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Private Scuba Instructor Team
Why do so many divers choose Private Scuba in Thailand? One reason is our friendly mentor approach and the way we provide flexible, customised diving and snorkeling activities.
Our PADI professionals have well over 20 years of experience with an unrivaled commitment towards diving safety and fun!
PADI Master Instructor Available - Thailand
Despite maturing ever so 'slightly' in my years, my passion for scuba diving and teaching remains strong.
Achieving the highest standards for all customers remains my mission within the industry.
The primary objective is to provide safe scuba training and fun diving excursions for students and dive buddies.
With over twenty years of scuba diving experience and more than five thousand logged dives, 'Scuba Steve' is the leader of the team.
Having dived in Thailand since 2002, I consider myself knowledgeable of Thai culture, and in particular, the quality of diving in Thailand.
For many years, I've had the pleasure of diving in Phuket and the Racha islands, Koh Phi Phi, on Liveaboards in the Similan and Surin Islands, and most recently around the Pattaya coral islands in the northern Gulf of Siam.
Are you planning on traveling to Thailand for a diving holiday? If so, there are several ways you can contact us and get further advice with helpful information from local experts.
Experienced Snorkeling Guides
Our team of PADI® professionals also enjoy writing for snorkelers with news headlines and inspirational snorkeling blog articles.
Credentials and Awards
We operate and manage a team of scuba and snorkeling professionals – qualified and trained with PADI. Also, our snorkeler guides are all certified in CPR and First Aid procedures – through Emergency First Response (EFR).
My journey to become a snorkeling and scuba diving trainer began around twenty years ago. At that time, I was in desperate need of a career change and had an opportunity to start my scuba training with PADI® (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors).
Diving in a bit deeper...
The training took about six months to complete. It culminated in a sanctioned certification that allowed me to teach people how to snorkel safely and to certify divers with an internationally recognised licence to scuba dive without the supervision of an instructor.
I received the final part of my professional training in Phuket, Thailand in 2002. Following that, I took on the role of 'instructor' and worked for the same company that taught me (Dive Asia).
The experience was invaluable!
I got to teach beginners, some who had never snorkeled before, and to certify divers to advanced levels (e.g. the PADI Divemaster certification). This option is ideal for experienced divers who would like to embark on a career in dive leadership and scuba training.
Teaching Snorkeling and Scuba
My journey as a dive trainer continued for several years afterward and I traveled a lot. I worked in exotic faraway places, including:
- Europe (Spain, Cyprus, Canary Islands)
- Malaysia and the Perhentian Islands
- Mexico (Playa del Carmen)
- The Philippine Islands
As a result, the information in our blog section articles covering the best destinations for snorkelers is from these experiences.
The natural progression, and the one that occurred, was to start a scuba diving business whereby I could also offer snorkeling activities for holidaymakers – especially families with children.
Besides that, the manager of a scuba centre needs to be knowledgeable in snorkeling equipment and accessories and how to use them safely.
In fact, snorkelers need very little gear to get in the water and have some fun. Even so, the blog post tips that we provide are a great resource for beginners.
Most of my friends - and customers - call me 'Scuba Steve'. The nickname comes from the business that we run offering snorkeling tours and private scuba diving activities in Thailand.
Learning about Ocean Life
In recent years, I perform less of a teaching role and more of one that helps to educate others about plants and animals that live in the sea and oceans. Our team accomplishes this in our website blog about snorkeling.
The sea life creatures section is the place to learn more about organisms that inhabit the earth's salt water systems and freshwater rivers.
The resource guide contains information about the fish and plant life you could see while snorkeling in shallow water (e.g. around coral reefs).
It contains some of the best photographs and videos that we can find to post online in this snorkeling journal.
The scuba and snorkeling news section is where you will find interesting and topical stories from around the world.
Even so, we cover some of the most important issues in the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section. You will find simple answers to the most common questions asked about snorkeling.
Important: Our team always enjoys interacting with our website visitors. Please contact us by email if you have any questions or constructive comments.
Customer Testimonials and Feedback
There are many dive companies and diving boats in Thailand. Some of the divers who used the Private Scuba team were kind enough to provide some positive feedback and testimonials.
Rob from Leipzig, Germany
Coming from an IT computer background, I became a diving instructor many years ago. The joy, along with satisfaction I get from teaching scuba, is what keeps me involved in this amazing sport.
I first started my teaching career in Australia, followed by a spell of cold water diving in the freshwater lakes of Germany.
After moving to the Mediterranean islands for the summer, I returned to Asia for the warm, blue waters of the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Thailand diving is special to me. I particularly like wreck diving - and Pattaya has some of the best wreck dives in the world.
US Navy ships at 30 metres down are teeming with fish life. The team at Private Scuba took me diving around a huge battery of barracudas, with "diver-friendly" batfishes, and yellow-tailed fusiliers.
So, if you're considering a diving holiday in Pattaya, it would be my pleasure to show you the diverse diving that we have, from coral reefs to World War II Shipwrecks.
Happy Scuba Holidays in Thailand!
Mark from Bedfordshire, England
Life in the UK as a customer services General Manager was treating me quite well a few years ago. But, I knew it could get better!
I came to Thailand looking for a career change, and I found that change, in the business of scuba diving as an educator.
After meeting 'Scuba Steve', I completed my Divemaster training in Pattaya. The team also helped me to become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) the following year.
They helped me further advance my career by teaching me the Emergency First Response Instructor course.
I've worked as an instructor and travelled around Thailand. The highlight was diving at some favoured dive spots like Koh Samui, Pattaya, and Koh Chang.
Pattaya is home to me now, and I enjoy living and diving in these warm clear waters, with a variety of flora and fauna that would grace any diver's log book.
If you're searching for a great place to try a scuba course in Pattaya, join us here and let us make it easy for you!
Pierre from Paris, France
I have always been attracted to the sea and the underwater world. I have enjoyed sailing and snorkelling since I was a kid.
My first discovery of scuba diving took place in Asia when I traveled with some friends to the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia. That is where I passed the Open Water course.
After this great experience, I took the opportunity to dive during several overseas trips to Thailand, Philippines, Turkey, and Mexico.
I decided to use a work opportunity to take a step further in my diving development in Thailand, by obtaining the PADI Divemaster certification with Steve at Private Scuba.
I already gained a lot of experience from him and all the different diving supervisions and training assistants I was able to undertake as part of my dive master training.
Now fully certified, I welcome you to the great team at Private Scuba. I am not "little Cousteau" yet, but we would definitely have fun diving together.
Welcome to Private Scuba Diving in Pattaya, Thailand!
Gabriella from Sweden
As a PADI Master Instructor, Steve gave me such confidence. My concern before the diving was - safety. I wanted to feel comfortable with all the safety aspects of scuba.
Steve showed such a high professional attitude and focused on every detail throughout the teaching.
He built up an enormous amount of trust, and combined with his great and kind personality, he made the whole diving experience absolutely outstanding.
Besides, I want to congratulate Steve for his great choice of diving team, boat, and staff. The whole organisation and the logistics around the diving made the trip very enjoyable.
I had the privilege of Steve being by my side, both in and out of water, during my first diving week. He made it all into one of the most memorable, exciting and fun things I have done… and I will never stop diving.
Thank you very much Steve!
Borkur from Iceland
Diving with Steve and the team was a real delight. When I arrived in Thailand from Europe, there was little else on my mind other than to try scuba in Pattaya.
Having already done some research online, I knew there were some great shipwrecks to be seen near to the Pattaya Islands.
But, first I needed to become familiar with the basic safety of scuba diving.
From my first dive to completing the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, Steve made the experience both safe, thorough, and a lot of fun.
The personal attention turned my first diving experience into a passion that I will always carry with me.
Thanks a million, Steve!
Fadi from Dubai
I completed my PADI Open Water Scuba Course with Private Scuba in Pattaya. On another opportunity, I did some fun diving trips - guided underwater by 'Scuba Steve'.
I was particularly looking forward to diving shipwrecks in Pattaya. Furthermore, I made the wreck dives part of my advanced course.
Steve got me three wreck dives during my certification, including the HTMS Khram wreck and the HTMS Kood.
The other course dives included some Deep Diving, an underwater navigation dive, and the Peak Performance Buoyancy adventure dive. I had a lot of fun and the whole package was efficient, professional and relatively inexpensive.
The Private Scuba team certainly knows how to offer great scuba diving in Thailand. The PADI scuba courses that they offer are full of adventure and excitement.
Thanks Steve... next time I would like to make the Wreck Specialty Course.