Course overview

Try breathing underwater for the first time with the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience on Koh Tao, the world's most popular place to learn. After a short briefing and confined-water practice you make a guided open-water dive to around 12 metres at a calm, shallow reef such as Japanese Gardens, meeting clownfish, parrotfish and curious reef life.

What you’ll learn

• Breathe comfortably underwater on scuba
• Use the mask, fins, regulator and BCD
• Clear water from your mask and recover the regulator
• Equalise and control basic buoyancy
• Communicate with simple hand signals
• Stay relaxed and aware on a guided reef dive

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10
• No experience or swimming certification required
• Reasonable comfort in water
• Basic medical questionnaire / fitness to dive

What's included · What's not

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Briefing & skills

   Learn scuba basics and practise key skills - breathing, mask clearing and regulator recovery - in shallow water.
2. Day1
   Guided reef dive

   Make a guided open-water dive to around 12 metres at a calm reef such as Japanese Gardens or Mango Bay.
3. Day1
   Debrief & next steps

   Review the dive and learn how the skills can credit toward the full Open Water course.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Koh Tao.

Frequently asked questions