Go with the Flow
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Select a course option below.
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Or email us for our expert advice.
info@thailandliveaboards.com
+66 (0)81 2727556
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PADI Drift Diver Specialty Course Learn about drift diving equipment such as surface floats, buddy lines, reels, (delayed)SMB's, surface signaling devices. Learn correct buoyancy control, navigation and communication skills for drift diving Learn how to select appropriate dive sites for drift dives. Learn techniques for staying close to a buddy or group and not losing your dive boat while drift diving. For the Phuket PADI Drift Diver course you can do your boat dives at Racha Noi, Koh Doc Mai, Similan Islands and other local Phuket dive sites. It is possible to combine the PADI Drift Diver specialty with a Thailand liveaboard cruise. |
1 day 2 dives |
9,800baht |
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| Course prices includes course materials, hotel transfers, breakfast and lunch on the boat. | |||||||
| Prerequisites for the PADI drift diver course are minimum age of 12 years old and a PADI (Jnr) Open Water certification (or equivalent). | |||||||
| Why not combine the drift diver specialty with peak performance buoyancy, nitrox or navigation specialties? | |||||||
List of all available specialty courses here
Why Drift Diving?
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Because drifting with the current is easier than trying to fight it. Hover motionless and take a free ride as the reef cruises by. Cover a large area of reef just by timing your entries well to co-inside with the current.
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Because it's fun. Drift diving isn't always relaxing. Sometimes it can be an adrenaline ride. Channels between atolls in the Maldives can be like diving in a washing machine. Dives in Komodo national park can see you surface kilometers from where you descended!
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Because big fish like currents. Manta Rays for example love to fly in the currents. If you are unable to dive in strong currents you will miss out on some big fish sighting opportunities.
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You never know when you may have to drift. For example, a popular dive on a Similan/Surin liveaboard trip is Koh Tachai. It is renowned for strong currents and manta rays but it is not usually dived as a drift dive. Instead divers stay low and work their way around the boulders. Sometimes entire dives are spent holding the descent line as mantas circle around. But should a diver accidentally release that line, the current will whisk them away before they can get the line back in their grip. They are now in a drift dive situation and need to know how to handle it. A similar situation may occur while diving on the north point of Racha Noi Island. Strong currents at the tip can catch out the unaware diver who is busy watching the barracudas. Or the diver who does a free ascent on the King Cruiser wreck and drifts away as he does a safety stop. Often the safest course of action is to drift with a current rather than fight it.