Koh Samui to Koh Tao: Make Room for Your First Dive Course

Why add Koh Tao to a Koh Samui holiday?

Koh Samui and Koh Tao work well as two different chapters of the same trip. Samui gives you an airport, a wide choice of places to stay and an easy starting point for exploring the Gulf islands. On Koh Tao, you can organise the next few days around learning to dive.

That change of pace matters. Instead of fitting training around repeated island transfers, you stay near the dive school, get familiar with your equipment and spend time practising with your instructor. Between sessions, there’s time to eat, rest and enjoy the island.

You can also learn to dive through operators based on Samui. Think about the holiday you’d enjoy most: where you’d like to train, how you’d like to spend your days and how much island time you want. With Diving Koh Tao, you can settle in at Ban’s Diving Resort and enjoy your Ocean Dives from a base right here on the island.

How do you get from Koh Samui to Koh Tao?

Samui’s relaxed, welcoming airport makes a lovely start to your island holiday. From there, it’s a straightforward trip to the pier and onward by ferry to Koh Tao. On Lomprayah’s official booking site you can choose a sailing for your date, including options with a Samui hotel or airport transfer.

Make the journey part of your holiday

1. Arrive ready for an easy start. Aim to reach Koh Tao around midday or in the afternoon, with time to settle in before the course starts at 17:00. For a different arrival time, simply check with us in advance.
2. Book your ferry ticket ahead. Booking online in advance is a convenient option. If you still need a ticket, you can also arrange one through your hotel or at the airport. Your ticket shows which pier your ferry leaves from.
3. From the airport to island life. Show your ticket to your taxi driver and head comfortably to the right pier. Check in for the ferry, enjoy the crossing and arrive on Koh Tao, where the arranged shuttle will meet you.
4. Share your ferry details with us. Add your arrival time to your booking so we can coordinate the Koh Tao arrival shuttle.

Use the operator’s live search to choose a sailing and see the current fare for your travel date. Then you can plan the rest of your island journey around your confirmed ticket.

How many days should you set aside?

Your course begins with arrival-day orientation and finishes around midday on the final day. Here’s how the Koh Tao chapter can fit after your Samui stay, with time to enjoy the island along the way.

1. ARRIVAL DAY

   Samui → Koh Tao

   Take a suitable ferry, check in and settle in before evening orientation. We’ll help you choose a connection that fits your start.

2. FIRST FULL DAY

   Build confidence in the pool

   Learn equipment handling and practise the basic skills, with theory sessions alongside your water training.

3. SECOND FULL DAY

   Your first two Ocean Dives

   Put the pool skills into practice with your instructor and continue the knowledge development.

4. FINAL MORNING · FINISH AROUND MIDDAY

   Two more Ocean Dives

   Enjoy your final training dives and complete the course requirements for certification. You’ll usually be finished by lunchtime, so an afternoon ferry can fit your onward plans, depending on the sailing.

5. AFTER TRAINING

   A little more island time

   Stay another day to relax, or keep exploring with the two-day Advanced Open Water course. If you’re flying onward, plan a 24-hour buffer after your last dive; you can spend that time on Koh Tao or return to Samui by ferry and unwind there.

We adapt the daily plan to your progress and the conditions so you can enjoy each stage. Share your travel dates with us and we’ll help you connect the course with the rest of your holiday.

What will your first dive course be like?

You don’t need previous scuba experience. The PADI Open Water Diver course on Koh Tao starts with the foundations, then takes you through pool practice and four Ocean Dives. You learn how to use your equipment, communicate with a buddy and control your position in the water.

The goal is to become a capable beginner, with skills you can keep developing on later trips. After successful completion, adults can dive with a buddy to a maximum of 18 metres within their training and experience. Younger divers have additional depth and supervision limits.

Your instructor guides you patiently through each step, with time to practise and ask questions. You’ll build confidence in the pool, then take those new skills into a colourful underwater world.

Where should you stay during the course?

Staying near your training base makes early starts simpler. You can leave your belongings in your room, return between sessions when the schedule allows and avoid organising a new transfer every morning.

We offer course bookings with accommodation at Ban’s Diving Resort. Compare room types against your budget and the dates you need. Room rates vary with the season, category and whether a night qualifies for a diving rate; extra holiday nights may use a different rate.

Travelling with someone who won’t be diving? Include that in your enquiry, together with the number of guests and rooms. We can check a course-and-stay arrangement that fits your group.

Getting ready for your first dive

Feel at home in the water

Basic swimming ability and being comfortable in the water are a great starting point. Your instructor will guide you through the water skills as part of the course. Children can join from age 10, with age-appropriate training and supervision. You can explore the official PADI certification FAQs or ask us about a course for your family.

A simple start to your course

Being reasonably healthy is a good starting point for diving. At the beginning of the course, you’ll complete a short medical questionnaire with our team. We’ll guide you through the form, and if a doctor’s approval is needed, you can visit a local doctor on Koh Tao before diving.

One extra day to enjoy the islands

Plan a 24-hour buffer between your last dive and your next flight. It’s a lovely reason to enjoy another sunset on Koh Tao, or take the ferry back to Koh Samui and spend a relaxed day there before flying. Share your onward plans with us and we’ll help you fit everything together.

Discover Koh Tao at its own pace

We choose dive sites to suit the conditions and your stage of training. Give yourself a little flexibility and enjoy seeing a new side of the island, above and below the surface.