Thailand's complete scuba diving information source: dive centres, dive courses, dive equipment, dive sites

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Courses

At the end of the day, whichever training agency you adopt, they all operate to high safety standards.

Entry level courses introduce students to the underwater environment and how to comfortably adapt to the newfound surroundings, how to use the unfamiliar equipment and above all else – how to dive safely and relax.

On successful completion the newly certified divers are qualified to dive unaccompanied by a diving professional, in the same conditions and to the maximum depth experienced during training. However, with the great selection of dive centres around, you have the choice of joining any number of daily trips with the option of dives being led by trained diving professionals.

There’s no extra charge for this service as it’s included as standard in the dive trip price and it’s a great way to build confidence and familiarity for novice divers. Plus, if you don’t have a buddy, one will be provided for you. So now you’ve learnt to dive in warm and inviting waters, are seeing things you once could only dream of and are rapidly making new friends – not a bad start really. It’s no wonder diving is so popular!

The next step is to fine-tune those skills already learned, and be introduced to new ones. Advanced diving courses are really great underwater adventures. Even though the term ‘advanced’ may imply they are demanding and stressful – in reality they are quite the opposite.

Safety and fun are high on the agenda and the results are extremely rewarding. In fact, it’s surprising they aren’t compulsory, especially as some dive sites are restricted to divers certified as advanced and above.

There’s a stream of associated speciality courses that open up the chance to take the knowledge learned during advanced training to an even more in-depth level. Thailand’s tropical waters make particular courses extremely attractive; for instance, the warm waters are more appealing to deep and night diving enthusiasts; the water has been exposed to high levels of warming sunlight during the day, thus reducing the likelihood of uncomfortable chilly encounters.

The generally high water clarity opens up splendid vistas of colourful reefs and curious inhabitants, making ideal subject matter for underwater photographers and videographers, two more popular choices of speciality dive courses on offer at many of Thailand’s dive centres.

With such enjoyment on the cards, divers may wish to increase their safety levels and obtain the qualification of Enriched Air Diver’. After all, dives are not likely to be cut short or be few and far between due to cold conditions! The list of speciality topics is endless; there are even special courses that have been individually written to suit the very surroundings. Just ask at the dive centre to find out what’s on offer! But don’t expect to get signed up for any ice diving!

Next on the list are rescue courses which should seriously be mandatory for every diver. Course topics covered include self-rescue, problem management and how to help divers in stressful situations and, better still, how to avoid them in the first place.

As any diver will know, you never dive without a buddy! But are you both actually capable of looking after each other? If not, then learn! The rescue diver courses are great value in Thailand and are just as comprehensive as they are anywhere else in the world. Certification requires CPR and First Aid training, which is also available alongside the course. In a nutshell, what you learn is all you need to know in order to look after yourself and others, both under the water and on the surface during everyday life. So you might as well learn in comfort and at a good price.

The highest level of recreational diver certification is ‘Master Scuba Diver’ or equivalent, depending on the training agency’s certification title. To achieve this rating, or status, divers need to complete all the above courses and be certified in a pre-determined number of different specialities, as well as have completed a designated number of dives. There’s also a ‘Junior Master Scuba Diver’ rating for the over 12 year olds!

Thailand also provides a comprehensive range of technical diving courses, from using enriched air up to diving on mixed gases and cave diving. The use of rebreathers is also becoming more common. Without this type of training, a number of Thailand’s wrecks and deep reefs would be inaccessible to divers. Both PADI and SSI provide such courses, as do a handful of training agencies that are solely dedicated to technical diving.