PADI Scuba Diving Certification in Koh Tao, Thailand

The rainy season was just about to hit Koh Tao, but my dive class was still at capacity with 13 Brits, three Germans, two French Canadians, one New Zealander, and one other American. We studied in a classroom together but broke into four sub-groups for the dives.

Day One – Back to School

The first day was all class work. We watched several PADI videos, took a few quizzes, and went over safety and responsibility materials. There's a lot to learn. I'd been on several one-off dives in Cancun and Grand Cayman Island years ago, and this course made me realize how dangerous and ignorant those dives were.

Day one was dull but necessary. Worn out from my journey to the island, I wasn't up for much more.

Day Two – Contained Dive

We spent the morning in the classroom before getting into the ocean shallows for a "contained" dive. There were five people in my sub-group: three Germans, one Brit, and me. Our instructor, a high-spirited and slightly manic Dutchman named Leo, took us through exercises such as recovering a lost respirator and putting a mask on underwater. He also cut off our air supply – just so we'd know what it felt like – and had us breathe from a dive buddy's extra respirator. This was too much for the German girl; she dropped out then and there.

Day Three – Still More Class Work

After another morning in the classroom, we did two real dives. Twelve meters down, coral reefs, blue-tipped stingrays, moray eels, trigger fish, the works. Glorious. It was a pleasure to run through all our signals and exercises in that environment.

Day Four – Underwater Bliss

We were on the boat at 7:30am on our final day of class. Visibility is better in the morning, and we were heading off to two of Koh Tao's premiere sites. On these dives we practiced compass navigation, emergency controlled ascents, and buddy breathing, but most of the time we were free to explore. We finished up at noon, received our certifications later that day, and then went out to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate.

Natural Born Diver

I was a fan of diving beforehand, but the PADI Open Water course put me over the edge. I feel safe, confident, and natural underwater. I can't wait to get back down there.

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Posted on October 18, 2002 08:08 AM