Big Blue Diving School Koh Tao

I originally came to Koh Tao planning to do only the Open Water Diver at Big Blue Diving. I simply wanted to experience something new, try a new hobby, and step a little outside my comfort zone with a new kind of adventure. To be honest, the first day was a bit frustrating for me. Things didn’t immediately click the way I had imagined. Some people seem to be natural talents underwater — that wasn’t me. But Liam immediately sensed that I wasn’t fully enjoying it the way I hoped to, and he genuinely made an effort to lift the mood and keep me motivated. He has this incredible way of correcting you without making you feel bad or scared of making mistakes. And in my opinion, mistakes are exactly how you learn best — especially at the beginning. Liam is patient, kind, warm, empathetic, and incredibly supportive. You can truly feel his passion for diving and for being an instructor. He doesn’t just teach skills — he shares his fascination for the underwater world. And you can see how happy it makes him when someone starts to share that excitement. I definitely got infected by that passion. It’s honestly partly because of him that I decided to continue and do my Advanced Open Water as well. I ended up spending five days of my time in Koh Tao with SSI, and I’m so proud that I did. Jumping from 3–6 meters off the boat during the Advanced course was such a fun and memorable highlight to finish it all off. Beyond Liam, every instructor and dive master I met at Big Blue was incredibly friendly and welcoming. It’s such a great place to connect with people from different countries and cultures and to build new friendships. By the end of our Open Water course, we were only three Germans in the group — and it was actually beautiful how international everything felt. These five days were something I won’t forget anytime soon. It’s such a different and special way to experience a vacation. I’m beyond grateful for this experience and I truly hope I can come back next year and continue where I left off — hopefully again with Liam. Thank you, Big Blue. And especially thank you, Liam. It honestly couldn’t have been better. I’ll definitely be back. Iva :)

I found Big Blue Diving on Google Maps and, after reading so many great reviews, my husband and I decided to choose them for our Open Water Certification and it was absolutely the right decision. Our instructor for the course was Hannah, who is incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and genuinely funny. She created such a relaxed and supportive environment that everyone in our group felt comfortable and confident in the water. Even when things felt challenging, her teaching style made learning enjoyable and encouraging. I didn’t end up passing my mask-off skills drill, so I decided to do a fun dive the following day instead. That’s when I dove with Julia, who has been diving since she was a little girl. Julia was incredibly sweet, calm, and attentive. She explained everything clearly, checked in constantly, and took excellent care of both me and my dive buddy throughout the dive. I felt safe, supported, and truly able to enjoy the experience. I can’t recommend Big Blue enough — whether you’re getting certified or just going on a fun dive. You don’t just get a great dive; you get amazing instructors like Hannah and Julia and a genuinely cool group of people that make the whole experience unforgettable. I’d absolutely dive with them again.

We are a couple of Advanced certified divers and we did 3x recreational dives in one day with Big Blue Diving in Koh Tao, including Sail Rock, South West Pinnacle and White Rock, and overall it was a great experience. Conditions at Sail Rock and South West Pinnacle were challenging that day due to low visibility and lots of plankton in the water, but the team handled it well and made good decisions by changing sites. The third dive at White Rock was absolutely fantastic, much better visibility, a beautiful reef and amazing marine life. Our guide, Nadine, truly made the day special. Her briefings before each dive were excellent, very clear and specific to what we could expect on that particular dive. She was incredibly kind, professional and enthusiastic. Honestly one of the best dive guides we’ve ever had. We would definitely recommend Big Blue Diving, especially if you’re lucky enough to dive with Nadine. :)