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Koh Tao certify trip

Half the crew want their Open Water card, the other half just want the beach and the bars - Koh Tao is built for exactly this. Four of us do the course over three days while the rest snorkel and nap; we all meet for sunsets, the night out, and the fun-dive day at the end once everyone's certified.

7 days6 goingKoh Tao
~€620 pp · illustrative
Learn to diveSnorkellingBeach barsNightlife
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Day by day

Day 1 · Ferry in, settle Sairee
PMChumphon ferry to Koh Tao, drop bags at the Sairee Beach bungalows
EveningCourse paperwork and theory video for the four; beach beers for the rest
Day 2 · Course day 1
AMDivers: confined-water skills in the shallows
AMNon-divers: snorkel Shark Bay for turtles, then hammocks
SunsetEveryone at Sairee for sundowners
Day 3 · Course day 2
EarlyDivers: first two open-water dives at Japanese Gardens
PMOthers: viewpoint climb to John-Suwan, swim at Freedom Beach
Day 4 · Cards earned + big night
AMDivers: final two dives - everyone passes, cards in hand
NightWhole crew out - Lotus Bar fire show, Sairee strip, the night the trip is named after
Day 5 · Slow recovery day
Nobody moves fast. Beach, pad thai, a long swim, an early dinner - together but quiet
Day 6 · Fun-dive day (whole crew)
AMNow everyone's certified: two-tank fun dive at Chumphon Pinnacle
PMLast sunset, group dinner up the hill
Day 7 · Out
Morning ferry back to the mainland and onward

Who wanted what

Learn to diveTom, Klaus, Julia, John
Open Water courseJapanese GardensChumphon Pinnacle
SnorkellingAnna, Leo
Shark Bay turtlesFreedom Beach
ViewpointsLeo
John-Suwan viewpoint

Book it

Bungalows

Sairee Beach bungalows

3 twins, sleeps 6
BeachfrontWalk to dive shop
€22 pp/night · illustrativeAdd to plan
Dive course

Open Water course + shop

Group rate for 4
3-day certGear included
€280 pp all-in · illustrativeAdd to plan

What made this trip work

  • Picking a shop a two-minute walk from the bungalows meant no early-morning taxi chaos.
  • The non-divers never felt stranded - snorkelling and viewpoints filled the course days easily.
  • Saving the big night for after the cards were earned kept everyone safe and clear-headed for the dives.
  • The final fun-dive day with the whole crew certified was the perfect payoff.

Organiser

T

Tom organised this one. “Book the course as a group, keep the bar nights to the days you're not diving, and let the beach people do their thing - works every time.”

Plan it around an activity

DivingSee the full activity guide
Written by Manta
Updated June 2026

A published crew trip, made copyable. Swap the dates and the people and make it yours. Confirm course schedules and the no-fly-after-diving window before booking flights.

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Koh Tao certify trip - trip plan · Manta