PADI Scuba Dive Centre Haadrin Koh Phangan

Haad Rin Beach - Koh Phangan - The one stop shop for backpackers by backpackers!

BackpackersThailand.com - Thailand & Asia's premier specialist dive and Tour operator!

Southern Thailand is recognised as one of the best dive regions in the world for PADI dive courses at at all levels.

BackpackersThailand.com offers Dive Courses, Dive safaris & live-a-board specialist for Southern Thailand. Special discounts to groups, clubs, dive schools and travel agents!

We have our own Crystal Lotus Dive Shop in Haadrin Koh Phangan which is the Official Koh Phangan branch office of CRYSTAL DIVE KOH TAO and also provides the Haadrin branch for LOTUS DIVING on Koh Phangan.  So you can book direct with us as we have some special deals for dive courses  which include free pick-ups from Haadrin to the Koh Phangan Pier and free boat to Koh Tao from Koh Phangan! You have the choice to dive from either of  the islands and its easy to book online here!

We are also proud of the fact that Crystal Dive has been given the CDC (Career Development Center) rating making us one of only five in Thailand, plus we just recieved the PADI Diver Training Award 2008 for PADI Asia Pacific region!  This makes us the leading training dive school in Asia and Australia and we were the winners against all the other PADI school in this region!  Book here to ensure you dive with the best!  

Thailand is also renowned as one of the cheapest places in the world to undertake a PADI course. It is therefore ideal for people on 'round-the-world' tickets to take their certification here, prior to diving Australia's Great Barrier Reef or returning to their home countries to dive.

BackpackersThailand.com and Backpackers Information Centre provide diving via our very own PADI Scuba Dive Centre located in Haadrin, Koh Phangan. We provide diving and accommodaions both here on Koh Phangan and also Koh Tao. Our facilities on both islands includes swimming pools, air conditioned classrooms and professional PADI dive instructors. We can pre-book courses and fun dives on both islands - simply book on-line here at backpackersthailand.com as we have some special offers including free pickup's and free ferrys to Koh Tao when you book dive courses online here!

Our instructors and course materials can be provided in many languages including English, Swedish, Danish, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, and Hebrew.

BackpackersThailand.com has teamed with the most professional liveaboards for certified divers in  Similan/Surin Islands - one of the top 10 dive locations in the world!

Our PADI centres provide the highest level of safety and training, whilst diving the time of your lives in the South of Thailand! We can also help and arrange travel, pick-ups and pre-book accommodation for you!  We also provide full resort facilities including training centre, air-conditioned classrooms, accommodations and provide training swimming pools and restaurant/bar/entertainment facilities.

We also provide:

• Bookings at all of Thailand's Top Dive Destinations
• Whale shark & Manta Ray encounters
• Accommodation, transfer & pickup arrangements
• Technical Diving & NITROX (on request)

Simply contact us for any queries here!

All PADI courses include dive equipment and provision of training materials and during all dives you will be assisted by an instructor or dive master. Groups are kept to a small number of four to five persons.

Our Koh Tao dive resort, Crystal Dive, is located on the beautiful west coast with a private beach where amazing sunsets, tranquility and chill out are a priority, whilst being a short walk from resturants and bars!

Here on Koh Phangan our dive resort, Lotus Diving, is located in the beautiful tropical north of the island close to a traditional fishing village and on the edge of the rainforest, with amazing corals for great snorkelling nearby.


Our Koh Phi Phi partner dive centre, Viking Divers, is located on the famous Phi Phi Don island where waters are crystal clear and the beaches clear white sands. The vibe here is very uplifting and the local dives sites amazing.

Our Koh Lanta partner dive centre, Blue Planet, is located on one of the most beautiful islands in Southern Thailand with its amazing long beach and many chill out bars and resturants. Koh Lanta is one of the cheapest places to dive the famous Hin Muong/ Hin Daeng underwater pinnacles - the home of the Manta Rays!

Be sure to pre-book online your fun diving and PADI course with backpackersthailand.com, especially as both Koh Tao and Koh Pha-Ngan get fully booked up each month due to the thousands of people arriving over the Full Moon Party period and during the Andaman Sea peak season November - April the live-aboards get full!

Alternatively, contact Backpackers Information Centre on Koh Phangan who can book all the above or if you are an experienced diver and want a full dive tour of Southern Thailand at the best dive sites then simply contact us at either backpackersthailand.com or Backpackers Information Centre, on Haad Rin Beach Koh Phangan!

Koh Phangan - PADI Scuba Diving Thailand

Koh Phan-Ngan stretches 30 kilometres from north to south and 12 kilometres from west to east.Pha-Ngan is situated south of Koh Tao and north of Samui making it an ideal central location with easy access to all the prime dive sites such as Sail Rock and Anthong national marine park. The island is mainly mountainous jungle surrounded by beautiful, white sandy beaches and turquoise waters, with several beautiful coral reefs. Unlike neighbouring Koh Tao and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan has avoided the higher volumes of tourists and the development they bring. As a result most of the island is reserved as National Parkland. Although Phangan now has a network of developed roads and more upmarket resorts, the island has managed to retain it's natural beauty. In addition to diving and snorkelling,there are many activities to be found; kayaking, jungle trekking, horse riding, kite surfing and of course for the revellers on the south of the island, the "full moon, blackmoon, half moon and any kind of moon" parties!

Koh Tao - PADI Scuba Diving Thailand

Koh Tao is more than 21km square and is located approximately 70km east off the coastline between the Thai provinces of Surat Thani and Chumpon. Koh Tao means Turtle Island in Thai because in the past the waters surrounding it were rich in hawksbill and green sea turtles. Initially the island was used as a political prison but in 1947 the incumbent Prime Minister pleaded and received a Royal Pardon for all prisoners on the island. Once the prisoners left, a number of fishermen 'pioneers' from the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan, directly south of Koh Tao, sailed across and staked claim to a large portion of land on what today is called Sairee Beach. During the past 10 years the reputation of Turtle Island's natural beauty, especially its dive sites with marine and coral life, turned the island into the new South East Asian Mecca for those learning to dive. Today, island infrastructure is improving fast and with links via high-speed catamarans serving the Samui-Tao and Chumpon-Tao routes. The sea journey is fast and pleasant There are an increasing number of higher end resorts springing up around the island, over 30 dive schools and numerous action and adventure options such as wake boarding, kayaking and jungle trekking, to participate in.

Koh Lanta - PADI Scuba Diving Thailand

Koh Lanta is located approximately 70 kilometers south of Krabi on the east side of Southern Thailand's Phang Nga Bay. It stretches for 27 kilometers in the north-south direction and is traversed by a mountain range that is still covered by virgin rain forest. Some of the range reaches heights of 500 meters. Crystal clear water & powdery white beaches dominate the west coast. Any diver that wants to spend quality time visiting Southern Thailand's greatest dive sites should base themselves in Koh Lanta. Dive operators on Koh Lanta have the best access to the great Southern Dive Sites of Koh Phi Phi Hin Muang. Also, the 3 main dive sites around Phi Phi Islands are Shark Point, Anemone Reef and the King Cruiser Wreck, all in easy reach for dive operators based in Krabi's Ko Lanta Koh Lanta's quiet, laid-back atmosphere offers an ideal get-away for those seeking to escape the masses of tourists that flock to Phi Phi, Phuket or Koh Samui every year. During the last years, the number of resorts along the western coast increased to about 100, offering a choice for everybody's taste. This has worked making Koh Lanta a great retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life. Until recently limited access has been the major restraining factor in the growth of Krabi's tourism industry. The nearest airport was 155km to the east in Phuket and the drive on what is a rather basic road took a good two hours. But all of that has changed with the opening of Krabi Airport. Now the problem is no longer access rather accommodation.

Koh Phi Phi - PADI Scuba Diving Thailand

The spectacular Phi Phi Islands lie in the mouth of the Phang Nga Bay and form the Haad Nopparattara Mo Koh Phi Phi National Park. White limestone crags splashed with greenery jut vertically upwards out of the clear turquoise waters to tower over magnificent white sandy beaches. Koh Phi Phi was made famous by the movie ”The Beach” and although it was hit badly by the December Tsunami with many tragic losses it still has an overpowering charm - offering a slower pace than previously as businesses steadily return to normal. The diving is still fantastic as most dive sites were unaffected. The biggest change is a reduced choice of accommodation as the island gets back on its feet. The Phi Phi Islands are also the gateway to Thailand’s southern dive sites of Hin Daeng/Muang with an abundance of magnificent local open water and cave and cavern dive sites.

Koh Phuket - PADI Scuba Diving Thailand

Phuket is considered by many as the Pearl of the Andaman Sea and is the richest, most western province in southern in Thailand. An Island that boasts international standard accommodation, restaurants, shopping, hospitals, recompression chambers, tours, travel and action adventure activities. Its beauty is only surpassed by the warm and friendly nature of its welcoming hosts. With direct access to the Similan Islands, Phang Nga Bay and the Southern Islands of Racha Yai and Racha Noi, Phuket has been considered for years as the perfect base for divers to enjoy their holiday from. There is still no place that is better able to cater to anyone's discerning needs, and as such is still considered one of the premier tourist destinations in Thailand.

Similan Islands - PADI Scuba Diving Thailand

The Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular group of dive sites that Thailand has to offer and are on par with some of the best diving destinations worldwide. The Similans are a huge scuba diving destination popular with liveaboard diving operators based in Phuket & Khao Lak. Being situated on the coast north of Phuket The Khao Lak operators are also close enough to run day trips by speedboat to this group of spectacular diving sites. None of this picturesque group of nine islands are inhabited - other than by the abundant marine life of course. Located about one hundred kilometres northwest of Phuket, the Similans consist of nine granite islands covered in lush, tropical, jungle foliage, surrounded by sparkling clear blue oceans. Similans Map The beaches are made up of the finest white powdery sand and literally melt into the warm tropical waters. The east coast, with its white powdery beaches, feature hard coral gardens which slope down to 40m. Drift diving is the name of the game here as divers use the current to propel them along the vibrantly rich reefs teeming with unusual and interesting marine life. The west coast of the marine park, facing out towards the Andaman Islands, offers pace and exhilaration as divers soar through and around Huge granite boulders. Dramatic rock formations abound including: holes, overhangs, swimthroughs and canyons. There is an amazing variety of colourful soft corals and enormous sea fans that span metres across. There are truly very few places on earth like this. The length of dive safari trips vary from three to five days, often longer if the live-aboard includes the Similans as just one stop on the itinerary.