Course overview

Step into your first scuba career rating with the SSI Dive Guide / Divemaster program on Koh Tao, certifying you to guide and supervise certified divers. SSI's flexible, experience-based pathway suits the island's busy training scene, letting candidates build genuine guiding hours in the warm 28-30C Gulf across sites from shallow Mango Bay to the deeper Chumphon Pinnacle.

What you’ll learn

• Lead and guide certified divers on local sites
• Support instructors during training programs
• Plan dives, assess conditions and brief groups
• Demonstrate scuba skills to professional standard
• Apply SSI dive-theory in physics, physiology and equipment
• Handle currents, navigation and group management on real dives

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• SSI Advanced Adventurer or equivalent
• SSI Diver Stress & Rescue (or equivalent rescue rating)
• Current CPR, first-aid and oxygen-provider training
• Logged dive minimums per SSI standards (build toward the required experience)
• 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 and stamina assessments in calm water.
2. Day2
   Dive theory

   Work through the SSI Science of Diving topics and complete exams via MySSI.
3. Day3
   Guiding workshops

   Navigation, mapping and dive-leadership practice at sites such as Twins and White Rock.
4. Day4
   Skill demonstration

   Refine core skills to demonstration quality.
5. Day5
   Supervised guiding

   Guide certified divers and assist instructors at Koh Tao sites to complete the rating.

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