Beginner Scuba Diving from Phuket: Koh Racha Yai

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.95 (411 reviews) 97% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/19

Duration8h

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN · DE +5

PickupAt your hotel

Two open water dives, meals, and a certified instructor guiding you through your first underwater hours

A full-day beginner scuba course from Phuket to Koh Racha Yai with a certified instructor teaching you in a small group of 2–3 people (or solo). You'll complete two 45–50 minute open water dives after practicing on the boat and at the surface, see clownfish, tuna and sea turtles, and get all equipment, breakfast, lunch and hotel pickup included. No prior diving experience or swimming ability required.

The Experience

Eight hours from your Phuket hotel means the whole day is built around learning. A certified instructor meets you at pickup and takes you to Koh Racha Yai, where you'll practice breathing and movement on the boat and in shallow water before descending for your first real dive. The two open water dives each run 45–50 minutes, with the instructor staying close and watching your technique. You're not watching fish from a boat; you're moving through the water yourself, controlling your buoyancy and following the guide through coral and past marine life — clownfish, tuna, sea turtles, and sometimes shipwrecks depending on conditions.

The group stays small by design: usually just you and one instructor, or two or three people with one guide. That means the pace stays yours and the instruction is built around what you need to practice. Even if you've never swum in the ocean, or never swum at all, you can do this — the course is designed for absolute beginners, and the health questionnaire before the dive flags any condition that would make it unsafe. All the gear comes with you: wetsuit, mask, regulator, fins, buoyancy control device, and the rest. You don't rent pieces or hunt for equipment that fits.

Breakfast arrives before the boat leaves Phuket; lunch is a buffet on Koh Racha Yai after the dives. Water, tea, coffee and snacks fill the gaps. Hotel pickup covers Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata, Chalong pier and Rawai; pickups outside those areas cost extra. Souvenir photos from the dive are available for an additional charge if you want them — your own camera can't go underwater unless you're a certified diver.

What’s included

Certified dive instructor in English, French, German, Russian or other languages.
hotel pickup and drop-off from central Phuket areas.
full scuba equipment including wetsuit, mask, regulator and fins.
breakfast, buffet lunch, water, tea, coffee and snacks.
scuba diving insurance.
two open water dives with 45–50 minutes each underwater.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by SSS Phuket

Is this one for you?Book this course if you want to learn to dive in a small group with one instructor focused on you, or if you're traveling solo and want personalized teaching. The eight-hour format and included meals mean you're not managing logistics — the day is structured around the learning itself.