Pattaya is a very popular location for beginner divers wishing to undertake their PADI Open Water Course and PADI Advanced Open Water Course. We will set out details of why undertaking your PADI Open Water Course and PADI Advanced Open Water course here in Pattaya!
We are a Pattaya Dive Centre in Central Pattaya called Copperband Scuba Academy. Established by experienced PADI Scuba Diving Instructors with a cobined experience of over 30 years diving in Pattaya dive sites! As you can imagine therefore we have dived with a lot of dive centres here in Pattaya before establishing Copperband Scuba Academy in 2024.
Pattaya is a popular Scuba Diving Destination because it is the closest place to Bangkok that has great Dive Sites specifically designated for those on holiday and living in and around Bangkok and Pattaya.
There are a number of Pattaya Dive Centres however only a few have their own boat and diving facilities. At Copperband Scuba Academy we have a beautiful boat. Designed approximately 35 years ago, our Scuba Diving boat has been recently renovated. We pride ourselves in having aguable the most comfortable dive boat in Pattaya.
Given it’s location Pattaya is a great to undertake your PADI training from PADI Open Water all the way through to PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor with many specialities.
At Copperband Scuba Academy we can help all levels of Scuba Divers fulfil their potential whether as a Recreational Diver or a PADI Proffessional.
Why do your PADI Courses in Pattaya?
Pattaya is a great place to do your PADI training, given its location in Thailand it is accessible from Bangkok. Has it’s own airport, U-Tapoa Airport, and has some super Dive Sites to explore and do your training.
Just 2 hours drive from south Bangkok a day trip is easy to start your PADI Scuba Diving Adventure.
We have many islands off the coast of Pattaya:
Near Islands:
Koh Sak
Koh Krock
Koh Larn
Far Islands
Koh Rin
Koh Phai
Ko Man Wichai
Ko Chiang
As well as 4 wrecks which are great dive sites:
Near Islands:
HTMS Kutt
HTMS Mattaphon
Far Islands :
HTMS Kram
Bremen Wreck
We dive all of these sites regularly subject to weather conditions. They are a maximum of 1.5 hours off the coast of Pattaya.
Which Courses are available at Pattaya Dive Centres and Copperband Scuba Academy?
The dive centres in Pattaya all offer the same offerings of PADI Scuba Diving Courses however some do things differently. It’s important therefore to do your research before choosing the Pattaya Dive Centre to suit you.
Why choose Copperband Scuba Academy as your Pattaya Dive Centre?
Well! We don’t blow our own trumpet too much so really it’s your choice! All we can do is explain why we established Copperband Scuba Academy.
We are all experienced PADI Scuba Diving Instructors with many years of experience in this location. We know the dive sites extremely well and have worked with almost all of the other dive centres or people that operate them over the years. We have taken the very best they offer and then have gone the extre mile to improve on them.
The customer is the customer, you pay for a great day with us diving. You pay for us to teach you and we do so to the highest of standards! Your safety, your diving experience, your learning experience is always our priority, not money, not profit. We operate the following standards:
Safety First and Always First!
No rush diving ever! Dive at your pace and your speed its your day, enjoy it!
No Ego, Judgement or Prejudices!
Teaching to the highest standard!
PADI Diving standards are the minimum standard required to be certified as a Scuba Divers. Other dive centres have forgotten this is the basic minimum standard to become a Scuba Diver. Not how to become a competent and confident scuba diver!
Learning to Scuba Dive on your knees at the bottom of a pool and in the sand in the ocean is the basic skills you require. We don’t like this minimum standard. It’s not us.
Depending on your skills we always aim to ensure you undertake your skills in neutral buoyancy, in non scuba diving terms weightless without touching the bottom like being in space! In reality this is how we Scuba Dive, we do not Scuba Dive on our knees, its just a lazy way of teaching Scuba Diving Students and we don’t like it.
From the outset in the pool we will teach you buoyancy skills. We don’t believe you need a PADI speciality for this. It’s the one foundation skill everyone should be taught from day one!
What PADI Scuba Diving Course are available at Copperband Scuba Academy?
Copperband Scuba Academy offer all levels of PADI Scuba Diving Courses from Beginner to Professional. Here is a detailed overview of each of the main PADI Scuba Diving Courses we offer at Copperband Scuba Academy in Pattaya.
PADI Discover Scuba Diving
Price 4900THB
This is the very entry level diving Course Offered by PADI. The PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience does not provide any certification however allows you to build a small credit towards the PADI Open Water Diver Course. This experience is to allow you to experience breathing for the first time underwater.
During this experience you will be taught by a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor the very basics of Scuba Diving. The essential facts you need to be able to take your first breaths underwater and experience Scuba Diving in Pattaya. No prior experience is required, you don’t even need to know how to swim, we provide you with all of the skills you required to take the plunge and your first Dive with us.
This experience consists of 2 Dives in the ocean from our beautiful boat called Copperband 1. We will explain everything you need to know to be safe, have a basic understanding of the principles of Scuba Diving and have a whole lot of fun!
You will be provided with a short E-learning Programme to complete during this experience.
PADI Open Water Diver Course
Price: 14500THB
Scuba Diving in Pattaya is amazing and what better way to begin your underwater adventures than diving right in! At Copperband Scuba Academy we feel this is the most appropriate way to learn Scuba diving and dive for the first time.
The course consists of 3 days of practical training as well as a comprehensive package of E-Learning materials which can be read and viewed online from your mobile phone, tablet, laptop or PC. You can even come to our Scuba Diving Centre in Pattaya and read the materials there on our training laptop or tablet if you find that easier. One of our staff members will be on hand to make it easier for you and comfortable also.
Day 1
After an initial classroom session we will make our way to one of our beautiful swimming pools where we will learn how to assemble and care for your Scuba Diving Equipment. After a short briefing the time will come to “Kit up and Dive in”! However, we will start slowly allowing you to enjoy taking your first breaths under water. You will then for the first time learn about buoyancy and how your body functions underwater and how to use that to control the way you move. The feeling of weightlessness is a fantastic experience and we will harness that enthusiasm and undertake many of the essential skills you will need to be a safe and confident Scuba Diver.
Some of the Skills you will learn during your first day in the swimming pool will be:
- How to control your breathing underwater
- How to use your breathing to go up and down and dive confidently
- How to clear a mask filled with water
- How to remove and replace your mask
- How to remove and recover your regulators
- How to deal with some basic emergency scenarios safely
Day 2
Day to of your PADI Open Water Diver Course in Pattaya will be on our beautiful boat Copperband 1. Board the boat at around 8:15am in the morning and relax with some pastries for breakfast and a coffee!
We sail out to the islands around Pattaya and take you for your first Ocean Dive! See the marine life up close and personal while practicing the skills you learnt in the swimming pool in the open waters of the islands around Pattaya. Repeat the skills you learnt in the swimming pool and then go and explore what the reefs have to offer.
Your instructor will teach you more skills that are specific to the location of your diving while traversing the dive sites wonders.
Enjoy Thai hospitality at its best with a Thai Lunch and refreshments! On the way back, tip our boat staff and we are sure they will happily provide you with a beer or two on the way back to the pier.
Day 3
Set sail for your second day on Copperband 1. Finalise your course on the first dive of the day and master those skills! Then as a treat use the second dive as just for fun and go explore with your instructor!
E-Learning
When you book your course and pay your fees you will be allocated some course materials by email. Relax and complete the reading and some simple exams based on what you learnt and hey presto! You’re a PADI Open Water Diver!
Here’s what PADI say’s about the PADI Open Water Diver Course
“PADI® Open Water Diver is the first scuba certification level. A highly-trained PADI Instructor will teach you how to scuba dive in a relaxed, supportive learning environment.
By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to dive at home or abroad and be an ambassador for the underwater world.”
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
Price: 14500THB
Want to dive deeper, with more control and understanding of the waters you go diving in? Then take the next step of your PADI Adventure! The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course can be undertaken in Pattaya. At Copperband Scuba Academy we think this is the most essential course for all Scuba Divers.
Undertake the course over 2 days, 5 dives. You will relax on our stunning boat Copperband 1 while we take you out to the dive sites.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course requires you to undertake 2 compulsory dives and 3 elective dives.
The 2 compulsory dives are:
Navigation
You will be taught the basics of underwater navigation! It’s harder than you may think at first however we will teach you the steps of underwater navigation in a way that’s fun and simple.
- Learn how to use a compass on land
- Understand the basics of underwater navigation
- Master compass use and natural navigation under water
- Learn how to guage distance and water movements while navigating when Scuba Diving.
Deep
Take your first deep dive to 30m with Copperband Scuba Academy. Learn what happens to air consumption, colours and the effects of pressure the deeper we dive.
On this dive we will demonstrate to you the effects of deep diving on various aspects of Scuba Diving. Here are some of the things you will learn:
- How to plan a Deep Dive
- The effects of pressure on the air we breath and the nitrogen build up in our blood
- The effects of pressure on air cavities such as lungs, sinus and masks etc
- The changes in colours under 18 metres and why this is important to know
- No Decompression Limits and the importants of Satefy Stops and the difference between them and Decompression Stops.
- How to read a basic dive computer screen
You will then undertake 3 Elective Dives, depending on conditions on the day of your course these will vary and be decided between you and your instructor as a part of planning your dives.
Drift Dive
Ever been pushed along the reef and watched it pass by, sometimes feeling like superman as the currents push you along? Pattaya is known for very strong currents at some of the islands particularly Koh Krock where the speeds of the currents can often make you feel like superman flying through the water.
This exhilarating type of dive really does use natures elements to our advantage as Scuba Divers. Ask any scuba diver what their favoriite type of adventure dive is and we are sure a Drift dive will be up there at or near the top of their list.
Learn how to read the current charts, how to react to the currents and how to safely navigate around a dive site using the currents to your advantage. A drift dive isn’t always just jumping in and flying to the end of the dive site. Often you can use the currents to slowly push you around the dive site from location to location.
No matter where you are in the world currents affect the way we dive and it is important to learn that they are not scary, they are not dangerous, but can actually be very fun and extremely beneficial especially for seeing some of the larger marine animals.
At Copperband Scuba Academy Pattaya we always recommend this as one of the elective dives for PADI Advanced Open Water Diver students.
Peak Performance Bouyancy
Become a more streamlined, competent diver and let us teach you how to control and measure your buoyancy.
Let us take you back in time to 250BC and explain to you the law of Bouyancy as discovered by Archimedes. It was a long time ago but everything that you see in water is there and accordingly working in line with Achimedes discoveries.
Archimedes principlestates:
“that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces.”
Archimedes’ principle is a law of physics fundamental to fluid mechanics. It was formulated by Archimedes of Syracuse
Boat Diver
As we dive from a boat on your course you will already be familiar with this aspect of diving. We do not therefore feel it is appropriate to use this speciality over others on the PADI Advanced Open Water Course. There may be circumstances where it is required for example if you are limited on time or have an illness that prevents you from fulfilling one of the other dives.
Fish Identification
Take the plunge and learn more about the natural world we are diving in, combine this with the PADI Photography and Imagine dive and get two amazing dives spotting marine life, photographing them and then identifying the fish, coral and critters you have seen!
A fun and enjoyable dive when combined.
Photography and Imaging
We recommend that you combine this with Fish Identification and do two dives exploring the reefs taking photographs and videos and then identifying the marine life you saw as well as learn how to tell a story with your images and videos!
Learn the basics of camera settings and editing to give you the confidence to explore more on your own and develop a higher standard of skills.
Search and Recovery
This is a great dive to do on your Advanced Open Water, its fun and can be combined with learning navigation they go hand in hand. As Navigation is a compulsory dive you will do that first learning how to read a compass and navigate through the dive sites. Once you have mastered those new skills we put them into play by taking you on a journey of seeking items and a missing diver (simulated) to give you the confidence as to how to search for items under water.
You will then use a Lift Bag to lift a heavy item from the bottom of the ocean to the surface and recover it to the boat.
Build you under water confidence and use the new skills found in every dive you undertake knowing that everything is good and you know how to safely navigate when required to do so.
There are a number of other dives but the above are the most exciting and common dives to do on your Advanced Open Water Course.
So? Are you ready to Dive in and do your PADI Course with us at Copperband Scuba Academy??
Contact us now to book your Course!