fast you learn.
Us: English and Spanish with every instructor, plus other languages depending on who’s on the team — ask when you book.
Everyone says “we’re patient”. Ask what actually happens if you freeze on the first skill.
Us: there’s no clock. Nervous students come out of the group one-on-one, stand in the shallows with the BCD fully inflated and just breathe until the regulator feels normal; then we try again. Our beginner’s guide describes it in full.
Medical form before any dive, a proper briefing, buddy checks before every entry, and a shop that makes the weather call for you rather than leaving it to you.
Us: medical form first, briefing and buddy check every dive, and we decide when the sea says no. A “yes” on the medical form means a walk-in visit to the island clinic on the first morning, where the doctor signs you off or doesn’t — we don’t skip it.
Read the recent ones, not the star count, and look for the words beginners use: patient, calm, clear, small group. Reviews that mention being rushed or losing the instructor tell you about ratios.
Us: our Google reviews are linked from every course page. Read the most recent ten.
If you might carry on, a shop that runs Advanced, Rescue and Divemaster means your instructor already knows you when you come back.
Us: Open Water → Advanced Explorer 30 → Deep 40 and Nitrox → Master Rescue → Divemaster → Instructor, all here.
No gloves, no touching, buoyancy before the first reef dive. Beyond the basics, ask whether the shop does anything active.
Us: no gloves, no contact, buoyancy taught on sand before anyone gets near coral, reef-safe sunscreen asked for, single-use plastic kept off the boat — plus reef clean-ups and our work with Swim for Sharks.
Walk in. If the staff are happy to show you the gear room and the boat photos, and nobody tries to close the sale before answering your questions, you’ve probably found your shop.
Us: we’re on Sairee. Come and look.
The 15 checks above are what to look for. These are the questions to actually ask — by WhatsApp or at the counter — with what a straight answer sounds like and what a bad one sounds like. Any shop on the island that is doing things properly will answer all ten in two minutes.
| Ask this | A good answer | Walk away if you hear |
|---|---|---|
| Which agency do you certify with, and what can I do with the card afterwards? | Names the agency, explains the level, the depth limit and the next course up | ”It doesn’t matter, just book” or “we’ll explain after payment” |
| How many students per instructor? | A number, and what happens for nervous students | ”It depends” with no number; reviews that mention being rushed |
| How much confined-water time do I get before the ocean dives? | Where skills are practised, which skills, and that you can repeat them | ”You’ll be fine” with no structure |
| What exactly is in the price? | A list: gear, materials, certification fee, boat, dives, what is extra (insurance, marine fees) | A low headline price with vague details, or no written confirmation |
| Who will my instructor be and how long have they been teaching? | A name, experience, languages, and that you can meet them first | ”Whoever is free that day” |
| What gear will I use and when was it last serviced? | Rental included, sizes fitted on you, checks before every dive | Gear stored in the sun, staff annoyed by the question |
| What are your safety procedures? | Medical form before the course, briefings, buddy checks, a weather call the shop makes for you | No medical questions, briefings skipped, bravado about conditions |
| How many days does the course really take? | A day-by-day schedule with theory, pool and the four ocean dives | ”We can do it in two days” for a full Open Water |
| What do your recent reviews say about beginners? | Points you to recent reviews that mention patience and clear communication | Only star ratings; reviews mentioning confusion or crowding |
| What happens if I’m nervous, seasick or need more time? | A plan: more pool time, a different day, a smaller group, no extra pressure | ”Everyone manages” |
Write the answers down. If two shops both pass all ten, pick the one whose answers were more specific — specific answers come from people who run the training themselves.
Whether you’re interested in a Try Dive, Open Water certification, fun dives or professional-level training, the team at La Bombona Diving can help you find the option that best matches your experience level, goals and schedule.
Get in touch with our instructors to discuss your diving plans and start your Koh Tao adventure with confidence!
Before booking a dive course, consider asking the following questions:
These questions can help you compare dive schools and choose one that matches your goals, experience level and budget.
A safe dive school prioritises proper training, supervision and clear communication. Beginner divers should look for:
A good dive school focuses on building confidence and skills at a comfortable pace while maintaining high safety standards throughout the course.
The best-value dive school in Koh Tao is one that balances safety, instructor quality, small group sizes, equipment quality and transparent pricing rather than simply offering the lowest price. La Bombona Diving Koh Tao is often considered one of the strongest values because it combines small groups, personalised instruction, quality equipment and inclusive course packages, helping divers get more support and training for their investment.
For most beginner divers, small-group dive schools are often the better choice. Smaller groups usually mean more individual attention, easier communication, extra practice time and closer instructor supervision. Large groups can be more affordable and social, but they may offer less personalised support. If you're learning to dive, feeling nervous or taking an Open Water course, a small-group environment can help you build confidence and skills more comfortably.
The main difference between PADI and SSI dive schools in Koh Tao is the certification agency and training system they follow. Both PADI and SSI offer internationally recognised scuba certifications that allow you to dive worldwide. When choosing a dive school in Koh Tao, focus less on the logo and more on factors such as instructor quality, group sizes, safety standards, equipment condition and the overall learning experience. These factors often have a greater impact on your course than the certification agency itself.
Most people can learn to dive in Koh Tao, but certain medical conditions or safety concerns may prevent you from diving or require medical clearance first. Common issues include:
Before any course, you will complete a medical questionnaire. If you answer "yes" to certain health questions, you may need approval from a doctor before diving. When in doubt, speak with the dive school and a qualified medical professional before booking.
The maximum depth for a beginner depends on the type of dive and certification level. During a Try Dive or Discover Scuba Diving experience, beginners are typically limited to around 12 metres under direct instructor supervision. After completing an Open Water certification, divers can usually dive independently with a buddy to 18 metres. The focus of beginner training is not depth but developing safe diving skills, buoyancy control and confidence underwater.
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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.
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