Big Blue Diving, Koh Tao offers great diving on a budget. A range of fun dives and dive courses are offered. The training is well delivered, with a high standard and emphasis on safety. Where dive equipment is provided, it is sometimes a little old and worn but looks to be well maintained. Fun dives are reasonably priced. Dive leaders are organised and provide customers with useful friendly advice on safety and local conditions. You may even see a whaleshark or two!

I am travelling around SE Asia with two friends, neither of which wanted to dive so I stayed at Big Blue on my own. I stayed in the (free) dorm room and always felt very comfortable! The dorm rooms are basic but they're clean with aircon and have what you need - what more could you ask from a free room on dive days! Did I mention they're beach side?!
My initial plan was to do a couple of fun dives but I quickly decided that the open course would suit what I wanted to achieve whilst also gaining me a qualification! All communication through email and in person was useful and I always got quick replies.

I had Ant as my instructor with Katie as an assistant - both were amazing! Ant is a very thorough instructor but still encourages the whole group to have the best time and become a team...Leading by example at the end of our course, he was the first to take his celebratory shot at the bar! Both Ant and Katie were happy to answer any and all questions which resulted in me feeling very confident in what I had learnt. They also got me to a point where I felt ready to complete my advanced adventurer course straight after my Open! It really is like a little family at the dive centre - I personally learnt tips and tricks off two other instructors and met a heap of DMs and DMTs.

Big Blue have a great restaurant on sight which has a good mix of Thai and western food available all day. There is a bar right on the beach decking where your group can grab a beer or 'two' after your diving. It's also where you can gather to watch your group's Open Water Course Video - always a good laugh at the end of the course thanks to Bridget's awesome videography! There is onsite laundry options and the office are happy to help with ordering taxis etc !

It's a shame that Koh Tao has the reputation it does, I felt totally safe walking to and from town / bars at night, even as a solo female traveller!

I can't recommend Big Blue and Koh Tao enough, I know I will definitely be going back!

A big thank you to the Big Blue team!

I was there for the open water course about 4 days. My english is not the best, but my diving-teacher Luke was great, he explained everything and slowly. The price was OK and i slept in the free dorm, it was good.

Really serious and so friendly school. I was anxious to dive but everythings was so well done, courses, explications, communication with the staff who really take care of his studens - nothing to say but perfect !
Thanks to Luke he is the best teacher

Booked open water training at Big ue Kho Tao. Excellent instruction good varied dive sites. Booked extra fun dives after training looking forward to booking again

Great instructor Scotty - made things easy with clear communication and a few laughs from the start. This meant we really got to enjoy our dives. Good price and heaps of options after (or without) completing your Open Water.

We arrived on Koh Tao not knowing which Scuba school to attend but started out at Big Blue as it was recommended in Lonely Planet and on Google. From the start we liked the vibe of the place and people.
We started on the OWD training the same evening. Our teacher was very patient with us in the pool and when one of our party couldn't manage the mask removal to start with he stayed with her after the rest had finished all their skills until she was able to do it.
When we went into the actual ocean the next days everything was explained to us in detail and at no stage of any of the four following dives did we feel left alone or unsafe.
Two of us even decided to go on to do the next training course and after five more fantastic dives we can call ourselves Advanced Adventurer :-)
All in all we highly recommend Big Blue Diving and will return for sure!

The instructors are the best. Very skillled and well prices for what you get. Experience worth a lifetime!

Absolutely loved diving with big blue. I was super apprehensive about diving as I've always been a bit scared of the ocean but Luke was a fantastic instructor. I always felt informed and safe. he allowed everyone to take their time with leaning.
Koh tao was and epic place to dive, can't wait to go back :)

I came to Big Blue to do my open water course, and had Jai as my instructor who was amazing! I loved the diving and the dive sites were incredible. Jai was really fun and made everything run really smoothly. I enjoyed the course so much I also completed the advanced two day course. Being able to do a wreck and night dive were highlights! The accommodation is excellent, and the food is delicious too. Overall I had a fab time at Big Blue and would love to go back soon!

Big Blue is a great diving school with experienced and friendly instructors. After having contact through email, I was able to obtain my Open Water Diver certificate in just a few days. I felt safe, had a lot of fun and really enjoyed being around the staff. The overall quality of diving equipment is good, the boats are nice and large enough and the groups are not too big so they can pay real attention to you. I'll definitely come back here to do some more courses and dives!

I did my Open Water Diving Course with instructor Ant at Big Blue Diving and loved the atmosphere and the care that was taken of all the students. We were only two people in the course, which made us feel well looked after and I always felt really safe under water. Would definitely recommend it!

Everything was great. The resort is amazing, right on the beach. The instructors are patient and helpful. The diving sites are gorgeous. Prices are cheap and appropriate. People are friendly and open. They put a lot of effort to ocean conservation. Best place to learn how to scuba dive!

We did our open water diver and advanced adventurer with Big Blue and it was just excellent! The introduction was very nice and everything was good explained. A plus was that you can live for free or very little money in their accommodation while you do your certificate there. Our instructors, Gus and Marshall, were very kind helpful.

Absolutely a top place to learn with very knowledgeable and helpful staff who want you to accel in diving. This is my second time back to big blue and I am already planning my next trip back. They make you feel like your apart of a family and lots of fun.

Although I haven't seen a whaleshark in the big blue, the whole trip was just amazing. Don't know anything which could have been better!

I was there in September for my OWD snd will be back in November for the advanced.

Great school, great location, amazing stuff! Highly recommend it!
Did my open water and the Advanced course there and I will go there again for sure!
Thank you for everything!

Did my open water and advanced adventurer here. Gus, our instructor, was really great. We had a lot of fun with him, while he was still teaching at a high level.

Clear information. Very nice instructor who takes time to make everyone confortable with diving. Amazing dives.

We dove with Big Blue for 6 days, and I did my Open Water course here. We loved it! Neil was a fantastic instructor, and while literally everyone on staff was great, Therese deserves a special shout out as a wonderful dive master. The gear was well maintained, everything felt safe and the amount of sea life around Koh Tao is amazing. Sadly, no whalesharks for us. (There was one seen on the day before we arrived, and one the day after we left...) But definitely plenty of other beautiful fish in the sea. 100% sure we'll come back here. If you want to go diving on Koh Tao, do try Big Blue!

We had Sonia as an instructor for our open water and she was amazing I would highly recommend big blue to anyone

The course was well taught and they had lots of friendly instructors. Went on a total of four dives which was great and they even got me a special bigger tank (I’m a tall guy and breath really hard apparently!)

Couldn't rate big blue highly enough. Absolutley loved my time here, all staff and instructors were so nice and helpful and such a good laugh. Would recommend to anyone to go to big blue!

a must do at big blue. very professional setup. never before experience. throughly enjoyed. its also very cheap.

Got my Open Water SSI License at Big Blue just a couple weeks ago. I can't recommend this place highly enough! The price was great, the training was great, it was an awesome overall experience. I'd like to make a special shout-out to Gus, Julie, and Bridget for making my introduction to SCUBA diving so unforgettable. Can't wait to go back!