We realise you have a lot of choice on Koh Tao, so why should you choose us to teach your recreational dive courses? Our high ranking on Trip Advisor supports the fact that hundreds of other divers have been happy with their choice. But it’s not just that….
- We operate a strict policy of 4 divers maximum to any of our divemasters or instructors, regardless of whether fun diving, on courses, or snorkelling. For introductory courses like the Discover Scuba Diving program, we try to limit this even further to 2-3 students.
- Private tuition as a single, couple or family unit is always available on request
- We do not share boats or rent boat space from other companies. We own our own boats, air compressors, and all of our own equipment (not as common as you’d think!), so we have complete control over the safety and standards of our operation.
- We access our dive boats directly from the beach on our longtail, so we have no need for taxi’s, and you won’t need to climb over many other boats at the busy main pier to get to our vessels.
- All of our equipment is serviced/maintained/replaced to the highest specifications by our on-site equipment technicians.
- We provide all of our divers with dive booties and open heeled fins as standard, so no squeezes or blisters to worry about from our footwear!
- Our courses run over a slightly longer schedule – eg 3.5 days for Open Water and 3-4 for EFR/Rescue rather than being crammed into 2.5 or 2-3 days respectively like at many other schools. This allows for more thorough learning, and complete adherence to PADI standards (again, not as common as you’d think!)
- We can offer you the opportunity to save homework time on Koh Tao by sending you electronic materials ahead of time for most of the courses available. We also offer PADI eLearning and Touch products directly through our centre, so you can save both homework and classroom time, meaning more opportunities to relax and enjoy the island when you arrive.
- Our Advanced Open Water Course includes a free dive on Enriched Air Nitrox (Eanx) so you can see and feel the benefits. We also offer the opportunity to get certified as a Nitrox diver along with your advanced course at a reduced rate. The cost of the full specialty is 6500THB, but if you take it as a combination with your advanced course, we offer it for just 4500THB (no additional days are required).
- There are no financial penalties if your learning curve is longer than other students in your group. We will teach you how to be a competent and confident diver, and if we have to spend extra time doing this, then we will do just that.
- We are currently the only dive centre on Koh Tao offering training and development in all four sectors of diving – recreational courses, pro level courses, freediving courses and Tec courses. So whatever direction you would like to go in, we can help you get there!
- We are a fully registered, licensed and insured dive centre, which unfortunately many on the island are not, hence why many can offer their course at a cheaper price.
- To ensure all of our divers are safe, we offer coverage on our comprehensive AIG dive insurance policy (officially recommended and endorsed by the Thai government) for any customers without their own dive coverage. This is just 100THB for the entirety of your stay when training with us at Master Divers.
- We give you full disclosure on what to expect prior to arrival, including payment details and any swimming or medical requirements. We also give our full assistance if you have any problems with this, and are happy to research and/or recommend dive medics both in Thailand and overseas should you need a consult.
- We care deeply about our environment and work hard to do what we can, not only to mitigate our impact but help preserve and nurture what we have. We do regular land and sea ‘clean ups’, have a coral nursery and help out with many other artificial reef projects. We have a dedicated conservation instructor on staff, and are also involved in reef monitoring and surveying for a number of bodies too. We actively promote recycling and the reduction of plastic consumption and waste, and in April 2016 we were the organisers behind the biggest island wide dive site clean up in Koh Tao history for World Earth Day.
- We are a 5 Star PADI IDC centre, meaning that we excel in using the PADI system of diver education to introduce people to scuba diving, and then provide the continuing education, support and mentoring that allows individuals to progress. Even if you have no intention of going as far as pro level (yet!), our 5 start status means we maintain a very high calibre of instructors to teach you your courses.
- We have developed a reputation based on the high quality and safety of our facilities, our equipment and the thoroughness of our teaching. We are well known for our professionalism, and for our adherence to PADI standards and industry protocols.
- We have very experienced trainers with backgrounds in various specialties and lots of knowledge and experience from all over the world…have you had a look through the team?
Frequently asked Questions
Q – Do you offer discounts for group/family bookings?
Q – Do you include accommodation with courses?
A – We’re afraid not. We’re very proud of our high standards and reputation for professionalism and safety, and we provide the best quality services, facilities and equipment. We cannot do this if we offer discounts and freebies. Our ethos is simply to be the best we can be and uphold the very high standards that we have become known for.
Q – Why are your courses more expensive than some other centres?
A – On Koh Tao, just as anywhere, you get what you pay for. There are schools that are cheaper than us and there are also some that are more expensive. We are a mid-range priced school who offer many benefits (as listed above) that most other centres don’t/can’t, hence the difference in price. The best way to think about it is by equating learning to dive to learning other adventure activities. If you were looking to learn to sky dive, become a white water rafter or train as a pilot for example, you wouldn’t really shop around for the cheapest possible option. You’d choose the centre with the best safety, standards and reputation. Learning to dive should be no different…especially when the price differences are generally pretty negligible in the grand scheme of things anyway.
We hope this answers any questions you may have had about taking dive courses with us. However if you do have any further questions or require details on any of our courses, please do contact us and we will be only too happy to assist you 🙂
