Reef Conservation Course
Programme overview
Our program is aimed at providing divers with a greater understanding of marine conservation, interactions and relationships between marine species and threats and concerns to the marine environment. Through hands-on learning, you will learn a variety of monitoring techniques and explore solutions to protect and preserve marine ecosystems worldwide.
About the organisation
The New Heaven Reef Conservation Program (NHRCP) was founded in 2007 by Conservation Diver founder Chad Scott, New Heaven Dive School manager Devrim Zahir and owner p’Kaen Zahir, to teach divers about coral reef ecology, research, and restoration. We believe that the people most closely connected to the reef should be the ones that care for it, and so are trying to get more and more divers involved in marine education and conservation. As a for profit business, our focus is on protecting and enriching the coral reefs while providing education and training for those wishing to develop, contribute to, or pursue a career in fields related to marine coastal management and protection. Our program directly contributes to the conservation of Thailand’s coral reefs through research and monitoring, reporting, mitigation, as well as active and passive restoration around the island of Koh Tao.
Our education and certification program is designed to give participants a hands-on approach to learning about the coral reef environment and a wide range of research and restoration techniques used by professionals around the world. Participants in our program range from gap year students wanting to learn something new and give back on their holiday, to seasoned dive instructors wanting to learn.
The New Heaven Reef Conservation Program is responsible for much of the marine protection or related activities and on-going maintenance around the island of Koh Tao, working closely with the local community and government groups such as the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the Department of Fisheries. Students in our program assist on a wide range of our ongoing projects, allowing them to immediately apply and practice the skills learned.
About the programme
We run a 4-week rotating course, which you can join for either 2 or 4 weeks depending on your availability. The course is designed to give you a strong foundation in marine science and ecology. Mornings are dedicated to interactive lectures lasting around 1.5 hours. After a short lunch break, we head out to dive, followed by a debrief to discuss the dive and record any data. The program runs Monday to Friday, with five dives per week, leaving weekends free to explore the island.
A typical 4 week course would look something like this:
Week 1 – Ecological Monitoring Surveys
You will learn about everything from invertebrates through to the compromised health states of corals and even learn how to identify 23 different genus.
Week 2- Coral Week
You will learn about coral restoration, artificial reefs and the considerations for building and installing them, mineral accretion devices and how an electric current is doing great things for corals. You will also learn about coral predators and how to monitor and manage their populations.
Week 3 – Marine Life
You will learn about different marine species and how they are important to the marine ecosystems, species such as sponges, sea turtles, sharks, seahorses and cephalopods.
week 4 – Advanced Week
You will learn more in depth surveys such as the coral disease survey and broader topics such as ecotourism and threats to the ocean, rounding off what you learned from Week 1.
2026 Program start dates:
Feb 9
March 9
April 6
May 4
June 1
June 29
July 27
Aug 24
Sep 21
*Please note these dates are for if you are already an Advanced Open Water Diver. If you are not yet an Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent, you would need to arrive several days earlier to complete the necessary diving courses.
Location
Koh Tao lies in The Gulf of Thailand, on the eastern coast of the country. Approx. 600km from Bangkok, Koh Tao is easily accessible from all parts of the country. Thailand is well known for its ease of travel. Depending on your start point we can give you some of the best options to reach the island.
Duration
You can join for either 2 weeks or 4 weeks, depending on your availability.
Costs and pre-requisites
2 weeks – THB 29,000
4 weeks – THB 57,000
Pre-requisites:
To begin the NHRCP courses you must be certified by SSI, PADI or equivalent as an Advanced Level Diver minimum. This means that non-divers coming to do the program must first complete the Open Water course (3 Days, 12,500 THB) and the Advanced Course (2 Days, 11,500 THB). Both of which can be done with the New Heaven Dive School on site.
Also note that participants must be able to carry a gear bag on and off the boat, ascend stairs, and work outside and should be in good physical condition to do so.
What’s included
All scuba rental equipment (excluding dive computer), all boat transportation costs and dive tanks, certifications via Conservation Diver and online E-learning access, and dive insurance.
Drinking water available for refill at dive school and boat. The dive boat also has coffee, tea, cookies and light fruit.
Excludes: Food, accommodation, travel to, from and on Koh Tao.
Recommendations
We recommend all participants purchase travel insurance that includes scuba diving up to 30m.
If you have them, we recommend bringing your own fins and mask, as fit can vary from person to person. We also recommend bringing a dive computer and rashguard.
How to apply
Please email us your age and diving information to conservation-team@newheavendiveschool.com.
