Chalok Reef Divers, Koh Tao

Location: Chalok Baan Kao, Koh Tao, Thailand

Website: chalokreefdivers.com

Why Choose Chalok Reef Divers

Nestled in the peaceful south of Koh Tao, Chalok Reef Divers combines high-quality SSI dive training with small groups, attentive instructors, and solid safety standards—ideal for both beginners and experienced divers.

Languages

Courses are available in English, Spanish, German, and French, with dedicated pages in each language:

• English
• Español — Cursos de buceo
• Deutsch — Kontakt
• Français — Cours de plongée

Courses Offered (SSI)

Here’s the full range from first-time try dives to pro level, plus popular specialties:

• Try Scuba (1-day experience) — Learn more
• Open Water Diver (3–4 days) — Learn more
• Advanced (Advanced Adventurer) — Learn more
• Stress & Rescue + React Right — Learn more
• Nitrox (Enriched Air) — Learn more
• Deep & Nitrox Combo — Learn more
• Divemaster (Professional) — Learn more

Spanish, German & French Course Pages (examples)

• Spanish: Try Scuba · Open Water · Advanced · Rescue + React Right · Divemaster
• German: Divemaster (more courses via the German site menu)
• French: Open Water · Advanced

Fun Dives

Already certified? Join guided fun dives around Koh Tao’s reefs, wrecks, and pinnacles (often two dives per trip, morning or afternoon). Fun Diving info

What Stands Out

• Small training groups for personal attention and safety
• Full range of SSI courses + popular specialties (Nitrox, Deep)
• Quiet, convenient base in Chalok Baan Kao with easy access to sites

Contact & Booking

Questions or ready to book? Reach out via the website contact form: chalokreefdivers.com

 

• Learn to dive: Koh Tao is one of the world’s most popular places to take your Open Water course (3–4 days).

• Certified fun dives: Pinnacles, boulder gardens, and a local wreck; easy logistics with 2-tank trips morning/afternoon.

• Day trip highlight: Sail Rock (between Tao & Samui/Phangan) when conditions allow.

• Snorkeling from shore: Ao Leuk, Tanote, Sai Daeng, Hin Wong, Shark Bay, Mango Bay (conditions vary with wind).

• Marine life: batfish, barracuda, trevally, fusiliers, groupers, turtles; whale shark sightings are occasional and never guaranteed.

Sea conditions change with the season and weather systems. Always follow your dive leader’s briefing and local advice.

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Map (add later)

When you’re ready, we’ll add a My Maps embed with pins for the sites below and snorkel bays and drop it here.

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Learn to Dive (Beginner)

Open Water Diver (OWD)

• Duration: typically 3–4 days (theory + shallow skills + 4 training dives).

• What you’ll do: basic skills, buoyancy, buddy procedures, safety.

• Swimming: you’ll need to demonstrate basic swim/float ability.

• Tips: pick a school that groups by language/level, keeps class sizes small, and includes a check-out dive if you haven’t been underwater before.

Try Scuba / Discover Scuba Diving

• Duration: half-day to 1 day.

• Depth: usually limited (e.g., 12 m max, depends on agency).

• Good for: deciding if a full course is for you.

After OWD

• Advanced Adventurer/Advanced Open Water: introduces deep and navigation (and often buoyancy/ night/wreck); unlocks more sites.

• Nitrox (EANx): longer no-deco time on moderate depths; great for the pinnacles.

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Certified Fun Diving (What to expect)

• Schedules: morning and afternoon boats; some shops run sunrise/sunset/night dives.

• Groups: usually small, guided by Divemasters/Instrs; experience-based grouping.

• Requirements: recent dive within the last year is often requested; bring your logbook/e-log and certification card/app.

• Gear: rental is ubiquitous; bring your own computer if you have one (or rent).

• Environment: boat entries (giant stride) and ladders for exit; surface marker buoys carried by guides.

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Top Dive Sites (local & day trips)

Depths and difficulty are typical; operators may set different prerequisites based on conditions and your recent experience.

Chumphon Pinnacle {#chumphon}

• Type: offshore granite pinnacle(s)

• Depth: ~14–35 m (top ~14 m)

• For: Advanced Open Water recommended (or OWD with experience/guide discretion)

• Why go: schools of barracuda, batfish, trevally; occasional whale shark; dramatic topography.

Southwest Pinnacle {#southwest}

• Type: cluster of pinnacles with sandy patches

• Depth: ~12–30 m (top ~12 m)

• For: OWD with good buoyancy or AOW

• Why go: pink anemone gardens, big schools, frequent pelagic traffic.

White Rock {#white-rock}

• Type: two large bommies, sand channels, night-dive favorite

• Depth: ~5–22 m

• For: All levels (great for training + fun dives)

• Why go: relaxed navigation, frequent blue-spotted rays, night critters.

Twins (near Nang Yuan) {#twins}

• Type: twin bommies on sand, sheltered

• Depth: ~5–18 m

• For: All levels, ideal for training and refreshers

• Why go: easy conditions, photogenic anemonefish, macro if you slow down.

Green Rock {#green-rock}

• Type: swim-throughs, caverns, surge channels

• Depth: ~6–28 m

• For: Confident OWD/AOW; check surge conditions

• Why go: fun topography; look for morays and schools in the channels.

Hin Wong Pinnacle {#hin-wong-pinnacle}

• Type: offshore pinnacle off the NE

• Depth: ~10–30 m

• For: OWD with experience/AOW; can be choppy

• Why go: big schools, healthy soft corals in places; macro around the rocks.

Shark Island {#shark-island}

• Type: rocky islet SE of Tao

• Depth: ~5–25 m

• For: OWD+; currents vary

• Why go: mixed coral, chance of turtles, sweeping views around the islet.

HTMS Sattakut Wreck {#sattakut}

• Type: WWII-era landing craft (artificial reef)

• Depth: ~18–30 m (deck ~18–22 m depending on tide)

• For: AOW or Wreck/Deep Adventure recommended

• Why go: guns, structure, schooling fish; combine with White Rock.

Sail Rock (Day Trip) {#sail-rock}

• Type: famous pinnacle between Tao & Samui/Phangan

• Depth: ~5–35 m (chimney swim-through ~6–18 m)

• For: Usually OWD+; AOW preferred on deeper profiles

• Why go: big vertical walls, chimney, frequent schooling action; classic Gulf site.

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Snorkeling Highlights (from shore)

• Ao Leuk: easy entry, coral on both sides; great first-timer bay.

• Tanote: boulders + fish life straight off the sand; check surf before jumping from the rock.

• Sai Daeng → Shark Island: kayak or hug the headlands (only in calm seas).

• Hin Wong: clear and deep close to shore—best for confident swimmers.

• Shark Bay (Thian Og): look for turtles over seagrass; respect distance from wildlife.

• Mango Bay: lovely water; land access can be via resort/fees—boats are common.

Snorkel safety: fins help in light current, use a visible snorkel buoy/float if you’re not close to shore, never stand on coral, and avoid boat lanes.

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Seasons & Conditions

• Calmer/clearer spells: generally Jan–May and often Jul–Sep.

• Wavier/wetter patch: typically late Oct–Nov (varies).

• Whale sharks: occasional in Mar–May and Sep–Oct; sightings are never guaranteed.

• Best boat rides: morning often smoother if it’s windy.

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Safety, Eco & Etiquette

• Listen to briefings; stay with your group and watch your no-deco time.

• Buoyancy first: avoid contact with reef; keep fins up over coral.

• Reef-safe sunscreen or wear a rash guard.

• SMB & surface: guides carry an SMB; stay clear of boat props; use ladders.

• Wildlife: no touching/feeding/chasing; give turtles, rays and sharks space.

• Trash: pack it back; boats have bins.

Divemaster Training on Koh Tao (2025 Guide)

Becoming a Divemaster is the first step into the professional world of scuba diving. On Koh Tao, one of the busiest training hubs in the world, you’ll find courses with the three major certifying agencies: PADI, SSI, and RAID. Each follows international standards and prepares you to supervise dives, assist instructors, and grow into a dive professional — but they differ slightly in philosophy, flexibility, and fees.

Continue reading "Divemaster Training on Koh Tao"

Fun Diving on Koh Tao (2025)

If you’re already certified, Koh Tao is an easy place to log relaxed reef dives, wreck training dives, and the occasional pelagic visit. Boats run morning, afternoon, and some evenings for night dives, with small-group ratios at many shops.

Continue reading "Fun Diving"

Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) — Try Diving on Koh Tao

Curious about scuba but not ready to commit to the full course? The Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) is a half-day experience for total beginners. You’ll learn the basics in a pool with an instructor, then head out on the afternoon boat for your first reef dive—no prior experience needed.

Continue reading "Discover Scuba Diving"

Scuba Diving Koh Tao – Your Guide to the Island’s Dive Schools

Koh Tao is one of the world’s most popular destinations for learning to dive, with warm tropical water, year-round conditions, and dozens of professional dive schools to choose from. Whether you’re looking for your very first underwater experience or aiming to become a dive professional, the island has something for everyone.

Continue reading "Scuba Diving Koh Tao | Best Dive Schools & Courses (SSI, PADI, RAID)"

PADI Advanced Open Water Course – Koh Tao (2025)

The PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) is a fun, skills-building course that you can complete at an easy pace over two days, or—if you’re tight on time—in about 24 hours (start ~10:00, do two dives in the afternoon, add a night dive, then finish with two morning dives next day).

Continue reading "PADI Advanced Open Water course"

Okay so you're already a Advanced Open Water Diver, so what's the next step?  Well the next step which is logical is to be able to be confident that if there was to be an emergency and someone else needed help before the emergency response services arrived that you would know what to do.  So the next step is the Rescue Diver & EFR course, be it a PADI/RAID/SSI course etc it doesn't really matter as they're all essentially the same and you can switch courses between different agencies through until you get to the Dive Instructor level anyway as all the agencies recognise each others courses below that anyway.

Continue reading "EFR + PADI Rescue Diver course"

Open Water Course (Updated for 2025)

Getting certified on Koh Tao is one of the island’s big draws. We recommend Fifty Six Diving (Sairee) and Scuba Shack Diving as partner centers for the PADI Open Water course. Prefer another agency? Big Blue Diving offers SSI Open Water, and La Bombona Diving runs the RAID Open Water 20.

PADI vs SSI vs RAID — what’s the difference?

• PADI Open Water / SSI Open Water: qualify to dive to 18 m (Juniors: shallower limits apply). Global recognition is similar for fun diving.
• RAID Open Water 20: qualifies to 20 m. RAID is a newer agency (founded 2007) with e-learning-first materials, but the real-world experience is broadly comparable to PADI/SSI.

Bottom line: choose the center that fits your vibe, schedule, and location. All agencies let you complete theory online before you arrive.

Where to stay matters

Pick a dive center close to where you’ll stay — Chalok Baan Kao, Mae Haad, or Sairee — so your training days are easy.

Standard 4-Day PADI Open Water — starts 4:00 pm day 1

Includes:

• PADI Open Water Diver Course (4 days)
• 4 boat dives at different Koh Tao sites (weather permitting)
• Your PADI eManual, logbook & certification

Small groups: Fifty Six & Scuba Shack run max 4 students : 1 instructor. A Divemaster trainee or second instructor may assist.

Schedule (typical)

• Day 1 (4:00–7:30 pm): Welcome + intro videos/theory. Arrive on an earlier ferry (book via 12Go.asia).
• Day 2 (full day): Finish theory by lunch, then confined water skills in the pool.
• Day 3 (pm boat): First two ocean dives, max 12 m.
• Day 4 (am boat): Dives 3 & 4, max 18 m. Optional videographer; certification usually wrapped by lunchtime.

Price (guide): ฿11,000 incl. equipment hire & certification. Subject to change; confirm current rates when booking.

3-Day PADI Open Water with eLearning — starts 11:00 am day 1

Do the theory before you arrive to spend more time in the water.

• Day 1 (11:00 am): Instructor reviews your eLearning, then pool skills.
• Day 2 (pm boat): Open Water dives 1 & 2 (to 12 m).
• Day 3 (early am boat): Dives 3 & 4 (to 18 m); finish before lunch.

Price (guide): ฿11,500 incl. equipment & certification. Deposit: ฿5,000 to activate PADI eLearning.

After certification you’ll have the afternoon free — beach time, explore, or try a Thai cooking class.

Group sizes & supervision

Maximum 4:1 student-to-instructor ratio for recreational courses. New instructors are supervised and mentored to keep standards high.

Medical & swim requirements

• Complete the standard diving medical questionnaire. If you answer “yes” to any item, bring a doctor’s clearance from home if possible. Download: PADI Medical questionnaire.
• Comfort in water: 10-minute float/tread and 200 m swim (any style).

Flying after diving

Avoid flying for at least 18 hours after training dives. See current guidance here.

Booking & deposits

• Reserve ferries to arrive in time for your start: 12Go.asia.
• Standard course deposit: 15% (typical). eLearning course deposit: ฿5,000 to cover PADI eLearning activation.

Optional video

Videography of your final day is available (~฿3,000 per group video). Split costs with friends if you like.

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Quick shout-out

Fifty Six Diving (Sairee) — friendly team, small groups, and easy Sairee Beach access. A great choice if you’re staying in or near Sairee.