Koh Samui Scuba Diving Centre & Training Schools - Dive Sites on the Island

Koh Samui Island is known as a major scuba diving destination. Actually, it is the most prominent departure point for diving expeditions into the Angthong National Marine Park, the most visited destination of which is Koh Tao or "Turtle" Island, 70 kilometers – a two hour boat ride - north of Koh Samui.

More than 30 dive sites are located here. Among the best known are: Chumphon Pinnacles, Green Rock, Hin Ngam, Hin Pee Wee, Hin Wong Pinnacle, Japanese Gardens, Leam Thien Pinnacle, Light House, Mango Bay, Red Rock, Sail Rock, Shark Island, Southwest Pinnacles, Tanote Bay, Twin Pinnacles, Torpedo Wreck (Dog Food Wreck), and White Rock.

They are located in seabeds ranging from 10 to 40 feet and thus represent a suitable challenge and experience for both the beginning and advanced diver. The waters surrounding the sites tend to be fairly warm, averaging 28 degrees centigrade and visibity is excellent, ranging from 20 to 30 meters, depending on the time of year.

For the most part, the dive sites feature granite pinnacles of various shapes and sizes, some standing alone, others standing in clusters. Some pinnacles protrude from the water while most end several meters below the surface. Some sites also feature caves and are surrounded by beds of coral.

A teaming host of colorful aquatic life may be found clustered around these pinnacles and living in their cracks, and in the nearby corals. Among the aquatic life to be seen are banner fish, boxfish, moray eels, sea snakes, butterfly fish, groupers, barracuda, octopus, reef sharks, whale sharks,sweep lips, scorpion fish, turtles, white sharks, leopard sharks, and at some times of the year, minke whales, pilot whales, and bruda whales.

For those who are more adventurous, other islands in the park await them. Perhaps the most prominent are Koh Wao and Hin Yippon in the north of the park. Here, one finds shallow caves and swim throughs, extensive soft corals, large schools of fusilliers, and stingrays.

The currents are mild to moderate, though visibility is rather low, only 8 to 15 meters. Some depths at Koh Wao are only 8 to 14 meters, make this site suitable for novice divers. Depths are a little more difficult, averaging 18 feet, at Hin Yippon. These sites can be visited as day trips.

Dive Shops and Dive Centre in Koh Samui

Koh Samui has many dive shops which prepare people to take diving trips to these and other locations. And they arrange transportation. Almost all the dive shops are located in the northeast corner of the island, most in Chaweng Beach and the Bophut Beach and Big Buddha Beach area.

Centers located in or very near Chaweng are:

Blue Planet Dive Center
Calypso Diving
Dive in Deep
Dive Point
Easy Divers Hobo-Ya
Petcharat Dive Club
Samui International Diving School
Scuba Blue World
Silent Divers
the Salamander Dive Center

Located in or near Bophut Beach and Big Buddha Beach are:

100 degrees East Dive Team
Bohut Diving School
Coral Grand Divers
Easy Divers
Hobo-Ya
Infinity Diving

Other island dive centers are located in Choeng Mon Beach and Lamai Beach:

Dive Point
Searobin Dive Center
Bangkrak (Dive Tours Thailand)

It should be noted that some of these facilities are located on large resorts and might not be easily accessible to everyone, and that others have branches in more than one location. Certainly, there are other facilities on Koh Samui Island that are not listed here. Some of these are, no doubt, fine operations.

Things To Considered and Cost

Those interested in diving should insist that the dive shops they do business with are properly certified, the instructors are properly certified AND that they themselves be properly certified.

Divers should be very skeptical of shops that promise they can prepare divers to dive quickly and who are not interested in verifying that the prospective divers have appropriate certification.

There are various respected standards of certification, but it appears that most shops in Koh Samui say they have and teach by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification. The NAUI or National Association of Underwater Instructors certification system is also popular in Thailand. It is appropriate that prospective divers ask to see the actual certificates.

It basically takes three to four days of study and in-the-water practice to be dive certified and all prospective divers should bear this in mind. Certification courses, often called "Open Water Diver", or "Open Water Diving", are conducted in groups of four to five participants, and typically cost around 12,000 baht per person.

The cost includes equipment rental and some meals are usually also included as part of the overall course cost. Courses will generally have a "classroom" or "on-the –land" component and an "in-the-water" component and students will be required to do homework.

The in-the-water training usually takes place in the shallow waters off of Koh Samui Island. Advanced courses such as "Deep Water Diving" or "Night Diving", or refresher courses, are usually available at less cost. Dive shops can help students secure convenient accommodation and find suitable.

Some centers offer one day dive courses to, in theory, give people an introduction to diving and to see if they want to take the regular course, but these courses should NOT be considered as certification or qualification to dive with full equipment. These courses cost between 5,000 and 6,000 baht.

Recently, a two day course called or approximating the name "Scuba Diver for Beginners" has been introduced which is supposed to prepare prospective divers to dive in depths of no more than 12 meters when accompanied by a regularly certified diver.

It is basically designed to enable people to dive who feel they do not have the time – and perhaps the money – to take the regular course, or who are not interested in frequent diving. It costs around 6,000 baht. One must weigh the wisdom and usefulness of taking this course carefully. Hours taken in this course are supposed to count toward full diving certification.

The costs of actual diving are quite reasonable, averaging between 4,000 and 6,000 baht for a one day trip, the difference in price being partially determined by the number of dives one has on an expedition, two dives is standard, and three is usually the maximum permitted for a one day trip.

The cost of an expedition includes transfer from lodging, catamaran or boat rental – which is handled by the dive shop – dive equipment, and drinks and meals. Divers with their own equipment are usually given a 400 or 500 baht discount.