Krabi Dive Shops: How to Choose the Right One

Featured image: kallerna, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How to Choose Among Krabi Dive Shops in Five Checks

Start with your certification level, then match it to a site type. Next, find out where the boat leaves from and how big it is. Finally, compare what each price includes. Our Krabi diving guide covers the wider picture if you are still deciding whether to dive here at all.

• Certification: Discover Scuba, Open Water, Advanced or fun dives each point to a different trip.
• Departure: Ao Nang beach, a longtail pier or Port Takola changes your morning.
• Boat: big boats carry roughly 30 to 50 divers, so ask about group size and guide ratio.
• Sites: ask which sites the shop actually visits in your travel month.
• Safety and inclusions: ask about oxygen, first aid, gear condition, lunch, park fees and transfers.

Dive Shop Types and Where They Operate

Most shops fall into three groups. Ao Nang shops run local-island trips and big-boat days to Koh Phi Phi. Railay-based divers depend on boat access, so pickup logistics matter more there. Shops on Koh Lanta run their own schedules, so compare them separately rather than assuming the same sites. An operator-reported count from 2021 put roughly 10 to 15 dive schools in the Ao Nang area, and most were PADI-affiliated. Use the SSI dive center locator if you want a school on that agency. Our guide to diving from Ao Nang covers that base in more depth. Divers staying on the peninsula should read about the Railay Dive Center: Courses, Dive Sites & Booking Tips options before booking a pickup.

Which Trip Fits You: Discover Scuba, Open Water, or Fun Dives

First-timers should book a shop that explains how it handles beginners. A long open-ocean day is the wrong first dive. Sheltered spots such as Viking Bay at Koh Phi Phi Ley have shallow sandy areas used for skills practice. Our PADI Krabi guide explains course options in more detail. The PADI Open Water Diver course page lists the standard prerequisites.

What Your Dive Day Looks Like

Timings below are typical figures checked November 2026, and shops vary. Pickup from your hotel usually falls around 7 to 7:30am. Big-boat Phi Phi days return around 4:30 to 5pm after two dives. Three-dive days return around 5:30 to 6pm. Some trips leave from Ao Nang beach, where a longtail ferries you to the big boat. Others leave from Port Takola, roughly a 15-minute drive from Ao Nang. Local-island trips can leave anywhere from 7 to 9am and return in the early afternoon. Most trips are two dives at two sites. Lunch, water and soft drinks are usually served on board. Boats should carry life jackets, oxygen and a first aid kit.

Local Islands vs Koh Phi Phi vs Far-Out Sites

Travel time drives most of this choice. Local islands are a short ride but visibility is often poor. Phi Phi has better visibility but needs a long boat day. For site profiles, see our Krabi dive sites guide. Wildlife depends on luck, so no shop can promise leopard sharks, mantas or whale sharks.

• Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are further out and need a dedicated trip.
• Ask a shop whether these far sites are running during your dates.

Season and Conditions: When Shops Run What

Diving runs year-round at Ao Nang. Conditions are best from about November to May, with flatter seas. June to October is rainy season, and conditions are less predictable. Far-out sites such as Koh Haa are generally closed from May to October. Read our Krabi diving season guide for month-by-month planning. Water temperature sits around 27 to 30°C (80 to 85°F) all year. Our page on Krabi Water Temperature by Month (Dive Guide) has more detail. Marine park access is set by the Department of National Parks, so ask your shop which sites are open on your date.

Cost and Value: What to Compare Besides Price

Two quotes in baht rarely cover the same day. Compare gear rental, lunch, transfers and national park fees line by line. Then check boat size and group size, since a cheaper seat on a crowded boat is a different product. Typical rates are laid out in our Krabi diving price guide. Ask each shop for a written list of inclusions in baht before you pay a deposit.

Questions to Ask Before Booking

Send these to two or three shops and compare the answers side by side. Fitness matters too, so review the guidance from Divers Alert Network and check with a doctor if you have a medical condition.

• Which sites will we dive on my date, and what is the backup if weather changes?
• Where does the boat leave from, and what time is pickup?
• How many divers are on board, and how many per guide?
• How old is the rental gear, and is a wetsuit included?
• Does the boat carry oxygen and a first aid kit?
• What is the cancellation and refund policy for bad weather?
• Is the marine toilet policy explained so nothing is dropped overboard?

Mistakes to Avoid

Booking on the cheapest price alone is the most common error. Others are listed below.

• Not asking where the boat departs, then missing a 7am pickup.
• Assuming you will dive the same sites every day.
• Booking a long open-ocean day as a first dive.
• Expecting a guaranteed sighting or guaranteed visibility.
• Skipping the fitness-to-dive questions.

Choosing a Krabi dive shop

Pick the trip type first and the shop second. Match your certification to the site, confirm the departure point, and compare inclusions in baht. When you want more context, return to our Krabi diving hub.

Booking a Dive Shop When You Stay in Railay

Railay has boat access rather than a road connection, so confirm the pickup plan before paying a deposit. Ask whether the shop collects you from a Railay beach, expects you to meet in Ao Nang, or arranges a transfer to its departure point. A typical Ao Nang hotel pickup is around 7 to 7:30am. That timing may require an early longtail crossing from Railay.

Some dive days depart from Ao Nang beach, while others use Port Takola. Port Takola is roughly a 15-minute drive from Ao Nang, so a shop using that marina needs to explain how Railay guests join the group. Also ask what happens if sea conditions delay the crossing or the return boat.

Phi Phi big-boat trips commonly return around 4:30 to 5pm after two dives. Confirm the final Railay transfer as well as the dive itinerary. A shop with a clear written plan for both crossings is usually easier to use than one that only quotes a dive price.