The Scuba Squad

Located at the southern tip of Koh Chang in the fishing village of Bang Bao, The Scuba Squad sits directly on the quay, making boat departures straightforward. The centre serves as a base for exploring the rich marine environments of the Koh Rang Marine National Park, ranging from shallow coral gardens to significant wreck sites.

Whether you are looking to complete your first certification or are an experienced professional pursuing an Instructor Development Course, the centre is geared towards technical precision and comfort. The operation is designed to handle everything from day trips for recreational divers to intensive professional training programmes.

The centre operates as a PADI 5 Star IDC Centre, meaning it is authorised to conduct professional-level training up to and including Instructor Development Courses. The team is highly experienced, with some instructors bringing over 30 years of diving expertise to the water.

The staff is multilingual, with instruction available in English and German, and other languages can be arranged upon request. This makes the centre a reliable choice for international divers looking for clear, professional communication during their training or guided dives.

The Scuba Squad offers a comprehensive range of PADI courses for every stage of a diver's journey. Beginners can start with Discover Scuba Diving or the Open Water Diver course, progressing through Advanced Open Water Diver and Rescue Diver certifications.

For professional divers, the centre provides Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, and full Instructor Development Courses (IDC), including MSDT and Staff Instructor training. Specialty courses are also available, covering areas such as Nitrox, Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Night Diver, Full Face Mask, and Scooter specialties, as well as Freediving.

The dive boat is spacious and designed for comfort, featuring ample shaded areas to rest between dives. Onboard, you will find a daily Thai buffet, along with various drinks, fruits, and snacks to keep you fuelled throughout the day.

The vessel is equipped to handle various dive profiles, including night dives, and provides Nitrox for divers who require it. It serves as the primary platform for visiting the reefs and wrecks around the Koh Rang Marine National Park.

The centre maintains a modern inventory of equipment, with a focus on well-maintained, high-quality kit. For those looking to enhance their underwater experience, they offer underwater scooters and full-face masks equipped with modern communication technology, allowing you to share the experience with your buddy in real time.

Nitrox is available on-site for divers looking to extend their bottom time or manage nitrogen loading more effectively. The centre is also well-equipped for night diving, providing the necessary kit for exploring the reefs after sunset.

The reefs are defined by a vibrant architecture of hard and soft corals, including large Acropora formations and various sponges. Anemones are abundant throughout the sites, providing homes for various species of clownfish.

In the water column and around the structures, you will encounter large schools of fusiliers, jacks, and snappers. Larger predators such as barracuda, jacks, and various groupers are common, alongside the occasional eagle ray or guitarfish.

For those interested in macro life, the crevices and coral heads host a variety of smaller creatures. You can find many species of nudibranchs, cleaner shrimp (Stenopus Hispidus), and various moray eels hiding in the reef architecture.

Sea turtles are a regular highlight of the area, with both green turtles and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) being spotted by divers on the various reefs.

Dive conditions at the local sites can vary, particularly around the Koh Rang Pinnacle, where the centre assesses conditions before every departure to ensure safe and relaxed diving. The depth of the sites ranges from shallow reef flats to deeper pinnacles and wrecks.

Night diving is a standard part of the local dive offering, allowing divers to see a completely different side of the reef's inhabitants.