PADI Open Water Diver Course in Ao Nang, Krabi — Three Days (Local Diving)
฿14,500 (about $402) for the full three-day PADI Open Water Diver course, certification fees and course materials included, at a small Ao Nang centre with 732 Google reviews. A shorter PADI Scuba Diver certificate, valid to twelve metres, is ฿10,000 over two days.
Krabi, Thailand · ฿14,500 per session · EN
I did the Try Diving experience (2 dives) with Local Diving and it was superb from start to finish. The whole team were very welcoming, spoke excellent English, and had everything organised seamlessly.
What is this tour like?
The PADI Open Water Diver course at Local Diving in Ao Nang: ฿14,500 (about $402) over three days, which is the standard shape of the course — theory, confined-water skills, then four open-water dives.
What the centre puts inside that figure is worth reading, because Krabi shops differ. Local Diving lists transport to and from your accommodation in the Ao Nang area, insurance, lunch and drinking water, dive equipment, basic Thai dive operator insurance, course materials and the PADI certification fee. So the number on the price list is close to the number you pay. What sits outside it is the national park fee — ฿400 per diver at the Ao Nang islands, ฿600 at Phi Phi — and transfers from Krabi town, Khlong Muang, Tub Kaek or Railay, which carry a ฿400 supplement.
If three days is more than your trip allows, the same centre certifies PADI Scuba Diver in two days for ฿10,000. That card is real but limited: it takes you to twelve metres and always under professional supervision. It can be upgraded to full Open Water later.
The next steps are priced too: PADI Advanced Open Water over two days is ฿12,000, Emergency First Response ฿5,000 for a day, and Rescue Diver ฿14,000 for a classroom day plus two days on the boat.
What are the highlights?
- Three days to a full PADI Open Water certification
- Certification fees and course materials are inside the ฿14,500 (about $402)
- Sheltered Ao Nang island sites for the open-water dives
- A two-day PADI Scuba Diver option at ฿10,000 (about $277) if you are short of time
- eLearning can be completed before you arrive
How does the day go, hour by hour?
What's included in the price?
- PADI certification fee
- Course materials
- Dive equipment for the whole course
- Transport to and from your accommodation in the Ao Nang area
- Lunch and drinking water on dive days
- Basic Thai dive operator insurance
What's not included?
- National park fee — ฿400 (about $11) per diver at the Ao Nang islands, ฿600 at Phi Phi
- Transfers from Krabi town, Khlong Muang, Tub Kaek or Railay — ฿400 (about $11)
- Medical certificate if your health questionnaire requires one
What should you know before you go?
Who runs this tour?
Where do we meet?
Local Diving, Ao Nang, Mueang Krabi District, Krabi 81000, open 08:00–22:00 daily. Course transport from your accommodation within the Ao Nang area is included; from Krabi town, Khlong Muang, Tub Kaek or Railay there is a ฿400 (about $11) supplement.
Exact meeting point shared after booking.
FAQ
How long does the course take?
Is the course price per student?
What is the difference from the Scuba Diver course?
Where are the open-water dives done?
Do I need to be able to swim?
What comes after Open Water at this centre?
Can the course run in Russian?
What is the best season to learn here?
Quick questions
What do guests say?
“I did the Try Diving experience (2 dives) with Local Diving and it was superb from start to finish. The whole team were very welcoming, spoke excellent English, and had everything organised seamlessly.”
“For the first time we had to try diving. With pick up and drop off from hotel, as well as delicious food and drinks on the boat. Fantastically skilled and helpful instructors, with instructions and theory both before you get on the boat and on board.”
“A great Local Diving team, and the manager especially was attentive and responsive, helping with everything during the dives. Thank you to instructor Slava — instead of going once I dived with them three days in a row.”
How can you pay?
You may also like
Discover Scuba Diving in Ao Nang — Two Try Dives (Sawasdee Divers Krabi)
The PADI try-dive programme with no certification needed, from age ten. ฿4,190 (about $116) for two dives at the Ao Nang local islands, ฿5,190 at Phi Phi; ฿2,100 buys the pool session alone. Maximum two people per instructor in the sea, and the maximum depth is twelve metres.
Phi Phi Islands Dive Day from Ao Nang — Two Dives (Sawasdee Divers Krabi)
฿4,300 (about $119) for two dives at Phi Phi, running daily from 1 November to 31 March. Groups are capped at four divers. A non-diving companion travels on the same boat for ฿2,500— that companion line is what shows the price is charged per head. Bring your own kit and the operator takes ฿300 off.
Ao Nang Archipelago Snorkelling Day Trip from Krabi (Kon-Tiki)
Thirteen islands forty-five minutes off Ao Nang beach, three snorkelling stops from the dive boat Ingmarie, back on the beach at 15:00. ฿1,900 (about $53) for an adult and ฿1,500 for a child of 4–12 — the operator publishes both, so the price is per head. No snorkel guide in the water on this particular trip: you must be able to swim on your own.
Guides & articles about Krabi
Tips, destinations and everything water-sports.
The four islands from Ao Nang: which islands and what you actually see
Koh Poda, Chicken Island, Koh Tup and Phra Nang Cave beach — half a day, a longtail from the beach and a park fee the park and the operator quote differently.
Read article →
Krabi on the water: trips, boats, season and fees
Island days from ฿990, the Hong lagoon in a different national park, sea caves by kayak, diving off Phi Phi and boats sold whole — with the park fees that are paid in cash and never folded into the price.
Read article →
Which languages do Krabi operators actually work in?
English is the working language of Krabi's boat and dive operators. Spanish, French, Thai and Finnish are named by particular operators, and among the operators we checked Russian appears only in guest reviews — here is what each of those claims rests on.
Read article →