“Professional yet personal diving experience”
. We had prebooked our PADI Open Water and advanced open water courses
from home and Big Blue Diving handled everything very professional, and
was there to greet us with a smile from when we arrived at the dock,
till we were left with the ferry. We were very happy that we got to do
the PADI Open Water Course, despite that we were only my girlfriend and I
on the team, since other new divers preferred SSI. We were followed
by the same Instructor, Andreas, on both of our courses which was really
great. Andreas was very helpful and kind, yet very professional in his
teaching above as well as below the water surface. His enthuasism and
keen mindset was very inspiring and he is now the reason that we joined a
dive club the minute we got back to Denmark - and already had our first
few dives here! :D
. We had prebooked our PADI Open Water and advanced open water courses
from home and Big Blue Diving handled everything very professional, and
was there to greet us with a smile from when we arrived at the dock,
till we were left with the ferry. We were very happy that we got to do
the PADI Open Water Course, despite that we were only my girlfriend and I
on the team, since other new divers preferred SSI. We were followed
by the same Instructor, Andreas, on both of our courses which was really
great. Andreas was very helpful and kind, yet very professional in his
teaching above as well as below the water surface. His enthuasism and
keen mindset was very inspiring and he is now the reason that we joined a
dive club the minute we got back to Denmark - and already had our first
few dives here! :D 
10 - 11 Meet at Big Blue Dive Resort for registration and welcome drinks
11 - 12 Shark conservation talk and petition signing
1 - 4 Swim time!! Swim 3.4 km around Koh Nang Yuan
7 - late Evening festivities including sponsored Shave for Sharks, live music, and drink deals (Big Blue 2 - Pranee resort)
“Im coming back again for sure.” 4 of 5 stars Reviewed on Trip Advisor July 25, 2012 - Before going to Koh Tao I googled it a lot, and at the end I wanted to go to either Big Blue or Crystal Dive Center. Since Crystal replied fastest and in a most personal way I decided to do my advanced open water there. But I found their resort to be completly dead after dinner time. By walking around I found my way to Big Blue and was positivly surprised about how cosy atmosphere they have. You really feel like youre a part of a big family when being there.I therefore moved over to Big Blue and did my Nitrox and wreck spec there at the end of my trip. My instructor Rich was super cool and we really had a good chemistry. All of the instructors seemed very enthusiastic and proffesional, but try to book Rich if he's available, because then you'll know for sure that youre in safe hands ;-) I see that some others have complained about that the dorms are dirty and that its a bit loud around the bungalows. Its exactly the same over at Crystal. I even upgraded to a rather nice hotel (Regal Resort) to try to get some good sleep. But even there it was pretty noisy with drunk people coming home at night and roosters that make a lot of sound from 4:AM. I moved around 3 times because I was frustrated about how loud it was everywhere. But you get what you pay for, so the only way to be sure to have silence and 100% working shower and toilet, is to book an expensive 3 - 5 thousand Baht a night bungalow that lays away from the main areas. Dont expect too much from the places that include "free" accomodation or if it costs under 1.000 Baht a night. You get pretty much what you pay for. I know that when Im coming back I'll go to Big Blue again. Their resort lays in the middle of the biggest main beach and lots of diving students and instructors hang out in their outdoor bar/restaurant by the beach in the evenings. I got to know new people there from other groups and really felt Big Blue is like a nice little community. Thanks for some great days Rich! Hopefully I'll see you there again, when I come back next year :-D
Introducing Koh Tao's very own Iphone app.!! The Koh Tao Dive Guide app contains all information needed to dive around Koh Tao, as well as some great information about the marine life you find here, conservation on Koh Tao, general diving etiquette and even how to blow bubble rings! It is an essetial guide for anyone interested in diving as you can see all the fish life you will encounter, corals, detailed dive site maps, reef conservation, hand signals, and lots more. Features:
✓ Dive sites with the detailed Swim for Sharks 2012
✓Descriptions and underwater dive maps!
✓ Corals and Fish list
✓ Hand signals
✓ Fish signs
✓ Buddy checks, diving tips and hits
✓ Safety information and Emergency assistance
✓ Become a Bubble Rings Master!
Visit the famous Koh Tao Dive Guide at http://www.dive-guide.org/ Stay tuned for more updates: Similans, Sharm El Sheikh and more locations coming in the next updates!
Updated Friday 27th July 2012-
“Must Do!”
After reading TripAdvisor, we decided to do our open water dive course
with Big Blue. It has exceeded expectations. We stayed in the newer
resort in one of the 900bht rooms and it was great - 2 double beds, air
con, and a great view. We started the course with a briefing from Petra
and ended up having her as our instructor for the whole course. She was
fantastic, friendly, patient, helpful and made you feel relaxed, safe
and excited about diving. We would highly recommend her as your
instructor. We made heaps of friends at Big Blue and don't want to
leave! Do yourself a favour and book with Big Blue!
After reading TripAdvisor, we decided to do our open water dive course
with Big Blue. It has exceeded expectations. We stayed in the newer
resort in one of the 900bht rooms and it was great - 2 double beds, air
con, and a great view. We started the course with a briefing from Petra
and ended up having her as our instructor for the whole course. She was
fantastic, friendly, patient, helpful and made you feel relaxed, safe
and excited about diving. We would highly recommend her as your
instructor. We made heaps of friends at Big Blue and don't want to
leave! Do yourself a favour and book with Big Blue! 
“Advanced open water with Big Blue”
One of our last stops of our six months travel was Koh Tao with the idea
to get our padi. The day we arrived there was a small briefing about
getting your padi open water or ssi open water. In the end there is no
difference between the two but we chose for padi. You had to do four
extra quizes but they are easy, just like the exam. Im really glad that
we chose for padi because we ended up with a dive instructor called
Richard. This guy has the abillity to be really proffesional and make
you feel safe, home and comfortable at the same time. Always joking
around but when the time is there he is serious too. After a three day
course we had our padi and were now certified open water divers. Because
of the amazing world down there and the fun we had those three days, we
decided to get our advanced open water (10% dis ount if you do your
open water at big blue), wich allows you down to 30 meters. I can really
advise doing the advanced course because you are already certified wich
allows the instructor to give you more freedom. You get the chance to
look for sealife under rocks and between cracks by yourself, knowing
somebody professional is watching you. If you want to go diving on Koh
Tao, make sure you go to Big Blue Dive Resort! The staff and atmosphere
are truelly amazing and want you to go back. Getting our advanced open
water at Big Blue was one of the best things of our trip. WARNING: go
there at the end of your trip, otherwise you gonna stick around there
way to long! Richy, once again, we want to thank you for the last five
days, they were legend! Koen and Joris from the Netherlands.
One of our last stops of our six months travel was Koh Tao with the idea
to get our padi. The day we arrived there was a small briefing about
getting your padi open water or ssi open water. In the end there is no
difference between the two but we chose for padi. You had to do four
extra quizes but they are easy, just like the exam. Im really glad that
we chose for padi because we ended up with a dive instructor called
Richard. This guy has the abillity to be really proffesional and make
you feel safe, home and comfortable at the same time. Always joking
around but when the time is there he is serious too. After a three day
course we had our padi and were now certified open water divers. Because
of the amazing world down there and the fun we had those three days, we
decided to get our advanced open water (10% dis ount if you do your
open water at big blue), wich allows you down to 30 meters. I can really
advise doing the advanced course because you are already certified wich
allows the instructor to give you more freedom. You get the chance to
look for sealife under rocks and between cracks by yourself, knowing
somebody professional is watching you. If you want to go diving on Koh
Tao, make sure you go to Big Blue Dive Resort! The staff and atmosphere
are truelly amazing and want you to go back. Getting our advanced open
water at Big Blue was one of the best things of our trip. WARNING: go
there at the end of your trip, otherwise you gonna stick around there
way to long! Richy, once again, we want to thank you for the last five
days, they were legend! Koen and Joris from the Netherlands.
“Came to Big Blue to do open water, ended up as an instructor!”
- Did my open water at big blue last year and had just enough time to do
the advanced. Didn't take a lot of persuading to decide that I wanted to
dive as a career, so I came back to Big Blue this January to learn all I
could. They trained me up as a rescue diver, divemaster, technical
diver, and now instructor! Says a lot about how good an experience it's
been. I think Big Blue has the best professionals the dive
industry has to offer, whether you want to learn to dive from scratch,
or work in the industry. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The bar is pretty good as well..
- Did my open water at big blue last year and had just enough time to do
the advanced. Didn't take a lot of persuading to decide that I wanted to
dive as a career, so I came back to Big Blue this January to learn all I
could. They trained me up as a rescue diver, divemaster, technical
diver, and now instructor! Says a lot about how good an experience it's
been. I think Big Blue has the best professionals the dive
industry has to offer, whether you want to learn to dive from scratch,
or work in the industry. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The bar is pretty good as well.. 
“Experience of a life time.”
We spent our honey moon island hopping in Thailand and decided on Koh
Tao's Big Blue Diving school to do our open water certification. The
island, experience, dive school, and staff (Rich Todd) were absolutely
amazing and ended up extended our stay from 3 days to 8, and taking the
advanced course. Rich,our instructor made us feel like we were part of
the staff and the island. He invited us to daily drinks on the beach,
and fine dining restaurants at the islands peak views. I would recommend
the advanced course, which in our case included diving at night and
also a WWII ship wreck. There are plenty of dive schools on Koh Tao, but
if you are looking for memorable experience then Big Blue Diving is the
way to go. They do provide an array of lodging options ranging from
free dorms to private air-conditioned options. All the equipments was in
great condition and regularly tested. Thank you for the amazing memories and a great honey moon. Kapiti Kap to Big Blue and Rich!!!!
We spent our honey moon island hopping in Thailand and decided on Koh
Tao's Big Blue Diving school to do our open water certification. The
island, experience, dive school, and staff (Rich Todd) were absolutely
amazing and ended up extended our stay from 3 days to 8, and taking the
advanced course. Rich,our instructor made us feel like we were part of
the staff and the island. He invited us to daily drinks on the beach,
and fine dining restaurants at the islands peak views. I would recommend
the advanced course, which in our case included diving at night and
also a WWII ship wreck. There are plenty of dive schools on Koh Tao, but
if you are looking for memorable experience then Big Blue Diving is the
way to go. They do provide an array of lodging options ranging from
free dorms to private air-conditioned options. All the equipments was in
great condition and regularly tested. Thank you for the amazing memories and a great honey moon. Kapiti Kap to Big Blue and Rich!!!! 
Loopholes if not closed in time become massive gaping wounds! & the loophole that allowed Japan to slaughter & butcher whales in the Southern Ocean has now become a gaping wound as Denmark try to increase their Whale kill around Greenland & Iceland continue their Whale slaughter in the Arctic circle. & now the Bloody Koreans are wanting in on the slaughter all in the name of Scientific Research!. What an absolute Road of Borrocks Korea! Stick to making cars, stereos, Asian boy bands & firing rockets & guns over North Korea, BUT leave the Whales alone! or you can go stick your Air Conditioner up your Daewoo!
Keep your eyes & ears out for news on Big Blue coming up in all sorts of magazines & articles in the very near furure. Recently we've had a freelance photographer who works with all the big Dive mags staying with us (actually ended up doing their DM with us) & she has a bunch of different mags going to be running a few stories & pictures on us in England. Then we had a couple over from Australia who have their article coming ut in print in Straylia this week. We've also got a great article written on us in South East Asia Back Packer magazine Tho they aint allowed to mention us specifically you'll realise its us cos we got an ad in the middle of the story & the Blonde Instructor from Sweden is called Ludo! Then Emirates Airlines are running a story on us in an issue of their inflight magazine & of course Nat Geo are still looking at making a TV show here aswell. What with all this celebrity stardom I'm not sure how we're going to be able to fit any diving in!
“Open Water Course + Accommodation” 5 of 5 stars Reviewed on Trip Advisor June 29, 2012 - I did my open water course here and I really enjoyed it! FIRST: It is a four day course. Day one starts in the evening and all you have to do is look at some videos and fill in some paperwork. Day two is all about getting to know your equipment, which takes place in the pool. By day three we were in the sea. Which was great! depending on the weather (Hot or Super Hot) there are different sites to go to. I lucked out a bit because the visibility was way above normal. Day four is mainly the same except you get up very early. That hurts a bit, but is worth it. The only thing I didn't like was that they shove a camera in your face (at 6 a.m.), which they edit and hope you buy (at an insane price). SECOND:
Why Big Blue? What I really like is the quality of the equipment. Everything feels taken care of and there seems to be a high standard in maintaining it in that way. Also they explain (in great detail) how this is a safe dive and how you can make it even safer. And, although a bit personal, we really got lucky with our instructor. He was one of those teacher, who could multitask insanely and gave everyone in the group personal attention. This enabled the group to learn how to dive, while still being able to stare at the numerous fish around. ACCOMMODATION: You have TWO Big Blue places. One of them is newer, in better condition and a bit more expensive. What is great about it is that you can get a discount for any room, when doing your course. Certain rooms half price and some even free. (Depending on season and availability). When we were in ONE (older) We got to stay for free. The room is very basic with a fan and private bathroom, with flush! And is close to the beach. Number TWO (newer) is by the pool. There aren't any free rooms here, but the quality of the basic room has skyrocketed. Also this is the bar on the island that has the best coffee around. Fresh cups of coffee. Which isn't that easy to find anywhere in the south of Thailand.
Updated Thursday 5th July 2012-
Oi Denmark! "No!" I appreciate the work you've done to further our childrens education with the use of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures
and various other parts which can be assembled and connected in
many ways, to construct such objects as vehicles, buildings, and even
working robots BUT you really need to understand by submitting a request to increase the number of whales your Inuit people in Greenland & the Faroe Islands already hunt & butcher you are killing one of the most amazing creatures in the sea. I'm concerned already by a recent report that found whalemeat on sale to
tourists, raising questions over whether your Greenlanders really need
quotas as large as those they currently have & have been disgusted by the photos of your Faroe Islanders gathering whales into a bay & slaughtering them in cold blood in depth deep enough to stand! Denmark. Please. Stop this madness now. You're way better than that!
“A sure success!” - 4 of 5 stars Reviewed on Trip Advisor June 28, 2012 - I did my Open Water Course here in May and I have to say that this diving center is a great place to start diving. Even it is quite a big school the courses are very personalized. We were six people in the group and the instructor (Benjamin Meerhaeghe) did a great job and put a lot of effort in explaining everything. He did it in three languages (English, French and Spanish) simultaneously. If you do your diving course here you can also get good deals in accommodation (standard rooms).
So it looks like we're ready! We got the classrooms painted, furnished & with a new LCD TV & Media Player in each classroom. We done our Dorm rooms up so they look nice & spanky. Our regs have been serviced. Our tanks have been Hydro'd. We've rented an additional boat so we don't have to pack divers in like srdines like some schools on Koh Tao are known to do & we got almost 30 Instructors all sitting around waiting for the onslaught to begin. On your Marks... get ready staff... Here comes High Season!
Updated Tuesday 3rd July 2012-
And just when you least expect suddenly a Whaleshark turns up! Chumphon Pinnacle. Big as you like! & that follows what we saw yesterday morning aswell which was a 3 meter long Marlin or Sailfish & with its Sail up. & check out the viz! At least 30 meters in every direction! Awesome diving right now as we enter the last week of low season. Smooth flat water. Crystal clear visibility. Large pelagics. Hunting Sailfish & a Whaleshark! The calm before the storm. Must be Full Moon!
“My diving vacation”-5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 30, 2012 - Never really been out of Europe, I looked sceptical at going to Thailand for diving. Down there everything seems about tourism and making money. Not so with Big Blue! Fun and safety seems really to be the motto of this (not to small and not to big) dive resort. After you have decided if you want to learn new skills with the very friendly and patient dive instructors or just go fun-diving, nice and easy, everything seems to run problem-free. I did my open-water course directly in the first days and contiued with an advanced course, just because I was brought into diving with such good guidence! Not to mention that I did the rest of my vacation lots of fun-diving at all the nice sides around Koh Tao, and with the genius dive-master who seem to know every stone and every fish on a first-name basis ;) All in all, if you want to learn diving or just go for fun-diving Big Blue makes your life easy - the diving is modern, save and organized, while the people are fun, caring, cool and not trying to sell you all the time stuff which you dont need... and btw. I saw a whaleshark :)
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Beach and Underwater Clean up yesterday! 36 people joined in Big Blue's monthly clean up operation - which just keeps getting bigger! With being made a Green Star resort, we are greener than ever, and now cleaner too. Here's 10 things you can do to help keep the oceans clean-
1. Avoid purchasing souvenirs made from coral or any threatened or endangered marine species.
2. Support the establishment of coral reef protected areas and encourage better protection and management for those that exist.
3. While travelling, choose resorts and tour operators that properly treat all sewage and wastewater.
4. Never throw rubbish, cigarette ends over-board and never support tourist aimed fish-feeding entertainment
5. As a diver or snorkeler, choose tour operators that use mooring buoys or drift diving techniques whenever possible rather than anchors that can cause reef damage.
6. Make wise choices in selecting seafood by avoiding menu items that are caught or farmed using destructive or unsustainable practices including reef-killing poisons, explosives, and illegal equipment. All fish served at the Big Blue restaurant is supplied by local fishermen using sustainable fishing methods.
7. Avoid purchasing tropical wood furniture or products obtained from clear-cut tropical forests causing siltation damage to coral reefs.
8. As a diver, practice buoyancy control skills in a pool or sandy area before diving near a coral reef. Make sure your gauges and equipment are secured to avoid accidental contact with the reef, and never touch, stand on, or collect coral.
9. Report all damage of coral reefs to dive operators and scientific or conservation groups that monitor coral reef health.
10. Enroll in Eco-specialty courses to increase your knowledge about coral reefs and other aquatic environments. (Underwater Naturalist, Marine ID, Peak Performance Buoyancy, CoralWatch, PADI Project AWARE Specialty, SSI ECOlogical monitoring programme, Reef Check EcoDiver.)
Updated Monday 2nd July 2012.
It's been all fun & games here over recent days as we took a video out & started filming the staff for a few one to one interviews as requested by the TV Production Company that wants to make this Reality/Docudrama or whatever you call it, on the life of a Diving Instructor. So the boys all put on their make up & did their hair while the gals ran up & down the beach a number of times in their skimpy red high thigh one pieces! Should be a great show if they ever do get round to making one!
“Awesome place for divers! I will go there again!” 5 of 5 stars Reviewed on Trip Advisor June 28, 2012 - Usually I am not writing on platforms like tripadvisor, but this place has deserved an exception: after a warm welcome of the diving team at Big Blues restaurant (which is also very good and fairly priced) an unstructure screened my diving skills. As I was only a Padi Open Water Diver yet, I decided to go for the Advanced course. Starting next morning was pretty relaxed: only 5 people per course is quite relaxing! Together we decided on the AOW specialities and everybody got what he wanted to do. By the way, you can do both there: Padi and SSI, just what you prefer. My class was led by Ludo - really a cool and funny instructor - try to get in a class with him once you are there. Although I was not out diving for 9 month, Big Blue team took care for me do I always felt save and secure. And after the first dive everything is OK anyway. So doing the AOW was done in 2 days - really great fun! And even if I joined the course alone, people over there are all nice and funny so I ended up with 4 new friends from all over the world! Coming to fun dives: special thanks to Reggie for making 4 dives with you an unforgettable experience! Reggie is really trying to provide you great dives and shows everything to you as she knows the spots by heart. I really have got the feeling that she is simply passions about showing Koh Tao dive spots to the people diving there! So coming close to the end: the waleshark! Yes, we spotted one during a dive while doing a full day trip with Big Blue! An unforgettable moment for me and the other divers on the boat! Finally Big Blue offers simple but clean and cheap accommodation - starting with dorms with fan only up to AC sea view bungalows. Anyway great place to spend time for diving and relaxing in Thailand - I will go there again, for sure! Keep on breathing Big Blue Diving Koh Tao and thanks again for the outstanding time we could stay with you!
Updated Sunday 1st July 2012
