Course overview

Earn your first professional rating with the PADI Divemaster course on Koh Tao, qualifying you to guide certified divers, assist instructors and supervise dive activities. The island's high training volume, warm 28-30C water and varied sites - from shallow Japanese Gardens to the pinnacles of Chumphon - give candidates an unusually busy and well-rounded internship environment.

What you’ll learn

• Guide certified divers safely and lead underwater tours
• Assist instructors with student divers in confined and open water
• Conduct dive briefings, site mapping and risk assessments
• Demonstrate all 24 scuba skills to professional standard
• Apply dive-theory knowledge in physics, physiology and equipment
• Manage real dive logistics, currents and group control on local sites

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent)
• PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent)
• Emergency First Response / CPR and first aid within 24 months
• At least 40 logged dives to begin and 60 to certify
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

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
   Orientation & water skills

   Programme briefing plus swim, float and tired-diver-tow stamina assessments.
2. Day2
   Dive theory

   Study physics, physiology, equipment, skills and the dive environment, then sit the exams.
3. Day3
   Practical workshops

   Site mapping, search-and-recovery and deep-dive workshops at sites such as White Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle.
4. Day4
   Skill demonstration

   Polish the 24 core skills to demonstration quality for evaluation.
5. Day5
   Internship & assessment

   Assist instructors with real students and complete final divemaster-conducted programmes.

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