SSI Thailand's training facilities are second to none in Thailand, with every SSI and DAN product at hand, and you'll get to see the friendly faces at SSI Thailand HQ, who'll be only to pleased to welcome another SSI member into the ranks. SSI freely makes use of its facilities to all Instructor Trainers and Certifiers wishing to use them for Instructor Training.

Leading the way

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First Class Facilities

Koh Tao is one of the most popular places in the world for Scuba Diving Instructor training. Koh Tao's five Instructor Training Facilities and Platinum Instructor Training Facilities employ around thirty full time Instructors, Dive Control Specialists and Assistants, and have around twenty dive masters in training. Between them, they operate around 120 full sets of diving equipment and eight purpose built dive boats. SSI's teaching philosophy is to keep class sizes small and ensure thorough training at all levels. Assistants are used to reduce ratios even further and students are not rushed through courses.

Academic sessions and workshops are held either at the facility or at SSI Thailand's HQ, with purpose built education facilities, classrooms equipped with TV, DVD, wireless internet, etc., as well as self-study areas.

In-water sessions are conducted either in a beachside swimming pool, off the beach or at one of Koh Tao's most popular training sites from purpose built dive boats.

Your Instructor Trainers and Certifiers

Koh Tao boasts several experienced Instructors, Instructor Trainers and Certifiers who have taught divers at all levels all over the world. Instructor Training Facilities are awarded the coveted rating of Platinum Dive Centers only if they meet the highest standards in quality of training at all levels and are also used to conduct SSI Instructor Evaluations (IE's). Carabao was granted its Platinum Facility rating in 2007. Phoenix Divers has been used to conduct Koh Tao's last four IE's. IE's on Koh Phangan are held at Phangan Divers.

Al Stewart, from the UK, has taught divers at all levels all over the world.  Since coming to Koh Tao, he worked at Big Blue Diving, one of Koh Tao's largest dive resorts, for over two years before becoming Training Manager for SSI Thailand. Before that, he was based in S.W. Ireland at Waterworld, Europe's biggest diver training facility, and before that in Byron Bay, Australia. Al is also an SSI Instructor Examiner and a DAN First Aid and Oxygen First Aid Instructor Trainer.

Neil Farmer, from Scotland, has lived and worked in Koh Tao for years. He is the Instructor Certifier at Phoenix Divers (www.itc-koh-tao.com), a popular dive resort in Sairee Beach, and runs Phoenix's Instructor and Dive Control Specialist (Dive Master & Assistant Instructor) Training programs. Phoenix has a popular Dive Control Specialist program and most interns choose to supplement their professional training with Specialty Training. As well as being the IC for Phoenix, Neil also works for SSI Thailand.

Kevin Morgan, from England, manages Carabao Diving, a small school and Platinum Instructor Training Facility in the serene beach resort of Chalok Ban Kao offering courses from beginner to Instructor Training and the whole host of Specialties. Kevin is also an experienced Dive Medic and offers DAN First Aid and Oxygen First Aid courses.

Torsten Ewers, was born in America and grew up in Germany. He owns and manages Phangan Divers, Koh Phangan - the oldest dive centres in Koh Phangan and one of the longest running dive centres in Thailand. Torsten is an Instructor Certifier and a Technical Diving Instructor Trainer and conducts training at all levels from beginner to Instructor including Technical Extended Range courses up to Trimix and Advanced Decompression Procedures Instructor.

Steve Read is an experienced Dive Medic and a DAN Senior First Aid, Oxygen First Aid, HMLI (Hazardous Marline Life Injuries), and On-Site Neurological Exam Instructor Trainer and offers a full range of DAN courses.