Built on a dream

Local Divers was built on a dream — the dream of Koh Chang’s first local Thai PADI-certified dive instructor to one day own his own dive school.

Our founder, Tea, started as a boat boy more than 20 years ago. He worked his way up to Divemaster, then PADI Instructor, and eventually became the owner of his own dive center.

Tea spent more than a year building Local Divers from the ground up, right next to his childhood home in Bang Bao, the fishing village where he was born and raised.

With more than 18 years of diving experience and 10,000+ dives in his logbook, Tea brings years of local knowledge to Koh Chang’s dive sites. He’s known for his keen eye for spotting marine life others might miss, and for combining high PADI safety standards with plenty of fun and laughter along the way.

When you dive with Local Divers, you’re supporting a locally owned business built right here in Bang Bao — and a dream more than 20 years in the making. Join us and see the love and passion for the sea that is shared among the locals.

Tea today on the Local Divers boat — Tea now

Meet Karim

Karim is a French PADI Instructor who began his diving journey in Koh Chang, training from Zero to Hero — from Open Water to Instructor. Tea was one of his instructors during his dive master in 2016, so their friendship goes back a long way.

Since becoming an instructor in 2018, Karim has taught and dived around the world, including French Polynesia, Mexico, and Madagascar, before returning to Koh Chang, which he is proud to call home year-round. With over 5,000 dives, he teaches in French and English and keeps a watchful eye on everything from marine life, to your comfort, and most importantly your safety.

Some examples of courses he can teach include Open Water, Advanced Open Water, EFR, Rescue Diver, Wreck, and Deep Specialty. He is also an Adaptive Techniques Instructor, who believes the underwater world should be accessible to everyone.

Karim, PADI Dive Instructor, on the Local Divers boat — Karim · PADI Instructor

Our community

Our vision goes beyond diving

Giving back to our local community is an important part of who we are. Local Divers works closely with the local school, creating opportunities for the children to learn new skills, build confidence, and experience more of the island they call home.

Our team provides swimming lessons, introduces students to scuba diving through theory, pool training, and ocean dives, and visits the school to help the children practice conversational English. We’ve also worked with the school through Trash Hero programs, teaching students about plastic pollution and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Some of our older students have even progressed toward becoming PADI-certified divers, giving them skills and experiences that could open doors to future opportunities on Koh Chang.

And sometimes, our guests get involved too! Visitors are welcome to join us at the school for our English sessions, giving the children a chance to practice with people from around the world. It’s become a wonderful experience for both the students and our guests, and one of our favourite ways to bring the Local Divers community together.