Continuing Education
SSI Waves, Tides & Currents
Andaman Sea is current-driven diving. The best dive sites — channels, corners and pinnacles such as Koh Tachai currents, Koh Bon conditions, and Richelieu Rock conditions — only work at certain states of tide. The Waves, Tides & Currents course teaches you to understand these forces, predict conditions and manage yourself comfortably in the drift dives that define diving here.
The Essentials
Waves, Tides & Currents — Key Facts
1 to 2 days
Duration and Structure
- Digital learning : Ocean dynamics, tidal cycles and current types
- Training dives : Two to three dives in varied current conditions
- Drift techniques : Practised on real channel and corner dive sites
- Planning : Pre-dive tide and current assessment included
Age 10+
Prerequisites
- Certification : Open Water Diver or equivalent
- Age : Minimum 10 years
- Note : Particularly relevant for divers planning to visit current-driven sites
Drift with confidence
What You Get
- Read tidal charts and plan dives around optimal conditions
- Manage yourself comfortably in moderate current
- Understand how current creates the conditions that attract pelagic life
- Handle unexpected current changes calmly and safely
Current Is Not the Enemy
Understanding What Drives the Best Dives
In Thailand, current brings the life. Sharks patrol channels. Mantas feed in upwellings. Fusiliers school in the flow. The current itself is neither good nor bad — it is a force to understand and work with. This course teaches you the science behind tides and currents and the practical skills to dive confidently in conditions that intimidate unprepared divers.
- Tidal cycles — how tides are generated, predicted and read from charts
- Current types — tidal, oceanic, upwelling and thermoclines explained
- Drift diving — entry, descent, staying with the group and controlled exit
- Surge and waves — managing wave action at entry and exit points
- Current emergencies — what to do if caught in unmanageable current