Course overview

The PADI Rescue Diver course on Koh Tao teaches you to prevent and manage problems underwater. In the warm, forgiving 28-30C Gulf of Thailand you practise self-rescue, tired-diver tows and missing-diver searches at sheltered sites like Japanese Gardens and Twins, and you come away more confident and more aware of the divers around you.

What you’ll learn

• Recognise and manage diver stress before it becomes an emergency
• Perform self-rescue and assist a panicked or tired diver
• Conduct missing-diver search patterns and surface rescues
• Bring an unresponsive diver to the surface and to the boat
• Provide in-water rescue breaths and manage an exit
• Plan and execute realistic emergency-response scenarios

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 12 (Junior Rescue Diver) / 15 for Rescue Diver
• PADI Adventure Diver or Advanced Open Water (or equivalent), including Underwater Navigation
• Emergency First Response / CPR and first-aid training within 24 months
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Theory & EFR

   Complete the knowledge reviews and, if needed, the Emergency First Response CPR and first-aid course.
2. Day2
   Rescue skills

   Practise the ten rescue exercises, including tired-diver tows, panicked-diver response and underwater searches, in calm conditions at Japanese Gardens or Twins.
3. Day3
   Unresponsive-diver drills

   Work on surfacing an unresponsive diver, in-water rescue breaths and boat exits.
4. Day4
   Rescue scenarios

   Run two full open-water emergency scenarios from start to finish under instructor evaluation.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Koh Tao.

Frequently asked questions