Our Local FriendTaster — no certification1 day2 ocean divesMax 2 per instructorAges 10+
Basic Scuba
Mae Haad, Koh Tao · Starts daily
$117
per person · everything included ฿3,500
About this course
Find out whether diving is for you before you buy the course.
Most people arrive on Koh Tao intending to get certified and quietly wondering whether they'll panic the moment their head goes under. This is the honest way to find out. A morning of the basics in shallow water, then two real dives out on the reef with an instructor an arm's length away.
Two students per instructor — the smallest ratio of anything on this page. Nobody is waiting on anybody. If you love it, the day counts towards the Open Water course, so nothing is wasted.
Course structure
Your day-by-day journey
Morning — How the gear works, how to clear your mask, how to equalise your ears. Then you kneel in shallow water and take the first breath, which is the strange one. You stay there until it stops feeling strange.
Skills you'll earn
What you'll be able to do
Assembling and checking a set of dive gear Equalising, mask clearing and regulator recovery Staying neutral instead of sinking or floating Hand signals and staying with your buddy
Certification
What you take home
Certificate of completion
This is a supervised experience, not a certification — you can't dive independently afterwards. What you can do is roll the day straight into the Open Water course, which is what most people end up doing.
No certificationCounts towards Open WaterAges 10+2 ocean dives
What's included
What the price covers
- All dive equipment for the length of the course
- A dive computer to use, free
- Digital learning materials and your certification
- Boat trips, with drinks and snacks aboard
- 30 days of dive accident insurance
- A free T-shirt, and 10% off anything you book afterwards
Honest Corner
— real talk before you enrolYou'll love this if…
- Two students per instructor — you are genuinely being watched
- Cheapest possible way to find out if you like diving
- The day's cost carries over if you upgrade to Open Water
Worth knowing before you enrol
- You get no certification from this, and can't dive without a pro afterwards
- One day only — if you already know you want to dive, go straight to Open Water
- Cameras aren't allowed during training; that's Thai dive law, not a sales tactic
Student fit
Who's this course for?
Great fit
🤔
The undecided
You think you want to dive but won't spend ฿12,500 to find out you're claustrophobic.
Great fit
👨👩👧
Families
From age 10, with a parent. A shared first-breath moment that nobody forgets.
Great fit
⏳
Short trips
Two days on the island and want to dive anyway? This fits where a course won't.
Maybe
🎯
Already committed
If you know you want the certification, skip this and start Open Water — you'll cover the same ground on day one.
Not for you
Common questions
