New Heaven Dive School
Family-run Chalok Baan Kao dive school on Koh Tao since 1995, capped at 24 divers a day and known for its New Heaven Reef Conservation Program (est. 2007).
Last updated September 2026
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About
New Heaven Dive School has run from Chalok Baan Kao, the quieter of Koh Tao's three main bays, since 1995. Two friends founded it: Kong Kampanart Na Songkhla, credited as Koh Tao's first Thai divemaster, and Devrim Zahir, a Cypriot-Turkish diver raised in England. Kong died in 1998; Devrim and his wife Kaen Maleephan Zahir, Kong's sister, kept the school going, and their son Khan Zahir now owns and runs it day to day, with Devrim still directing the freediving side.
The recreational course ladder runs from a Try Scuba day trial through a three-day Open Water course certifying to 18 m, an Advanced Adventurer course covering five dives to 30 m (night diving, navigation and buoyancy among the options), a rescue course, and Divemaster training, open once a diver has logged 40 or more dives. The school caps itself at 24 divers across the whole operation and four per instructor, and its single daily boat trip departs later in the morning than most other Koh Tao schools, visiting sites around the island that the school doesn't name individually on its own site.
Alongside the diving, the family built the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program (NHRCP) in 2007; it teaches more than 20 certifications on the Conservation Diver curriculum, covering reef surveys, coral identification, artificial reef and Biorock construction, and mooring-line maintenance, and its work was reported to have won recognition at the 2023 Responsible Thailand Awards. A freediving and yoga programme, RAID-affiliated and led by Devrim, runs from Chalok Baan Kao December to April and shifts to the family's Baan Talay Resort & Yoga in Aow Leuk bay from May to October.
What divers say
Instructors are named individually rather than praised in generic terms, a detail that recurs across accounts written years apart. Divers also repeatedly connect the later boat departure and the 24-diver cap to a calmer, quieter morning than they found with other Koh Tao operators, echoing the school's own framing of smaller groups. The shared family ecosystem comes up unprompted too: guests mention eating at Koppee Restaurant or staying at Baan Talay Resort & Yoga as part of the same trip, not as separate bookings. A number of reviewers cite the conservation programme itself, not just the diving, as the reason they chose the school. The texts behind this are a thin sample, close to a dozen reviews across both platforms, and none of them raised a complaint, though that reading can't be stretched to the wider base: a separate travel-review base carries 22 Poor or Terrible ratings out of 320.
Facilities
Pricing
We do our best to show current pricing, but rates may change without notice. Last verified September 2026. Always confirm the latest prices on New Heaven Dive School's official website before booking.
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Courses
Guided Dives
Other Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Heaven Dive School PADI or SSI-affiliated?▾
New Heaven's current own course pages name SSI throughout, including a course listed as an SSI Divemaster training course, with no PADI courses mentioned anywhere on the site. Other summaries, including some general Koh Tao guides, still describe the school as PADI-affiliated, a claim this page can neither confirm nor rule out. If the training agency matters for your certification card, check directly with the school before booking.
Are there national park fees for diving with New Heaven?▾
No. Koh Tao sits outside Thailand's national park network, so no government entrance fee applies to diving here, unlike parks elsewhere in the country that charge divers on arrival.
Can I do a single fun dive without taking a course?▾
Yes. Alongside its course ladder, New Heaven also runs stand-alone Fun Dives and a Refresher for certified divers who want a boat trip without enrolling in a course.
How many divers are on a boat, and how many per instructor?▾
The school caps itself at 24 divers across the whole operation and four divers per instructor, and runs a single boat trip a day that departs later in the morning than most other Koh Tao schools.
Where do the freediving and yoga courses run?▾
It depends on the season: Chalok Baan Kao from December to April, then Baan Talay Resort & Yoga in Aow Leuk bay from May to October.
What does the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program (NHRCP) actually cover?▾
NHRCP courses run from a single day up to two to four weeks, built on the Conservation Diver curriculum, and cover reef surveys, coral identification, artificial reef and Biorock construction, and mooring-line installation and maintenance, with more than 20 certifications on offer.
Does New Heaven have its own accommodation or restaurant?▾
The same family runs Koppee Restaurant at the Chalok Baan Kao base and Baan Talay Resort & Yoga at Aow Leuk bay, both used by divers staying or eating alongside their courses.
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