The average backpacker route in Thailand isn’t complete without a few days of scuba diving or earning a certification in Koh Tao, Thailand. Probably the top island to dive from in the Gulf, people can see trigger fish, leopard sharks and if they’re lucky, a more than occasional whale shark.
Some visit just to earn their open water certification, others get the island bug and end up spending more than just a few days to earn their divemaster and maybe even work.
People can visit the island with no intentions to dive and still have a great trip taking in pristine beaches, great hiking and rowdy night life. But for the value, it be silly not to look into a few dives or even a certification while visiting.
There are plenty of dive operations and accommodation available on Koh Tao, but in a country that has suffered a bad reputation for diver safety, it’s important to be sure of your pick. Out of many, Asia Divers and Resort, a PADI dive school and PADI IDC Center, in Sairee Beach stands out for its facilities, dive staff and discounts.
Location
Sairee Beach isn’t just good-looking, it’s also a good time. Home to several restaurants, a few good beach bars, some yoga studios and even trapeze facilities, literally everything is within reach. While a good location usually means giving up a good night’s sleep in Thailand, that’s not the case with Asia Divers. The resort is located a short walk up a hill from all the activity, isolating it from the island’s noisy night life.
The beach is only a five-minute walk away from the resort, but you may end up spending most of your time by its amazing pool.The pier is about 15 minutes away by car, but the resort offers several free taxi rides there throughout the day.
Sairee Beach is only a five-minute walk from Asia Divers and Resort.
Staff
The dive staff, which comes with a smorgasbord of languages, goes above and beyond with their customers. There is always someone around to answer questions and his or her response includes more than just the basics. I spoke with one French staff member who ended up talking with me for 30 minutes about diving.
While the resort staff was just as jolly for the most part, they could take a few pointers from the dive team. For the basics they offered service with a smile. For complaints or additional questions-they were unresponsive and unhelpful.
Rooms
Accommodation ranges from 600-2,000 THB. I stayed in a 600 THB-standard room with fan, two single beds, private bathroom and television. Though the room comes with a bit more than huts on the beach nearby, I thought it was a bit overpriced as the room is still very basic and needed a bit of repair of things like a broken bathroom door knob and deteriorating ceiling.
That said, I spoke with a couple from New Zealand who was enrolled in an open water course at the resort and received a free standard room for all the nights it would take to finish the course. If that’s the case, matched up with affordable courses, the standard rooms are perfect.
A standard room with fan at Asia Divers and Resort costs 600 THB.
Activity
Since I am already certified as far as I would like to be now, I did not participate in any courses while staying at the resort. But I did have the chance to watch some PADI divemaster training (25,000 THB), the confined water portion of the PADI open water course (7,000 THB) and a supervised pool experience version of the PADI bubblemaker experience (900 THB) while lounging around the pool.
I saw these three in several languages given by very attentive instructors. Every instructor I watched was responsible helpful, but also a bit tough, which is a great thing.
Some instructors in the business just pass students through courses without making sure the student can actually complete everything in his or her syllabus. These kinds of instructors are awful and I did not see anyone like that at Asia Divers. A few times I saw instructors ask their students to repeat things with minor adjustments.
Aesthetics/Facilities/Vibe
After weeks of staying at unique, but let’s face it, shabby shacks on the beaches of Thailand, this place looks like the Ritz from the outside. The pool which is made for divers is gorgeous and refreshing. The resort has a bountiful garden set amongst a backdrop of forest-covered mountains.
Dive facilities and equipment look new or in great condition. The restaurant is clean, well-priced and serves delicious food. A chiropractor/acupuncturist operates from under a cabana by the pool. And the resort offers free Wifi, though it didn’t work most of the time I was there.
A lot of guests flock to the pool during the day, which is a great place to meet other travelers if you haven’t already done so while diving or taking a course.
The pool at Asia Divers has a really deep end for confined water dives, but its also fun to just play in it.
Safety
Not an issue. All the rooms come with locks and a guard watches the entrance throughout the night.
Overall
It’s a more than ideal place to earn your open water certification, continue your dive training or just dive with (one dive costs 1000 THB, the more dives booked, the greater the discount). The price of courses and dive trips is a lot more affordable than in other countries and even quite affordable by Thai diving standards.
Those interested in learning to dive should look for more than “cheap” when doing it in Thailand. Asia Divers is a first class PADI dive operation. The resort is beautiful, but unless you receive a discount on standard rooms while taking a course with them, you can get the same quality close by for much less.
Thanks to Xtreme Gap Year for sponsoring my trip to Koh Tao. Looking for something more out of your gap year? Visit their website to learn about unique travel experiences, such as earning your divemaster while diving with sharks in the Philippines and practicing martial arts in Thailand.
To view more photos of Asia Divers and Resort visit my album on Facebook. While you’re at it, become a fan of Heels and Wheels.
