Is there a hyperbaric chamber on Koh Tao?

Koh Tao certifies a huge number of divers every year, and for a long time the nearest chamber really was on Koh Samui, across open water. That changed in 2023, and plenty of published advice never caught up.

What is on the island

A multiplace chamber, which means several patients and a medical attendant can be inside together, run by Ocean Medical Clinic in partnership with the SSS Chamber Network. BAANLYY places it at Mae Haad Square, and the SSS Chamber Network lists it as available around the clock. Save the dive emergency number before your first dive: 081 081 9777, or +66 81 081 9777 from a foreign phone.

What treatment costs

BAANLYY prices one hyperbaric session for decompression sickness at 15,000 to 40,000 THB and more, depending on the case, and a serious case rarely ends after one session. Add the evacuation and the hospital stay, and an uninsured bill can reach several hundred thousand baht.

The cover that applies

Most standard travel policies exclude or cap diving and hyperbaric costs, so check yours before you assume. Two routes are common here:

1. Membership of DAN, the Divers Alert Network, with its dive accident cover, which Black Turtle Dive recommends for personal cover.
2. A local dive policy sold on the island. Black Turtle Dive lists one covering medical costs, hyperbaric treatment and evacuation at 250 THB a day, 1,000 THB a week or 1,800 THB a month.

At 1,800 THB a month against a 15,000 THB session, we do not think the sum needs explaining. Our comparison of scuba diving insurance options in Thailand prices DAN, DiveAssure and the local policy side by side.

Two habits worth keeping

Symptoms of decompression sickness can show up hours after a dive, so joint pain, tingling, unusual fatigue or confusion after a day underwater means a phone call, not a wait and see. And the Koh Tao Tourism Association asks divers to leave 24 hours between the last dive and any flight, which matters here because leaving the island often means a flight from Samui the same day.

The rest of the island's medical picture is in is there a hospital on Koh Tao, and insurance is compared in our Thailand healthcare and insurance guide.