Basic Diver

The Basic Diver course exists for one reason — to get you underwater for the first time without making it complicated. There’s no lengthy theory, no multiple days of commitment, and no pressure to continue beyond the course if you decide diving isn’t for you. It’s a single session, roughly half a day, and by the end of it you’ll have been in the ocean breathing underwater.

The session starts in the pool or a shallow bay. Your instructor covers the handful of skills you need to know — how to clear your mask, how to breathe through the regulator, how to signal underwater. Nothing complicated, and all of it practised in shallow water where you can stand up if you need to. Most people are surprised by how quickly it clicks.

From the shallows you head to the deeper ocean. The dive itself takes place in shallow water — no deeper than 12 metres — at one of the sites close to Koh Tao. Your instructor is with you the whole time, close enough to help immediately if anything feels off. In practice, most people spend the dive looking around and forgetting they’re supposed to be nervous. After the first dive, the boat will move to a new location and you will get to explore a whole new dive site with your newfound skills and your instructor right there to point out our beautiful local marine life.

The Basic Diver course doesn’t result in a certification — you can’t dive independently afterward. What it does is give you a genuine taste of what diving is like before committing to a full course. Many people who do the Basic Diver go on to book an Open Water course the same day!