Diving in Thailand: Information & Facilities

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Badalveda Recompression Chamber / Bangkok Phuket Hospital

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Facilities in and around Koh Tao

How to get there
Koh Tao can be reached indirectly by air, rail and road and directly by sea. Read more...

Where to eat
The majority of the dive resorts are self-contained with their own restaurants. If they are not, Read more...

Dive facilities
Many operators display high certifications of merit from their various affiliated training agencies for.. Read more...

Dive Trips
Most of the diving facilities have their own dive boats. Some trips include fruit and soft beverages.. Read more...

Dive courses
This is a great place to endulge in diver training; the facilities are good, the accommodation.. Read more...

How to get there

Koh Tao can be reached indirectly by air, rail and road and directly by sea.

By air and boat: There are no airports on Koh Tao, but planes fly to neighbouring Koh Samui and to the north of Chumphon on the mainland, providing a relatively comfortable, though indirect, access to the island. There are also daily domestic flights from Koh Samui to Krabi and Phuket. Bangkok Airways exclusively serves Koh Samui from Bangkok with up to 17 flights a day and has daily flights direct to and from Singapore. Flight times are 1hr 20mins and 2hr 20mins respectively. For more information contact Bangkok Airways: Within Thailand, Tel. 1771; from outside Thailand, Tel. +66 (0)2 265 5555.

Hospitals

The nearest hospitals and recompression chambers are those located on Koh Samui.

The Bangkok Samui Hospital just outside Chaweng Beach
+66 (0)77 429500

Samui International Hospital on Chaweng Beach
+66(0)77 230781-2

Although hospitals do not exist on Koh Tao, there is a physicians clinic on Sairee Beach which is affiliated with the Bankok Samui Hospital on Koh Samui. The clinic’s resident doctor is proficient in diving medicine and regularly consults with the Badalveda Diving Medicine Network.

The clinic has a number of beds and there is an evacuation procedure to the recompression chamber at Bangkok Samui Hospital, which can be contacted
via the
Diving Medicine Hotlines
+66 (0)86 272 4618
+66 (0)81 989 9482

Transfer to connecting boat services is by air-conditioned minibus. Two high speed catamarans depart twice daily (weather permitting). Both boats stop off at Koh Phangan to pick up and drop off passengers. The overall trip takes around two hours and is the preferred way to reach Koh Tao from Koh Samui. The catamarans also sail between Chumphon and Koh Tao on a daily basis. For further information contact
Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran: Tel. +66(0)77 247401 or Seatran Discovery:
Tel. +66 (0)77 246086-8.

By bus and boat: All-in packages from Bangkok to Koh Tao are available daily. They generally depart Khao San Road early evening and travel overnight to arrive on Koh Tao the following morning. Packages include both bus and boat. For more information contact Seatran Discovery: Tel. +66 (0)77 246086-8.

Alternatively, VIP air-conditioned buses travel from Bangkok daily. The journey breaks in Chumphon Town; the passenger ferry pier on the Thapao River is 30 minutes by local bus or taxi. For more information on bus services contact Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal:
Tel. +66 (0)2 435 1199, 02 435 1200.

By train and boat: Express and Sprinter trains depart Bangkok Hua Lumphong Railway Station daily. For further information regarding train services contact Hua Lumphong Railway Station:
Tel. +66 (0)2 223 7010.

Where to eat

The majority of the dive resorts are self-contained with their own restaurants. If they are not, it is a short walk to the nearest eatery – and it’s not all local fare! If you fancy sampling a delicious meal of international favourites, including Indian, Italian and Mexican, drop into one of the many restaurants in Mae Haad and on Sairee Beach.

Dive facilities

Many operators display high certifications of merit from their various affiliated training agencies for all-round service, and rightly so; the average standards found throughout the island’s diving community are very impressive. All operators have their own or are associated to a nearby source of accommodation, which is generally used as an incentive to use their diving services, particularly diver training. The larger resorts all have their own restaurants. If they don’t there is one very close by. Internet services are also becoming more commonplace in the island’s dive centres.

Dive Trips

Most of the diving facilities have their own dive boats. Some trips include fruit and soft beverages whereas others provide only drinking water. Weather permitting, local dive sites are visited twice daily, once in the morning and again in the afternoon. Day trips to Sail Rock and the Samran Pinnacles leave only in the morning and include lunch. All trips offer two dives and include equipment.

Dive courses

This is a great place to endulge in diver training; the facilities are good, the accommodation comfortable and the instruction is both enjoyable and economical. Instruction on the island follows BSAC, CMAS, PADI and SSI training structures. It is possible to become certified to all levels of recreational and technical training, including instructor.

For more information on Koh Tao, contact Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel. +66 (0)77 281828.

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