Black Tip was started in 2000 by Aram “Dam” Limsakul, a native of Koh Pha Ngan. He has been working in the tourist industry since the first visitors started arriving in Koh Tao. Ko Dam entered the diving industry in 1995 and quickly fell in love with the underwater world. He worked at a series of dive shops, but was unsatisfied with the way they were run, so he decided to start his own shop and do it his way. Through Black Tip Ko Dam hopes to not only show off the beauty of his homeland, but also as a way to give something back to his community. His goals are to highlight the beauty of the island while teaching people how to dive safely and how to carefully interact with the marine environment. Helping him to achieve his goals are his local and international staff who can teach in a variety of languages.

For more information about us, our services and our home please browse through our website. If you need any further information, please feel free to contact us. Also, having lived in both Germany and England for a number of years, Ko Dam speaks both languages fluently, so don’t hesitate to ask him any questions! We look forward to meeting you soon.

During your stay in Tanote Bay make yourself at home in our luxurious bungalows. Made of local materials as well as marble and granite, our bungalows are suited for all budgets.

We have several types of bungalows available and all rooms come with hot water, western toilet ,24 hour electricity and your choice of fan or air con.

We have an economy room with double bed and shared bathroom (shared only between 2 rooms). The economy is ideal for families/groups as the 2 rooms are joined in the middle by the shared bathroom. The price is per room.

A standard bungalow comes with double or twin beds, private bathroom and balcony.

Our Economy Standard bungalow has double bed, private balcony and private bathroom and sea view. However, this room does NOT have hot water shower or A/C.

An Economy Family Bungalow can accommodate up to 3 people. It comes with one double bed and one single bed, private bathroom and verandah.

And, we also have the larger Family bungalow for 3 persons.

We have a Deluxe room suitable for 4 persons. The Deluxe bungalow has TV, fridge, 2 double beds, private balcony and private bathroom with hot water shower.

Student divers receive a 50% discount off these prices. Certified fun divers receive a 25% discount off these prices (minimum of 3 dives per diver).

We offer a free one time transfer from the Koh Tao pier for hotel guests.

The Economy rooms are ideal for groups as it is two seperate bedrooms
connected by a bathroom in the middle.

PADI DIVE COURSES

We have courses and programs starting everyday. Our instructors can teach in a number of languages, so let us know your language preference and we will try to accommodate you. If for any reason you are unable to complete a course, you can stop and pay only for the portions you completed. You will also receive a referral for the parts you completed so that you may finish your training with another PADI instructor within a one year period. For more detailed information about courses and programs contact us or click on the links to the PADI website.

JUST TRY IT
Kids as young as 10 years of age can participate in most PADI scuba diving courses. 10 – 11 year olds will be limited to a maximum depth of 12 meters. After certification, 10 – 11 year olds may only dive with a parent, guardian or PADI professional. 12 – 14 year olds will be limited to a maximum depth of 21 meters. After certification, 12 – 14 year olds may dive with a certified buddy of legal age. At the ages of 15, junior divers will be upgraded to the adult level. Contact us for further details.

Not sure if you'll like diving? Then try out the Discover Scuba Diving program. On this 1 day trial course you’ll learn some basic rules, safety precautions, and signs used in scuba diving. Then we'll have you in the water that very afternoon playing with the fish and sting rays! If you like it and want to continue on with the open water course, then you can simply continue on as the Discover Scuba Diving is actually the first day of the open water course.

Due to a change in PADI standards, effective 1 January 2006, all student divers must have in their possession a set of current materials for study and use during the course and for reference afterwards. Having your own personal materials will help you enhance retention of dive knowledge. To comply with the new standards most courses include the necessary materials in the course price unless noted otherwise.

If you would like to do a scuba diving course but don't have the time, then try the PADI scuba diver course. The PADI Scuba Diver program is a pre-entry level certification that is perfect for vacationers or people who only plan to dive a couple times a year. The Scuba Diver program can be completed in as little as 2 days. With the PADI Scuba Diver certification you can dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Dive Master, Assistant Instructor or Instructor to a maximum depth of 12 meters on your next vacation or dive trip. The course price includes the PADI manual and PADI dive table.

PADI OPEN WATER DIVER
The Open Water Diver Course will teach you the basics of scuba diving over a 4 day course. The course is broken into 3 parts: 5 academic sessions, 5 confined water sessions and 4 open water dives. During the academic sessions you will learn basic dive theory and safety together with your instructor and through independent self study. You will learn basic dive skills such as removing and replacing your mask, sharing air with another diver and buoyancy control during the confined water sessions. Confined water sessions will initially be conducted at a depth of 1 meter, then gradually we’ll take you down to a maximum depth of 5 meters.

And finally, you’ll be able to put all your knowledge and skills to the test during your 4 open water dives. Your first few open water dives will be to a maximum depth of 12 meters and will be completed on our house reef. Your final dives will be to a maximum depth of 18 meters to one of the many dive sites surrounding Koh Tao.

Our Open Water course is the basic PADI course. You will be qualified to dive together with another certified diver independent of a diving professional to a depth of 18 meters, within the scope of your experience. Upon completing the course you will have 4 logged open water dives. The course price includes the PADI manual and PADI dive table.

PADI ADVANCED OPEN WATER
The Advanced Open Water course gives certified divers an opportunity to explore the different areas of diving and decide what they like best: underwater photography, night diving or maybe fish identification. To be certified as an Advanced diver, you must complete a deep dive, a navigation dive and 3 more dives of your choice. You may choose from the following:

Extra costs may be incurred depending upon which optional dives you choose. Please contact us for futher details.

FIRST AID COURSE
The Emergency First Response is a good course for travelers and even non divers. You will cover basic first aid skills such as controlling bleeding, treating shock, rescue breathing, CPR and dealing with spinal injuries. In order to take the Rescue course you must previously be certified for Basic First Aid and CPR within the last 2 years. If you do not have this or your training is expired, then the Emergency First Response will cover this. The EFR course includes Automated External Defibrillator training free. The Emergency First Response student manual is included in the price.
3,500 baht

We also offer a Care for Children course. This course focuses on CPR and First Aid techniques specific to infants and children. This is a great course for parents, care givers and anyone who works with children. This course is required for anyone who would like to become an Emergency First Response Instructor. The Care for Children manual is included in the price.

RESCUE DIVER COURSE
As a PADI Rescue Diver you will learn to assist and manage dive accidents. During the course you will learn about typical equipment malfunctions, common diver problems and how to prevent them. You will also learn how to deal with various situations such as tired or panicked divers, how to perform search patterns for missing divers and how to deal with unconscious divers. You must be an Advanced certificate diver and have CPR/First Aid training within the last 2 years to participate in this course.

Our Rescue course consists of the basic training required for the PADI Rescue Diver course. The course can be completed in 2 days, though it is highly recommended to give it at least 3 days. The course price includes the Rescue Diver manual and the Diving Accident Management Work slate.

DIVE TRIPS FOR CERTIFIED DIVERS

Throughout the week we dive at a variety of the 30+ dive sites surrounding Koh Tao including the top three sites: South West Pinnacle, Chumporn Pinnacle and Sail Rock. For certified fun divers there are several options to choose from:

Kayak Dives: 800 Baht
Shore Dives: 700 Baht
Night Dives: 1000 Baht

Morning/Afternoon Dive Tours

Want to go to the best dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand? Then try out our Full and Half day trips. Check out these special trips during our summer season.

Full Day Trips
3,500 Baht

Half Day Trips
2,300 Baht

Three times a week we will have half days trips for divers only. This trip will stop at Chumporn and South West Pinnacle, which are not suitable for snorkeling.

We also have Nitrox diving available at a rate of 600 baht per tank extra on top of the normal dive rates.

Equipment rental rates: