Who we are

The New Heaven Reef Conservation Program (NHRCP) has grown to become one of the highest quality and most respected marine conservation programs in Thailand, and the world. Started in 2007, the program has become the leader in marine resource management for the island of Koh Tao, and a hub of hands-on scientific training in research, restoration, and protection of coral reefs. The program offers all available Conservation Diver Courses, plus works along side the Thailand Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the Thai Department of Fisheries. No matter your diving level, you can go and get involved in their activities, they even have a sea turtle nursery for non-divers to enjoy. With over 1,500 students trained, you can guarantee you will get the best of what marine conservation is all about.

Our Mission

Our mission at the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program has been to preserve, protect and restore the beautiful coral reef ecosystems around the island of Koh Tao, raising awareness and educating both tourists and locals about marine conservation and the plight of our planet’s most biodiverse and fragile spaces. As the marine conservation leader in Thailand, we also hope to transfer our knowledge and experience to the next generation of conservation divers.

What we offer

The NHRCP is able to offer all Conservation Diver Courses, with courses ranging from 1 day through to 4 weeks and internships of 8-12 weeks. We can customize training programs to fit the goals of groups and school trips that wish to travel to our location in Thailand. .

One of our students taking data on our electrified artificial reef

We offer most of the conservation diver courses, which you can find out more about on our course schedule page.

Our Courses

Week 1 – Ecological monitoring surveys

The first week of the course is spent learning about the ecosystem, and learning how to monitor the reef and understand its unique interactions and workings through our Ecological Monitoring Program. You will learn about everything from invertebrates through to the compromised health states of corals and even learn how to identify 23 different genera of corals. 
Lectures include:

One week course includes: 2 Conservation Diver Certifications

learning marine conservation

Week 2- Restoration Week

In week 2 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, a chance to practice the survey techniques from the first week and an opportunity to do some hands on design and build work
Lectures include:

Two week course includes: 3 Conservation Diver Certifications & Ecological Program Monitoring Manual

coral restoration
One of our restoration sites

Week 3 – Marine life Week

You will learn about different marine species and how they are important to the marine ecosystems, as well as learn about coral predators and the work we do to remove them from our oceans. You will round off the week with advanced coral taxonomy.
Lectures include:

Three week course includes: 4 additional Conservation Diver Certifications + the Ecological Monitoring Program Manual + our photosurvey card

Week 4 – Advanced Week

You will learn more in depth surveys techniques, learn how to set up and maintain mooring lines, and round off the course learning about some more marine species.
Lectures include:

Four week course includes: 4 Conservation Diver Certifications

Internships

Ranging from 8-12 weeks, our internships cover everything from the 4 week course as well as allowing the intern to gain more experience with survey techniques and data collection. This course also provides an opportunity to work on projects and work as an assistant instructor. This option is great for anyone wishing to work on dissertation or thesis work.

12 weeks not enough? No problem there is also the option to extend once you have completed the first 4 weeks of the course and we are happy with your performance.

Internships include: Tshirt, Ecological Monitoring Program Manual, wristband, Conservation Diver Crew Pack

Daily schedule

Our week runs Mon-Fri with weekends free for any other activities, such as beach cleans, land clean ups or to allow students the time to explore the island itself. During the week we start our mornings at 9am when we prepare the gear for the day and at 9.30 we sit down for a lecture. For the most part the lecture will cover the topic of the day, but there are a few that do not have dives associated with them but are given to provide a better understanding and provide background knowledge. The lecture usually takes around 2 hours we have a short break before we head out for our dive. The dive itself is usually longer than a typical recreational dive and in some cases can be as long as 2 hours depending on depth and air consumption. After the dive we head back to the shop, debrief and go over anything that comes up during the day.

When to visit

Thailand is currently open but there are some rules and regulations in place to prevent the spread of Covid19. If you are looking at joining us for a course in 2021 please contact kirsty@conservationdiver.com to discuss availability. 

2020/2021 Course Schedule

Note: the course start dates are set based upon entry dive level, as non-divers and Open-water certified divers will first have ti complete the required diver certification courses before beginning the conservation program.

DecJanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSept
Non-diver14th11th8th8th5th3rd28th26th23rd20th
Open Water Diver17th14th11th11th8th6th1st July29th26th23rd
Advanced Diver21st18th15th15th12th10th5th July2nd Aug30th27th
Course end date15 jan12 Feb12 Mar9 Apr7 May28 May30 July27 Aug24 Sep15 Oct

Book a Course

If you are interested in receiving more information about the programs on offer at the NHRCP please contact us at conservation-team@newheavendiveschool.com or Kirsty@conservationdiver.com