Nava Scuba Diving

Established in 2018, Nava Scuba Diving is a PADI 5-Star and Eco Center situated on the beachfront of Chalok Baan Kao Bay. The centre provides a calm, professional environment for those looking to explore the reefs of Koh Tao without the crowds of larger operations.

Because the centre uses private boats, you can expect a more intimate experience on the water. Whether you are completing your first certification or looking for advanced wreck and deep dives, the setup is designed to keep groups small and focused.

The team at Nava Scuba Diving is composed of qualified instructors capable of teaching in English, French, German, and Thai. This multilingual approach ensures that technical details and safety briefings are clearly understood by a diverse range of divers.

Safety and individual attention are central to their teaching philosophy. The centre maintains a strict ratio of a maximum of four divers per instructor, often working with just two students at a time to ensure precise buoyancy control and reef awareness.

Nava Scuba Diving offers a comprehensive catalogue of PADI courses, catering to every level of experience. Beginners can start with Discover Scuba Diving or the PADI Scuba Diver course, while those seeking full certification can enrol in the PADI Open Water Diver or the PADI Eco Open Water Diver programmes.

For those looking to progress their skills, the centre provides Advanced Open Water, Deep Diver, and Wreck Diver courses. Professional candidates can work towards their Divemaster certification, and the centre also offers EFR Primary and Secondary Care training.

Dives are conducted using private boats, allowing for a more tailored itinerary and avoiding the busy crowds often found at popular sites. These vessels are used for everything from standard reef explorations to night dives.

On board, lunch is provided for your dives. Nitrox is also available on the boat for those who require enriched air for their dives.

The centre provides a full range of equipment hire for those not travelling with their own kit. This includes regulators, BCDs, and wetsuits, ensuring you have everything required for the local conditions.

For night diving, torches are available to help you explore the reef after dark. The centre is also set up to support Nitrox diving, making it easy to manage your gas requirements during your stay.

The reefs around Koh Tao are teeming with life, from large schools of fish to specialised reef inhabitants. You will regularly encounter snapper, jackfish, and various species of trevally, alongside colourful reef fish like butterflyfish, angelfish, and parrotfish. Large schools of chevron barracudas and yellowtail barracudas are common, and you may spot bigeye trevallies or tuna in the blue.

For those interested in larger pelagics, the area is known for sightings of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), particularly from March to October. You can also find blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) between January and October, as well as eagle rays (Aetobatus) from July to October.

Macro life and smaller creatures are abundant throughout the various habitats. Keep an eye out for octopus (Octopus vulgaris), various species of nudibranchs, and crustaceans such as hermit crabs and shrimp. You may also spot garden eels, sea anemones (Actiniaria), and various types of corals including gorgonians and sea whips.

On the sandy bottom and around the reef structures, look for blue-spotted stingrays, stingrays, and green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Other frequent residents include moray eels (Muraenidae), porcupinefish (Diodon), and various species of clownfish (Amphiprion) living within their anemone hosts.

Diving on Koh Tao is possible year-round due to the island's natural layout. The peak season is from March to October, offering calm surfaces and clear water with almost no current.

During the monsoon season, currents can pick up and shift, which may affect access to certain sites. While Koh Tao is generally a beginner-friendly destination and currents are rarely strong enough for a drift dive, experienced divers may prefer to use a negative entry during periods of heavy swell to get below the surface chop quickly.