Open Water Diver Course Koh Tao

Become a certified Open Water Diver and dive anywhere in the world!

Koh Tao has a well-deserved reputation for being Southeast Asia’s best destination for learning to scuba dive on a budget. Getting your Open Water Diver license will open up a whole new world of wonders for you to explore… plus the certification lasts a lifetime!

The Open Water Diver course gives students the knowledge and training necessary to dive with an equally or more qualified buddy, in conditions and environments equivalent to their training, in depths shallower than 18 meters/60 feet.

It consists of three phases; knowledge development, a confined water dive to learn basic scuba skills and four open water dives. The laid-back schedule takes place over three days, giving students plenty of time to practice their new skills before earning their certification.

To get your diving license you must be at least 10 years old and be able to swim. Students younger than 15 will be certified as Junior Open Water Divers and must dive under the supervision of a dive professional or with a certified adult in conditions and environments equivalent to their dive training. Students younger than 12 years old will only be certified to a maximum depth of 12 meters/40 feet.

There is a certain level of health and fitness required to undertake this course. There are minimum swimming requirements that you have to meet to achieve this certification. You must be able to swim 200m without aids and float or tread water for 10 minutes.

Our group size is no more than 4 students per instructor for the Open Water course.

Big Blue Diving Koh Tao offers this courses through SSI. All SSI course materials are digital and free of charge.

Don’t know the difference between SSI and PADI – read this

Big Blue Diving will provide all equipment, boat trips, etc., for the duration of the course.

Here’s what the course will look like.

Open Water Diver course itinerary

Day 1 –  Confined Diving

08:45-12:00

This is when you’ll meet your instructor and your fellow students, and you’ll spend the morning at our al fresco classroom by the pool, chatting through what your course will comprise of over the next few days, having a look at the equipment we will be using, and learning the fundamental concepts behind scuba diving.

13:00-17:30

The afternoon will be spent in the swimming pool where you will do your confined water session to learn and practice basic scuba skills. This is the moment when most people doing this course will put a regulator in their mouth for the first time! Your instructor will demonstrate skills for you and you will need to repeat the skills back to them. We will start the session in water deep enough to stand up in so if there is any problems or the student needs to ask a question all they have to do is stand up. As the afternoon progresses and the student gains their confidence we will reach a maximum depth in the pool of no more than 3 meters.

Day 2 – 2 Open Water Dives max depth 12 meters.

09:00-11:30

On the morning of day 2, you’ll again meet up with your group in our classroom restaurant. You have a bit more academics to do this morning with your instructor before you sit your final exam. But don’t worry this is a multiple choice exam designed to remind you of what’s important. It’s a straight forward exam, so no need to stress over last-minute studying and cramming!

12:30-17:30

The afternoon of day 2 will be the most exciting part of the course. This is when you’ll head out on one of our large dive boats and do your first dives in the open ocean. We’ll take you to two shallow and sandy dive sites around the island so that you can easily and safely practice the skills you learned in the pool the day before. The maximum depth for these first two dives is 12 meters (36 feet).

Day 3 – 2 Open Water Dives max depth 18 meters.

07:30-12:00

This is it! The final 2 dives of your Open Water Diver certification. This time you’ll head out to sites that have a bit more excitement. Lots of fish, deeper, more exciting landscapes. You’ll complete any skills you haven’t demonstrated to your instructor in open water, or redo any skills that needed some practice. The maximum depth for these two dives is a full 18 meters/60 feet. After the dives, it’s back to land to log your dives and officially become certified as Open Water Divers!

What comes next?

After your Open Water Diver certification, your world of scuba diving training with Big Blue Diving really starts to open up.

• Do your Advanced Diver Course and get certified to dive to 30 meters.
• Learn about the ocean with our Fish and Coral identification courses.

Don’t forget! Because of the extra nitrogen your body builds up while scuba diving, you cannot fly within 24hrs of your last dive.

Are you fit to dive?

Scuba diving is an activity that requires a certain level of physical health. Read this medical questionnaire. If you can answer yes to any of the questions you may require medical clearance to enroll in a diving course. Contact us for more information.