Carabao Diving Center
Carabao Diving Center
5
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Carabao Dive Resort is a pioneer of Koh Tao diving. Offering a relaxed style and small groups, in the beautiful bay of Chalok. Direction to our diving boat in front of our Hotel beach We speak and teach in English, French, German and Spanish.
Koh Tao, Thailand
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Carabao Diving Center
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
539 reviews
Excellent
448
Very good
70
Average
12
Poor
3
Terrible
6
Taryn C
Newquay, UK10 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
Everything about our open water diving course was faultless! The location is in a beautiful and quiet area of the island, the diving centre has direct access to a beach. The accommodation, pool and general facilities were very clean. All of the staff were super helpful and friendly, our diving instructor Marco was absolutely amazing. He did everything to make sure we were safe and having fun and got us through the course confidently. There are so many diving companies on the island but i’d strongly recommend this one every time 🤿!!! (they also have the cutest little dogs here too)
Written 3 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Surani A
Arkansas57 contributions
Oct 2022 • Friends
Absolute must for beginners. The center is set up well, you wouldn't have to leave during your course if you don't want to.
I was nervous about diving but our instructor made me feel safe and calmed my nerves throughout the process. Request Marco if possible, he is the best mix of fun and professional.
If you want to stay on site, the restaurant offers a good variety of foods and the staff are lovely. The prices are decent, if you want cheaper eats you don't have to go far to find them. We didn't wait long for our meals.
The accommodations are clean with basic necessities.
I was nervous about diving but our instructor made me feel safe and calmed my nerves throughout the process. Request Marco if possible, he is the best mix of fun and professional.
If you want to stay on site, the restaurant offers a good variety of foods and the staff are lovely. The prices are decent, if you want cheaper eats you don't have to go far to find them. We didn't wait long for our meals.
The accommodations are clean with basic necessities.
Written 18 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevin Jeffery
Peterborough, UK230 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
We contacted this company months before arriving via whats app. Knowing that we was going to be in Koh Tao over the Christmas period we wanted to dive on Christmas Day and was aware many shops would be closed on this day. Carabo kept contact with us and got us booked in for Christmas Day
We did the bubble dive with our child who is 9 years old and me and my partner did refresher course and I also did an extra dive after.
Our instructor was fantastic and he was great with Oscar explaining everything that was needed to make his trip both safe and enjoyable.
The other instructor’s on the boat, the boat crew and manager in shop were all lovely also.
Great company to deal with.
We did the bubble dive with our child who is 9 years old and me and my partner did refresher course and I also did an extra dive after.
Our instructor was fantastic and he was great with Oscar explaining everything that was needed to make his trip both safe and enjoyable.
The other instructor’s on the boat, the boat crew and manager in shop were all lovely also.
Great company to deal with.
Written 26 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew G
Bangkok, Thailand23 contributions
June 2020
This was my first time diving in Ko Tao. I dived and stayed at the Carabao Dive Center and Resort, a great place with friendly staff, clean and spacious rooms, great food and fair prices! Plus awesome diving! We went to different dive sites for each and every one of the three days I spent there. The dive lead was knowledgeable and with a keen eye for macro stuff. The owner, Khun Noi, joined us on the boat and made sure that all our requests were taken care of in the best manner. I wish I had more than three days to spend on the island, I left with great memories and with a promise to myself to go back as soon as possible...for a longer stay.
Many thanks to Khun Noi for all the help,
See you again soon,
Andrew
Many thanks to Khun Noi for all the help,
See you again soon,
Andrew
Written 6 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
natchal
2 contributions
Dec 2021 • Solo
I came in December for my advanced diving. I didn't do the diving for 2 years. So i need refresh. December after storm, The visibility of diving is not good but i feel happy for everything.
Good diving school, good instructor. I think that i got the professional one. He explained good in theory and also practicing. Sunshine, blue sky, clear water, good restaurants around. Friendly people and of course, proud of myself. Now i am advanced diver. 😎 😉
Good diving school, good instructor. I think that i got the professional one. He explained good in theory and also practicing. Sunshine, blue sky, clear water, good restaurants around. Friendly people and of course, proud of myself. Now i am advanced diver. 😎 😉
Written 6 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Redmar P
Amsterdam, The Netherlands2 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
Amazing dive center, did the open water course with Chris. He is super professional, explains all very clear and good. At the same time he is relaxed and fun.. wish I had teachers like this back in school ;-). Rest of diving crew was very friendly and helpful as well. Did another free dive and deepwater dive with Cynthia who was just as friendly and good. I felt at home and sad to leave after five days. If you book open water course the hotel is very cheap (also not super good) and location is amazing.
Written 25 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yvonne P
7 contributions
Dec 2022 • Solo
Had a really great stay here, the owner is just so lovely and got me transfer to Khoa Sok cheaper than online too when I finally left.
Did diving course here, seemed pretty well set up (speaking from 0 experience) set in a lovely bay with reasonable priced resteraunts around. Moped hire at the end of the road and you can hire snorkel equipment etc too 👌 staff in Carabao & the attached resteraunt are all welcoming and super lovely. Oh and 4 cute as little dogs to welcome you every time 🐶
Did diving course here, seemed pretty well set up (speaking from 0 experience) set in a lovely bay with reasonable priced resteraunts around. Moped hire at the end of the road and you can hire snorkel equipment etc too 👌 staff in Carabao & the attached resteraunt are all welcoming and super lovely. Oh and 4 cute as little dogs to welcome you every time 🐶
Written 22 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anja B
Dresden, Germany10 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
My friend and I went fun diving with the most amazing team! Super friendly, we felt very safe, well taken care of, nice boat...everything you need for a super duper diving experience! We will definetely be back for more diving on this wonderfull island. The staff speaks all different kind of languages (English, German, Italian, French, Spanish etc.) My friend is an advanced diver and I am an open water diver. Matteo, Yan and Nina helped us decide on the best options/dives and we are so thankful for this great experience. See you next time! Anja & Kathi
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah-Jane C
6 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
We had an amazing time completing our open water scuba course. Special shout out/ thanks to our fabulous instructor Yannick, he was a great teacher, keeping the learning entertaining as well as informative. Not many people can teach that well. Such an incredible experience, we can’t wait for future dives! Thank you.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saskia588
Melbourne28 contributions
Feb 2012 • Couples
I had been very much looking forward to diving in Koh Tao. Having only a limited time on the island we carefully planned when we would go diving in order to make the most of the accommodation that we had spent quite a lot of money on as a treat to ourselves while away.
I made sure we checked out several dive schools in the area, asking questions and sussing out group numbers and safety, all in the area of Baan Chalok.
After speaking to about half a dozen dive school Carabao sounded good at that stage and promised they'd look after us and make us feel comfortable. I had gone out of my way to tell them I was a little anxious as I had had an unsettling experience with a divemaster elsewhere. Patrick in the shop seemed nice enough and told us we'd be taken care of. We explained to him that my partner had forgotten his dive license, Patrick reassured us that it would be easily found on the PADI website and he would check it. We signed the paperwork and arranged to meet at 7am the next morning, all good to go.
The following morning was an absolute mess as we were abruptly directed to get our gear. As this was our first time diving out of the course we were a little nervous doing it all on our own but got our stuff together and made our way to the boat. We had no idea who was in charge, and knew not a single persons name. We were taken out to the dive boat and set off towards Chumpon Pinnacle. My partner and I waited looking around for someone to help us as the tanks were so crowded and we could barely see a place for us to set up.It was so disorganised and noone really knew what was going on. I felt so uncomfortable and not safe at all. We soon asked who was our dive guide and the guys looked at eachother and then passed us between dive master to take us before one piped up that he had actually been told that they couldn't find my partner on the PADI website.
We insisted they call the shop and look again as we are both fully certified open water divers, having completed the course a year ago. Patrick searched our names with no luck and the guys insisted we then must stay on the boat and wait until the others had finished. By this stage we were half way to Chumpon Pinnacles, an hour by boat, and they would not allow us to get a taxi boat back, nor dive at all. We suggested contacting PADI by phone or the dive schoolk in Koh Phangan where we completed the course. They weren't interested in helping and then proceeded to tell us the dive company had been frauds and that our cards were fake. We knew for a fact they were not as the divemaster who'd certified us is actually a friend and also we have had much correspondence with PADI.
Getting very sea sick on a rocking boat We were not allowed to snorkel, instead we were ordered to wait on the boat for 5 hours till we returned to shore.They wasted our valuable and limited time on Koh Tao and the money we had spent on accommodation. Not only that several of the dive masters made an absolute mockery out of me in Spanish when I asked if we could get a taxi boat to pick us up. I've never come across such rude people in a company like this.
Finally when we returned to the dive shop, a more senior person looked up our names on PADI and there we were, immediately listed as certified... so obviously PATRICK... couldn't spell - or maybe just couldnt type. We were extremely angry and asked for some compensation of some sort. They offered us a discount of 100baht to dive with them the following day. That is 3 aussie dollars: a joke! We left them bitter about our experience, almost deciding not to dive on Koh Tao at all..
This company Caraboa, were extremely unprofessional, disorganised and rude. I would advise all travellers to stear clear of them. They may offer slightly cheaper deals, but be aware you get what you pay for: Carabao is a joke!
We ended up deciding to make the most of our time at Koh Tao and stay one more night. This meant giving up a night at our next destination but we were determined to turn our experience around. Thankfully we came across Sunshine Divers.... these guys were a complete contrast to Carabao. Helpful and friendly right from the start we were put at ease. Their efficiency and organisation was paramount and I felt so safe from start to end. Special thankyou to Tamara, Natalie and Pablo for an excellent experience for them: they help make up for our terrible time with Carabao.
Thankfully we
I made sure we checked out several dive schools in the area, asking questions and sussing out group numbers and safety, all in the area of Baan Chalok.
After speaking to about half a dozen dive school Carabao sounded good at that stage and promised they'd look after us and make us feel comfortable. I had gone out of my way to tell them I was a little anxious as I had had an unsettling experience with a divemaster elsewhere. Patrick in the shop seemed nice enough and told us we'd be taken care of. We explained to him that my partner had forgotten his dive license, Patrick reassured us that it would be easily found on the PADI website and he would check it. We signed the paperwork and arranged to meet at 7am the next morning, all good to go.
The following morning was an absolute mess as we were abruptly directed to get our gear. As this was our first time diving out of the course we were a little nervous doing it all on our own but got our stuff together and made our way to the boat. We had no idea who was in charge, and knew not a single persons name. We were taken out to the dive boat and set off towards Chumpon Pinnacle. My partner and I waited looking around for someone to help us as the tanks were so crowded and we could barely see a place for us to set up.It was so disorganised and noone really knew what was going on. I felt so uncomfortable and not safe at all. We soon asked who was our dive guide and the guys looked at eachother and then passed us between dive master to take us before one piped up that he had actually been told that they couldn't find my partner on the PADI website.
We insisted they call the shop and look again as we are both fully certified open water divers, having completed the course a year ago. Patrick searched our names with no luck and the guys insisted we then must stay on the boat and wait until the others had finished. By this stage we were half way to Chumpon Pinnacles, an hour by boat, and they would not allow us to get a taxi boat back, nor dive at all. We suggested contacting PADI by phone or the dive schoolk in Koh Phangan where we completed the course. They weren't interested in helping and then proceeded to tell us the dive company had been frauds and that our cards were fake. We knew for a fact they were not as the divemaster who'd certified us is actually a friend and also we have had much correspondence with PADI.
Getting very sea sick on a rocking boat We were not allowed to snorkel, instead we were ordered to wait on the boat for 5 hours till we returned to shore.They wasted our valuable and limited time on Koh Tao and the money we had spent on accommodation. Not only that several of the dive masters made an absolute mockery out of me in Spanish when I asked if we could get a taxi boat to pick us up. I've never come across such rude people in a company like this.
Finally when we returned to the dive shop, a more senior person looked up our names on PADI and there we were, immediately listed as certified... so obviously PATRICK... couldn't spell - or maybe just couldnt type. We were extremely angry and asked for some compensation of some sort. They offered us a discount of 100baht to dive with them the following day. That is 3 aussie dollars: a joke! We left them bitter about our experience, almost deciding not to dive on Koh Tao at all..
This company Caraboa, were extremely unprofessional, disorganised and rude. I would advise all travellers to stear clear of them. They may offer slightly cheaper deals, but be aware you get what you pay for: Carabao is a joke!
We ended up deciding to make the most of our time at Koh Tao and stay one more night. This meant giving up a night at our next destination but we were determined to turn our experience around. Thankfully we came across Sunshine Divers.... these guys were a complete contrast to Carabao. Helpful and friendly right from the start we were put at ease. Their efficiency and organisation was paramount and I felt so safe from start to end. Special thankyou to Tamara, Natalie and Pablo for an excellent experience for them: they help make up for our terrible time with Carabao.
Thankfully we
Written 28 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Saskia, I am the new manager of the Carabao Dive school and came across your review recently.
Of course there is no excuse for the way you and your partner where treated when you where suppose to have a good time diving with us.
I just wanted to let you and other readers on trip advisor know that except for the more senior Instructor who found your certification online, all the staff who were involved in your case are not working in Carabao anymore.
If you ever come back to Koh Tao, I will compensate this bad experience by inviting you for a day of diving on our costs.
Best Regards
Written 8 November 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ciao,
vorrei sapere se fate corsi in lingua italiana.
grazie
Written 3 July 2016
CARABAODIVING
Koh Tao, Thailand
Ciao,
sorry for the late answer, but this might be interesting for other travelers:
Our main teaching languages are English, French, German and Spanish. But we can arrange an instructor in pretty much any (standard) language if you send us a message a few days before you plan to start your course.
Sunny greetings from Koh Tao,
the Carabao team
Written 30 January 2017
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