How Much Does It Cost To Get Scuba Certified in Thailand?

James Costello
4 min readSep 30, 2020

Interested in going to learn to scuba dive while visiting Thailand. The scuba diving course generally takes 2 to 3 days and involves 3 sections which are the theory, skill learning, and then 4 dives up to 18 meters.

Diving in Thailand is properly one of the cheapest places in the world to get the scuba diving cert. The prices can range from $280 USD (9,000 THB) to $460 USD (14,500 THB) to get the open water cert in Thailand.

In this post, we will go through how much does it cost to get scuba certified in Thailand. So let’s get started!

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PADI Or SSI Diving Course In Thailand

Getting scuba certified. you will notice that there are two main certifying bodies. These are PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and SSI (Scuba Schools International) certification.

PADI is a brand that most people recognize and is the world’s largest but the two are highly reputable and trusted worldwide. In terms of price, the SSI is normally cheaper.

Photo by Li Yang on Unsplash

One of the reasons is because you can do the theory part of the certifying online and for free. Other than that it isn’t much difference between the two certifying bodies.

You can read more about the differences between PADI to SSI here.

How Much Does it Cost To Get Scuba Certified in Thailand?

Thailand is blessed with islands that are all awesome places to learn to scuba dive with each island has a small price different from island to island. The prices can range from $280 USD (9,000 THB) to $460 USD (14,500 THB) to get the open water cert in Thailand.

I decided on these islands by factoring in the price and the location. The 5 best islands to learn to scuba dive are as follows.

  • Koh Tao
  • Koh Lanta
  • Phuket
  • Khao Lak
  • Koh Chang

Koh Tao

Photo by Valeriy Ryasnyanskiy on Unsplash

Koh Tao is a scuba diving heaven and is a popular island for all levels of scuba diving training. It is one of the cheapest places to get a scuba cert.

The prices on average to get the open water cert are around $350 USD (11,000 THB) but it can be as cheap as $285 USD (9,000 THB) with accommodation. This depends on the high and low season.

Phuket

Phuket is a great place for exploring some of Thailand's dive sites. The island has access to some amazing dive sites whether it is diving around Phi Phi or Koh Racha Yai. it’s also a lively fun packed holiday destination too.

The prices on average to get the open water cert is around $440 USD (14,000 THB).

Koh Lanta

Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

This island is a quiet island but a great place to relax and unwind. Koh Lanta you can dive in Hin Muang and Hin Daeng or even around Koh Haa and Koh Phi Phi too.

The prices on average to get the open water cert is around $460 USD (14,500 THB).

Khao Lak

Khao Lak gives you the opportunity to explore the Similan and Surin Islands. As well as Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, and Koh Tachai. These give you the opportunity to see manta rays, whale sharks, and colorful reefs.

The prices on average to get the open water cert is around $400 USD (12,500 THB).

Koh Chang

Photo by Sua Truong on Unsplash

Koh Chang is the biggest of the 52 islands that make up Koh Chang Marine National Park. Here you will see amazing marine life, reef, and wreck diving.

The prices on average to get the open water cert is around $420 USD (13,000 THB).

Wrapping Up

Finally, learning to scuba dive in Thailand is properly one of the cheapest places in the world to scuba dive. You can expect to pay from $280 USD (9,000 THB) to $460 USD (14,500 THB) to get the open water cert in Thailand. With the SSI cert a little cheaper.

And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on how much does it cost to get scuba certified in Thailand has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.

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