CMAS Open Water Diver (1*)

The CMAS Open Water Diver (1*) course runs over three days from Ko Lanta Diving Center and follows the structure the centre lists: first day theory and pool work, then two days of open sea diving. Four open water dives in total take students from pool-level basics into actual Andaman conditions aboard ChockSomBoon 1, the centre's dedicated 20-metre dive vessel.

Equipment is fully included, and the course includes the CMAS certification — an additional THB 1,000 certificate fee is noted in the centre's own course listing. The price is THB 13,500. All boat days include the centre's standard daytrip package: pickup, breakfast, lunch, soft drinks, coffee, tea and fruit, so students are not managing food logistics during training days.

Four open water dives across two days on the southern Andaman, with small guided groups and instructors who have been running these specific sites for over three decades, gives students a solid introduction to what diving in this part of Thailand looks like — not just the certification process in the abstract.

CMAS is the certification path for students whose home country's dive community works primarily with CMAS cards — common across much of Europe and beyond. The centre operates under both CMAS and PADI, so choosing the agency is a practical decision based on where you plan to dive after leaving Ko Lanta.