Koh Samui

Offshore Diving Habits That Pay Off

• Choose a licensed dive center that runs proper briefings and keeps group ratios conservative.
• On pinnacles, be ready for descents on a line and midwater safety stops.
• Carry an SMB and know how to deploy it if you surface away from the boat.
• Plan conservative profiles and long surface intervals on multi-dive days.

Monsoon Planning

If the sea is rough, do not force offshore plans. Swap to a sheltered reef, a course day, or topside activities. Your best safety tool in the Gulf is a flexible schedule.

Koh Samui has strong private medical options for travelers, and the region is supported by dedicated dive-medicine facilities. In a suspected decompression illness case, notify your dive operator immediately, administer oxygen, and contact emergency services. Koh Samui is served by the SSS Recompression Chamber Network facility and by Bangkok Hospital Samui for emergency care and coordination.

Thailand Reef Rules You Will Feel on Real Trips

• Operators must provide a certified supervisor or assistant on every trip.
• Life vests are required while snorkeling near coral reefs unless the tourist holds a recognized freediving certificate.
• One supervisor may oversee up to four tourists for deep dives, and up to 20 tourists for snorkeling and freediving.
• Photography restrictions apply: photos during training are prohibited unless taken by a qualified diver, and recreational divers may be asked to prove Advanced Open Water (or equivalent) or 40 logged dives.
• Divers must remain at least 2 m above coral heads.
• Touching marine organisms, feeding fish, littering, and seabed-based walking activities in coral zones are prohibited.

What You Should Do

• Perfect your buoyancy before you approach coral.
• Use a frog kick or short fin strokes in tight areas.
• Keep gear clipped and streamlined so nothing drags.
• Choose operators that use moorings and avoid anchoring on reefs.