Moje doświadczenie jest trochę mieszane. Z zewnątrz wszystko wygląda bardzo fajnie i zorganizowanie, natomiast przyznam szczerze że czar fryzur kiedy żeśmy rano pakowali się na łódź. Był lekki chaos w instruktorzy nie za bardzo pilnowali swoich grup przed wejściem na pokład więc nie do końca było wiadomo co powinniśmy zrobić gdzie powinniśmy wszystko położyć. Mam doświadczenie organizowania i bycia instruktorem ale akurat nie w kwestii nurkowej jednak tutaj organizacja moim zdaniem troszkę nie istniała. Wszystko oczywiście przebiegło sprawnie jednak trzeba było dopytywać, nie było na początku jasnej informacji i wprowadzenia w to jak to wszystko zorganizować co z reguły podczas jakiejkolwiek aktywności z ludźmi powinna się zrobić. Na pokładzie było ładnie i czysto jednak też jak podano obiad to nie do końca było wiadomo co można jeść czy można jeść wszystko czy nie czy może są jakieś specjalne garnki tylko i wyłącznie dla wegetarian i tego nie wolno ruszać. Wszystko było w porządku ale po prostu nie było jasnych instrukcji dlatego panował lekki chaos wśród osób które przyszły na pokład. Ale jak najbardziej było w porządku.
Mieliśmy płynąć na Sail rock i moim zdaniem warunki były naprawdę dobre bo fala była 0,7m, 4 sekundy period więc po prostu trochę huśtało na łodzi kapitan stwierdził że nie płyniemy. Tego się troszkę obawiałem niestety Koh Tao jest nastawione na typową komercję. Słyszałem od nurków że czasem kapitan nie płynie do Sail Rock ponieważ ludzie wymiotują na pokładzie. I nie jest to związane z tym że jest niebezpiecznie tylko po prostu z komfortem ludzi. Rozmawiałem dzisiaj z innymi doświadczonymi nurkami i powiedzieli mi że nie popłynęliśmy dlatego że właśnie ludzie by rzygali a nie dlatego że było niebezpiecznie. Totalnie mija się to z celem. Widać że Koh Tao to wyspa nastawiona na zrobienie pieniędzy na niedzielnych nurkach, którzy przyjechali tutaj dla komfortu a nie dla prawdziwego nurkowania. Totalne wypaczenie nurkowania. Odnośnie samych nurkowisk, to co nam zaoferowano w zamian za Sail Rock to była totalna porażka tam korale były dosłownie martwe!
Jeśli chodzi o samo nurkowanie no to dużo zależy od instruktora. Ja przyznam szczerze osobiście nie jestem zadowolony dlatego że nasza tajska instruktorka jest wielbicielką małych żyjątek, dlatego pływaliśmy wokół rafy koralowej ale zamiast oglądać rafę to jak komandosi grzebaliśmy się w piasku i pływaliśmy jak odkurzacze po dnie. Oba nurkowania wyglądały tak samo że zamiast oglądać piękną rafę oraz ryby to grzebaliśmy w piasku szukając małych żyjątek a obok toczyło się piękne życie. Jedyny zarzut jaki mogę mieć sam będąc instruktorem w innej dziedzinie, to że nurkowania były źle przygotowane ze względu na to że nie wzięto pod uwagę iż ktoś może się nie interesować mikroskopijnymi wyjątkami a woleć ryby oraz rafę. Ważne żeby instruktor miał wyważony czas zarówno na ryby i rafę koralową jak i na małe żyjątka a nie skupiał się tylko na jednym. Dlatego raczej nie wrócę tu już więcej ponieważ są również inne centra które mają bardziej otwartych instruktorów i dive masterów
Did yesterday the Discover Scuba Diving Course with the instructor Rhi and it was a blast. The whole experience from the front desk to the dives was a 10/10. I opted for doing the second dive as the first one went so smooth and the sealife was mesmerising. Huge shoutout to my instructor Rhi, who basically made the whole experience so enjoyable. She had a very positive attitude throughout the whole day, answering questions and talking more about diving the site, thorough with the training and also being patient when i almost dived with my phone in my pocket 😅 props to her for guiding me and showing so many beautiful fish and corals. The whole experience just left me thinking i should’ve went with open water certification from the beginning. Can’t recommend Rhi and Black turtle enough🙏🏻✌🏻
I had a great diving experience with Meena at Black Turtle Dive. She was super friendly and had really great energy, she was patient, and had a good eye for fishies, she even spotted a black tipped shark which we managed to see 🤙. Her instructions were clear, and she was always attentive to the group. Thanks to her guidance, we had a lot of fun and will soon be bringing more friends back soon . I would highly recommend diving with black turtle dive especially if it’s with Meena! 🦈
We had the most wonderful time learning to dive with Kat! Not only did she make us feel super comfortable but the confidence she instilled in us with her extensive knowledge was so affirming. We enjoyed the class so much so we continued on to get our advanced certification as well. I would highly recommend black turtle but especially Kat for her commitment to personalized teaching, attention to safety, and always bringing the vibes!
This was top 5 experiences in my life! I was only planning on doing my basic scuba and up doing advanced because we loved it so much! Our instructor Kat is one of the most badass people i’ve ever met; she was so good at her job while also being so fun at the same time! You can tell she truly loves her job and is super passionate about the ocean and teaching people. Learned a lot and laughed a lot! I highly recommend getting certified here and asking for Kat!
We completed our PADI Rescue Diver course with Black Turtle and had a positive experience overall. Ricardo was knowledgeable, patient, and helped us successfully complete a challenging course. The training scenarios were realistic, and we left feeling more confident and capable as divers.
Rescue Diver is not an easy course, but we learned a great deal and are glad we completed it with Black Turtle. Thank you to Ricardo and Emily for all their hard work and support throughout the training.
Myself and my boyfriend completed our open water course with BTD. From start to finish, it was such an amazing experience. Our instructors Ben and Ellie were so thorough, patient, and made every dive extremely fun. We loveeeeddd our experience so much we have planned to do our advanced open water already! Thanks again to Ben and Ellie and all at BTD. We will definitely be recommending to everyone visiting Koh Tao! :)
Best 3 days completing my open water diver cert with Ben and Ellie. Two amazing instructors teaching us all the skill, making sure we felt safe and comfortable while also having a great time. Ben, Ellie and BTD were so good we had booked onto the advanced diver cert within and hour of finishing
Did the PADI Open Water course at Black Turtle diving and definitely can recommend this! Modi and Kat really are great instructors and will teach you everything you need to feel comfortable in the water! I also was sick for one day and they were really flexible in rescheduling everything so i was still able to finish te course before leaving Koh Tao. If i ever come back to Koh Tao, i’ll definitely dive with Black Turtle again!
I did the Night Diver specialty with instructor Louka and Joonas. They were both awesome, going beyond the course to guide me to be a better diver and improving my skills. The admin team at Black Turtle was well organised for all the 3 evenings that I turned up for the course. Dive sites were well chosen and had the opportunity to see a lion fish, rays, moray eel amongst many other animals. Wonderful experience having to see the sunset below the horizon before we decent is simply awesome.
So glad I chose black turtle for my AOW
Had an incredible time diving with Black Turtle in Koh Tao from May 31st to June 4th. I was lucky enough to have David as my Advanced Open Water and Nitrox instructor and dive master for the rest of my fun dives in Koh Tao and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better experience. I started my AOW with only about 8 previous dives under my belt, and my buoyancy was definitely still a work in progress. David was incredibly patient and really took the time to help me dial it in. Instead of leting me continue with more weight to keep me down, he patiently worked with me to find the right balance and even helped me try out many different types of fins to find the right weighted fins as I have floaty legs. It made such a massive improvement in my bouancy underwater. I couldnt have appreciated him more for this. I showed up feeling a bit nervous when i arrived Koh Tao, but after the training and fun dives—including some awesome night dives—I feel a lot more confident underwater and my bouancy control has improved significantly. It’s clear Black Turtle isn't a ‘tick the box’ kind of dive school; they genuinely care about making you a better, safer diver. If you are assigned with David, I can guarantee you are in great hands. Huge shout out to Thessa as well, who I dove with for a couple of dives while David was on leave; she was fantastic! If you’re heading to Koh Tao, I highly recommend Black Turtle. If you want a team that truly cares about your progress, this is the place to go. So grateful for the experience and I will definitely dive with David and Thessa again when I visit Koh Tao.
My partner and I have just completed our Open Water Diver course with Black Turtle and wow what an incredible experience from start to finish.
Firstly, our instructors, James and Isabella, were absolutely outstanding. They were friendly, approachable, fun to be around, and incredibly easy to get along with, whilst also being exceptionally knowledgeable and professional. Their passion for diving was clear and infectious and their teaching style made us feel comfortable, confident and supported throughout the entire course. They always took the time to explain things thoroughly, ensuring we understood not just what to do, but why we were doing it.
Beyond the diving itself, they went above and beyond to make our time on Koh Tao memorable. They shared great local recommendations, from restaurants to places to explore around the island, which helped us experience parts of Koh Tao we might otherwise have missed.
The learning experience was seamless from day one. We started our training in a private swimming pool that is being developed exclusively for Black Turtle’s use, which provided the ideal calm and controlled environment to learn fundamental skills.
The sea dives were equally impressive. Black Turtle provided everything we needed and the dive sites themselves were beautiful, with a fantastic variety biodiversity and structures to explore. The dive boat was also well organised and fully stocked with snacks and refreshments between dives, which was a much appreciated bonus.
What really stood out was the emphasis on safety and professionalism. Every aspect of the course felt thoughtfully planned and expertly delivered, without ever compromising on the fun. We always felt that our learning, comfort and safety were the top priorities.
Overall, we genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to diving. With Black Turtle you’re paying for the exceptional instruction, outstanding safety standards, small-group attention and an experience that is worth every penny. If we visit Koh Tao again there’s no where else we would go to dive.
Thanks, James and Isabella and the Black Turtle team for such an amazing experience. Highly recommended.
Had an amazing experience with Mary🧜♀️ and the Black Turtle dive shop! The team is super friendly and they are very diligent on safety before/during dives. I did a discovery dive and liked it so much that I went back to pass my open water certification over 3 days. Would definitely recommend diving with them :)