Beginner Scuba Diving Day Trip from Phuket: First Dives with an Instructor
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 10 October 2026
Our beginner dive day from Phuket needs no certification: the boat leaves Chalong pier at 08:30, you make two dives of 30 to 40 minutes on two different sites with a certified instructor beside you, and you are back at the hotel between 17:00 and 18:00. The card does not name the dive sites, so if Racha Yai is the reason you want to dive, ask which sites are planned for your date when booking.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diving in the Andaman Sea: two dives in a day | One day, roughly 07:00–18:00 | 4,200 ฿ | 4,000 ฿ |
| Racha Yai and Coral island at sunrise | One day, 04:30–15:30 | 1,600 ฿ | 1,300 ฿ |
| Racha and Coral islands by speedboat | Eight to nine hours | 1,400 ฿ | 1,300 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
How the day runs
The van comes between 07:00 and 07:45, depending on your area. At 08:30 the dive boat leaves Chalong, and breakfast is on board: coffee, tea and something light. The first dive is at 09:30, after a briefing for beginners. Then a rest on the boat from eleven, with hot and cold drinks and a snack. Another first-timer's morning on the water is our jet ski tour, with a handling briefing at the pier; see can beginners do the jet ski island tour.
The second dive, at 11:30, is on a different site. Lunch is Thai food on board at 12:30, and at two the boat turns back towards the pier. You're at the hotel between five and six.
What a first dive actually involves
It's a supervised dive, not a course. You get the briefing on the boat, the instructor stays with you the whole time, and the depth stays modest. No certification is needed. Before anyone goes in, a medical questionnaire has to be filled in, so expect that on the day or before it.
What's down there? The usual Andaman cast: reef fish, corals, moray eels, starfish and, sometimes, an octopus. Certified divers have a separate programme on the deeper, more interesting sites.
Does the dive day go to Racha Yai?
We can't promise that from the card. It describes two different sites in the Andaman Sea and doesn't name the islands, so the honest answer is to ask which sites the dive centre plans for your date when you book.
If Racha Yai itself is what you're after, three of our boat trips stop there for snorkelling. Racha Yai and Coral island at sunrise has you on Racha Yai from 06:40 to 10:30. The Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran gives it two hours from nine. And the sunrise fishing boat snorkels there between 11:00 and 13:00. All of them are on Racha and Coral island tours. For a mask and snorkel rather than a tank, Racha or Coral for snorkelling compares the two islands.
The instructor's language
This tour runs with an English-speaking guide. Read this part twice anyway, because underwater nobody can repeat themselves. You're briefed on the boat before the first dive, and the instructor stays beside you on both. Didn't catch a hand signal? Say so on deck. I'd rather you ask three times on the boat than guess once at the bottom.
More on guides across our trips is on do the guides speak English.
What is included, and the extras
Two dives, full diving equipment, a certified instructor, insurance, breakfast and lunch on the boat, water, tea and coffee, and hotel transfer from Kata, Karon, Patong, Chalong, Rawai, Nai Harn and Kamala. From other areas the transfer costs 1,400 to 2,400 ฿, agreed with the dive centre in advance.
Extras: underwater photos and video on request, alcohol and personal spending. A companion who comes along on the boat but doesn't dive pays 2,300 ฿ and spends the day on board with food and drinks. The current price of the dive day is on the tour page, from our booking system; confirm the total for your group in the chat.
Who it suits
First-timers who want to try, certified divers who want an easy boat day, and couples where only one of you dives. If you'd rather see fish from the surface, a snorkelling day is simpler; snorkelling tours from Phuket lists them.
- Never dived, want to try — the two-dive day, beginner format
- Certified diver — the separate programme on deeper sites
- Partner who doesn't dive — joins as a non-diving companion
- Fish from the surface, no tanks — Racha and Coral by speedboat
- Racha Yai specifically — Racha Yai and Coral island at sunrise
Booking and what to bring
Book at least 48 hours ahead, and remember the medical questionnaire has to be done before diving. Send us the date, your hotel, how many people will dive and whether anyone holds a certification. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed; ask about cancellation terms then.
Bring swimwear under your clothes, a towel, a change of clothes, a warm layer (after the dives the wind feels cold), sunscreen and a hat, motion sickness tablets, your certification if you have one, and cash for personal spending. If it's the island you're after rather than the dive, Racha Yai: what to expect lists the boats that do go there. For the clearest water in reach of Phuket, see whether the Similan Islands are worth the long trip. Still torn between a first dive and a snorkelling day? Beginner dive day or snorkelling tour compares price, timing and who each suits.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Can I dive without a certification?
Yes. The beginner format is a supervised dive: you are briefed on the boat, the instructor stays with you the whole time and the depth stays modest.
Does the trip go to Racha Yai?
Ask when booking. Our card describes two different dive sites in the Andaman Sea but does not name the islands, so the dive centre confirms the sites planned for your date.
Can a non-diving companion come along?
Yes. A companion who stays on the boat pays 2,300 ฿ and spends the day on board with food and drinks.
Is the instructor English-speaking?
Yes. Every tour in our catalogue runs with an English-speaking guide.
Is hotel transfer included?
Yes, from Kata, Karon, Patong, Chalong, Rawai, Nai Harn and Kamala. From other areas it costs 1,400 to 2,400 ฿, agreed with the dive centre in advance.
How long are the dives?
30 to 40 minutes each. You make two dives on two different sites, with a rest, drinks and a snack on the boat in between.
How much does beginner scuba diving at Racha Yai cost including equipment?
Without a certification, two dives cost 4,100 ฿ and one dive 3,900 ฿, with full equipment, the instructor, breakfast and lunch included. The card doesn't name the dive sites, so ask whether Racha Yai is on your date.
What is the cancellation policy if rough seas cancel a Phuket diving tour?
If rough seas cancel the dive day, it moves to another date or the payment comes back, with no fee. Cancelling yourself less than 24 hours before departure, or not showing up, means the payment is not returned.
Tell us your dates
Send the trip you like, your dates and your hotel. We confirm the pickup time and how the sea looks for that day. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed: by card, bank transfer or USDT.