What does a PADI Open Water course price on Koh Tao include, and what does it leave out?

At Siam Scuba, the 12,000 THB Open Water course includes all gear rental, the boat trips, the certification fee and tax over two and a half days, with no surcharge at the shop; what it leaves out is dive insurance, the cost of a recompression chamber session if something goes wrong, and the 24 hour gap you must leave before a flight. The price itself comes after those three checks, because the spread between schools is narrow.

What the price includes

Before you pay, ask three questions: is the certification fee inside the number, how many students share one instructor, and does the price include a room or a discount on one. Calling two or three schools is worth the hour. Our full Koh Tao Open Water course price comparison across more schools lines those answers up side by side.

What the price leaves out

1. Dive insurance. BAANLYY prices a session in the island's recompression chamber at 15,000 to 40,000 THB and more. Check that your travel policy covers diving, or add a dive specific policy, before your first dive.
2. Your flight home. The Koh Tao Tourism Association asks you to leave 24 hours between your last dive and any onward flight, so plan the course to end at least a day before you fly.

When to book it

Crystal Dive reports visibility of 20 to 30 metres from March to May, and 5 metres or lower after heavy rain from October to December. Learning in the calm, clear months makes the course easier and the dives better.

Convert the course price into your own currency with the currency check tool. Fun dives, the Advanced course and the Divemaster budget are in the diving section of our Koh Tao cost of living guide, and how diving fits around a working day is in a dive and work day on Koh Tao, hour by hour.