Want to learn more about connecting items, lifting items and just in general how to tie KNOTS? The PADI Search and Recovery Specialty course, which is now incorporated in the as a workshop, helps teach you the basic knots that are useful when traveling or working on boats. The Bowline, Sheet-bend and two-half hitches are useful knots for several situations. In particular when you need to attach a fender or a tyre to the side of the boat to prevent the boat from damages whilst docking.  Along with learning how to tie knots during the Search and Recovery Program you also learn several search patterns to find missing items. If these items are too heavy to lift we use special lifting devices to bring the object to the surface if it weighs more than 4 kg. Rebecca practices the bowline knot during her Search and Recovery workshop of her Divemaster Program.

Anna, Yase and Pedro were drawn to Koh Tao to enjoy the beautiful beaches and explore the underwater world through Scuba Diving. Anna & Yase were recommended by friends to come to Sunshine Divers and learn to take their PADI Open Water Diver course course. Pedro was walking by the dive shop - stopped and enquired about the program and decided to sign up and learn to dive. During the course, they learned the fundamentals of diving from getting geared up and buddy checking, the physiology and physics of diving along with planning their dives using the RDP and simply just having fun!!! We look forward to your return to continue your diving with us at Sunshine or during your further travels worldwide - explore the many underwater environments.

Places you can go with enthusiam, passion and a good positive attitude - this pretty much sums up our most recent PADI Divemaster Kelly-Anne Nickel. In her short time in Koh Tao, she completed her training from PADI Open water diver to the PADI Divemaster, professional level. Kelly-Anne's outgoing personality attracted guests and divers on Koh Tao and she became a well known person to all. Through her associations she was employed at the Fishbowl Beach Bar and as a front office sales person for a local tatoo establishment, and her earnings enabled Kelly to extend her stay on Koh Tao - Paradise Island. Taking the PADI Divemaster course you need to have a focus with a great attitude toward customers. During the Divemaster program Kelly assisted and supervised on serveral programs from the PADI curriculum, helping experienced instructors and gaining knowledge from them to pursue her dream in the professional diving industry. Along side guiding dives, Kelly was very involved with social media focusing on selfies , Going Live on facebook and promoting her role as a PADI Divemaster and of course, Sunshine Divers.  We look forward to Kelly Anne's return in her pursuit of becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. See you soon!

Sunshine Divers have taught several PADI Open water students to progress to the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor including Tamara Lelani May and Lars Walquist who are now experienced PADI Instructors teaching internationally. Tamara in Mexico and Italy and focusing on her Tec Diving , Lasse working in the Fiji Islands with his wife Krista Espellen and Manual Tobolars in the Maldives.  Fantastic to see their progression over these years.  Both Tamara and Lars are featured in this PADI Video along with our off island Dutch instructors Ties and Shirely . At Sunshine Divers we offer courses in several languages from English, Dutch, German, French and Chinese and more. Just let us know your preference.

The PADI Bubblemaker program has been developed to offer anyone over the age of 8 years to participate in blowing bubbles using SCUBA underwater to a maximum depth of 2m.  This program can be conducted in either a pool or confined open water environment where conditions are calm. Recently young 8 year old Vincent participated in the PADI Bubblemaker program, where he was instructed by Thomas Pommerin. Starting off at the beautiful dive site around Koh Nang Yuan called Japanese Gardens, Vincent observed several types of tropical fish including Butterfly fish, Angelfish, Sargent Majors and the infamous Triggerfish.  Vincent's father Stephan joined in with his Son to share the amazing experience.   To add further fun and games to this program Thomas introduced the Underwater Fizbee, which added value to the training especially for bouyancy control.

Sunshine Divers is located at the Southern part of Koh Tao, the more relaxed, chilled and beautiful area which is called Chalok Baan Kao. The direct access to the beach, the chilled atmosphere, the beautiful rock formation "Buddha rock" and off course the relaxed atmosphere at Sunshine Divers is what most people attract to this location.   Chalok Baan Kao is far away from the busy and touristic Sairee Beach, but close enough to go there in about a 5 minute drive by either taxi or motorbike. Even better, you don't actually have to leave because in the last few years nice little restaurants found their way to this side of the island like healthy food boutique restaurants, luxury dining, lounge bar etc.. The famous Buddha Rock at the left end side of the bay is close to one of the more 'private' beaches of Chalok Baan called Freedom Beach and is one of the most picture taken shots.   If you scuba dive at Sunshine Divers we have a beach classroom directly on the beach which allows you to enjoy the view but also enjoy the cool stories about diving from your Instructor! Hope to see you soon!

These teeny-tiny little critters are, in a nutshell, the foundation of the food chain for the ocean world. Without them, there would not be much to see in the ocean even though you can't see them yourself. They are more than just food though, they also are huge carbon dioxide absorbers accounting for about a third of all produced by us dirty humans. Pretty impressive. They live in the upper layers of the ocean where they produce organic compounds via photosynthesis. They actually account for half of all photosynthesis done on the planet. Even more impressive! Their name comes from the Greek words meaning python (plant) and planktos (drifter/wanderer). Depending on which particular strand of phytoplankton is present, it changes the colour of the water. Here in Koh tao we get a green tint. If there is enough of them, you can even see them from space! Super impresive!! These guys were captured off the coast of ireland by NASA's Terra satellite 

Want to know how it feels to breathe, move and see underwater? Come join in on the PADI Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) program with us at Sunshine Divers and receive benefits upon completion. You will have the opportunity to practice a few basic skills in shallow water such as, clearing a mask and breathing from a regulator. Following mastery of these skills you can then enjoy exploring one of the beautiful coral reefs that surround Koh Tao, with your diving instructor. Once you finish the program, you will be registered with PADI and receive a DSD e-Card and have access to Section One of the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online. If you choose to continue and complete the full certification, you will receive a referral for what you have accomplished. Duration of the DSD program is one day and cost 2000 Thai Baht.

Since June 2014, Sunshine Divers has implemented the NEW-REVISED PADI Open Water Course. Not much has changed with the course structure, yet only a few additional skills have been added to the program to ensure student divers learn further about the importance of diving within a buddy team, focus on their air consumption and breathing methods underwater, along with extra practice on buoyancy techniques on the surface and underwater. Our PADI Open Water course schedule is conducted over a 4 day period although we are very flexible with the program times to cater to individual student needs. Our group sizes are small with a maximum of 4 student divers to instructor to ensure this is possible. The general program schedule we offer starts Daily at 4pm with an orientation where you will meet your instructor and watch the first initial videos to give you some insight on what you will be learning over the next few days.  Day 2 is where you will head into a confined pool environment and practice all the skills you will need to know to go diving in the open water. Before heading to the ocean - you will still need to complete a few quizzes. Day 3 we start with your first 2 open water dives - here you have the opportunity to experience diving to a depth maximum of 12m. It's pretty cool!  You are on the boat for the full morning and back in time to have some lunch after all that energy use underwater. That afternoon you will need to complete your final theory and exams. Finally Day 4 we head out again on the morning boat and complete your last 2 open water training dives to 18m.  Yes and then you will be certified! Recently certified PADI Open water divers include : John Flynn, Srihari Gowri Shankar, and Giarav Shah who enjoyed several dive sites around Koh Tao for their training dives with Instructor Kael Grant-King.  The Group size was a total of 3 students with instructor and a Divemaster Candidate Matt Dempsey who was there for additional support.

Have you been out the water for a while? Feel a little rusty on your Open Water skill? Then the new PADI Re Activate programme is for you.Completed in just one day this programme includes two open water dives which allow you to get comfortable again in the water. This is a course that you can start at your leisure. We simply email you an online link to a short theory review,so if you choose it can be completed before you arrive here in Koh Tao. You can also compete the theory when you arrive at Sunshine Divers by using one of our computers. The practical skills are then completed in confined open water before progressing to dive in open conditions. This basically means in a very short space of time you will be back fun diving with your buddies and enjoying the sites Koh Tao has to offer. This course can be started at any time and here at Sunshine Divers we have programmes available everyday. We guarantee you will be in a small group of no more than 4 students, sometimes smaller than that. If you wish to have personal 1 to 1 tuition this can also be arranged. "Skills Practice in Shallow Water for the Re-Activate Program" The price of the whole programme is just 3000 baht. This includes all E-learning material, dive equipment, 2 dives and a new PADI certification card that will be Re-Activated to your current level of diver training. This year is PADI’s 50th Birthday so you will receive the PADI limited edition certification card for free!  So what are you waiting for, come join us for some fun!

Night diving can sometimes be perceived as a scary sport when actually it is an exciting adventure into a different world. Here at Sunshine Divers our NIght dive is a very popular choice with Advanced Diver students and fun divers. Jumping in watching the suset over the bay is fantastic.  Descending whilst the light goes down means you don't realize it is even getting dark around you.  Once down the line a whole new world awaits. Fish go to sleep and out come the blue-spotted rays, barracuda, crabs, squid, cuttlefish, eels and many, many more. As an extra special treat we also get to watch all the phosphorescence turn lumious in colour like electric coming out of your fingertips.  We end the diving looking up at the stars wondering when it go so dark!  So overcome those nerves and take the plunge, there is a whole "other world" down there!

Sunshine Divers would like to welcome Kelly Ann Nickels aboard the PADI Divemaster Internshipp program. Kelly is eager and enthusiastic to get going with her new career as a professional diver as she recently completed her PADI Open water, Advanced, EFR and Rescue Diver Program.  During this time Kelly will undertake a handful of tasks including skill circuits and various workshops, which will consist of learning how to assist, teach and supervise on certain PADI sanctioned programs.  Through personal development and demonstrating dive skills, watermanship abilities, handling different diving conditions and circumstances, will provide credibility toward her PADI Divemaster Rating.  Other workshops include Search and Recovery, Navigation, Deep, Bouyancy and mapping projects. Kelly will also be taught how to compose boat master duties and deliver briefings to certified divers. Amongst all the fun in the swimming pool and ocean, there are some lectures for dive theory and exams to complete to keep her brain active and updated on PADI Standards for training. Throughout she will be assisting instructors on courses to gain experience and knowledge that will prepare her for when she starts working as a professional PADI Divemaster.  At the end of the program Kelly will be eligible to lead certiied divers, refresh certified divers skills and help on several PADI sanctioned courses.

The yellow boxfish is quite a hard one to spot despite its unique shape and bright colour. This is because of their size being about the same as a pea at its smallest. Certain types can, however, grow as big as a football. Like most other brightly coloured animals, its colour scheme is meant to warn off other animals as this little critter is highly poisonous and can release toxic proteins from its skin if threatened. This protein is so poisonous that it has the potential to kill all animals around it and wipe out an entire aquarium should it find itself unlucky enough to be in one. So don't buy them! Its habitat is always amongst rocks and coral and its diet mainly consists of algae, worms and small fish. They also enjoy shrimp and crab too! Odd fact:  Mercedes-Benz designed a concept car based on the boxfish due to its aerodynamic design and skeletal strength - Plenty of room in the boot

The sweetlips is a fast grower. In its juvenile stages, it is about 2.5cm in length but then will quickly grow to about 60cm. Along with this vast change in size, it also changes its entire colour scheme. It starts as a reddish/brown base with black-ringed white spots which then change to brown spots, which increase in number depending on age, over a white base However, its most distinguishing feature is its swimming style while still a juvenile. Best described as a drunk partygoer wearing clothes that are much too big, it 'flaps' about using its dorsal fins with an undulated body. This style is meant to mimic flatworms which are noxious and unpalatable to predators. Another unique talent of some members of this species is its ability to 'grunt' by grinding its teeth, the sound is them amplified by its swimbladder. Arguably the cutest fish in the ocean in its juvenile form, other fish watch and wish they could party as hard!

It's all in the name; the cleaner wrasse has one job and one job only, to clean. All species of fish need to be cleaned, or, to be more precise, for someone to remove its dead skin cells and parasites that attach themselves to the fish as they sleep at night, hidden amongst the rocks and coral. This is where the cleaner wrasse comes in. Its job is to remove all this grime by eating it off. Basically, it works for food and gains diplomatic immunity from all species, even the predators. Fish of all sizes will arrive at a cleaning station which is actually advertied by the wrasse doing an inviting dance. Once the fish has chosen its station, the team of wrasse get to work. Usually led by a male with a team of female workers, he manages his employees, even admonishing them if they get a bit greedy and bite their customers followed by apologising to his client by giving them a fin massage. Fish can watch the cleaners in action and, if they don't like the look of it, they move on to another station just down the coral. However, if you are a diver they are very annoying if you have some open wounds or scabs as they will see that as something that need a good cleaning and, before you know it, MUNCH! They have gobbled up your scab.

The trigger fish on Koh Tao come in two breeds, the slightly more passive yellow margin and the 'angrier' titan. But why are they angry? Like most species, they are protecting their territory. Acting in a similar way to the damsel fish, they chase away what they perceive to be a threat to their zone, which is a cone shape above it, along with the odd bite if they are really angry. During mating season, they get angrier than normal. Moody sods! Some of them, however, are simply attacking because they are morons! lf anyone/thing becomes an annoyance, it will flick up it's hidden trigger fin locked down in its spine. That's your first warning. If you get a second warning, it may tilt on its side to get a better look at the problem. Most times, it will swim away but, if not, it will swim at speed to try and chase the threat away. As a diver, it will actually bite your fins if they are a bright colour as that is what they think the threat is, another fish-like looking thing. It's the one piece of equipment where choosing a colour is actually important! They mainly feed on coral, using their powerful jaws and teeth to break it apart, they stir up the sand which draws in smaller fish looking to feast on whatever it unearths. Often, they can be seen swimming off with a huge piece of coral in their mouths. The thieves of the ocean! But let's not be afraid of them. The clue is in the name, it's a FISH! A fish that looks awesome and can kick arse.

Exploring the deeper depths of the aquatic realm is for those adventurous divers...especially our current PADI Divemaster Candidates. During our divemaster program at Assava Dive Resort we offer special rates on obtaining PADI Specialty courses, that can also contribute to the Master Scuba Diver Rating. Ivy and Phillip take on the challenge and explore the 40m depth at Chumphon Pinnacle where they experienced use of reel lines and navigational techniques, and some fun nitrogen narcosis. The 4 dive specialty developed their knowledge on SAC rates, Rule of Thirds, Decompression Theory, Emergency Decompression and Deep Stops with use of SMB deployment and more... Come join in the fun with the PADI Deep Specialty Course.

You want to learn to scuba dive but you are limited on your time spent on Koh Tao - not to worry as the PADI Open water course can also be conducted via the PADI E-learning program. Prior to arrival you register online with PADI to take the PADI open water course and complete all the videos, knowledge reviews and quizzes online. You will also complete the Final Exam online and then you will receive a completion form. Once you arrive to our Assava Dive Centre we would then schedule the e-learning course for the pool and open water dives. The duration of the course can be completed over 2 or 3 days and this choice is yours. Day 1 : Quick Review/Paperwork and Confined pool session of skills Day 2 : Open water dives 1 & 2 to 12m Day 3 : Open water dives 3 & 4 to 18m By taking the E-learning option this gives you more time to enjoy and explore the island, as the course is practically only taking up 1/2 of your days.  Weronkia recently completed her PADI E-learning course with instructor Jack Van Geel. Here she had the opportunity to have fun learning the PADI open water course but also be able to explore the nearby bays for snorkelling, and hiking to the viewpoints with the free time available.

Becky, Tom and Leigh all worked hard to achieve their recent PADI Rescue Diver certification.  PADI Instructors Kelly-Anne Nickel and Marcus Pinewald with assisting Divemaster Candidates Kelley and Trevor made the course an intense, challenging, fun and very rewarding course.   The PADI Rescue Diver course is a 3 day program which includes learning how to develop personal dive skills and to recognize potential problems to either prevent them from occuring or solve the situation. The course is scheduled so that there is time to absorb all the theoretical information that is shown on the PADI Rescue Diver Videos and Knowledge workbook. Of course, there is a final exam and practical assessment.  During the course we begin with a confined pool session of all the rescue skills learning how to help a tired diver, panic diver on the surface and underwater, provide rescue breaths in water resuce and final scenarios including search patterns used to help locate a missing diver.  To take this course you only need to be 12 years old, be an Advanced Diver or Adventure Diver with Navigation training and have a current EFR (Emergency First Response course) or equivalent First Aid, CPR and Secondary Care certificaiton that is valid within a 2 year period. On completion of the PADI rescue course you will personally feel a sense of achievement in your own abilities to help others in difficult situations whilst diving and broaden your knowledge on how to evacuate divers that experience pressure related injuries or more.

Dive Master Exchange With Assava Dive Resort and Sail Rock Divers. Myself – Kelley and one other dive master candidate Marko, were the lucky ones selected to go from Assava Dive Resort on Koh Tao to Sail Rock Divers on Koh Phangan as part of an exchange program between our two PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centres. Two Divemaster Candidates from each school where chosen to experience how another dive shop is run and gain a different perception of how dive operations run at a new location and dive sites. I can't say enough good things about the experience it was truly the type of trip that money just can't buy. We arrived first thing in the morning and were picked up by Peter, one of their senor instructors, and shown around the shop. It was really interesting to see how another dive shop was set up and works. After a small tour of the area and a little breakfast at a local restaurant we went for an afternoon dive at one of the local dive sites called Mae Haad. We did a shore dive, was a fun experience since as this is not something that is common on Koh Tao. In the briefing before the dive we were given some basic tips on navigating the site and at some point during the dive we were both asked to lead the dive for a bit. It was a great experience for navigating a dive site that was not familiar to us. When we got back to the shop we were shown to our bungalows that we would stay in for the night. Both were just steps from the dive shop itself and very comfortable and spacious having separate bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms and even air-conditioning! After getting settled in to our rooms we were given scooters to borrow so that we could go explore the island of Koh Phangan. We drove for maybe 45 minutes and eventually ended up having lunch on a beautiful beach on the other side of the island. Having stayed on Koh Tao for some time, it was nice to be able to drive around for so long and see what a much larger island has to offer. On our return to the shop the Sail Rock staff put together a BBQ and social event to welcome us to the shop. Fantastic food and a great way to meet everyone and enjoy the little bar they have on site. Such amazing hospitality and everyone was so great and welcoming, it was a real joy. The next morning we headed out early to the dive boat - for Sail Rock, possibly one of the best dive sites this area has to offer. On board we had breakfast and lunch provided. When we got to Sail Rock, we had the opportunity to help with the dive site setup by securing buoys in a way that they wouldn't damage the reef and would allow them to do all the training skills that require the use of a line. After we had a great tour of the Sail Rock and all it has to offer. On our second dive we were lead by one of the dive master candidates from Sail Rock Divers for about half the dive then I had the chance to lead that was really fun and a great experience. We ended the dive with three friendly Whale Sharks and were also greeted by an amazing pod of Pilot Whales. Definitely more than we could have ever asked for! On the way back to the shop everyone's spirits were high from the truly spectacular dives but I couldn't help but feel a little sad that we would be leaving in a few hours. After meeting everyone and having such an amazing time, I would have loved to be able to stay for a few more days and continue to learn from the team there but all good things must come to an end. One thing is for sure, I will definitely be going back to visit Sail Rock Divers to do a few more dives with them and say hello!

The divemaster exchange, a chance for a group of Divemaster Candidates to experience the inner workings of another dive shop, but in reality it was so much more! Having spent the day two months at Sail Rock Divers on Koh Phangnan, this was a chance to experience something different! On arrival, Kelly-Ann Nickel, the instructor who would be looking after us, gave us a quick orientation of where everything was, pointing out the new renovations being completed to mark Assava Dive Resort's 20th anniversary. Next, we met Jack, the Dutch instructor whose fun divers we'd be helping out with. He showed us how they organised their equipment, made the crew lists and explained all the logistics of taking a group of people out on a dive. As per expectation, the main structure of it all was the same with its slight uniqueness - "same same, but different". Following was the part we'd been looking forward to, the diving! With Koh Tao being famous for its diving, boasting 74 dive shops on an island a third of the size of Koh Phangan, we knew we were in for a treat! First was Chumphon Pinnacle. An underwater pinnacle filled with diversity of the Thai Gulf: from the small lionfish to sting-rays and huge schools of fusiliers to reef sharks. This was an amazing introduction to diving on Koh Tao. Crystal clear water and abundance of underwater life. We then visited the HTMS Sattakut Wreck - A ship from WW2 donated to Koh Tao that was sunk to offer a diversity of dive sites for Koh Tao in 2011. This wreck has now become a habitat to many fish. Being our first wreck dive, we were very much excited. So much so that one of us decided to stay an extra few days to pursue the wreck specialty. This was also a chance to assist on an advanced open-water course. A big shout out to Elred, whose course we were helping out with, and is currently cycling from Singapore to Hong Kong - #cyclefoodfun. After the wreck dive, it was our chance to help on an Instructor Development Course (IDC). This was an opportunity to see what happens on an IDC should we wish to continue our diving education. Natalie Hunt, the PADI Course Director at Assava Dive Resort, would assign problems that the IDC candidates would have to spot and help us correct. Best of luck to you guys at the IE! Within the space of a few hours we'd already made three dives but there was still one more left today - a night dive. Once again we were helping out with Elred's night dive adventure dive. As the sunset in the far distance, Kelly made a dive briefing and in darkness we made our descent into the water. This was the last dive for Elred before he would set off on his travels. Congrats on earning your advanced open-water license! The morning after, slightly tired from the jam packed day and night of libations, we had two more dives to enjoy Koh Tao's amazing and plentiful dive sites. First we visited White rock once again but this time guided by sunlight. I was rather shocked to discover how much I missed the night before. This time it was my chance to have a fun dive with Ellie, a divemaster candidate at Assava. Then we went to dive at a site called Twins. A curious site with some man made structures mainly used for peak performance buoyancy lessons. Attractions like the "rocktapus" and hoops similar to that from a Harry Potter - quidditch game. It almost had a rather eerie feel of a disused amusement park. But alas it gave us a chance to test the expert watermanship skills required from a divemaster. Then there was one last surprise for me!  A taste of Burmese food! Not something that I expected I'd try on Koh Tao but was I in for a treat. Kelly and I decided to grab a Burmese curry just before I left. Blimey it was spicy! One of those dishes that tries to scare you off with the spices but gets you hooked regardless of the burning tongue. It was a brilliant way to finish off my exchange. Once again thank you to everyone at Assava Dive Resort for giving us an amazing time and many thanks to David Arnold, our PADI Course Director at Sail Rock Divers who helped organise this divemaster exchange. Special shout out to PADI Course Director Natalie Hunt and instructor Kelly Ann Nickel for organising the best two days! Cheers from Ollie and Jaeho!!!  (Divemaster Candidates from Sail Rock Divers)

It sometimes feels like you're not sure what to do next - possibly figuring out your next goal in life!  This is a natural process especially when you have just completed your school/university and wondering what is to follow... If you are uncertain about your the next step, then you may want to consider becoming a PADI Professional - and the first step is the PADI Divemaster Course. So where do you start? Firstly you will need to have the basic diving skills beginning with the PADI Open water , Advanced , EFR and Rescue Diver certifications. Once you have these then it's an easy start... The PADI Divemaster Course duration is around 4 weeks, but through Assava Dive Resort we offer the Divemaster Internship whereby you have the opportunity to learn and absorb all the information for an even longer period of time. Our divemaster candidates tend to stay from 4 weeks to 3 months on the program, learning to assist and supervise on real life dive courses to further develop their personal skills and knowledge on how to be a PADI Professional. We offer a flexible program to suit your schedule whilst on Koh Tao and on your travels through South East Asia. The program includes assisting on several courses from the PADI open water course to the Rescue Course, learning how to supervise and schedule courses with an instructor.  You will also learn the skills you will need once you become a Divemaster through the workshops - including Boat Master duties, skin diver and snorkelling programs, skill circuits, rescue assessments, scuba review workshops, discover scuba diving workshops and more. You will need to show your watership skills - your personal abilities with swimming and self rescue techniques. Along with all the practical workshops you will also have lectures on diving physics, physiology, dive skills & environment, decompression theory and use of the recreational dive planner and dive equipment. On completion you will need to sit two final exams as an assessment of your knowledge of these topics. Our current Divemaster Candidates have also become involved in the Koh Tao ecological programs - the Marine Debri underwater clean-ups and landclean ups especially at our "Project Aware - Adopt the Reef sites".  We offer several specialty programs both Eco - AWARE Marine Debri, AWARE Shark Conservation and Project Aware - Coral Reef Conservation specialties and Non-Eco Specialty programs to further develop your Divemaster Skills. During our PADI Divemaster Program we also offer our Divemaster Candidates the opportunity to gain experience in several other adventure dives and specialties including Wreck Diving, Search and Recovery, Night Diving, Deep Diving and more....Some candidates choose to apply for their PADI Master Scuba Diver rating alongside their Divemaster Professional Level.   Feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information about our Professional Programs.

Assava Dive Resort adapting to the new “Normal”. Now we are slowly opening for business at Assava Dive Resort and you may be wondering how we are adapting to the new “normal” here on Koh Tao.  What measures are in place to protect our guests and staff during the pandemic?  And how can we adapt boats, classrooms, resort rooms and public places to meet safety recommendations? Koh Tao is Covid free with no reported cases, so we want to keep it that way. Assava Dive Resort covers a vast area which stretches from the white sandy beaches to our mangrove nursery behind the resort.  It is easy to spread out and social distance. Our Cove Restaurant and Bar is all open air and spacious too, so you can enjoy being together, separately. Other than space, we have taken advice not only from PADI, but also other leading agencies, experts in this field, such as DAN (The Diver’s Alert Network), The World Health Organization, and following local Thai laws, as to what we should be doing to protect you during your stay.  Regarding general movement around the resort, hotel, restaurant, and reception, all areas have been cleaned and sterilized with social distancing measures in place. Staff and guests wear masks and will have their temperature taken on arrival.  At every corner you will find hand sanitizer for your personal use, and our Cove Restaurant sells hand sanitizer gels and face masks for your personal safety when moving around the Island.  Door handles, desk tops, restaurant tables and chairs, payment areas etc. are all disinfected throughout the day. With regards to our diving activities, we have added a few more measures on top of our already strict disinfecting regime.  Firstly, all divers have their own personal mouthpiece on their regulator.  This is removed after every day’s diving for you to take away, and the regulator is disinfected according to guidelines.  The equipment rinse tanks are changed more often with extra added disinfectant to sterilize your dive gear.  It is then thoroughly rinsed and hung with space in between to dry in our large drying area.  Classes are held in open air classrooms, some of which are next to the beautiful white sandy beach.  Reduced ratio classes make social distancing easier, plus give divers the added benefit of more personal tuition.  At the moment we are teaching at a ratio of 2 divers to 1 Instructor.  This allows everyone, including the Instructor, more time to enjoy courses. The Assava Dive Boat has a top and bottom deck providing plenty of room onboard to relax while staying a couple of metres away from each other.  During surface intervals we wear face masks and have hand sanitizer on board.  Instead of using spit to defog masks, we supply on eco friendly soap for all divers to use.   PADI have issued this “8 simple rules….” poster which we have posted on our boats and around the dive centre for our divers’ information.  There are some useful tips for divers to stay safe while enjoying our beautiful coral reefs around Koh Tao.   There is no need to social distance underwater.  We always dive close to our buddy and dive instructor for safety and enjoyment.  However, once positively buoyant on the surface, it’s masks on and regs in until we are on the boat, then swapping to our other masks on the boat. Many PADI diving courses involve skills which make social distancing difficult.  PADI have issued new guidelines to help adapt skills during this time to avoid close contact with fellow students. Assava Dive Resort has implemented these adaptations whilst managing to follow all course standards. When you are ready and able to return to Koh Tao, either for diving or simply to relax in paradise, rest assured that your health and well being are our priority.  We look forward to welcoming you back soon!

Ban’s and Assava partnered to bring together an amazing and committed group of divers to participate in a coral transplantation workshop. Throughout the day, we learned different techniques for identifying and transplanting viable coral fragments to promote growth and restoration in our reefs. The day began in the classroom where instructors taught the theory behind coral transplantation and briefed divers on the techniques we would use. Our dive began with a short buoyancy workshop followed by a point-out, where instructors helped identify recent recruits (growing baby coral!). We then identified and collected viable coral fragments that would be transplanted using the various techniques learned. Some fragments, particularly of branching corals like Staghorn, are fixed to underwater structures using zip ties. Other fragments, such as those from massive corals, are fixed to hard concrete blocks using epoxy. We also practiced techniques for mixing epoxy underwater using air-filled buckets and lot of concentration. Thanks to all the participants and instructors for making this course happen and for creating such a great environment for us to learn new techniques that can be used to support restoration of our reefs.

Everyone’s favourite tiny creature – The Nudibranch! The Assava Team hosted a “Nudi” day led by our amazing PADI Divemaster Manon Steenbergen. We started out in the classroom where we learned more about the Nudibranch. Did you know the word “nudibranch” means “naked gill” in reference to the tiny lungs that exist outside of their shell-less bodies?! There are more than 3,000 known species of Nudibranchs in the world, 130 of which can be found in the beautiful reefs around Koh Tao. Thanks to the collective experience of this day’s participants, we were armed with special tips on where these little creatures can most often be found. Next, the team headed out to two of Koh Tao’s dive sites, Green Rock, and Mango Bay on a “Nudi hunt” to look for, identify and photograph as many Nudies as we could find. We had a great day of learning, diving, and especially practicing our perfect buoyancy to get these shots! Article Cr: Shannon O’Hearn

SPOTLIGHT CORAL TRANSPLANTATION – CHALOK BAAN KAO ARTIFICIAL REEF In the month of April, Assava worked with Spotlight and New Heaven dive center to teach the process of coral transplantation on New Heaven’s artificial reef located in the heart of Chalok Bay. As a part of Spotlights ‘Eco Week’, the event was held to allow divers to learn about the importance of coral in our marine ecosystems as well as participate in the transplantation process. The divers were briefed on the different types of coral, artificial reef structures and transplantation techniques that exist in Koh Tao and beyond. The students were then taught the coral translation process, starting with establishing good buoyancy. Having solid neutral buoyancy is crucial to coral transplantation, as it ensures the diver can properly complete the transplantation process without harming the surrounding marine life. Therefore, the divers are asked to hover neutrally buoyant at the start of the dive as an exercise before the transplantation process. After this, the students learn how to identify ‘baby’ corals or recruits that are suitable to be transplanted onto the artificial reef. Recruits can be characterized as fragments of still-living coral that are broken off and found in the sand. Once the recruits have been collected, the divers use zip ties to attach the coral fragments to wire frames. The coral recruits are carefully positioned to give them the best chance of survival and growth. Thank you to all of the divers who participated in the event, and to Spotlight and New Heaven for helping organize and make the event possible. We are looking forward to more opportunities to educate divers on eco programs throughout Koh Tao to help keep our reefs healthy!

The PADI Fish Identification Specialty is available to PADI Open Water Certified divers who are looking to gain more knowledge on marine life that is seen while diving. Fish Identification students will learn how to identify characteristics of fish, gain knowledge on survey techniques, and familiarize themselves with PADI Aware and how to protect marine life. At Assava, divers are introduced to the local fish species such as butterfly fish, angel fish, groupers, wrasse and more. The dive leader will point out different species to the student during the dive, and the students are asked to note the different behaviors, shapes, and patterns of fish species in order to differentiate between them. Thanks to the abundance of fish species that are present around Koh Tao, students are able to witness different behaviors such as fish that travel in schools and those that travel alone. Obtaining this specialty is an asset to one's diving journey as it allows divers to be more aware of the marine ecosystem, and can help them notice the differences between various dive sites. Students can also learn about the different corals present in the ecosystem such as hard and soft corals. This specialty is a two-dive course that can count towards Advanced Open Water training, and is a great step toward becoming a more aware and knowledgeable diver. Our fish identification page: CLICK HERE

Thomas Geraghty and Ivan Alexis both completed their Master Scuba Diver Trainer certification (MSDT with Natalie Hunt Course Director at Sunshine Divers 5 Star IDC Centre. Tom and Ivan completed several specialties including Deep, Night, Navigation, Search & Recovery, Wreck, Nitrox, O2 Provider and Digital Underwater Photography. They will choose 5 specialties or more to obtain their MSDT certification. Presently completing their internship so that they can obtain the minimum of 25 certifications to obtain their MSDT rating, but also to gain the further experience to enhance their current diving skills and knowledge for teaching others. Congrats Tom and Ivan....

The PADI Instructor Development Course entails several segments including Academic Presentations, Confined Presentation and Open Water Presentations.  Each of these segments are eventually evaluated by the PADI Examiners that travel worldwide to assess each instructor candidate on their skills. At Sunshine Divers we prepare all candidates by conducting several presentations in each category. However on their final days prior to the PADI instructor examination we also have a Mock IE, whereby candidates are evaluated by a PADI Course Director or PADI Master Instructor and on some occasions PADI Regional Managers so that they already have an understanding on the structure of the examination and what to expect. This past Mock IE was conducted at Bans Diving Resort pool facilities with Course Director Guillaume Fargues and PADI Regional Manager Tim Hunt.  It was a great day for Candidates - Sandy, Mike, Tina, Tyson, Galia, Remco (Sunshine Divers) and Par from (Bans Diving Resort) and Rich (Staff Instructor) to all get together and present their confined water skills.

The PADI Instructor Development Course as the acronym IDC represents, is the  Development  of each individual candidates skills and knowledge.  Although on completion of the Divemaster program - we all understand the fundamentals of how to be a responsible leader, demonstrate critical attributes for skills and be confident with rescue techniques, it is still necessary to understand how to recognize when beginner divers are ready to become independent divers. The PADI Instructor Development Program is broken into segments to ensure that candidates learn both academic, confined and open water presentations, but again the IDC is a training ground to that of the Real World.  That is why the MSDT program, also known as the PADI Master Scuba Diver Training Program broadens the knowledge and skill of PADI Instructors - learning more about each Adventure Dives or Specialty options available to offer to new divers. The includes 5 or more specialties in the training, although to register with PADI on completion you will need only 5 specialties and 25 certifications. This is where the internship option is valuable. At Sunshine Divers, we offer the MSDT and Internship program together, so on completion of the PADI MSDT - candidates may continue with interning, (assisting on courses with experienced instructors - learning how to teach in a classroom, pool and open water with real students). During the training you will learn to follow a complete PADI Open Water Course structure ( group sizes will vary from 2 to up to 10 students, where you will team teach, and on completion obtain the course certifications, to add to your credentials. The internship program duration is really dependent on your time schedule and of course we would hope you would continue to obtain as many certifications for your ratings, but also the experience to help you teach independently with confidence in the future. Congrats to Recent IDC Candidates : (Tyson Young, Tina Mueller, Sandy Wahrenberger, Galia Gazizova, Mike Drobynka, Remco Cornelisse) Congrats to Recent MSDT & Internship Candidates: (Adam Fulcher, Thomas Geraghty, Ivan Alexis, Tyson Young, Galia Gazizova, Mike Droybnka)

Thank you to all the PADI Instructors from Sunshine Divers and Bans Diving Resort, who recently attended the Internal Staff Update conducted by Course Directors, Guillaume Fargues, Michael Richardson and Natalie Hunt on the 5th March 2015. The recent update was conducted to inform PADI Instructors of the most recent changes to the Classic PADI Open water course - which is now referred to at the Revised PADI Open water course. New PADI materials including the PADI Videos, PADI Open water manuals both hard copy and digital and PADI Instructor Materials are now available (and in several languages) to be implemented within our dive centres. A classroom session was conducted to bring attention to the importance of following PADI Standards to ensure student safety and dive centre credibility. With the new additional skills including weight belt drop, surface marker deployment, and the mini dive, we will find that schedules of the dive program will be adjusted to ensure student divers are able to fulfill performance requirements. Following the classroom a short demonstration of these skills were exhibited in the confined pool environment to give instructors options on how to integrate these skills which will only benefit student divers. As all certified PADI instructors have access to the PADI site, we strongly suggest you keep updated by completing the PADI Member Forum 2015 and Instructor Development Updates that are found on www.padimembers.com Once again a big thank you to those instructors who attended and we look forward to the successful implementation of the New Revised Open water course within our Dive Centres, - Sunshine Divers S-6153 and Bans Diving Resort S-2645 PADI Instructors participating in the Update March 5 2015

Congrats to Kelly-Ann Nickel on her recent achievement as PADI Master Scuba Diver! Kelly completed her training with a  flexible schedule whilst maintaining her employment as a PADI freelance instructor. On the odd days availalbe and where possible with her PADI Course Director Natalie Hunt, Kelly was able to achieve her Specialty Instructor ratings for: Enriched Air Nitrox, Self- Reliant, Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, AWARE Marine Debri and AWARE Shark Conservation. As Kelly is a Marine Biologist, her specialty instructor ratings for the Eco programs including Project Aware, Coral Reef Conservation and the Marine Debri and Shark Awareness will compliment her teaching these programs to her student divers taking the PADI Open water course or PADI Advanced Course, introducing them to how to preserve our oceans and marine ecosystems. With our recent visit from Jack Fishman from Project Aware - Kelly further broadened her knowledge on the Marine Debri Awareness program after conducting the clean up underwater dive at Lighthouse Bay. Data from this dive was then added to the Assava Dive Resort - My Ocean Page. https://www.padi.com/aware Apart from participating in the ECO programs, Kelly developed her personal skills with the Self-Reliant course that was conducted in 2 days. Here you learn how to dive using a redundant air source.  Along with having the independent skills of diving solo, she also took on the Wreck Specialty - to have the opportunity to penetrate and explore inside the wrecks that we have on Koh Tao - especially the HTMS Sattakut Wreck. If interested in becoming a PADI Professional please contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In Thailand, there are laws to protect corals everywhere including Marine Protected Areas (MPA's). Though hard to enforce, one of the laws forbids the moving of coral. After the massive coral bleaching event of 2010 here on Koh Tao, and around the world's tropical seas, local government decided to ask for help from different dive schools on Koh tao. Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) and the Prince of Songkhla University decided to include SKT and participating dive schools in a program to promote the rehabilitation of coral reefs. Sunshine Dive Resort is one of the dive schools with special permission from the Thai government to work with coral and construct coral nurseries. Recently, SKT's Chad Scott gave a Coral Nursery Techniques Workshop so that those participating dive schools could continue to educate their instructors and DMT's here were not here in 2010. The workshop was very thorough covering coral health, monitoring and growth. After the lecture the group actually building coral nurseries from wire and pvc pipes. Participating from Sunshine were David Scanlan, Tamara May, Sarah Van Name and Jacabo Sanchez.

Sunshine Divers continues to be at the forefront of environmental issues. As an Eco Operator, we make it our mission to implement environmental practices and to provide our customers with experiences to enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the (underwater) environment. Sunshine Divers continue to work closely inline with Project AWARE (the dive industry's non profit organization dedicated to conserving underwater environments) and also 'SAVE KOH TAO' – a local organization concerned with local environmental issues. Sunshine team members are always present on the frequent Beach and Underwater clean ups, ready to lend a hand Your friend, Sunshine Divers, has invited you to join a global movement of divers on My Ocean, Project AWARE's eco-networking site. To become a member and to set up your profile, click the link below or paste it into the address bar of your browser. https://www.padi.com/aware Please join the movement.

Every year the Save Koh Tao Foundation co-ordinates most dive schools and local enterprises in creating and participating in a Festival to bring Awareness about the environment above and below the ocean. The Mr. and Miss Save Koh Tao Contest, was to increase awareness about Recycling, and how to Reuse products and to Reduce waste. The aim is to encourage an Eco Friendly Environment, and emphasize reduction of use of plastic bottles (mostly water bottles)  plastic bags and straws. Several dive centres participated in this event and representing Sunshine Divers was Manuel Tobolars ( our last years Eco Man). With the creativity and design from P. Wam who was last years designer and maker for Bans Diving Resort / Darawan Restaurant costumes, Manuel won this years contest. The Costume is the attire worn by a well known King of Thailand. It was made from coke can parts including the can caps, the helmet was made from Coconut, the body shield made from plastic bottles, and the undergarment was made from rice sacks. A lot of thought and detail went into this design. So Thank you P. Wam for your help. To Compliment his the outfit as part of the competition, Manuel had to discuss an item that was created to show ways on how to reuse items.Sarah Van Name put together a small garden that can be made from plastic egg containers, soil and plant seeds to produce herbs or small plants. This container is a great starting point for growing plants from scratch, and easy for anyone to do. Thank You to everyone for their participation in this event.

Once again the Festival Performances were a HIT! Thanks to Rosemary Allen from The Film Co,  diving on Koh Tao for her time, patience and creativity for this performance. Sunshine Divers and sister school Ban's Diving Resort put on a Dance Performance from the hit single "FOOTLOOSE", although it was transformed to  "FINLOOSE" to help create awareness on how to protect the aquatic environment and the importance of buoyancy control. This performance is a yearly event and we hope that you will be able to join us next year at the Save Koh Tao Festival - 2013.

The Project AWARE Shark Conservation specialty is something every diver or professional should have if you ask me (Dutch instructor at Sunshine). Its a very informative, interested and amazing course. I had the honor to get taught by Marine biologist and Master Instructor Mike Richardson at BAN's Diving resort. Why is it important to learn more about Sharks?! Well...in short: "The future of sharks hinges on holding shark fishing and trade to sustainable levels.  Sharks are crucial to marine ecosystems. They maintain a balance in populations of prey species and keep the ocean healthy by removing ill or diseased animals. The best way to ensure an end to finning is to require that sharks are landed with their fins still “naturally” attached. Fishing limits must be guided by science and reflect a precautionary approach. Investing in shark research, catch reporting and protect vital shark habitats will help. And last, but most definitely not least, you can help by thinking twice before buying shark products". All this and more information during this specialty course will inspire you to become a shark conservation advocate, provide information on the value of sharks to the marine environment and to local economies and introduce you to management approaches that can protect sharks. So this course is a "must do" for any scuba diver around the world! If you want more information about this course, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It's a one day program with theory in the morning and diving in the afternoon in which we introduce you to the sharks on Koh Tao.

As we help celebrate Project AWARE’s 25th Anniversary, there is no better time to lend a hand by tackling the issue of marine debris. Like many other PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centres, at Sunshine Divers we integrate reef conservation in our everyday activities. Now our team has taken the next step toward a cleaner underwater environment – we’ve “Adopted a Reef”. This means that we have committed not only to cleaning our reef, but to regularly recording and sharing the rubbish-collecting data with Project Aware. It is a fairly straight forward initiative if you’re interested in joining the movement.  Step One: Make the commitment. It’s not a one-off clean-up (although that is still a great thing to organise), rather it is a repeated effort to visit the same reef at regular intervals. This helps good intention evolve into scientific practice. Step Two. Clean, clean, clean. With guidelines from Project Aware, organised underwater cleans-ups can be conducted in a safe, responsible and fun manner. Even better, divers returning to Koh Tao and our local dive sites year after year, will now be able to see their hard work making a difference in the exact same stretch of reef. Step Three: Record and report. With some very simple tools and forms (free of charge and downloadable on projectware.org), the type and quantity of trash removed now needs to be shared. By recording and reporting, this information can now be used by the Project AWARE team to make policy change. We also keep our online community involved by sharing these clean-up stories on our My Oceans page https://www.padi.com/aware Citizen science is the way forward on route to a cleaner reef. If you do take the leap and “Adopt a Reef”, we hope you have as much fun as we have at Sunshine Divers organising regular events for guests and staff. Together we can make a difference. 

A fantastic Day caring for our planet supported by the local community on Koh Tao. Assava Divers Adopt the Reef Dive Site - Lighthouse Bay was our focus and majority collected was plastic bottles. We then continued to Green Rock dive site and found that there was little plastic yet more fishing line and netting around the pinnacles. Thank you to the divers involved in helping with the land and underwater clean up followed by the evening festivities at Hacienda & Koh Tao Leisure Park, where money was raised toward creating a plastic free island, and recycling facility for the Koh Tao Community.

From metal straws to dive site clean ups Assava Dive Resort is doing our part to keep Koh Tao clean. Assava Dive Resort has been working continuously to build our eco programs since 2007 when we did our first underwater and shore clean up dive. The ‘dive against debris’ led to the adoption of the dive site Lighthouse Bay in 2013 in partnership with Project AWARE Asia Pacific. The Lighthouse Bay adoption involves a commitment to organizing free dives at the site once a month where divers collect man made items found on the reef.  Student divers can also receive a PADI AWARE certification card for a 10 dollar fee which is donated to shark conservation and the collection of marine debris. The most recent clean up occurred on March 1st 2018 in support of the Save Koh Tao festival, where divers collected a total of 286 kilograms of debris from the dive site and shore. Participants were shocked at the number of plastic water bottles, tires, and fishing line brought back to the boat. The most surprising collection, however, was the 96 flip flops found. At the end of the day there was so much trash collected that some of the divers couldn’t fit on the first speedboat sent to bring them back to shore and had to wait for a second one to ferry them back. Assava’s eco programs don’t end with clean ups, and include small steps to help prevent the debris from occurring in the first place. In October of 2017 we replaced all plastic straws with metal ones in our restaurant The Cove. This small initiative helps to reduce single use plastics at the resort. The Cove furthered this initiative by offering a reusable take away container with breakfast meals, allowing early morning divers to skip the disposable plastic containers. The signature ‘Divers Take Out’ includes a cheese and tomato toasty, fruit salad, and orange juice, and is a house favourite. Assava’s most recent initiative was a fundraiser barbeque which raised 250 Australian dollars for Project AWARE Asia Pacific, and 500 US dollars for Crystal Divers Koh Tao to create the newest addition to Koh Tao’s local artificial reef Junkyard. Artificial reefs are becoming increasingly important with the threats facing our ocean. Submerged man made structures allow a base for coral to grow upon, and have the bonus effect of creating a new environment for divers to explore. What’s next for Assava Dive Resort? Currently the resort is undergoing a makeover, and eco improvements are at the forefront of the planning, with the goal of making Assava carbon neutral. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TripAdvisor, to check on our progress.

At Assava Dive Resort we offer the Project AWARE - Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course which is a one day program and can be only theoretical knowledge or we can include a dive where you have the opportunity to explore the reefs of Koh Tao.  Our marine biologist Kelly-Anne Nickel Recently certified our Assava PADI Divemaster Candidates : Ivy, Kelley, Ellie and Jamie where they discussed the following topics: * Importance of Coral Reefs* Understanding Coral* Complex Nature of Life on the Coral Reef* Coral reefs in Peril* Ways to protect the reef as a scuba diver and snorkeler.* How Project AWARE is working to protect reefs and how you can help out. Contact us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  if you are interested in taking this program with us.

Take Action and Join the Project Aware Movement with Assava Dive Resort. At Assava Dive Resort we offer the AWARE Shark Conservation program which may be conducted in one or two days and includes learning about Sharks and how to we should interact with them, along with 2 open water dives.  Fortunately we are able to offer dives at a few dive sites where we have the opportunity to interact with Whalesharks and Black Tip Reef Sharks. What you'll learn: How to help our shark friends Why Sharks are in peril and why we should care The conservation status of sharks The life history traits that make sharks vulnerable The importance of Sharks to the marine ecosystems How to manage threats and recognize values The Key Management strategies to help protect sharks The Value of Sharks to our local economies  Removing common misperceptions of sharks that are a barrier to conservation. Well done to our recently certified students for the AWARE Shark Specialty Conservation - Naglaya, Wouter, Ivy and Phillip with PADI Instructor Marcus Pinewald.

"My friend and I have just recently returned from travelliing around Asia.  We loved Thailand and in particular the island of Koh Tao on the east coast. Before we arrived on Koh Tao we knew it was one of the dive capitals of the world and always wanted to do a dive. Never did we imagine what the next 2 weeks of our stay would entail. WE stayed in Chalok bay and did our diving with SUNSHINE DIVERS.  All the diving instructors were so friendly, welcoming and as soon as we arrived we were immediately accepted into this new diving family! We had a truly inspirational instructor by the name of bastiaan van der Kuijl.  His enthusiasm and passsion made the diving even more exciting and memorable. Not only was he a great teacher but he also taught us to enjoy the experience and have fun! After 2 days of the open water dive course we felt confident enough to sign up to the advanced open water course.  He made us feel so safe and comfortable in the water, we have only just go hoe but we are already planning our next dive holiday back to Koh Tao, Sunshine Divers & Bastiaan." Florence Laidler & Inessa Goodman  - PADI Advanced Open Water DIvers

What a fantastic hands on experience rewarded by all 11 candidates passing the IE with flying colours. I want to firstly thank Natalie and Guillaume for such a thorough and well thought out course. Their expertise in teaching Instructors is second to none. I cannot praise them or the course enough. The structure, the way they allow you to feel very much apart of teaching others and even let you assign the problems for "bad students" was lots of fun. I went from hating physics to being the "physics guru" with the candidates confiding in me any concerns they had. As a team we overcame individual problems and provided extra tuition where needed. This company has a real team spirit and I would encourage anyone wishing to climb the PADI ladder to consider their course with  Sunshine Divers and Ban's Diving Resort. I promise you, you will not get better. Thanks again Natalie Hunt and Guillaume Fargues Rebecca WastallPADI Staff Instructor  ( April 2017)

I have had such a great time doing my PADI-IDC and PADI-MSDT on Koh Tao. It is an intense course, so it’s great to be in a place with such great life and people from all over the world. I made so many friends here! The class prepared me so well I aced the Instructor Exam. Natalie Hunt was my mentor for the program and gave me really personalized attention. And even now that I’m working she remains available to answer my questions and offer support. I can teach 8 specialties thanks to the MSDT program and that really helps getting work. I left the course feeling confident and ready to teach. Oh, and the whale sharks here won’t leave me alone! It actually takes a bit of luck to spot one, but in only two months here, I’ve seen four! Socrates Diamant - March 2017

"After getting my OW at Sunshine a year ago, I was ecstatic to be able to return and take my EFR, Rescue and PADI Dive Master courses. The DM training at Sunshine exceeded all my expectations; taking me from being a 'fun' type diver to a dive professional devoted to assisting students and instructors, and sharing my passion for the sport. The personalized style of teaching, the attention to detail, the importance of being a role model and positively encouraging the students and each other - all these things and many more make Sunshine the very best dive school on Tao. But Sunshine is much more than that; it is a global 'family' of people dedicated to this fantastic sport, to helping their students and to each other. This is a very special place, an exceptional place, with very special people. My primary mentors were Mark and Jack, with a lot of support from Nat and the rest of the incredibly tight team of dive professionals there. I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for what I learned from these good folks. Thank all of you so much!" Bill Piccolo - PADI Divemaster - April 2017

Since my PADI Divemaster Training at Sunshine Dive Resort and then my PADI Instructor Development Course at Ban's Diving Resort, I've worked as instructor in Saint Martin, Tobermory Ontario, and Calgary Alberta.  I wasn't sure I'd work in the industry when I decided to do Divemaster. The way I saw it was that it was a great way to get a lot of diving in during my stay on Koh Tao. At the time I didn't realized how much of a great social environment it would be and how living and diving with other dmt's would shape my love for the industry. I quickly came to value all the workshops and skill practice, it's the best way to become a better and more confident diver. I'll never forget my first dive lead with paying customers. It was such a rewarding feeling to take divers out and show them a good (and safe) time. It was then that I really discovered my passion for teaching others, so i decided to do my IDC and MSDT. IDC was a grind. It was riddled with long days and long skill circuits, but while others felt stressed and overwhelmed, I was confident in our training. Nat, G, and Mike were excellent teachers and they helped us become better divers and better teachers. They strive to pass knowledge onto new instructors in a comfortable and patient setting. When certain individuals struggled, the entire class would help one another, and it built a great sense of camaraderie.  MSDT was a good way to get experience teaching real people. I shadowed some senior instructors for a few weeks and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience. They helped shape the way I teach my students today. Without this program, it would have been difficult to jump right into teaching, and I'm glad I did it (Not to mention the free drinks and delicious meal at Fishbowl after completing a student cert!).

LEFEVRE YOAN  Instructor Development Course at Sunshine Divers December 2011, with Natalie Hunt & Tim Hunt "Hello, my name is Yoan and I just finished my IDC in Koh Tao with Sunshine Divers. Thanks to Natalie Hunt, I am a happy and proud instructor because she was very helpfull with everything, during the course and before the course helping in everything I needed for the Instructor Course. It was a successfull course and I enjoyed it because the staff was professional and the organisation was perfect. I was scared about the english because it's not my mother language, but I had some french and spanish support with the staff instructor and I could choose the language of the exam. Thanks Sunshine and Natalie! I really recommend!"

"In June 2010 I completed my Instructor Development Course with the enthusiastic Course Director and Manager of Sunshine Divers Natalie Hunt. Starting with fun scenarios for the EFR Instructor, learning standards through to academic presentations all done in our gazebo on the beach. Sunshine offered me a relaxed atmosphere for this course and with only 4 candidates per group allowed us to ask Natalie or Staff Instructors all the questions we needed and get the constructive criticism we needed to be good instructors. I found my Instructor course to be the best PADI course I have taken, I learned so much and had confidence in my training and Instructors but more importantly I really enjoyed it."

After doing my PADI Open Water and PADI Advanced Open water course with Sunshine Divers, I knew that this was the place I was going to complete my Divemaster Training. I've always really appreciated the family like atmosphere around the dive school and whoever passes through to complete any course here will always be introduced with such professionalism and positive feelings. I started my PADI Divemaster Course straight after completing my PADI Rescue Diver program at the start of this year and overall it took around 8 weeks to complete. I had a steady balance of taking my time and really enjoying all the dive sites around Koh Tao and gaining the experience to make sure I was proactive and always assisting courses and helping out whenever I was needed. My favourite part of the Divemaster Course was assisting the senior members of staff on their courses whether it was a PADI Discover Scuba Diving Program, PADI Open Water,  PADI Advanced or PADI Rescue Divers Course.  I also enjoyed the chance to help out in the PADI Instructor Development Course as a problem student where i really gained further assurance in my personal ability as a PADI Divemaster. I will treasure the whole experience forever and I am very grateful for all the senior members of staff, the DMT's/ DM's around me at the time of my internship and all the friends I have made throughout my training that helped me in their individual ways!  I am now currently working at Sunshine Divers as a PADI Divemaster and I'm loving every minute of it! Sam Gozzett - June 2016

"My wife Angela & I wanted to write to you following our recent  trip to oh Tao where we had a wonderful time diving with Sunshine.  We wanted to thank you and your staff for making our trip a wonderful one.  Everyone we encountered (Kim, Ollie, David, Bruno, Joe & Others) made us feel very welcome and helped to make our experience very memorable.  We both want to especially thank Mark & Bec Wastall, the two Divemaster that led the majority of our dives, they were absolutely fantastic to dive with.  WE found their enthusiasm for diving infectious, their briefings to be thorough & professional, their commitment to helpin us dive safely to be comforting, their desire to help us find & interact with interesting species and sites consistent, they also helped us with our gear, found my lost weights (more than once), never failed to sign & stamp our log books but most of all they were just plain fun to be with for our entire stay! We were ucky enough to enjoy the ultimate Koh Tao dive experience - Diving with a Whale Shark! We have to mention that during the Whale Shark Dive there was amazing energy and unbelievable excitement everywhere.  WE were very impressed that even with the overwhelming excitement and chaos surrounding the experience, Mark (who was our Divemaster), never waivered in his responsibilities. He continually made sure that we were aware of our surroundings (boats, many divers etc. ) checked our air consumption, time, etc even when it would have been understandable that he might forget when trying to enjoy the wonderful experience himself! Please pass along our heartfelt gratitude to both Mark & Bec, they were a huge factor in making our trip and our diving experience the best we have had.  Thanks you again for helpin to make our trip so wonderful!" Angela Wood & David Rodgers

3 weeks holiday in Ko Tao …. let’s do a few dives but don’t take on too much - we’ve got time! And go….. We arrive at Assava Dive Centre, move into our bungalow on the beach and meet the fantastic people who work there.  Two dives later the little voice in Trevor’s head that’s been nagging him to complete his Dive Master Certfication becomes the shout that gets him to sign up.  I can just do some fun dives …. or I can do my Rescue Certification.  Yes, lets’ do that!  Some theory, some pool work, some exams and some fun, challenging dives with great diving buddies and guides and !BOOM!  I’m a Rescue Diver.  Now I can just do some fun dives …. or I can qualify as a Master Scuba Diver and supplement my existing Specialities with 3 more.  Some shots from the final Underwater Digital Photography of the Instructor Dive Candidate skills and Search and Recovery dives.  Thank you to the Nat, Kelly, Marcus and all the amazing staff and friends at Assava Dive Centre for helping me achieve a pipe dream I didn’t even know I had!  What a rush - I am a MSD.

Whilst visiting Koh Tao, you may want to explore our gorgeous underwater rock formations at Chumphon Pinnacles. At varying depths you will see the underwater species “The Lionfish” also knows as the turkeyfish, tigerfish, dragonfish, scorpionfish, and butterfly cod.   Mostly found in warm waters in the western and central Pacific oceans, the Lionfish is a predatory fish hunting on smaller fish with its venomous spines.   Although beautiful to look at and wonderful for underwater photos, they can cause direct or indirect damage to coral reefs with their elevated reproduction, all year round spawning and their feeding habits due to the lack of their predators.   The Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) has distinctive stripes (bands) covering its body, alternating white and dark (dark red to brown or black). It has fleshy tentacles above its eyes ad below its mouth. The Pterois volitans has many sharp spines on its dorsal (back) anal and pelvic (lower sides) fins. Venom glands are located along grooves of each spine. If a spine punctures a victim, the venom enters the wound causing intense pain and swelling. To treat this we apply hot water to the area and seek medical assistance. Come join us and visit the Koh Tao Chumphon Pinnacles to have the opportunity to view these beautiful dancing creatures.

Congratulations to Assava Dive Resort on winning the PADI World-Wide Master Scuba Diver Challenge 2018. Several of our student divers who held their EFR and Rescue Diver certification along with the required 50 logged dives, took on the challenge and learned 5 PADI Specialty Courses to achieve the MSD Rating. PADI Specialty courses that we offered through Assava Dive Resort included the Underwater Navigator, Peak Performance Bouyancy, Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Night Diver, Search & Recovery Diver, Self-Reliant Diver, DSMB Specialty Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox Diver and Sidemount Specialty Diver, are just a few options that were chosen by our guests. Here is a Testimonial from one of our Master Scuba Diver Candidates – Ellie Jo Woods   During my DMT I had the pleasure of meeting some inspirational people and making some incredible friends. As I was working full time, Platinum Course Directors Natalie Hunt and Minni Vansgaard, helped to design a programme of study that kept me on track but accommodated my teaching job at Koh Tao International Primary. This meant that the majority of my diving was done on weekends, with meetings and theory during weekday evenings. While this meant I was always busy (something that anyone here will agree with!) I was busy doing something that I’d fallen in love with and found truly inspiring. Working with a range of MSDTs and Instructors (Kelly Ann Nickel, Jack Van Geel, Simon Bard, Devon Whittam and Marcus Pinewald) allowed me to learn so much from people that had developed their own teaching style and had different levels of experience. I was able to conquer my own fears (mask exchange in the stress test being the main one) through their patient guidance, advice, and utilise different tips they gave the students I assisted. The team at Assava all have different interests and specialisms and have inspired me to teach my class about marine conservation and they role we all to play in it. I have been able to use my burgeoning passion to make contacts with a variety of dive shops and establish workshops and eco weeks to educate the children on the island about ecology. Often finding any DMT, customer or instructor at the Assava Dive Centre with a special skill or interest to come to school and run workshops and presentations with the kids. Adding to the Assava family experience, were the other DMTs I’ve met and the friends I’ve made. Working with a huge range of people, from gap year students Jamie Philips, Ivy Stein and Philip Wurst who I started my DMT with to legends Trevor Hodgson, Leigh White and Megan Pearce, travelling the world in between jobs, who helped me complete it. I have reached some amazing diving and personal milestones with these people and shared experiences that I will remember forever – including the classic 100th dive challenge. Once I started my DMT and developed confidence in my abilities as a diver, I set myself the challenge of completing both my Dive Master and Master Scuba Diver within 13 months of my DSD. To achieve my MSD I only needed to complete 5 specialties, as I had racked up my dive numbers during my DMT. The Assava team’s passion for the ocean and what they do motivated me to complete my Wreck, Nitrox, Deep, Coral Conservation and Shark Conservation specialties with MSDT Kelly Ann Nickel in September – 13 months after my DSD experience. Her passion for her job and her knowledge as a Marine Biologist ensured that I learnt as much as possible during my specialties and she was able to help me deepen the knowledge and understanding I had gained during my DMT. I was able to work with Connor Yamamoto, Kelley Houghton and Leigh White to achieve my MSD rating and help Assava Dive Resort win the worldwide MSD challenge! To celebrate this achievement we cracked out the BBQ and Natalie Hunt presented us with our MSD prizes, to add to my growing PADI swag collection. We were given our very own PADI backpack with two shirts and cap (score!). I can’t thank the people I worked with enough for their time, patience, knowledge and most of all friendship during my first year on Koh Tao. They made my DMT and MSD truly unforgettable experiences, making friends and memories that will last for years. Although I would like to see more than one whale shark next year– but you can’t have it all, even if you’re living the dream. Ellie Jo Woods – PADI Divemaster and PADI Master Scuba Diver - 2018 

Hi, my name is Eileen. I live in Australia and am currently on an internship at ASSAVA Dive Resort.  My experience so far has been amazing! All the instructors and the resort staff have been amicable and kind. Recently I have just completed my PADI Discover Scuba Diving program, which was an enjoyable experience. It was fantastic to see and explore the underwater world and enjoy the feeling of weightlessness and see the colourful corals and fishes swimming within my arms reach.   My internship at Assava Dive Resort consisted of learning more about diving, how a dive centre operates, how to interact with customers at the Resort and customer services in a restaurant.  It is such an enjoyable experience to be able to enjoy gorgeous tropical beaches of Thailand while doing my work as an intern. Yes, that's right,  Assava has a beachfront office and restaurant! Awesome right? Well, the food here is even better! As many have known Thai food is one of the most delicious food in the world. And being here in Thailand, I was able to fulfill my desire for Thai food.     I've been given this opportunity to intern at Assava Dive Resort and do a PADI Open Water Course, as part of my internship to have a deeper understanding of what the course is like. And how to better understand what customers will be experiencing as a diver and be able to communicate with the customers easily on the topic. I am currently just starting the interning at the dive centre, but I will be rotating around in the future.   Thank You, Assava Dive Resort and  staffs for letting me intern and experience a lot of new things and for looking after me during my stay here!

Assava Dive Resort was recently presented the Aqua Master Partnership appreciation certification by Michael Chambers, aka –Tex, from our local Aqua Master Koh Tao distributor. Aqua Master is recognized as the leader in high quality diving, snorkeling and swimming equipment. Since 1997, Aqua Master has been the Aqua Lung distributor for a wide range of products to cover all diving, snorkeling and swimming needs within Thailand. Aqua Lung is the name that first introduced the world to Scuba diving more than 60 years ago when Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan developed the first “Aqua-Lung”.  The excitement and adventurous spirit of that first dive continues today and is relected in Aqua Lung’s dedication to quality and innovation. Through Assava Dive Resort and The Scuba Store located on Koh Tao, we can provide you with a variety of quality dive equipment.  As you start to learn to scuba dive, taking your PADI Dive course programs, you may want to invest in your own dive gear.   Check out this link for promotions and equipment selections along with Aqua Lung Technician courses.  https://www.facebook.com/AquamasterKT/

Whale sharks The whale shark is a shark species classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is the largest of all fish species in the world and can measure up to 19,6 meters. Whale sharks are estimated to live up to 130 years, which means the reach sexual maturity later in life when they are around 25-30 years old. Very little is known about their mating and is extremely rare to see but was recorded for the first-time last year in June outside of Ningaloo Reef, Australia. Females give birth to live young where the eggs hatch inside of the female before birth (ovoviviparous). Just like within other shark species, the pups don’t stay with their mother after birth. However, baby whale sharks are a mystery. As mentioned before, scientists still know very little about how whale sharks reproduce, where they mate, and where they give birth. Here on Koh Tao divers are sometimes lucky to spot a whale shark, although locals do not all agree on when the best time of the year to see them are. Some believe it’s in February, others in April or October. What most people agree on though is that many of the sightings around Koh Tao are juvenile/younger adult whale sharks, meaning they are rarely over 6 meters long. Still, seeing one of these gentle giants during a dive makes you feel like a tiny individual… Here on Koh Tao, and worldwide, photo identification is used as a research tool to estimate population sizes and to giving information about moving/migration patterns, since each whale shark has individual patterns. This means that the general citizen can contribute to science, by sharing their photos of whale sharks to research groups. Here on Koh Tao, that research group is called Koh Tao Whale Sharks.  The main threats to the shark worldwide are human intrusion and disturbances (recreational activities like snorkelling) and biological resource use like targeted fishing and harvesting of aquatic resources. According to the Department of Marine and Costal Resources, Thailand have around 100 whale sharks roaming in their waters. The Indo-Pacific population have an estimated decline of around 50 % over the last three generation (75 years). Studies show that the annual catch rate from commercial Whale Shark fisheries in Taiwan have had a significant decrease (of around 58 %) between 1997 and 2001. Also, a decline in mean size and length was noted in Chinese waters, where mean size before 2004 was 8.27 m compared to 6.3 m between 2008-2011.  Provisioning (feeding) whale sharks is a fairly common method in some areas in the world to attract tourist by keeping the sharks in the same area all year-round. Whale sharks in Oslob, Philippines are fed >300 kg of uyap (sergestid shrimp) daily (6AM to 12PM, year-round). In the wild, whale sharks do not solely eat shrimp but thrive on a varied diet including other zooplankton, fish eggs, crab eggs, small fish and krill.  One of the main problems with the provisioning industry around whale sharks it that it effects the whale shark’s natural behaviour by interrupting migration patterns that is vital for the breeding of the shark. Studies also show that provisioning is affecting the sharks in a visual and physical way, by changing the shape of their head. This is since they change the position they are feeding, being more vertical than horizontal (since the provisioning comes from boats and are mainly on the surface). Also, studies in Oslob, Philippines show that about 95 % of all whale sharks seen in the area have scars on their body, believed to occur due to boat propellers.  Worldwide conservation efforts include keeping key feeding locations and migration corridors protected. Site protection is necessary in some areas where high densities of whale sharks are present, as anthropogenic pressures on these sites could have disproportionate impact on subpopulation declines. Where whale sharks are routinely feeding on the surface, areas should be managed to reduce vessel strikes in nearby shipping lanes. Mediterranean and Thai waters are where the shark population has declined at the highest rate, IUCN noted in its recent report. A way to stop the decline, Thailand now have the highest legal protection (since May 2019) of the whale shark species. 

Wonder what happens to our PADI Instructor Development Candidates once they have passed their Instructor Exam? There are several options but the majority of our new instructors progress on to taking the PADI Master Scuba Diver Training and Internship Program. Colin Adams has been interning with Neil Giblin's through our schools Assava Dive Resort and Ban's Diving Resort. The opportunity to gain experience in small/medium and large dive operations. During this program he learns course scheduling, lesson planning and skill progression for student divers. Along with gaining the credits to achieve his PADI MSDT rating. The newly certified divers with Colin and Neil in these photos had a blast during their training!  A few quotes from Trip Advisor: "we were all German speaking but did the course in English..our trainers were absolutely fantastic with their unique sense of humour, passion for diving and seriousness they made these 3-5 days a highlight of our holiday" "Diving for the first time can be something quite emotional, but the staff Colin and Neil, reassured me. I also recommend taking the course in English, as a non-native learning the terms in English will prepare me for international use" A wonderful achievement for these new PADI open water divers and great instruction provided by Colin Adams and Neil Giblin.

"Oliver Keime and Damian Cook - Celebration of PADI Divemaster Certification!" Big Congratulations to Oliver Keime on completing his PADI Divemaster Program! He started his journey by doing the PADI Rescue Diver Course with instructor Kelley Houghton, and decided to continue on to become a PADI Divemaster with her as his mentor. Over several weeks of assisting a variety of courses, participating in many eco projects and learning the role of a PADI Divemaster, we are happy to welcome Oliver into the PADI pro community and look forward to having him on his PADI Instructor Development Course in the coming months.  Great Job Olli!!!