Learn to Dive in Phuket: Courses, Prices, Park Fees
A common first certification is the Open Water Diver course, which can take as little as 2 to 4 days. Phuket shops price it from THB 9,900 to THB 17,400. You must be at least 10 years old and complete a medical questionnaire.
A first dive course in Phuket comes in three sizes: a Discover Scuba try-out, the shorter Scuba Diver certification and the full Open Water Diver certification. If you have 2 to 4 days to spare, we recommend the full Open Water course. With less time, a Discover Scuba day lets you try diving first.
Kata Beach, where several shops run their first sea dives.
Discover Scuba, Scuba Diver or Open Water: which first course fits
Discover Scuba Diving is a try-out, not a certification. You try breathing underwater for the first time in a pool or calm water. A full day of 2 or 3 dives at All 4 Diving starts at THB 4,400. Children aged eight or older can try diving in a pool.
The Scuba Diver course sits in between. Sunrise Divers calls it a half certification that lets you dive up to 12 meters. If you finish it and want more, you can upgrade to Open Water in another 2 days.
Open Water is the full course. The eLearning takes 5-10 hours, and the whole certification can take as little as 2 to 4 days. Sea Bees Diving runs it as 1 day of pool and classroom and 2 days on the dive boat.
Course
Length and dives
Example
Discover Scuba Diving (no certification)
Full day, 2 or 3 dives
All 4 Diving
Scuba Diver
2 days, 2 or 3 dives
Sunrise Divers
Open Water Diver
As little as 2 to 4 days
PADI
Age, swim test and medical questionnaire
PADI sets the minimum age for Open Water at 10, and divers certified between 10 and 14 earn a Junior Diver certification. SSS Phuket and Sea Bees Diving list the same minimum age of 10.
The swim test is 200 metres with no aids or 300 metres with mask, fins and snorkel. You also float or tread water without aids for 10 minutes.
Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving. We recommend filling in the medical questionnaire before you pay a deposit, because a doctor’s sign-off may be needed first.
Dive shop staff are not physicians, and only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive. After your last dive, allow 18 hours before you fly.
What Phuket dive shops charge for a first course
The figures below are each shop’s own “from” price on its course page, read on 24 October 2026. The courses differ, so compare by course name rather than by the lowest number.
Shop
Course and length
Agency
From price
SSS Phuket, Kata
Open Water, 2 days, pool and Kata Beach, 4 dives
SSI; PADI +THB 1,500
THB 9,900
SSS Phuket, Kata
Open Water, 2 days, pool and Racha Islands, 1 beach dive and 3 boat dives
SSI; PADI +THB 1,500
THB 11,900
SSS Phuket, Kata
Open Water, 3 days, Racha Yai and Racha Noi
SSI; PADI +THB 1,500
THB 13,900
All 4 Diving
Open Water, 3 days, 6 dives
PADI
THB 13,900
Sea Bees Diving
Open Water, 1 day pool and classroom plus 2 days on the boat, 4 dives
SSI
THB 17,400
Sunrise Divers
Scuba Diver (not Open Water), 2 days, 2 dives
SSI; PADI manual +1,500 baht
THB 11,900
Inclusions are where the shops differ. Every SSS Phuket package includes equipment, certification and instruction. If you want a PADI card rather than SSI, check the Agency column first: at SSS Phuket it adds THB 1,500.
Sea Bees Diving includes all diving equipment and transfers from Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata, Nai Harn, Rawai and Chalong. Sunrise Divers includes theory, pool training, equipment rental, certification fees, a log book, insurance and boat meals, for groups of up to 3 students per class.
The dive centre charges fees for in-water training and for renting the scuba gear on top of eLearning. So ask each shop whether eLearning, gear and certification are all in its price. Sunrise Divers asks for a 30% deposit to book.
Shore dives at Kata or a boat day to Racha
Kata Beach is suited to swimming and used for dive training because of its coral reef. SSS Phuket’s THB 9,900 package keeps its 4 dives at Kata Beach. If your time is short, we recommend that package, which finishes in 2 days.
Boat packages head for the Racha Islands. SSS Phuket’s THB 11,900 option has 1 beach dive and 3 boat dives, and its 3-day THB 13,900 option visits Racha Yai and Racha Noi.
Racha Yai has the easiest shallow diving and is ideal for new divers, in Sunrise Divers’ words. The island lies about 15 km from the south of Phuket. To reach it on your own you charter a boat from Chalong Bay or Rawai Beach.
Boats in Patong Bay under a cloudy sky.
Marine park fees and the Similan season
Mu Ko Similan National Park welcomed visitors on 15 October 2026, the first day of the season. The Department of National Parks (DNP) places Mu Ko Similan in fee group 4 in its June 2022 schedule: THB 500 per foreign adult and THB 250 per foreign child.
Last season the park closed from 16 May to 15 October 2025. Ask your shop for this season’s date before you plan a late-season trip.
Expect your first-course dives at Kata or Racha rather than Similan. Sunrise Divers does not offer beginner dive courses in the Similan Islands National Park.
Under a September 2022 notice, the special foreigner fee on Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le and Bamboo Island is THB 400 per adult and THB 200 per child. At Sea Bees Diving the Phi Phi marine park fee is extra, at THB 600 for a diver and THB 400 for a non-diver per day, subject to change. We recommend asking each shop for the park fee in writing.
A limestone cliff on Ko Phi Phi Leh, seen from a boat.
How to check a dive shop before you pay
Start with the agency: PADI helps you find an Open Water Diver course at a PADI dive center. All 4 Diving is a PADI 5 Star CDC Dive Center, and the TAT licence number of SSS Phuket is 34/03864.
We recommend asking any shop for its agency membership, its licence number and a written list of what the price includes. Price pages that show only a “from” figure do not show the final total.
Where the shops are
SSS Phuket Dive, Freedive & Surf, Kata
SSS Phuket runs Open Water courses at Kata Beach from THB 9,900.
SSS Phuket Dive, Freedive & Surf 184, 1 Koktanod Rd Kata Beach, Karon, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Not confirmed: This season's Similan closing date has not been announced; DNP's October 2026 item gives only the opening day. The THB 500 foreign-adult fee comes from a June 2022 schedule, so ask your shop which park fee it collects. Racha park fees and season were not found.
Next step
Just arrived, or about to, and not sure who to ask? A 45-minute video call points you to the right office and papers, with a written answer sheet.
How much does an Open Water course cost in Phuket?
Open Water starts at THB 9,900 at SSS Phuket, at THB 13,900 for 3 days at All 4 Diving and at THB 17,400 at Sea Bees Diving.
How long does it take to learn to dive in Phuket?
The whole certification can be done in as little as 2 to 4 days, and the eLearning part takes 5-10 hours.
How old do you have to be to take an Open Water course?
PADI sets the minimum age at 10. Divers certified between 10 and 14 earn a Junior Diver certification.
Can I try diving before I commit to a course?
Yes, with a Discover Scuba Diving experience in a pool or calm water. It is not a certification course; a full day of 2 or 3 dives starts at THB 4,400 at All 4 Diving.
Do I need a medical check to learn to dive?
You complete a medical questionnaire when you start a course. Chronic health conditions, certain medications or recent surgery may require a physician's written approval.
How much is the Similan Islands national park fee for foreigners?
A June 2022 DNP schedule puts Mu Ko Similan in fee group 4, at THB 500 per foreign adult and THB 250 per foreign child. Ask your shop whether the fee is in the course price.
Can beginners learn to dive at the Similan Islands?
Sunrise Divers does not offer beginner dive courses in the Similan Islands National Park. Its beginner dives are at Racha Yai.
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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