Rachel & JOE are Very nice. First time in Thailand we enjoed in Phi Phi island. Second time... Amazing SIMILIAN. Next Year? Just ask them!!!!

Mr. Fabrizio & Mr. Riccardo

We did a quick Google of dive centers that offered PADI Open Water certification when we arrived in Kata and came upon this gem. We walked in and were quickly able to set up our certification schedule with Joel, who is extremely approachable and knowledgable about diving. Because the dive center is located in a very central, convenient area of town, we were able to walk there every morning (they also had offered to pick us up from our hotel). The certification is reasonably priced, and it includes lunch every day.

Chris, our instructor, was absolutely fantastic. He was was able to answer all of our questions and offered constructive criticism to improve our dive experiences. We appreciated his professionalism, yet he was also laid back and personable; we genuinely enjoyed his company and valued his approach to diving instruction. Lesson material was reviewed often, then applied in hands-on dive experiences.

Rachel and Joel were able to offer us advice on diving day trips and so much more. They've lived in Kata for several years, and gave us excellent tips on good local restaurants and activities.

I would definitely recommend Oceanic Divecenter to anyone who is hoping for a personalized experience. We were lucky enough to come at a time when they had no other students, so we had our instructor all to ourselves. Rachel, Joel, and Chris made the certification process feel completely fun and easy. Thanks for a great experience!

December 28-29, 2012. Rachel, Joel and Chris were such a pleasure to work with. Rachel was so easy to interact with (via email) before our trip. I never had a moment's hesitation as to my dive shop choice. She was clear, communicative, and expeditious in her emails.
Once we arrived, we showed up at the shop (unexpected and unannounced). Joel just welcomed us and gave us ideas of things to do in the area while we waited. Chris was taking out a newbie on a beach dive and let us tag along, which was such fun! We are experienced OW Advanced divers, but still appreciate the patience and training it takes to teach a brand new diver the skills. What fun to watch Chris work. He was so deliberate in every move, word and his focus. And that was just a beach dive in Karon!!!
The overnight Phi Phi Island excursion was handled by Rachel. Rachel communicated with the dive boat operators and gave us a rundown of our Phi Phi Island overnight excursion in detail (as she expected it to happen). We were to do seven dives while on the boat. The boat was the Greta and we were to dive with Calypso Divers.
All of our dives were excellent. The boat was run smoothly and efficiently and Andre was our divemaster (actually, our personal divemaster by luck, because the boat was not full). Andre listened to our preferences and sought out macro opportunities rather than wasting time looking for sharks, rays, turtles, etc... Although, the rest in our group were happy to see leopard shark, loggerhead turtles, and other big marine animals. Additionally, the boat was joined by a pod of dolphins when we were on deck in transit. Andre also took almost 200 photos underwater and shared them with us.
We are generally flexible and happy travelers, so glitches don't bother us much, but I have to say that any small glitches that happened with Oceanic Divecenter were handled so professionally that we were left with absolutely no complaints whatsoever!

The owners (Rachel and Joel) are both professional and friendly as are all the members of staff that I looked after me.

If you're in the Kata/Karon Beach area and want to go diving then I would highly recommend you use Oceanic.