I am planning on getting my PADI in Thailand this fall. Do I need to Pre-book with an operator or can I just arrive and pick a company? Do you get better prices if you pre-book? Does anyone have any suggestions of great diving companies? I was thinking of going to Koh Tao for this.
Thanks all!
Reply to this I did my Advanced and Nitrox courses in Koh Samui about 2 years ago. I booked when i got there, and had to wait two days to start (of course it depends on the dive shop schedule etc). When i was there, the place was teaming with dive shops (at least 5) all offering courses its a competative business.
I would suggest booking when you get there ( you can shop around and negotiate).
Of course it will depend on how long you are staying ( i had 10 days to play with and sorted it out as soon as i got there) and the length of the course.
Reply to this Katy....I can only recommend Pattaya for diving it may not be the cheapest but the centre I did all my training at is one of the best in Asia I have not put a link in as I am sure it will get deleted but look at my blog you will find the name on there somewhere......
Don't scimp on diving training there are a lot of dodgy operators in Thailand
Safe Diving
Reply to this I would recommend Koh Tao, its a beautiful little island with loads of dive schools you can just find one when you get there (they include accommodation in your course). The sea is clear and blue. Lots of lovely little bars and restaurants too, very chill.
Reply to this Thanks for the info guys. I think I have decided on Koh Tao for diving, so my next question would be is there anywhere people suggest I NOT go. That is, any companies I should definately avoid booking for safety reasons or what not?
Cathy
Reply to this Prob best to arrive on Koh Tao and get a cheap hut on the beach and chat to people in the bars, don't listen to any of the touts - they'll try to get you to go to whichever shop that they're working for.
Most of the dive shops are close together so you can walk around and ask for prices (bear in mind that the prices for a PADI course are going to be similar as the base cost is set by PADI and anything on top of that goes towards the centre's overheads - materials, paying staff etc), competiton can be high and the shops all talk to each other, if someone offers a really low price then the other shop will have a chat to them so don't try to play them off against each other too much. You'll normally make a saving on the accomodation they offer you - some give a generous discount if you do a course with them.
In terms of safety, it's best to talk to people on the island as the info will be most recent and there's nothing to stop you from asking to see a centre's facilities and equipment to check that it's modern and in a good state of repair. If a centre refuses then they probably aren't a centre you want to use, think of it as if you are buying a car.
If you're still unsure you could maybe go on a snorkel trip to actually see how they run the dives. But if you don't have a good feeling then you prob shouldn't go with that operator.
oh yeah do a search on the internet to get some names of the main diving schools so that you can check them out when you arrive, the better schools are the ones that are Instructor Development Centre (IDC) qualified.
Reply to this Koh Tao is nice - but it's a little like being in a scuba diver factory - scuba divers are just churned out... groups of 6 regularly with an overworked instructor. But the facilities are good, the are good diver medical services on the island (recompression chamber) etc - so it's a good choice. So questions to ask: who would be my instructor?, how many people will I be learning with? you want to learn in a smallish group - maximum 4. Also - think about SSI (Scuba Schools International) - PADI are doing many things that aren't convenient to travellers or scuba divers - like making people buy the bulky manuals along with the course, adding to the cost and giving divers the dilema of how to avoid already pricey excess baggage fees... SSI have good courses as well and are becoming increasingly popular in SE Asia.
Other options.... depending on what time this fall you arrive - check the seasons - the monsoon arrives sometime oct/nov on the east coast of Thailand and Malaysia - and the west coast (the Andaman sea) is reaching peak season - so Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta might be better options... earlier in the fall - Perhentian Islands in Malaysia (1hr from Thailands southern border) are a fantastic place to learn as well.
Your experience learning to dive will depend a lot on your instructor - so if you can go along early evening and a try to meet your instructor - they'll probably be running courses already in the day time. The advice in the above posts is good as well...
Good luck and enjoy!
Reply to this Hi guys ive read all the information above on recommendations on where to do the courses , i myself am looking to my dive course here aswell im a beginner does anyone know rougthly how much this will cost me ? including equipment trip !
Reply to this If you go to Koh Tao, then a PADI Open Water course will cost about 9800 bhat which is about £140, most centres will also give you discounted accomodation if you do a course with them, my accomodation was about £7 a night for an air-con room with hot shower and cable TV but that was a special rate as I was there for about 5 weeks, average cost would have been about £14 for a room like that.
All equipment should be included in the cost of the course, if you decide to buy your own equipment and bring it with you then you'll tend to get a discount as well.
Reply to this Cheers legs
Thanks for the advice im itching to get there now , The only thing im not looking forward to is the 22 hour flight ive got to take to get there , Thailand here i cum ive wanted to go to thailand since i was old enough to dream of adventure .
Reply to this Whoa! 22 hour flight? where you flying from?
You might want to stop over in Bangkok for a couple of nights to rest after your long flight and get your body adjusted to the climate and time zone.
To get to Koh Tao, I flew from Bangkok to Koh Samui and spent a night at a hotel near the jetty as the catamaran leaves for Koh Tao only twice a day. That's the expensive option but also low hassle.
For the low cost option you can get a coach from Bangkok to Chumphon and then get a ferry to Koh Tao, this is the longer option and can be a bit uncomfortable, I think that the coach is an overnighter and the ferry might be a night ferry, so it could take a day or two. Be aware that the wet season is around end of october to november and will affect any sea travel as well as any diving as the sites are reached by boat. Or you could take a train or flight to Chumphon.
If you do decide to go to Koh Tao, try Asia Divers and mention my name to the instructors or Guy (pronounced Gui) the course director. They know me as "Eu-Loong" (pronounced U-Long), you might get a discount you never know!
Reply to this Tell me about it !
Im flying from Manchester and going via Abu Dhabi , the flight itself is 15 hours 30min but theres a gap in the connecting flights .
Im sorted with a few nights in Bangkok , like you said to climatise and also get over my journey , think im gonna go north for a bit first chaing Mai and Kanchanaburi then its time to hit the beaches for a few weeks . either way can't wait , i know full well it will be a large achievement if i make back to work in November .
Thanks for your advise its been a big help
cheers again lee
Reply to this Ah that makes sense then, direct flight from Heathrow was about 13 hrs or so.
Hotels round the airport in Bangkok tend to get full up and if you're on a budget then a hostel in town will suit you better. The air-con airport buses into town are supposed to be the best for value. Quickest is the train which is not air con (got sick as a result due to the fans moving hot air around rather than cooling you) so probably best to use them in the evening, times are erractic but it's dirt cheap at 10 bhat. I took a taxi once and that cost 580 bhat including the fee for the toll road, can take about 2 hrs due to the constant traffic.
Reply to this taxi from the Bangkok airport to Bangkok 580 baht , thats not bad i suppose whats that about a £10 maybe little less , My friend has just booked a flight so he's coming out with me now for the first two weeks of the trip so probabley just get a taxi and split the cost . We are staying in hostels , on a budget of £1600 for 4 weeks so i wanna stick to that and possibley go back with some , money !
I really want to eat the local foods and stay away from the restaurants , ive always wanted to go to the night market in Bangkok and try the food on the night stalls but what do you think about that is it safe to eat or am i gonna be in bed for the rest of my trip .
He managed to get his flight for £407 return which i think is a bargain .
Either way i can't wait to get there !
Reply to this exchange rate over here is about 68 bhat to the pound and in thailand it's about 70 bhat to the pound, so the taxi is about 8 quid, though 500 bhat can easily pay for 4 lunches in Koh Tao 😉
so with your budget that's about 4000 bhat a day, you can eat well in koh tao for 600 bhat, beers are around 100 bhat a bottle so if you budget on 1000 bhat a day that leaves you with 3000 spare for accomodation and other costs, my room in koh tao was around 500-1000 bhat a night. so 2000 bhat left to spend on other stuff.
obviously costs in bangkok will be slightly higher.
for the first week, be careful with what you eat to allow your body to get used to the food in thailand, you'll probably get vomiting or the squirts for the first couple of days but once you get used to it, you should be ok to eat from the night stalls. I do recommend eating local foods as they are better value and taste much better. Get some anti-diarrhea stuff for when you're travelling and alka-seltzer for your stomach.
make sure you slap on the suntan lotion, tight wetsuits and sunburn don't mix too well 😉
Reply to this Cheers mate for all your information your a star .
When i get to Koh Tao il leave a blog maybe huck up for a beer ?
cheers !
lee
Reply to this legs is there anywhere you can recommend to book my accomodation for Koh tao? or a website to use , i'd like to have it booked before i arrive with there being two of us , i don't want to take the risk of turning up and not being able to get in anywhere , or do you think that is the best approach just turning up and getting the accomodation when we get there ?
cheers
lee
Reply to this Accomodation wise, if you want to go budget and get a hut on the beach it's best to turn up and have a look around, most of the owners don't use the internet and it's better to get a feel of the area you'll be staying in e.g. picture may look good on the net but might be next to where the local restaurant dumps it's rubbish etc. It's pretty transient so huts generally get freed up over a few days.
If you want a bit more upmarket then there some companies that do bungalows near the beach, you don't tend to get a beach view, but they're normally a couple of minutes from the beach and have a pool and restaurant attached to the complex. You can book these online or turn up.
If you're set on doing scuba diving then you'll probably want to go for accomodation at the dive center (closest to staying in a hotel on Koh Tao in terms of service and quality), all the main centers offer discounted accomodation. Now I recommend that if you go this route you should book in advance. We had 30 open water students turn up one evening and with about 54 or so rooms in the center, there wasn't enough accomodation for them so they had to stay elsewhere (not that it's a massive commute 😉 ). Also need to consider that there are people doing long courses who might be staying there for a few weeks so they take up a few rooms. If you can try to get air con, it makes the heat more bearable.
Even if you just turn up at the jetty, you will be able to find accomodation....eventually... heh. But seriously, if you've got alot of luggage then book in advance, if you're travelling light then turn up and go with the flow :D
Reply to this Cheers mate , i am travelling light so probabley just turn up and get a feel for the place .
Thanks alot again for all your help
lee
Reply to this Hiya legs
Was wondering whats the situation in Thailand at the minute i really don't want to be cancelling my trip but if things are a little hairy then i suppose its for the best . Just thought id ask someone who is there for some advice rather than listening to the news !
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