IDC Koh Tao @ Crystal Dive Resort offers you the chance to enter into the dive industry as a qualified scuba diving instructor! Our newly built 5 Star IDC facilities on the beachfront at Mae Haad is the perfect place to confidently take the final step towards the career of your choice.

As you complete your Divemaster & Asst.Instructor Courses it's time to prepare for your IDC with Matt. Working within the dive industry is one of the most rewarding careers, offering opportunities to meet new people and work all over the world!

Matt's IDC's guide you through at a pace that suits you and he is always on hand to offer help and advice. As we enter into the high season, we are now taking bookings for placements on our IDC's scheduled for 2007 & 2008.

*ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation during the DM course is at your own discretion. We can offer assistance in finding you accommodation on a monthly rate at one of the many non-diving resorts on the island. Average costs for a monthly rental on KohTao are between 5,000 - 8,000 Th.Baht

CHUMPHON PINNACLE
Northwest of Koh Tao, Chumphon Pinnacle is widely regarded as one of the Gulf's premier dive sites. The site itself is comprises of one huge main granite pinnacle and a series of smaller pinnacles rising from the bottom at 36m to within 14m of the surface.

On the main part of the site divers can expect to encounter Batfish, Trevally, large Groupers, as well as huge shoals of Fusiliers and Rabbit fish. Less common, but still available to see, are the Spanish Mackerel, and some Paddlefin Trigger fish.

For those with keen eyes it is also possible to see Scorpionfish lazing on the rocks. Chumphon pinnacle also plays host to seasonal visits by Whale Sharks and their attendant Cobias and Remoras, plus the occasional Manta. A memorable experience for every diver!

SOUTH WEST PINNACLE
South-west of Koh Tao, this site is also widely acclaimed as another of the Gulf's premier diving destinations, with depths ranging from 30m upwards. The series of seven pinnacles form an underwater mountain range, with the largest peak rising to within 5m of the surface. 

Like Chumphon, this site features a carpet of anemones on the upper levels with an abundance of whip corals and large sea fans.

Impressive Barracuda over a meter in length can be seen patiently waiting whilst tiny Cleaning Wrasse perform their underwater valet service. To the south-east of the main site lies a smaller pinnacle, which is home to two resident, if somewhat shy Leopard sharks.

SHARK ISLAND
One of the most varied dive sites around Koh Tao in terms of marine life, Shark Island is one place that you'll definitely wish to return to.

300m southeast of Koh Tao this small, uninhabited, granite peak rises clear of the water from a sandy bottom at 20m.Divers can enjoy an enormous variety of hard, encrusting corals and a similar variety of sea fans and whip corals.

The renowned "fish junction" off the northern end of the dive site provides excellent photographic opportunities. Shark Island occasionally plays host to visiting Reef and Leopard sharks.

The more usual residents include Blue Spotted Rays, Scribbled Filefish, Starry Pufferfish, and Titan Triggerfish that sometimes like nibbling the fins of visiting divers who get a little too close to their nesting sites!

WHITE ROCK
White Rock boasts a large coral garden situated between two distinct granite pinnacles to the north and south sides of the site, and a vast array of both daytime and nocturnal inhabitants. With a depth range of 26m to 5m, and an average depth of 12m, White Rock is suited to everyone's experience level.

White Eye Morays and Blue Spotted Rays are commonly sighted, as is one of Koh Tao's legends, "Trevor" the Triggerfish who has been the boss of White Rock for many years.

Several species of Barracuda routinely visit here and it is particularly impressive to see them hunting on night dives, when they will actually follow divers using the torch beams to spot their dinner.

Night dives also unveil many different kinds of Feather Stars, hunting Cone Shells and feeding Stingrays, in addition to Parrot fish and Rabbit fish!

GREEN ROCK
One of the outlying dive sites to the north of Koh Nang Yuan island; Green Rock has its own special attractions for divers in the form of many varied swim throughs and the lunar like landscape created by nesting Yellow Margin Triggerfish.

With a depth range of 3m to 30m most divers will find this site within their capabilities. The insides of the caverns and the undersides of outcroppings are home to many brightly colored soft corals and sponges, while the outer parts of the site play host to shoals of electric Blue Damsel fish, Tube Anemones with tiny translucent shrimps (for those with keen eyesight) Emperors, Angel fish and the occasional Turtle.

KOH NANG YUAN
Nestled in a bay between the three islands of Koh Nang Yuan, Twins consists of two main pinnacles, and a smaller, deeper "little brother". A perfect site for both training activities, and a leisurely fun dive, the pinnacles range in depth from 5m to 18m, and are surrounded by soft white sand dotted with the unusual symbiotic relationships of Goby fish and their blind-shrimp housemates.

Twins offers divers the chance to see the larger groupers normally only spotted at depth on the more remote dive sites. Blue-Ringed angelfish and the striking yellow Raccoon Butterfly fish are abundant, along with a host of varied Parrotfish and wrasse. Combined with green, blue, and red anemones this is one of the islands most colorful dive sites.

Venture south a short distance across the sand to encounter "Mork" and "Mindy", a friendly pair of the uncommon Saddleback Clownfish, then back to the East pinnacle for the best safety stop on the island with a school of around 500 curious, small Yellowtail Barracuda.

Why Crystal?

As one Thailand’s most established and popular dive schools & resorts, Crystal Dive Resort has built a reputation of professionalism and customer service second to none. This has been recognized by PADI and we are one of only a handful of dive schools in Asia to have been award the prestigious Career Development Center rating, the highest such rating in the Scuba diving industry.

With a multi national, multi lingual instructional staff made up of PADI Master Instructors we are able to offer students and certified divers first class scuba diving adventures in 12 different languages.

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As one of only a handful of PADI Career Development Centers in Thailand, coupled with Resident Platinum PADI Course Director Matt Bolton, one of Asia’s most experienced Course Directors, Crystal Dive Resort is the perfect place for you to begin a "Diving Lifestyle".

With the backdrop of beautiful Koh Tao, Crystal Dive Resort offers all of our guests one of our luxury beachfront bungalows. As you sit and watch the sunset, is their a better place to just relax and unwind...??

Our restaurant offers superb Thai food plus a good selection of western favourites for those who just need a "taste of home" once in a while!
Don't forget to ask us about our legendary beach BBQ's!

On the hill looking out over Mae Haad Beach is our main resort. Our beachfront bungalows offer fan or air-con, en-suite shower & toilet, 24hr electric and can easily sleep 1-3 people.

Our most recent addition is cable TV in every room, so you can keep up-to-date with news from home!

When diving with Crystal Dive our bungalows are discounted to 300Th.Baht per night (Fan), 800ThBaht per night (A/C).

If you are enrolled on a PADI sanctioned course you can qualify for a special 'student' discount of only 200 Baht per night (Fan), 500 Baht per night (A/C).

Whether your diving on a local trip around the island, or on one of our Full Day Trips to Ang Thong Marine Park or the famous Sail Rock, our two main dive boats are the ideal "launch pad!". As well as our main boats, we also offer speedboat trips for small groups. Please ask at the resort for details and rates for speedboat hire.

For a real treat, we can organize dive trips "Thai Style!" On a traditional longtail boat, one of our divemasters will take you to one of our local sites and throw you overboard!

To get to Koh Tao, you will catch the boat from either Chumphon, Surat Thani or Koh Samui.

Chumphon (Boat Timeable)
Most people will be heading south from Bangkok to the mainland port of Chumphon. Buses leave every hour from the Southern Bus Terminal ("Sai Dai").

Alternatively there are several companies that now operate a 'tourist' VIP bus service from Bangkok to Chumphon and then onto Koh Tao via the high speed ferries or catarmaran.

Buses depart from the Khao San Road. These "all-in-one" tickets are available from our Bangkok office.

The best option however is to take the overnight Sleeper-Train from Bangkok > Chumphon. For around $US 10 you will get your own bed, a food cart/menu and can stretch your legs whenever you feel like it.

*NOTE
You must leave on the 7.15pm train to get into Chumphon in time for all the boats!