Diving on Koh Tao?

[vw08]

I plan on spending a few weeks in SE Asia after my contract ends in August and hope to get my PADI license while in Thailand.  I've been to Koh Tao once before but didn't dive so I know a bit about the island and what is offered there but not a ton.

Are there any diving companies that either you recommend or do not recommend going with to get an Open Water License?  I know many of them are pretty much the same in terms of cost and dive sites, but I was wondering if there are any that stand out.

[filam]

I got certified on Koh Tao.  There are a lot of places that will offer certification, and they will throw in extras to get your business.

There are a lot of scuba diving places on Koh Tao.  I got certified with Dive Point.  The place is owned by a German (Austrian) guy.  My class consisted of myself and my traveling partner at the time.  We were taught by a Thai lady that spoke excellent English.  I was satisfied with the experience.  (They also had the best dive boat, imo.)

If you like being herded with the rest of the young backpacking types, there's always Ban's and Crystal's.  A lot of the people on scubaboard will also vouch for Master Divers. 

When you get off the boat (or even on the boat), people will hand out flyers about scuba diving.  Be sure to have a list of dive shops you want to check out and ask questions, like "How many students per class?", "How much?", etc.