No Limit Divers
Overview
No Limit Divers is the highest-tier dive center in Pattaya for professional and instructor-level training — a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center (IDC) led by Gary Phillips, one of the few PADI Platinum Course Directors in Asia. Where most Pattaya dive shops cap out at delivering recreational courses (Open Water through Rescue Diver), No Limit Divers is fully licensed to take students from zero diving experience all the way to certified PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor in-house — a vertical-stack capability that only a handful of dive operations in Thailand match.
The operation runs two fully equipped dive centers in Pattaya/Jomtien with VIP-class boats servicing the offshore reef and wreck sites of the Gulf of Thailand, and offers dedicated multi-week internship programs including a Zero-to-Hero pathway for complete beginners and a fast-track 10-week Divemaster-to-Instructor Pro Plus program for serious career divers.
For travellers who want the most credentialed pro-track diving education in the Pattaya region, who plan to work in the dive industry, or who simply want to be taught by Asia's senior PADI brass, No Limit Divers is the unambiguous top choice.
Position in the Pattaya Dive Market
Pattaya has multiple PADI shops, but they fall into clearly tiered groups:
| Tier | Examples | Capability |
|---|---|---|
| Recreational entry-level | Various Pattaya beach dive shops | Open Water, fun dives only |
| Recreational + Advanced | Mermaid's Dive Center, Aquanauts, Adventure Divers | OW, AOW, Rescue, fun dives |
| PADI 5-Star Dive Resort | Pattaya Dive Centre, Jomtien Dive Center, Seafari | Full recreational + DM with audit |
| PADI 5-Star CDC | Mermaid's Dive Center | Career Development Center designation |
| PADI 5-Star IDC | No Limit Divers | Full Instructor Development Course in-house |
The 5-Star IDC tier is meaningfully different from a 5-Star Dive Resort or even 5-Star CDC. IDC affiliation means PADI has audited and certified the dive center to train new instructors — a multi-week curriculum culminating in an Instructor Examination (IE) that creates new PADI dive professionals.
To run an IDC, the dive center must have:
- A Course Director on staff (the only PADI rank empowered to train instructors)
- Fully equipped multi-classroom training facilities
- Sufficient boats and dive site access for daily IE-readiness diving
- Long-standing professional reputation under PADI auditing
Gary Phillips' Platinum Course Director status is one tier above standard Course Director — held by the most experienced and successful instructors globally.
Gary Phillips — PADI Platinum Course Director
The center's identity is anchored in its founder/director Gary Phillips. His credentials place him among the senior PADI educators in Asia:
What "Platinum Course Director" Means
PADI awards the Platinum designation annually to Course Directors based on:
- Number of new PADI Instructors successfully trained (typically 30+ per year minimum)
- Pass rate of those instructors at PADI Instructor Examinations
- Length of tenure as Course Director
- Quality reviews from PADI examiners
Globally, only a small percentage of Course Directors hold Platinum status; in Asia, the count is in the dozens. Gary's Platinum tier means that any student instructor at No Limit Divers is being trained by someone PADI itself recognizes as among the strongest educators in the region.
Reputation
Reviews repeatedly highlight Gary's:
- Welcoming, hospitable manner with new divers
- Pushing students above PADI minimum standards safely
- Decades of real-world experience beyond classroom credentials
- Mentorship of hundreds of successful PADI Divemasters and Instructors in Thailand and Southeast Asia
- Active running of programs — not a figurehead
Dive Site Access
No Limit Divers' fleet of VIP-class boats serves Pattaya's offshore dive sites:
Near Islands (~30-45 min boat ride)
- Koh Sak, Koh Krok, Koh Lin — beginner-friendly reefs at 8-15m depth
- Coral gardens with reef fish, anemones, occasional small sharks/rays
Far Islands (~1-1.5 hour ride)
- Koh Pai (Bamboo Island), Koh Rin — better visibility, larger reef structures
- Wreck dives including HTMS Khram (former WWII warship sunk as artificial reef in 2003)
- Suitable for Advanced Open Water and beyond
HTMS Khram
The HTMS Khram wreck is one of the regional standout dive sites — a 74-metre-long Royal Thai Navy decommissioned LSM landing ship sunk near Koh Khram in 2003 as an artificial reef. It sits in 30m of water with the deck at 18-22m, making it accessible to AOW-certified divers.
The wreck has developed extensive coral colonization since 2003 and harbors:
- Schools of barracuda and snapper
- Resident grouper, lionfish, scorpionfish
- Occasional whale sharks (rare but documented)
- Penetration possibilities for tech-trained divers
Courses & Programs
Recreational Courses
- PADI Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) — half-day, no certification, just a taste
- PADI Open Water Diver — 3-4 days, full certification to 18m
- PADI Advanced Open Water — 2 days, 5 specialty dives, certification to 30m
- PADI Rescue Diver — 3 days, emergency response training
- PADI Specialty courses — Wreck, Deep, Nitrox, Drift, Underwater Photography, etc.
Professional Pathways
This is where No Limit Divers separates from competitors:
PADI Divemaster Internship
A multi-week residential program that takes a Rescue-certified diver through:
- Unlimited diving during the internship
- Real-world dive leadership training
- Workshops + skills development
- Mentorship under Platinum Course Director Gary Phillips
- Final certification as PADI Divemaster — entry-level dive professional
PADI Zero-to-Hero Instructor Internship
A complete-novice-to-instructor pathway designed for those starting with little or no dive experience:
- Begins with PADI Open Water Diver course
- Progresses through Advanced Open Water
- Continues through Rescue Diver
- Includes Divemaster certification
- Concludes with the Instructor Development Course (IDC) and Instructor Examination (IE)
- Total program: typically 8-12 weeks
PADI Pro Plus Program (10-Week DM-to-Instructor)
A fast-track professional pathway for divers who already have Rescue certification:
- 10 weeks total
- Combines DM internship + IDC + IE prep
- Graduates as PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)
- Industry-ready credential
Continuing Education
- PADI Master Scuba Diver — recreational topcap
- Specialty Instructor courses — for instructors expanding teaching range
- Course Director preparation — for instructors aspiring to next level
Pricing (Indicative — verify current)
Diving and course rates fluctuate with season; 2026 indicative pricing:
- Discover Scuba Diving: ~฿3,500-4,500
- Open Water Diver course: ~฿14,000-17,000 (3-4 days)
- Advanced Open Water: ~฿11,000-13,000 (2 days)
- Rescue Diver: ~฿14,000-16,000 (3 days)
- Divemaster Internship: ~฿55,000-70,000 (multi-week, includes diving + materials)
- Zero-to-Hero Instructor: ~฿180,000-220,000 (full residential, 8-12 weeks)
- Pro Plus 10-Week DM-to-Instructor: ~฿120,000-160,000
- Fun dive bookings: ~฿2,000/day for 2 dives; ~฿10,000 for 10-fun-dive package
- Equipment rental included in courses; available for fun dives
nolimitdive.com/prices for current 2026 rates.
Two Centers — Pattaya + Jomtien
The operation runs two fully equipped dive centers:
- Center 1 — Pattaya — serves Pattaya beach hotel pickups
- Center 2 — Jomtien — serves Jomtien beach hotel pickups
Both centers have:
- Classroom space
- Pool training (or accessible pool partner)
- Equipment storage and maintenance
- Reception and consultation
Students choose the center most convenient to their accommodation.
Boats
VIP-class dive boats include:
- Twin-hull design for stability
- Shaded upper deck
- Dedicated kit-up zones
- Tank racks for 20-30 divers
- Toilet, freshwater, refreshments
- Quick reboard ladders
The boat quality is meaningfully above the budget shop tier.
Pros
- PADI 5-Star IDC — top tier of PADI affiliate certification
- Gary Phillips, PADI Platinum Course Director — among Asia's senior dive educators
- Full vertical training from beginner to instructor in-house
- Two centers for accessibility (Pattaya + Jomtien)
- VIP-class boats
- Active internship culture — community of pros and pro-track students
- HTMS Khram wreck access for advanced divers
- English + multiple European languages spoken
- Internship pricing competitive vs. Phuket / Koh Tao
- Career-grade professional certification ready for industry employment
- Decades of operating reputation
Cons
- Premium pricing vs. budget Pattaya dive shops for casual fun dives
- Pattaya reef visibility is mid-tier (3-15m typical) — Phuket/Similan is better
- Internship commitment is multi-week — not a short-vacation option
- Strong career-track focus — not the right vibe for casual one-shot tourists
- High demand for IDC slots — book ahead
Best For
- Aspiring dive professionals — Divemaster, Instructor, Course Director track
- Career changers seeking dive industry employment
- Zero-to-Hero candidates — total beginners committing to instructor goal
- Long-stay divers in Pattaya wanting structured progression
- Advanced divers wanting wreck access (HTMS Khram)
- Diving educators wanting Platinum-tier mentorship
Not Best For
- One-day vacation divers wanting cheapest fun dive
- Pure resort-relaxation divers (Phuket / Similan / Koh Tao have better recreational viz)
- Budget backpackers seeking lowest-cost OW certification
Quick Reference Card
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center (IDC) |
| Course Director | Gary Phillips — PADI Platinum |
| Centers | 2 (Pattaya + Jomtien) |
| Boats | VIP-class twin-hull |
| Internships | Divemaster, Zero-to-Hero, 10-Week DM-to-Instructor |
| Top dive site | HTMS Khram wreck (74m warship at 30m depth) |
| Languages | English, Thai, multiple European |
| Verified | 2026-04-27 |