Not all operators on the island are cattle market operations. Master Divers limit the number of students and divers. they take longer to do OW and AOW than most, but they're not the cheapest.This one sentence makes me reconsider Koh Tao as an option...
I am looking at Divemaster then IDC courses and thought that Koh Tao would be a good option to gain valuable experience before moving on...
I've used them for three trips over the last four years and one noticeable activity is the insistence on buddy-checks before going in the water. Not seen that on other boats.