DIVE COURSES (OPEN WATER UP TO IDC)

Koh Tao, with its many dive shops and training centers, can come up with basically everything a diver would desire. If you never dived before, you best start with Open Water course. Those who run out of time or are a little bit anxious, why not Discover Scuba Diving in one morning ?!

If you are a qualified diver already, you might just go on 'Fun Dives' or decide to continue your diver education. Dive schools offer Specialty courses such as UW-photography or Enriched Air diving (Eanx). Koh Tao has gradually built a reputation as the place to go in Thailand for Instructor Development Courses (IDC). Visitors can find IDCs at larger dive centers or resorts (e.g. Buddha View, Bans Diving).
After completing a course, you receive a certification card according to your ranking. This card is recognised worldwide.

The following is a list of PADI courses
- Open Water Course 7,800 Baht :
Gain the theoretical and practical knowledge most necessary for scuba diving in only four days! From the PADI Open Water Video and Manual to classroom work with your instructor, from skills work in shallow water to four open water dives, the PADI Open Water course will take you from the ranks of the uninitiated to certified diver by an easy to follow route. PADI Open Water Diver is the most widely recognized scuba certification in the world, allowing you the freedom to explore underwater the locations of your choice, rent and buy dive gear, and of course continue your education and experience as a diver.

After spending your morning in the classroom you'll be glad to find that afternoons on the Big Blue boat are specially tailored to Open Water students, focusing on leisurely and sunny rides to a number of sheltered bays around Koh Tao. Your "confined water"sessions will focus on teaching you the skills you have already discussed in the classroom, including how to clear your mask of water, equalize your ears and other basics and then the fun begins. Once you have obtained proficiency in the basic skills you will do four open water dives with your instructor, gradually learning to enjoy the feeling of weightlessness, control your buoyancy and look at loads of cool fish.
Make it sound easy, don't we? It is. Haven't you been putting it off too long already?

- Advanced Open Water 6,600 Baht :
Two days in duration, Advanced Open Water is the next level in the PADI system and focuses on exposing you to specialized diving activites not covered in the Open Water Course, and is a fun and interesting way to gain further underwater experience while learning about those diving activities that interest you most. Whatever your goal, be it identifying marine life, recovering lost objects or simply gaining a higher level of confidence underwater, the Advanced course has something for you.

Five dives are required for certification, of which deep (you can wave at the divers stuck at 18m. from the bottom of Chumphon Pinnacle if you like) and navigation are mandated. The remaining three dives are elective. Choose from underwater naturalist, search and recovery, underwater photographer, peak performance buoyancy, multi-level and others. No matter what you choose, you will be continuing your diving education while having fun as the Big Blue boat ferries you in comfort to appropriate dive sites for each dive.

- Medic First Aid 2,500 Baht :
Open to all, the PADI Medic / First Aid course teaches you how to handle many common medical emergencies. The course covers an exhaustive list of medical situations including heat exhaustion, providing CPR, controlling bleeding, and responding to a choking victim, covering signs and symptoms of each emergency as well as teaching you to respond with the appropriate kind of care.

The course is simple to follow without sacrificing thoroughness, and the final exam presents you with a number of scenarios with which to test your knowledge, so that you'll be certain of it should you ever need it.

- Rescue Diver 7,600 Baht :
Ever wondered what to do if your buddy has trouble equalizing? How to provide oxygen to an injured diver? Even how to recover an unconcious diver who has been separated from the group? The PADI Rescue Diver Course will teach you all these things and many more, leaving you with a sense of security as a diver that cannot be obtained in any other way.

In five days of training, the course will take you through many possible situations, from the most basic (assisting a tired diver or one who has panicked at the surface) to the most complex (recovering an unconsciuos diver from the bottom and providing rescue breathing and care while towing them to the boat or shore).The course culminates in a complete scenario where you are the diver in charge of an entire rescue operation.

The Rescue Course will serve you well. Even if you are never presented with an occasion to use the skills you've been taught, it is a must for increased confidence and proficiency in the water. At Big Blue we will also heighten your awareness of possible injury from local marine life and teach you the appropriate care for jellyfish stings and other uncomfortable situations.

Medic First Aid are prerequisites for completion of the PADI Rescue Diver course.
With Rescue Diver training and 5 Specialties, you can become a Master Scuba Diver - the highest non-professional ranking in the PADI system of diver education.

- Dive Master Course 22,000 Baht :
If you've thought about making diving your life or maybe just reducing the cost of your vacations then the PADI Divemaster Course is for you. At Big Blue the Divemaster course is treated with the seriousness it deserves.

During your internship with the shop you will not only complete the PADI requirements (including making an underwater map and emergency plan, following instructors as they lead other PADI courses, demonstrating your rescue skills in a scenario and others), you will also experience first-hand the day to day job of a Divemaster.

You will find that there is no more rewarding experience than following the Big Blue staff through their work and becoming a part of the team. Your confidence level will soar when you begin to lead fun divers under the supervision of a professional and start to take responsibilty for the running of the boat and as you gain confidence, you gain employability as well. The course can be tailored to your individual needs and schedule, but remember, the more you put in, the more you will get out. At Big Blue we recommend that you allow four weeks for completion in order to receive the full benefit of your education.

Prerequisites are PADI Rescue certification or equivalent and a minimum of 20 dives to begin the course and 60 dives to finish.

Assistant Instructor : If you want to become a diving instructor, this course will be extremely useful. It develops your ability to impart knowledge to students, control groups of divers and market yourself as a possible employee. It prepares you for the IDC and can help you earn some income through assisting teaching other instructors courses. This course can be completed within 4 days.

Instructor Development Course (IDC) : The IDC prepares you to become a competent and confident instructor. It tells you how to make your students become enthusiastic and responsible divers. It gives you information about efficient and effective teaching techniques as well as introduces you to the latest news from PADI. The course also includes knowledge about marketing and business strategies. This course can be completed in 10 days.