Simple Life Divers — Koh Tao PADI 5* Dive Resort

Simple Life Divers has been operating on Koh Tao's Sairee Beach since 2003 and is a PADI 5* Dive Resort. Its course list covers the full PADI ladder: Scuba Diver, Open Water, Advanced, EFR and Rescue, plus Deep, Wreck and Nitrox specialties, through to Divemaster and the Instructor Development Course. A Scuba Technician course is also listed.

The school is perhaps best known for its internship programmes, which range from a one-month Explorer option to a two-month Divemaster internship and a seven-month instructor track. Certified divers can join half-day boat trips that rotate around the island's sites, including Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle, Sail Rock, Aow Leuk, Mango Bay and Japanese Gardens, and the team posts a daily dive-conditions report on its website. Coral reef restoration dives are also available.

At the time of writing, a two-dive fun-diving trip cost 2,200 THB, including gear, guide and boat fees, with per-dive rates dropping for multi-dive bookings.