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If you are looking for. PADI Divemaster, Instructor, Speciality, Sidemount, Tec 40 45 50, Cavern and Trimix to Tec50TMX and beyond in Khao Lak, The Similan and Surin Islands contact course director Ed.
Looking to dive the Khao Lak Wrecks. We can help. We organise regular teips to The Seachart, Premchai, Sea Race, Boonsung and T13, and cater for recreational and technical divers. We also organise regular cave diving expeditions to Song Hong, Klang Cave, Sra Keow and other cave systems in the region. Training to full cave available on request.
Have you ever dreamed of trading your office, workshop, kitchen, or construction site for crystal-clear water, tropical islands, and vibrant coral reefs?
If you're looking for a completely different lifestyle and a career that combines adventure, travel, and purpose, becoming a PADI Professional could be the opportunity you've been searching for.
Why Khao Lak?
Khao Lak is the gateway to some of Thailand's most spectacular diving destinations, including the world-famous Similan and Surin Islands.
Our diving year is divided into two distinct seasons. The high season runs from 15 October to 15 May, bringing the best weather, calm seas, excellent visibility, and access to the region's most sought-after dive sites. During this period, the Similan and Surin Islands National Parks are open, and both day boats and liveaboards operate daily.
A Proven Pathway to Becoming a Dive Instructor
One of the prerequisites for the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) is that you must have been a certified diver for at least six months before attending your Instructor Examination.
For many aspiring dive professionals, the ideal solution is to arrive in Khao Lak shortly before the start of the diving season.
We can guide you through every step of your professional development, including:
PADI Open Water Diver
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
Emergency First Response (EFR)
PADI Rescue Diver
PADI Divemaster
This training pathway typically takes between five and six weeks, depending on your starting experience level.
Once qualified as a Divemaster, you'll have the opportunity to spend the season working alongside experienced dive professionals, guiding certified divers, assisting instructors, and gaining valuable real-world experience. You'll also build the dive experience and confidence that will prepare you for one of our late-season Instructor Development Courses.
Divemaster vs Instructor: What's the Difference?
A PADI Divemaster is the first professional level within the PADI system. Divemasters primarily work with certified divers, lead guided dives, conduct scuba refreshers, and assist instructors during training courses.
A PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, on the other hand, is qualified to independently teach and certify new divers.
As an Instructor, you can:
Introduce people to the underwater world through PADI Discover Scuba Diving experiences
Teach PADI Open Water Diver courses
Help divers develop their skills through the Advanced Open Water program
Train rescue divers and future dive professionals
Build a rewarding career anywhere in the world where diving is offered
There are few careers that offer the opportunity to change lives while spending your working days in some of the most beautiful environments on the planet.
Your New Life Could Start Today
Another year will pass whether you take action or not.
The question is: where do you want to be when it does?
If you're ready to swap routine for adventure, meet like-minded people from around the world, and build a career in the diving industry, we'd love to help you get started.
Your journey from complete beginner to PADI Professional may be much closer than you think.
Contact us today to discuss your goals and create a personalised pathway to becoming a PADI Divemaster or Instructor in Khao Lak, Thailand.
With over 20 years of diving experience and more than a decade of professional teaching, Ed Bosworth has trained divers at every level, from complete beginners taking their first breaths underwater to Divemasters, Instructors, and technical divers pursuing advanced qualifications.
Having worked extensively throughout the UK, Thailand, and internationally, Ed's experience includes shipwreck diving, cave diving, mine diving, recreational diver training, professional-level education, and technical diver development. His diving adventures have taken him to the shipwrecks of the UK, the Red Sea, the Caribbean, Malaysia, Italy, Malta, the flooded mines of Germany, and the cave systems of Thailand.
Choosing the right trainer, whether you're considering becoming a PADI Professional or progressing into technical diving, can be a difficult decision. Training at this level represents a significant investment of both time and money, so it's important to find an instructor with the experience, knowledge, and commitment to help you achieve your goals.
Ed first discovered scuba diving while on holiday in Jamaica and began diving seriously in 2004. He completed his early training in England, where, as an active member of his local BSAC club, he gained extensive experience diving the shipwrecks of the southern UK coast and at inland training sites. His passion for diver education quickly developed through assisting with training, leading him to qualify as a BSAC Instructor in 2008. He later served as both Training Officer and Diving Officer for his club.
In 2010, Ed crossed over to PADI and continued teaching in the UK before making the decision in 2012 to turn his passion into a full-time profession. He relocated to Koh Tao, Thailand, where he joined one of the island's leading Instructor Development Centres and began training divers and professionals full-time.
Alongside his professional teaching career, Ed developed a strong interest in technical diving, progressing through Tec 50, Extended Range, and Full Cave Diver qualifications. He also qualified as a service technician for Aqualung and Scubapro equipment. As his experience grew, he became increasingly involved in professional-level training, supervising Divemaster programmes, teaching Gas Blender and Powerboat Diver Coxswain courses, and eventually progressing to technical diving instructor level. He initially qualified with IANTD before crossing his technical credentials over to PADI to align with the 5-Star PADI Instructor Development Centre where he was working.
Today, Ed continues to teach a wide range of recreational, professional, and technical diving courses. His teaching philosophy is simple: safety comes first. This means not only conducting courses to the highest safety standards, but also ensuring that every student develops the skills, confidence, and judgement needed to dive safely and independently long after their training is complete.
Ed aims to make every course enjoyable, supportive, and as low-stress as possible, while ensuring that each student receives the individual attention they need to succeed. His goal is not simply to help students pass an exam, but to develop competent, confident, and capable divers and instructors who are fully prepared for the challenges of the underwater world.
If you're interested in becoming a PADI Professional or advancing your skills as a technical diver, get in touch to discuss your goals and the training options available. Ed would be happy to help you find the right path for your diving journey.
What do the students say?
'His friendly, no pressure approach he somehow still manages to teach the most important lessons in ways you will remember.
'If your looking at diving for the first time, want to be prepared for your IDC or brush up on your tec skills then Ed is the guy.' Josh Moss 2026
'Brilliant, funny and endlessly knowledgeable about all things diving' Ryan Fochs 2025
Recently, I caught up with an old friend, Dave Polley, to spend some time refreshing cave diving skills at the well-known Song Hong cave system in Thailand.
While most of our training at Professional Diver Training focuses on recreational and technical diving, cave diving represents a very different environment — one that requires specialised training, planning, and discipline.
The session was a great opportunity to revisit key skills, procedures, and protocols that are essential when diving in overhead environments. Even for experienced technical divers, cave diving demands a higher level of precision and awareness.
Training was conducted through ProTec standards, which are widely recognised in the technical and cave diving community.
For those interested in taking their diving further, structured cave training — including Cavern, Intro to Cave, and Full Cave programs — is available in Thailand through Tech Diving Thailand.
Cave diving is not part of the recreational training pathway and is offered through separate technical diving agencies, but it’s an exciting direction for divers looking to continue progressing their skills.
As we continue to develop our technical diving programs, this is an area we’re looking to expand into in the future.
When candidates arrive for IDC training, I can usually predict the most common challenges I’ll see — not because the divers are lacking, but because these areas are rarely emphasized in recreational training.
Weaknesses I most often see:
Knowledge confidence — they underestimate what they already know
Teaching clarity — too much demonstration, not enough explanation
Nervousness while speaking
Limited situational awareness when task-loaded
Trying too hard to be “perfect” instead of being effective
What I tell them is simple:
You don’t have to be a flawless diver — you have to be a communicative one.
An instructor is not a performer — they’re a teacher.
IDC prep is about unlocking the potential you already carry — not transforming you into someone else.
There’s a special kind of calm that comes from doing Tec 50 in Thailand — warm water, clean visibility, and stable conditions let you focus entirely on technique.
Tec 50 is a mental shift. You stop thinking like a recreational diver and begin thinking like a technical one.
During training you’ll:
handle multiple gases
perform long deco stops
refine buoyancy under task-loading
work as part of a disciplined team
rehearse emergencies until the responses become instinct
What surprises divers most is that Tec 50 often feels less stressful, not more.
Because you’re prepared.
Because you’re methodical.
Because you’re thinking ahead.
Being deep isn’t frightening when everything is planned, tested, and rehearsed. It’s actually incredibly peaceful.
I’ve worked with many instructors over the years, and I’ve learned that a great instructor isn’t the loudest, or the strictest, or the one with the most badges on their chest.
A great instructor is someone who listens.
Explains clearly.
Builds confidence.
Teaches the why, not just the how.
I don’t push divers to “perform.” I guide them toward understanding.
I want every diver to feel capable and calm — not robotic.
Divers should never just memorize procedures — they should understand principles.
That’s why I teach differently:
I don’t produce divers who pass tests — I produce divers who make good decisions underwater.
I’ve seen many divers underestimate gas planning — even experienced ones. Not because they’re careless, but because recreational diving doesn’t require the same level of precision.
In Trimix and Tec training, I teach gas planning as a life-support calculation, not a suggestion.
I walk my divers through:
minimum gas
rock-bottom reserves
emergency gas switch protocols
breathing rate variability under stress
how task-loading affects consumption
why helium matters
There’s always a moment where someone looks at their SPG mid-drill and I can see it hit them:
“Ah… this is real.”
At depth — 60m, 70m, 80m — gas disappears faster than most divers intuitively grasp.
That’s why we plan slowly, carefully, and mathematically at the surface.
Technical diving isn’t about being fearless — it’s about being honest with physics and physiology… and planning accordingly.
