Level
Advanced
Course
Duration
2.5
Days
Cost
฿12,000
Thai Baht
Designed for certified divers eager to expand their skills, the SSI Recreational Sidemount Specialty Course immerses you in the unique advantages of sidemount diving. Through classroom instruction and hands-on practice, you’ll master buoyancy control, equipment configuration, improved trim, and the art of navigating tighter spaces. The supportive learning environment fosters both skill development and confidence as you explore the vibrant underwater landscapes of Koh Tao.
09:00-10:00 Sidemount academic session
10:00-12:00 Sidemount equipment set up
12:00-13:00 Break
13:00-17:00 Confined shallow water session
17:00-17:30 Debrief
08:00-12:30 Sidemount dives 1+2
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-14:00 Exam
14:00-15:00 Dive Planning
15:00-15:30 Debrief
08:00-12:30 Sidemount dive 3
12:30-13:00 Debrief and certification
The SSI Advanced Adventurer Course is the perfect follow-up to your Open Water certification. Designed to enhance your confidence and abilities, this course introduces you to five different types of dives, including deep diving and underwater navigation.
In just two days, you’ll gain the skills to dive deeper (up to 30 meters) and explore more advanced dive sites around Koh Tao and beyond. Whether you’re interested in night dives, wreck exploration, or perfecting your buoyancy, this course is your gateway to becoming a more skilled and adventurous diver.
Unlock a new level of underwater exploration with the SSI Recreational Sidemount Course! Experience the freedom and flexibility of sidemount diving, enhancing your buoyancy and movement in Koh Tao’s breathtaking dive sites.
Mira is a fantastic divemaster! She helped me tremendously with the refresher course; I loved it! Mira also has other great tips!
I made my Advanced OW with Goodtime Adventures. It was the perfect experience right there. The people were very friendly in general and Max did an excellent job as a dive instructor. I felt very safe all the time and I had a lot of fun during the course. 😊
After two months of intensive training, tons of fun, and many wonderful experiences, I'm proud but also a little sad that I've now completed my Divemaster certification. I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who accompanied me on this journey for the tips, tricks, pleasant conversations, and activities off the water! Even the somewhat dreaded snorkel test will forever remain a cherished memory. It was simply fantastic and an incredibly satisfying conclusion to a phenomenal time. Ana, Lydia, Ezgi, Ryan, Mira, T2, Joe, Max, Andrea, Shai, Bart, and Charly, thank you so much for everything. Lydia, Gary, and Gilly, all the best and have fun for the rest of your training! Kwan, thank you so much for the excellent food when I was out on the boat longer than usual and for all the lovely conversations. A heartfelt thank you also goes to all the wonderful people behind the bar and in the kitchen of the Goodtimes Bar (Nini, Myo, Jo, etc.) – you're doing an outstanding job! Thank you so much for all the delicious food! Eimear, you're not only a master in the water, but also when it comes to food and drink. The next few Saturdays are going to be extremely tough without your fantastic spare ribs. Last but not least, Lukas – what an amazing guy!! Thank you so much for the gentle introduction to the DMT program for my ears. I learned so much from you – and not just about diving. You're a true role model, yet still so much fun! It's an honor to be part of the Goodtimes family.
Did my rescue diver with Ana, she’s the BESTEST OF THE BEST! Liv and Michi were the assistants, amazing experience!
Big thanks to @Lydia and Goodtime for an epic OW course. She made the whole experience so fun and stress-free. If you’re on the fence, look no further. This is 100% the spot for the best vibes and diving! 🤿❤️
Me and my friend did the refreshers course and two fun dives!! It was worth every penny the guides were amazing !!! Shay, ana and Mira !!! They are the best 💯
Scuba Diving in Koh Tao has been very popular for years, we have some of Thailand’s best dive sites and great diving conditions all year round. Our most popular course is the SSI Open Water Diver course which takes 2.5 days to complete and allows to to dive all over the world once you are certified. This course is ideal for beginners who want to get Scuba certified on Koh Tao.
If you are short on time the SSI Basic Diver is for you! This is a half-day experience where you can dip your toes in and explore the underwater world.
Any of the dive organisations in the world can give you the Open Water license, and with it you can dive in every dive centre in the world for the rest of your life – an SSI diver can of course dive in a PADI centre or the other way round, for example.
However, with SSI you do get benefits:
Online Learning
While most organisations offer online learning, not all of them offer it free of charge and can end up racking up quite the bill. SSI offers your learning materials for free as part of your course registration and is easy to navigate using the MySSI app. The app is regularly updated and also offers additional free courses like the ´Try Diving´ and the ‘Blue Oceans‘ for you to enhance your scuba diving knowledge.
Recognition Ratings
SSI do things a little differently to other diving agencies, they continue to recognise your advancement in diving whether you are enrolled in a course or not. When you reach certain milestones you will be awarded recognition status. This is why we encourage specialities over the SSI Advanced Adventurer or Advanced Open Water courses. With SSI once you complete 4 speciality courses and 24 dives you will automatically be rewarded with Advanced Open Water recognition status. Taking this route allows you to explore your passions underwater without being restricted to one exploration dive per specialty! Don’t forget we offer discounts on bundles too!
Flexibility
SSI allows its professionals to teach with an 80/20 approach meaning that the instructor can adapt 20% of the course to fit the pace of learning, ensuring a student focused training programme worked around the needs of the students – after all everyone learns at different paces.
