Choosing a dive center on Koh Tao when there are almost 80 dive centres on the island can make coming up with a decision quite hard! We’re here to narrow down your decision making for you.
Ask yourself these questions.
Who is it who’s taking you out?
Whose hands are you putting your life in?
Who is this person that is going to show you a good time?
What experience do they have?
Do they know the conditions and the dive sites that they will be taking you diving on?
Do they speak your language?
Are they likeable?
The Good and The Bad.
Everyone has good and bad qualities and no one is perfect, but you want to have an Instructor you can at least get on with for the next few hours, maybe days or weeks if you are training to be a Dive Pro! Some Dive centers will swap and change your Instructor halfway through your course, which may or may not suit you depending on how much you get on with your Instructor, but generally, you will have the same Instructor from the beginning to end.
Who is your Instructor?
Generally, when you walk in the door of your Koh Tao Dive centre you will get to meet your Instructor as you sign in. This is a great way to break the ice as you get to meet your Instructor on a one to one level before you all get together in the orientation. Otherwise, try and find out about your Instructor by checking out their profile on their Dive Center Website.
For your own peace of mind, you should check that they will be your Instructor for the duration of the course. Ask them about safety and emergency procedures and whether they are trained in first aid and the use of emergency oxygen. How long have they been working in diving? Is your Instructor insured?
The number 1 question I always ask whenever I dive is whether my dive guide knows the sites and where to find the exciting stuff!
And don’t forget if at any time you don’t feel comfortable then ask for another Dive Guide or Instructor.
Sure, there is a lot of choice when it comes to choosing a dive center for your holiday diving adventure. But that also means that there’s a lot of competition and you’ll know you’re going to have an awesome time on Koh Tao regardless of who you dive with.
