Due to a change in PADI standards, effective 1 January 2006, all student divers must have in their possession a set of current materials for study and use during the course and for reference afterwards. Having your own personal materials will help you enhance retention of dive knowledge. To comply with the new standards most courses include the necessary materials in the course price unless noted otherwise.

If you would like to do a scuba diving course but don't have the time, then try the PADI scuba diver course. The PADI Scuba Diver program is a pre-entry level certification that is perfect for vacationers or people who only plan to dive a couple times a year. The Scuba Diver program can be completed in as little as 2 days. With the PADI Scuba Diver certification you can dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Dive Master, Assistant Instructor or Instructor to a maximum depth of 12 meters on your next vacation or dive trip. The course price includes the PADI manual and PADI dive table. 7,500 baht.

The Open Water Diver Course will teach you the basics of scuba diving over a 4 day course. The course is broken into 3 parts: 5 academic sessions, 5 confined water sessions and 4 open water dives. During the academic sessions you will learn basic dive theory and safety together with your instructor and through independent self study. You will learn basic dive skills such as removing and replacing your mask, sharing air with another diver and buoyancy control during the confined water sessions. Confined water sessions will initially be conducted at a depth of 1 meter, then gradually we’ll take you down to a maximum depth of 5 meters.

And finally, you’ll be able to put all your knowledge and skills to the test during your 4 open water dives. Your first few open water dives will be to a maximum depth of 12 meters and will be completed on our house reef. Your final dives will be to a maximum depth of 18 meters to one of the many dive sites surrounding Koh Tao.

The Advanced Open Water course gives certified divers an opportunity to explore the different areas of diving and decide what they like best: underwater photography, night diving or maybe fish identification.  To be certified as an Advanced diver, you must complete a deep dive, a navigation dive and 3 more dives of your choice.  You may choose from the following:

The Emergency First Response is a good course for travelers and even non divers.  You will cover basic first aid skills such as controlling bleeding, treating shock, rescue breathing, CPR and dealing with spinal injuries.  In order to take the Rescue course you must previously be certified for Basic First Aid and CPR within the last 2 years. If you do not have this or your training is expired, then the Emergency First Response will cover this.  The EFR course includes Automated External Defibrillator training free.  The Emergency First Response student manual is included in the price.
3,500 baht.

As a PADI Rescue Diver you will learn to assist and manage dive accidents.  During the course you will learn about typical equipment malfunctions, common diver problems and how to prevent them.  You will also learn how to deal with various situations such as tired or panicked divers, how to perform search patterns for missing divers and how to deal with unconscious divers.  You must be an Advanced certificate diver and have CPR/First Aid training within the last 2 years to participate in this course.

For those who want to master a particular area of diving, Specialty courses are also available.  Specialty courses aim to teach divers how to prepare for, set up specialized equipment for and lead a dive for a specific style of diving.  Specialtly courses allow divers to build confidence and gain experience with new types of equipment and different diving environments.  Specialty courses typically require between 2 to 4 dives depending on the specialty.  Specialty course prices include the manual and all necessary equipment unless noted otherwise.  Black Tip offers the following specialty courses:

The Master Scuba Diver is PADI’s highest non professional rating.  The MSD program is designed to increase diver knowledge and enhance your ability to deal with a variety of dive situations and problems.  To enroll in the MSD program you must be a Rescue Diver or higher and have at least 50 logged dives.

During the course you must complete 5 PADI specialties. Contact us for further details and prices.

We also offer several Divers Alert Network programs.  DAN courses offer excellent training in addition to the EFR courses.  These courses are excellent for avid divers and highly recommend for those on a professional track.  DAN provider level courses cost 3,500 baht each and the student manual is included in the course price.

Hazardous Marine Life Injuries:  Learn to identify hazardous marine life, injuries related to them and how to provide first aid for them.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for Scuba Diving:  Students will learn to recognize signs of cardiac arrest and how to administer Basic Life Support techniques and use AEDs.

Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries:  Learn to recognize barotrauma related injuries and how to provide emergency oxygen first aid.