Information

Phuket Diving Courses frequently asked questions

Phuket diving course with PADI & SSI certification

Taking a scuba diving course in Phuket you need its best to check what you are going to get for your money. The following frequently asked questions are intended as a guide to help you understand diving and to avoiding the pitfalls many beginners make when buying online from a misleading travel agency, booking agent, or hotel tour desk who often have little idea about safety requirements or what’s included in a scuba diving training course.

What you should avoid when buying a scuba course in Phuket!

The biggest mistake you can make is buying a course from a travel booking platform or diving portal website! often more than not the website or travel portal won’t have a physical business location or property in Phuket theses are travel agencies that have no place in diver education in Thailand and likely no comeback or insurance if things go wrong with your course..

Information websites that openly index activities and advertise diving as one of a host of general things to do are really just mimicking agents, meaning the booking is then resold to a supplier in Phuket.

If you communicate directly with any dive shop in Phuket you are then 100% sure that you will get the best possible professional diving course and service.

What kind of diving activities are available for Beginners?

Diving certification courses are those that result in a license being issues, licenses can either be digital,  physical plastic cards, or paper cards.

Non certified course are try scuba, basic diver, or what other call Discover scuba diving or resort beginner dives these are taster experiences.

How much should I pay for a open water Course

Typically it will cost between $250 USD & $365 USD to get open water certified in Thailand prices are around 8,000 THB for a 3-day beach course or 10,500 THB for a 2-day course with 1 beach and 3 boat dives.

How to find the right dive center for your diving course?

Phuket has some great professional Scuba Instructors and diving centres that offer fantastic diving courses, by visiting a local dive shop or doing a little research now you will get a feel or level of what you can expect s well as how professional the diving training centers are, well trained dive centre staff can advise you on what you want from your diving course.

With so many local diving shops scattered all over the island its easy to find them near to your hotel using google or any Dive Shop locator

What to look for from a reputable scuba diving training centers and facility.

  • Free online e learning at no additional charges is a bonus allowing students to pre self study.
  • Diving shop with affordable accommodation click here
  • A dive center that is a physical shop store and not some website portal selling diving.
  • A scuba diving training center that has its own private diving pool.
  • A diving center that ensures hi quality air supplies and refills for scuba tanks using the most modern type of Air compressors
  • A Training center that has a large retail area stocking hi quality branded scuba diving products.
  • Free scuba diving equipment provided on all scuba training courses.
  • A dive center that has a team of great experienced instructors with a history of satisfied customers.
  • Affordable prices on beginner and additional training courses bundles.
  • A history of documented reviews from satisfied customers.

How long will it take me to learn to scuba dive and get certified?

Digital learning materials will allow you to start diving today before you depart for your holiday this process you can access now for free. usually it takes 2- 3 days for a typical 3 day open water course.

What’s the minimum age for learning scuba diving?

The minimum age for most scuba courses is 10 years if diving in the ocean  –  some pool courses allow children 8 year or older to participate.

What options are open for me to learn to dive in Phuket?

1-2 Hours in a training pool scuba lesson this is a non certification, or as a half day or full day experience.

Digital online beginner experiences are try scuba pool or Basic diver available her for free

If you are looking for a full scuba licence with certification this can take 2- 3 days with the Scuba diver course or the well known open water diver licence.

Do I need to be able to swim to get a scuba certification ?

All entry level scuba diving certification courses has a minimum requirement for student divers to be able to swim 200m or swim 300m using mask snorkel and fins some courses will will have a additional float tests for 10 mins in water to deep to stand up in without any floatation aids or assistance. Maybe you need to practice before you sign up.
If You don’t Know swimming or cannot swim then you would then be better off trying a Discovery Dive first, or take swimming lessons.

Can I dive without a license ?

Yes that’s possible with try scuba in a pool or a basic discover scuba diving experience  but your better off searching for a reputable safe dive school.

How much will it cost you to get scuba certified in Phuket?

The cost of your training course will depend on the brand of materials you use for diver theory either pre study or classroom education,  what dive sites you want & how long it takes the boat to get to the dive sites, as well as how long you want the course to run and how much time you have available. expect to pay between 11,000Thb – 18,000Thb

What brand of education materials can I choose?

In life there are always choices to be made and there are choices of certification agency.

ssi are arguably keeping up with the latest technology a little bit better than PADI with the free online materials offer

PADI and SSI are equal both global leaders in the diving industry for the last 30 years when it comes to Diver education, simply there’s simply no other agencies that comes anywhere near to certifying divers world wide each has online training available to assist with student education.

While there are small differences between training agencies, they all offer quality courses. The 2 largest agencies have been around since 1969 and 1970, respectively, and have high quality teaching materials and high standards. Both are certified by the WRSTC (World Recreational Scuba Training Council) and the ISO/EUF (International

Standards Organization/European Underwater Federation). The knowledge and skill requirements are almost identical which means certifications are equivalent, interchangeable and recognized globally.

It is important to remember that the top globally recognised agencies are brands and all offer training courses that meet the same international standards.

Ultimately Its still the Instructor who has the biggest influence on the quality of the courses taught, and the divers developed.

People frequently asked Us “How can I save time with Pre study”?

In the modern changing world we all adapt to technology at our fingertips to access information, tv remotes, i pads, laptops, note books,  mobile phones, free downloadable diving apps are  becoming increasingly more popular.

SSI offers free online learning materials and free insurance with a host of other free extras, most dive shops will offer PADI & SSI based education and is its in the common interest of customers to have a choice of both options of reading materials.

Beginner divers have the ability to read about scuba diving online using e books and watch intuitive videos. Scuba diving education has evolved and is now just a moment away from you being able to access this now on your phone. Scuba Diving apps are increasingly popular and available as a means for diver education without the need to pay making learning enjoyable and worthwhile allowing you to progress, and start at your own pace.

Understanding the difference between Books and Digital courses watch this informative video on why digital e learning will save you holiday time.

You need to decide what method of learning will suit your time frame and holiday – digital or conventional paper books and Classroom study?

SSI digital eLearning course material can be provided free as a rental hire manual you can access on you phone, pc  or tablet  at no additional costs – or if you want life time access to the digital version called “Diamond package”  with small additional change of $15 USD

PADI digital eLearning course material can be purchased online to save time directly from PADI for $210 you can access the theory and complete the exam online. Alternatively with PADI you can watch the PADI open water video and print out the theory for the course.

Can I take the classroom & pool session in my own country then complete my training dives in Phuket?

Yes this is a called a referral and most dive centers will accept you as long as you can provide proof of the training you have already completed.

How deep will I dive?

For any pool experience or confined water training dive it’s normally the case that diving center training pools are no deeper than 3 to 6m additional discover scuba diving or basic diver courses its a maximum of 12m in open water.

For PADI & SSI open water certifications the first 2 open water training dives you will dive to a maximum of 12m and the last 2 open water dives 3 & 4 will be to 18 meters or (60 feet).

What dive sites choices are available for scuba diving certifications?

If you are contemplating a short course or half day experience then local diving is available at the beaches these are shorter days and logistically you don’t spend time in a traffic jam or on a long boat rides to distant islands. Diving at Kata beach is one of the main choices and most Diving instructors favorite dive sites on the island. 

Do I need a Logbook to record my diving?

As a new diver you will want to record your dives to monitor your progress and keep a track of your dives as well as training

How long will it take to get my card after completing the course?

If you ever passed a car driving test then you often get issued a temporary or full Licence that can take weeks to be processed, scuba diving licences can be similar in many ways.  Temporary cards can be Paper where’s as Digital are more diver as well as environmentally friendly.

You really need to look into this and choose what’s best for you as an end result

SSI Digital certification is instant and won’t be delayed as its digital meaning that you will have proof that you are a diver or have completed additional training this is completed either while returning from the last dive to the port or within 24hrs, with your digital certification C card on your mobile phone having completed your course, you will have free access to all your C card via the SSI app that’s you download to keep all your certifications in one place.

Some diving educational brands take longer to supply your Dive license than others and Instructors may issue you with a PADI paper card that’s valid for 90 days, this is pretty disappointing if it gets wet and you may need to wait a while for your plastic card to be posted to your home address, this can take 4- 6 weeks.

How do I choose Digital, Plastic or Paper certification cards?

You need to ask this to the store “what card will I receive and how long will it take for delivery” ? SSI provide free digital c card and you may also request a physical card made from plastic  – again this can often be printed at any of the SSI regional office in Phuket and delivered to you by hand the day you complete your diver training.

If you have opted for PADI certification you can request an upgrade to digital Certification card for a small fee of $37 USD and you can purchase this directly from PADI local offices outside of Thailand.

Will my scuba diving license expire if I haven’t dived in a long time ?

If its been a while since your last dive then you would simply complete a refresher go over skills and refresh theory and safe diving habbist with a diving instructor.

How long do I have to wait before I can Fly after scuba diving?

Please remember the safe no flying period of 12- 24 Hours after scuba diving