Real Divers
Pattaya.

Real Divers Pattaya

Overview

Real Divers is Pattaya's only British family-run PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center (IDC) — operating since 2005 by brothers Neil and Peter Chandler, sons of founder Dave Chandler (a retired British journalist who started diving 30 years ago, sold his publishing company, and emigrated to Thailand to pursue diving full-time). The family-business character is genuinely meaningful in Pattaya's dive market — most dive shops are corporate-owned or independently owned by single instructors, while Real Divers' multi-generational family operation delivers a different cultural and operational profile.

The boat is a 12-metre speedboat — meaningfully larger than typical Pattaya dive boats — making it stable for full classes plus crew with comfortable kit-up zones, dry storage, and freshwater. Trips depart at 09:00 and return by 14:00, fitting a 5-hour window perfect for tourists who want to combine diving with afternoon Pattaya activities. Daily trips run year-round to either the Pattaya near islands or the Samae San islands (south of Sattahip), both delivering coral and wreck diving at recreational depths.

The PADI 5-Star IDC tier puts Real Divers alongside No Limit Divers (PADI 5-Star IDC, Gary Phillips Platinum Course Director) and Aquanauts (PADI 5-Star CDC + Nat Geo) as the top three credentialed dive operations in Pattaya. For divers wanting the most credentialed instruction available in the city plus the family-business operational character, Real Divers is genuinely the British family choice.

Position in the Pattaya Dive Market

Pattaya's PADI dive operators ranked by tier:

Real Divers' specific position: British family-run IDC tier — the only family operation at the top credentialed level.

The Chandler Family Story

Origin (Dave Chandler, 30 years ago)

Dave Chandler — the family patriarch — was a British journalist who ran a publishing company before retiring early to pursue diving in Thailand. Key milestones:

• 30 years ago: started diving as a hobby
• Multiple decades: built the diving expertise that would later become a family business
• Sold publishing company for retirement
• Emigrated to Thailand
• Opened Real Divers: 2005
• Trained sons Neil and Peter to become PADI Instructors
• Founder retired: sons now run the operation

Neil & Peter Chandler (Current Operators)

The two brothers operate Real Divers as a family business:

• Both PADI Instructors with Course Director credentials
• Combined 20+ years of Pattaya dive operations
• Native English speakers with intimate Pattaya site knowledge
• Family business culture — different from corporate / independent shops

The multi-generational family pedigree is unusual in the Pattaya dive industry and gives Real Divers a distinctive customer experience — long-term relationships, generational continuity, and the kind of reputation built incrementally over decades.

The 12-Metre Speedboat

Why Boat Size Matters

A 12-metre speedboat is larger than typical Pattaya dive boats (most operators use 8-10m boats):

• More stable — better for newer divers or rough conditions
• Comfortable kit-up zones — dry tank racks, equipment storage
• Freshwater on board — equipment rinse during surface intervals
• Toilet facility
• Shaded deck for sun protection during transit
• Space for full class plus crew comfortably
• Faster transit to dive sites — speedboat hull design

The speedboat capability matters for far-island trips to the Samae San islands (south of Sattahip) — these require longer transit time than Pattaya near islands, and a comfortable speedboat makes the experience meaningfully better.

PADI 5-Star IDC Capability

What IDC Status Means

The 5-Star IDC tier requires:

• Course Director on staff (PADI rank empowered to train new instructors)
• Multi-classroom training facilities
• Sufficient boat capacity for daily IE-readiness diving
• Long operating history under PADI auditing
• Multiple instructor staff (not just Course Director)
• Continuous IDC offerings rather than occasional

Real Divers' IDC status means the full pipeline from beginner Discover Scuba through PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certification is available in-house — students don't need to relocate to a different operator for advanced training.

Course Catalog

Beyond standard recreational courses:

• PADI Divemaster Internship
• PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)
• PADI IDC Staff Instructor — qualified to assist with IDC programs
• PADI Specialty Instructor courses
• Continuing education for instructors

This professional-track depth is meaningful for serious dive career students.

Daily Trip Format

Schedule

• 09:00 — boat departs Bali Hai Pier
• ~10:00 — arrival at first dive site (Pattaya near islands or Samae San)
• First dive — typically 30-45 minutes
• Surface interval — refreshments, debrief, equipment rinse
• Second dive — typically 30-45 minutes (same or different site)
• Return transit — back to Bali Hai
• 14:00 — return to pier

What's Included

• Boat transport
• Tanks + weights
• Dive guide / instructor
• Marine park fees (where applicable)
• Light snacks + water
• Equipment rental included in courses; available for fun divers

Dive Site Coverage

Pattaya Near Islands (30-min boat ride)

The standard recreational menu:

• Koh Larn (Coral Island) — soft + hard coral gardens, bamboo sharks, hawksbill turtles
• Koh Sak — anemone gardens, smaller scale
• Koh Krok — sloping reef, beginner-friendly currents

Samae San Islands (1-1.5 hour boat ride)

A meaningful Real Divers specialty — most operators don't run regular Samae San trips:

• Located south of Sattahip — quieter, less commercial than near islands
• Better visibility typically (10-20m vs. 5-15m near Pattaya)
• Larger reef structures
• Multiple wreck sites — Royal Thai Navy artificial reefs
• Less dive traffic — fewer divers per site
• Half-day commitment required

Visiting the Samae San islands sets Real Divers apart from purely near-island operators.

Pricing (Indicative)

Real Divers pricing — premium tier:

• Discover Scuba Diving: ~฿4,000-5,000
• PADI Open Water Course: ~฿15,000-18,000 (3-4 days)
• PADI Advanced Open Water: ~฿11,000-13,000 (2 days)
• Rescue Diver: ~฿14,000-17,000 (3 days)
• 2-tank fun dive boat trip: ~฿2,200-2,800
• Divemaster Internship: ~฿55,000-75,000+
• OWSI (Instructor): ~฿80,000-130,000+

Pricing is comparable to other Pattaya 5-Star tier operators — premium reflects credential tier.

Pros

• PADI 5-Star IDC — top tier credential
• British family-run — Chandler brothers continuing father's vision
• 20+ years operating — established
• 12-metre speedboat — large + comfortable + stable
• Full instructor pipeline in-house
• Samae San islands trip option — rare specialty
• Daily trips with reliable 09:00 departure / 14:00 return
• Native English-speaking instruction
• Pattaya near islands + Samae San site variety
• Family business culture — long-term relationships
• TripAdvisor reputation consistently strong

Cons

• Premium pricing vs. budget Pattaya dive shops
• English / Thai only — less Russian-friendly than competitors
• Pattaya near-island visibility limits recreational reef quality
• Career-track focus for IDC programs — not for one-shot tourists
• British family character — different vibe from independent operations
• Multi-day commitment for proper certification

Best For

• British / Commonwealth visitors appreciating family-run pedigree
• Career-track divers — DM, Instructor, IDC Staff progression
• Native English-speaking customers
• Samae San specialty seekers
• Long-term relationship dive students
• Boat-quality conscious divers (12m speedboat advantage)
• PADI lifetime certification path students

Not Best For

• Russian-speaking visitors — Adventure Divers (trilingual) better
• Pure budget seekers — basic recreational shops cheaper
• Andaman / Similan preference — Phuket is the answer
• One-shot fun divers — IDC focus may feel surplus

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