Thailand has recompression chambers that run around the clock on Koh Tao and in Phuket, and hospital chambers in Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok, but none that we could confirm on Koh Samui. If a diver shows signs of decompression illness, give oxygen, call the nearest chamber at once and then your dive insurer; before flying, wait at least 12 hours after one dive and 18 hours after several, as DAN advises.
This page is for certified divers planning fun dives, day trips or a liveaboard anywhere in Thailand. It covers where the chambers are, what happens in a diving emergency, why oxygen on the boat matters, how dive insurance works and what to ask a dive center before you go out. If you are learning to dive, our guide to learning to dive on Koh Tao covers the course, the medical form and choosing a school.
Thailand's dive sites fall into two seas. The Gulf side is centered on Koh Tao, with day trips from Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. The Andaman side runs from the Similan and Surin islands off Khao Lak to Phuket, Phi Phi and Koh Lipe. The nearest chamber depends on which side you are on.
Diving emergencies in Thailand (checked October 2026)
- Ambulance
- 1669
- SSS chamber Koh Tao (24/7)
- +66 81 081 9777 or +66 77 427 427
- SSS chamber Phuket (24/7)
- +66 81 081 9000 or +66 76 209 347
- DAN Emergency Hotline (24/7)
- +1 919 684 9111
- Flying after diving (DAN)
- At least 12 h after one no-decompression dive; 18 h after several dives or days
- Koh Samui
- No chamber confirmed; nearest confirmed is Koh Tao
Where the recompression chambers are
A recompression (hyperbaric) chamber treats decompression illness by putting the diver back under pressure while they breathe oxygen. Two kinds exist in Thailand. The SSS Recompression Chamber Network, operated by Hyperbaric Services of Thailand, runs two 24-hour chambers built for diving emergencies and holds DAN's chamber-partner designation. Several private hospitals run smaller one-person (monoplace) chambers, with diving-medicine doctors, mainly during the day.
| Area | Facility | Hours and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Koh Tao (Gulf) | SSS Recompression Chamber Koh Tao | 24/7; +66 81 081 9777 |
| Phuket (Andaman) | SSS Recompression Chamber Phuket, Vichit, Muang | 24/7; covers Similan, Surin and Phi Phi; +66 81 081 9000 |
| Phuket | Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Diving Medicine Center | Monoplace; daily 08:00–17:00, diving physician on call 24 h; +66 7625 4425 |
| Pattaya | Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, HBOT Center | Monoplace; treats decompression sickness; +66 3825 9986 |
| Bangkok | Bangkok Hospital, HBOT Center (Building C, 6th floor) | Monoplace; daily 08:00–16:00; +66 2310 3491 |
| Koh Samui, Khao Lak | None confirmed | Call the SSS network or DAN for the nearest chamber |
Two gaps matter. We found no chamber on Koh Samui, where many people assume there is one, and none in Khao Lak, the main port for Similan liveaboards. Royal Thai Navy hospitals in Bangkok and Sattahip are sometimes listed as having chambers, but their sites could not be reached and we could not confirm them. Phyathai 3 Hospital in Bangkok also lists a hyperbaric medicine center; we did not read its details.
Do not choose the chamber yourself. DAN's own case reports show divers getting a first treatment at a local chamber and severe cases then being moved to a facility better suited to them. Call the nearest chamber or the DAN hotline, describe what happened, and follow their decision on where to go.
What happens in a diving emergency
Decompression illness covers decompression sickness (gas bubbles forming in the body after a dive) and arterial gas embolism (gas entering the bloodstream, usually after a fast ascent). Signs can appear minutes or hours after surfacing. Treat any of these as a possible emergency after a dive: pain, numbness or tingling, dizziness, unusual tiredness or difficulty breathing. Do not wait to see whether they pass.
The SSS network gives a simple order of action, and it is what a good crew does without being asked:
- Call the nearest chamber at once. SSS is direct: "Do not wait to see if the symptoms pass".
- Keep the diver at rest, lying on one side.
- Give medical oxygen as soon as it is available, at the highest concentration possible.
- Treat for shock and keep the diver comfortable.
- For a life-threatening emergency, call 1669 as well. DAN says to call local emergency services first in that case, then its hotline.
Then call your dive insurer or DAN, because evacuation by boat, road or air and chamber treatment are arranged and paid through them. The SSS Phuket chamber handles insurance billing for the network. Keep the dive computer: the profile of your last dives is what the doctor will want to see. The Thai emergency numbers page explains how to describe your location to the call taker.
Oxygen on the boat is not optional
Oxygen is the first treatment for decompression illness, and on a boat an hour from the nearest pier it is the only treatment available. The UK Foreign Office tells divers in Thailand to check for oxygen on board and to ask how an injured diver would reach a hyperbaric chamber, and it cautions that safety and maintenance standards at local dive schools vary.
Ask to see the oxygen kit before the boat leaves. A proper kit is a cylinder with a regulator and a mask that can give a high concentration, not just a small bottle, and there should be enough for the trip back to land. Ask who on board is trained to use it. On a liveaboard to the Similan or Surin islands, many hours from Phuket, this question matters even more.
Dive insurance: what to read before you go
General cover is explained in our guide to travel insurance for Thailand. For divers the details are narrower, and they decide whether a chamber treatment and an evacuation are paid:
- Diving included at all? Ordinary travel cover often leaves scuba out, or sells it as an add-on.
- Depth limit. Policies often cover diving only to a set depth, which may be shallower than your certification allows.
- Certification and supervision. Some require you to dive within your certification, or with a qualified instructor. According to the Foreign Office, certain policies also set conditions on the instructor's qualifications.
- Chamber treatment and evacuation. Check that hyperbaric treatment is named, and whether evacuation to a chamber by air or sea is included.
- Liveaboards and remote sites. Check whether the policy covers trips far offshore and the cost of reaching land.
- The assistance number. Save it in your phone and in your buddy's.
Many divers buy specialist dive cover, either through DAN membership or from a dive-specific insurer, on top of ordinary travel insurance. DAN works through regional organizations, and we could not confirm which one sells cover to people living in Thailand, so residents should ask DAN directly. You will see hyperbaric oxygen price lists on some hospital websites; the published Bangkok Hospital Pattaya package, for example, is a wellness session, not the price of treating a diving accident, which is arranged through your insurer. Thai private hospitals want a payment guarantee first, as described in our page on Thai hospitals and billing.
Flying after diving: 12 and 18 hours
Flying soon after diving raises the risk of decompression sickness, because cabin pressure on a plane is lower than at sea level. The Divers Alert Network's consensus guidance for divers without symptoms (DAN page updated April 2026) gives these minimum surface intervals before a flight:
| Your diving | Minimum before flying (DAN) |
|---|---|
| A single no-decompression dive | 12 hours |
| Several dives in a day, or several days of diving | 18 hours |
| Dives with decompression stops | "Substantially longer than 18 hours"; DAN's travel guide says at least 24 hours |
DAN adds that a longer wait reduces the risk further, but no interval guarantees you will avoid decompression sickness. Many divers and operators simply allow 24 hours to be safe. On a typical dive holiday in Thailand, with two or three dives a day, you are in the 18-hour group, so plan your last dive day around the flight home or onward. The ferry from Koh Tao or the drive from Khao Lak to Phuket airport is at sea level, so it is not the problem; the flight is.
A checklist for choosing a dive center as a certified diver
Certified divers skip the course but still put their safety in the operator's hands. Before you book a trip, ask:
- Which agency is the center registered with, and can you see the guide's professional number?
- How many divers per guide? A 2025 ministry notice on protecting coral, cited by the Department of National Parks in August 2026, sets one supervisor to four scuba tourists.
- What is the emergency plan? Which chamber, how the diver gets there, and who calls the insurer.
- Is there oxygen and a first-aid kit on every boat, and staff trained to use them?
- Is the rental gear maintained, and does every diver have a dive computer?
- Will they brief each site, including currents and depth limits?
Currents at some Andaman pinnacles and around the islands can be strong, so be honest about your experience and say so if a site is beyond it. Our guides to the Similan Islands, the Surin Islands, Koh Racha and Khao Lak cover the Andaman side. Non-diving companions on the same boat will find our page on snorkeling safely useful.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the recompression chambers in Thailand?
The SSS network runs 24-hour chambers on Koh Tao and in Phuket. Bangkok Hospital runs monoplace chambers in Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok, mainly in daytime hours. We could not confirm any chamber on Koh Samui or in Khao Lak, or the Royal Thai Navy chambers.
Is 24 hours the rule for flying after diving?
No. DAN's minimums are 12 hours after one no-decompression dive and 18 hours after repeated dives or diving days, and substantially longer after decompression dives. Twenty-four hours is a cautious choice many divers make, not the general rule.
Is there a recompression chamber on Koh Samui?
We could not find one. Bangkok Hospital Samui lists dialysis but not hyperbaric treatment. The nearest chamber we could confirm for Samui divers is the 24-hour SSS chamber on Koh Tao; call it, or the DAN hotline, and follow their advice.
Does travel insurance pay for recompression treatment?
Only if your policy covers diving at your depth and certification, and names hyperbaric treatment and evacuation. Because so many policies leave diving out or cap it, many divers add specialist dive cover through DAN or a dive insurer.
Sources
- Divers Alert Network – Flying after diving (updated April 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Divers Alert Network – Travelers Medical Guide: snorkeling and scuba diving (2022) (checked October 2026)
- Divers Alert Network – Emergency assistance and hotline (checked October 2026)
- SSS Recompression Chamber Network – Thailand: Koh Tao and Phuket chambers (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Hospital Phuket – Diving Medicine Center (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Hospital Pattaya – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Hospital – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand: safety and security (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Marine tourism standards and diving supervision (4 August 2026) (checked October 2026)