SSI Try Scuba Diving | Basic Diver | Learn to Dive in Phuket

Experience your first dive with the SSI Try Scuba Diving and SSI Basic Diver programs

Never been diving before? What better place to try than off the coast of this beautiful island of Phuket? The beautiful clear waters, calm bays with no current and abundant marine life make Phuket a perfect place to learn to dive.

During the SSI Try Scuba Diving program you will learn the basics of diving theory before your first dive in the ocean. We keep this informal and relaxed, while still making sure you're fully informed and ready to go diving!

The minimum age for the SSI Try Scuba Diving program is 8 years old (restricted to 5m/16 feet maximum depth). The beach dive is perfect for these youngest scuba divers, because we see plenty of fish and coral as shallow as 2-3m (6-9 feet). At 10 years and older you're ready for the SSI Basic Diver course, and your maximum depth will be 12m (40 feet). Now we'll be able to visit the deeper parts of the reef where we find many of the "specials" like our colony of blue-spotted sting rays, our friendly clarke's anemone fish (Nemo's cousin) and the elusive mimic octopus.

We keep our group sizes small - no more than two first time divers with each instructor. And we are happy to offer private diving, just you and your instructor, at no extra charge. (Sorry, private diving is not available between 23rd December and 5th January.)

Are you interested in taking the SSI Open Water course, but not ready to commit to the whole course? You can start off with the SSI Try Scuba Diving program at Kata Beach, to check whether you like it. If you continue with the Open Water course, we won't charge you for the Try Scuba!

If you're nervous or lacking in confidence in the water, you should take the beach dive option (available between November and May). We simply walk into the water, with the equipment in place, and you will take your first breaths in water that you can still stand up in. Once you've built up your confidence, we can take you out into deeper water to explore the reef. There's an amazing variety of life on our Kata Beach House Reef, right there in the shallow water, less than 100m from the shoreline!

To read more about the beach dive at Kata beach house reef click here.

Chat with us here at Oceanic Dive Center before you take the plunge, we will put you at your ease!

What's involved in the SSI Try Scuba Diving program

We have two options for this program: a single dive from Kata Beach or a two dive day on a day trip boat.

Beach Dive

We'll pick you up from your local hotel between 9.30am and 10am and bring you to the dive center in Kata where you'll meet your instructor. You'll receive your instruction in the basic theory of diving in our air conditioned classroom (around half an hour) and then we'll bring you down to the beach for your dive. We'll be in the water for around 90 minutes, with practice time on the surface followed by up to 60 minutes' diving. At the end of your dive, we'll return you to your hotel (or where you'd like to go) at around 1.30pm.

If you'd like to do a second dive on the same day, we offer a discounted rate.

Boat Dives

You will be collected from your hotel at 8am and transferred to the boat where the instructor will meet you and join you for a light breakfast.

While the boat takes you over to the Island of Racha Yai you will receive your instruction in the basic theory of diving (about 30 minutes) and become familiar with the equipment. You'll be jumping into the water for your first dive at around 10.30am. Then a Thai style buffet lunch is served on board after which the second dive will take you to a new dive site near the island. You will return to your hotel by about 3:30pm.

Find out more by using the contact forms here, sending us an email, giving us a ring or popping into our Dive Center