Whaleshark Awareness PADI Specialty Course – Age 10+, 1 day, 2 dives – 8,900 THB

The purpose of the PADI Whale Shark Awareness Diver Specialty Course is to introduce divers and snorkelers to the world’s largest fish and familiarise divers with the proper techniques for recreational diving whilst encountering Whale Sharks with minimal impact on the sharks’ habitat and behaviour.

The PADI Whale Shark Awareness Course aims to teach you about the biology, behavior and global distribution of Whale Sharks as well as conservation status and Whale Shark research worldwide. There is mounting evidence to suggest that the population of the world’s largest fish – the Whale Shark – is dwindling in numbers and that it may be being seriously overfished. Killed partly for it’s meat and skin, it is mainly slaughtered for its fins which are used to make shark fin soup – a highly prized and expensive delicacy in many Far Eastern countries.

In order to obtain global protection for the Whale Shark and to be able to monitor its numbers, more information is needed about the number and range of the current population. It is important to establish if the Whale Shark is consists of a single, interbreeding population or numerous, reproductively isolated populations.

Divers will learn how to plan all aspects of a dive with Whale Sharks, paying special attention to non-impact diving practices. The importance of Whale Shark monitoring activities will be stressed and the Whale Shark Photo ID website introduced as an example of how to get involved in Whale Shark conservation. Researchers will attempt to match any photos submitted to other snaps of the same shark in the International Whale Shark database, perhaps telling us something new about the behaviour of the Whale Shark.

The Goals of the PADI Whale Shark Awareness Course are:

• To introduce you to whale sharks, their biology, behaviour and distribution.
• To inform you of whale shark research and monitoring activities and conservation status worldwide.
• To provide the opportunity of participating in Whale Shark conservation (through the Whale Shark Photo ID web site).
• To teach students how to identify individual sharks through their markings.
• To prepare students for non-invasive interactions with whale sharks.
• To dispel negative myths about shark.

Courses start every day, at a time to suit you. You can book now, or come in to see see us while you’re on holiday in Ko Lanta. We offer free transfers to and from your resort in Ko Lanta for any of our dive courses or daily dive trips. We run PADI Whaleshark Awareness Courses in English, German, Swedish and French. We run semi-supported courses in Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Thai. Please let us know if you require course materials in another language and we will order them for you.

The PADI Whaleshark Awareness Course costs 8,900 THB. At Narima Diving, our scuba certification courses include any course materials such as manuals, free scuba diving equipment rental and even a free t-shirt! We keep group sizes small to ensure you receive maximum benefit from your tuition (maximum 4 students per Instructor). This also minimises negative impact on the reefs. Our emphasis is on safety, fun and personal service within a relaxed and stress-free environment.

Beyond the PADI AWARE Fish ID Specialty Course…
The PADI Whaleshark Awareness Specialty Course certification is only the beginning! You can use this course to complement any of our other PADI Speciality Courses:

• Deep Diver
• Enriched Air (NITROX)
• U/W Digital Photography
• Underwater Videography
• Coral Reef Conservation
• Underwater Naturalist
• Peak Performance Buoyancy
• Wreck Diver

Did you know that the PADI Whaleshark Awareness Specialty Diver Course counts as one of five Specialty course certifications required for the PADI Master Scuba Diver certification? Your next step would be to become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, PADI Master Scuba Diver or PADI Divemaster.

LIQUID LENSE – our Underwater Digital Imaging Academy offers longer Underwater Photography and Videography courses, aimed at people who want to take Underwater Digital Imaging a step further.

Or you can just keep diving Ko Lanta…! Narima Diving is ideally located in the South of Ko Lanta to offer shorter journey times on daily dive trips to some of the best dive sites in Thailand. Dive the famous dive sites of Hin Daeng & Hin Muang, or visit Ko Haa, Ko Rok, Ko Phi Phi, the King Cruiser Wreck, Shark Point or Anemone Reef.