IDC Guide

Buying a PADI Dive

Center in Thailand

This is some standard information received when we made enquires about buying a dive center in Thailand, There are so many pitfalls to buying a dive center and such a business decision should be planned carefully taking into account future potential as well as current turnover and standing in the dive resort. Typically people over-value their dive center and rely on people ‘buying into the dream’ but be careful and only hand over your cash when you have examined every aspect of the operation, perhaps you should even work there first to see how the PADI dive center operates.

Info about a Thai dive centre we have sent to other interested parties.
Our asking price is 7.000,000THB. We have about 

  • 50+ certifications per year
  • 500+ divers a year
  • 100+ DSD’s per year.
  • Contracts with several of the major European tour operators on the island
  • We have 16 sets of equipment witch are new or nearly new, Apeks regulators, Technisub / US divers BCDs
  • 20 masks and snorkels
  • 30 pair of Technisub fins
  • 25 wet suits
  • 2 digital still cameras with underwater housings
  • 1 video camera with housing
  • 3 DPVs
  • 32 scuba tanks
  • Bauer Capitano compressor (in EXELLENT condition)
  • 2 dive computers
  • PADI material

Our assets are worth about 1,500,000THB, and our retail stock around 6-800,000THB. We are a PADI 5* dive center. and have has existed for 11 years and we have 4 legal work permits which are in use all year around. Like any other dive school here on Koh Samui operates 12 months a year. We have two locations, our main office (dive center), with classroom, compressor, workshop, retail area (130sq.m), we also have a retail / booking shop in the center of Lamai beach (second of the two largest beaches on Samui), this shop is on 37 sqm. All offices have air condition. Main office have a contract on 5 years / 7,000THB per month with /no key money (just renewed, 2005), retail shop has a 3 years contract 6,000THB per month 200,000THB key money. renewed Sept. 2005

We have 4 foreigners employed year around. All legal papers are in order and we are also VAT registered. We are a limited partnership and we have 2 TAT licenses, one for our head office, (dive shop), and one for our retail shop. You may know that it is very difficult to obtain a company in Thailand which is legal without corrupt paperwork and hidden company problems.

We are one of the few that have ALL of the paperwork in order, taxes, medical insurances for employees and work permits. We have a clean tax record since we use a real accounting / tax / law office in Bangkok. We have 2 instructor employed. They also share on sitting in our retail shop in the evenings (1800-2200). We have one Thai (driver) that takes care of all the transport and 4 Thai nationals that work part time in our retail shop from 1030-1800 hrs. We use a speedboat on our dive trips. We do not own it ourselves (we have our company logo on it) since that is too expensive e.g. fuel, maintenance and insurance.

The reason for selling is that we want to move on. We have been running from the start and we feel it’s time to do something else. Another reason for selling is that the industry here now is blooming ( a lot of new hotels has been built and more is under construction) and we don’t want to sell it discounted!

Between January and March this year  we have turned over 1,800,000THB gross / 900,000net, and we are still doing good so far over the summer! As we are on the opposite side of Thailand, our business have not been effected by the Phuket tsunami.
The current owners will be there to assist a new owner(s) for a period of minimum 3 months after taking over.

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