If you run a dive operation in Thailand you will need to be a member of the Thailand Diving Association (TDA) This is largely a big admin exercise for dive shop owners and is another cost / stress / hassle to running a dive centre in Thailand. Having personally applied and been accepted into the TDA I can inform you that its no ‘walk in the park’ and you should set aside lots ot time for admin and think the cost of yearly membership is approximately $600 USD (from memory). Here is an example meeting request. The TDA have sided with CMAS since its launch instead of PADI but in reality it makes little difference to any PADI dive centre. The following invitation was sent to a CMAS dive centre.
We would like you to participate in the TDA/CMAS development plan for Diving curriculum. According to Thailand Diving Association appoint a member to be a President of Technical Committee. To develop and adjust of the technical of diving and direction by following the TDA/CMAS standard.
Thailand Diving Association would please invite TDA members from different regions come to participate and share the idea to develop the diving curriculum in order to TDA/CMAS standard at TDA office at 10:30am on ward. Your comments are valuable and benefit to the Association and dive business as well. Please also send your request for your participating to TDA office.
Please be informed and invited you to attend the meeting on date, time and place. Thank you in advance
Item 1: General information
1.1 Appointment of chief technical officer for diving
Item 2: Accredit of the previous meeting
Item 3: The topics for consideration
3.1 Appointment of the technical committee for diving
3.2 The standard definition of TDA/CMAS dive instructor on diving course
3.3 Standards for issuing TDA/CMAS diving course
3.4 Scheduling an agreement on Diving insurance and Badalveda Diving Medicine center
3.5 The benefit of dive members should get from the Association