Where to 'practise' in Thailand?

[lovelaos]

Having just 8 dives under my belt, it is now time to practise and start enjoying some diving. I have 10 days holiday from work and will be in Thailand for the last week of October (end of season in Koh Tao?). Would I be correct in thinking Phuket/Andaman Sea would be more suited to experienced divers and not really a place for 'practicing'? I am leaning more towards Koh Tao as a 'practise' destination as I can get accommodation and 10 dives for around 10,000 Baht. When I say 'practise' I think I mean buoyancy control, legwork etc etc.
Any advice or recommendations?

 

[supergaijin]

Both areas have easy dive sites as well as some that are a bit more challenging. Koh Tao can be a lot of fun. I enjoyed my time being there, but working there was a different story.

 

[stevenl]

Koh Tao will be cheaper, Andaman Sea will have the better diving.

 

[lord khram]

Agree with Steven, if cost is not the overriding factor behind your choice, Andaman sea is a far better all round destination.

 

[TheWartHog]

I think Koh Tao would be best for you - you'll certainly be able to get your dive numbers up there.

Not only is the diving cheaper in Koh Tao than in Phuket/Andaman Sea, you can go out for 2 dives in the morning and be back by noon with the option, should you so wish, to go back out for 2 more dives in the afternoon after lunch.

Almost all dive trips in Phuket/Andaman Sea are 2 dive day-long trips. The dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand are good too and October should be OK for diving in both regions.

 

[Quero]

You will not be able to do what you want to do on Phuket for THB 10K for ten dives and accommodation. I think the thing about experienced divers preferring the Andaman Sea side is that they often go on multi-day dives to more challenging sites on liveaboards, and also that once you've got more experience, Tao can be a bit of a letdown. But in your case, with very few dives, you won't really notice the difference in the quality of diving between Tao and Phuket at this point, and you may as well go where it's less expensive to practice and come to Phuket when you're ready to spend a bit more.

---------- Post added October 4th, 2013 at 04:48 AM ----------

Almost all dive trips in Phuket/Andaman Sea are 2 dive day-long trips. The dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand are good too and October should be OK for diving in both regions.

This is actually mistaken information. Most of the boats I regularly use for fun-diving daytrips out of Phuket these days offer three dives.

 

[lovelaos]

Thanks for the replies. The 2 dives before lunch sounds ideal as I will be holidaying with a non-diver this time. I will be in Phuket in December to explore some of the better dive sites so I think Koh Tao will be my choice for this month to get some cheap diving practice in. Any updates on current conditions at Koh Tao would be much appreciated.

 

[stevenl]

I think Koh Tao would be best for you - you'll certainly be able to get your dive numbers up there.

Not only is the diving cheaper in Koh Tao than in Phuket/Andaman Sea, you can go out for 2 dives in the morning and be back by noon with the option, should you so wish, to go back out for 2 more dives in the afternoon after lunch.

Almost all dive trips in Phuket/Andaman Sea are 2 dive day-long trips. The dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand are good too and October should be OK for diving in both regions.

As Quero already mentioned, from Phuket the standard is 3 tank divedays, and also from Krabi there are a lot of 3 tank divedays. Also on Phi Phi you can do 2 morning and 2 afternoon dives.

 

[Matt Met]

We're (Koh Tao) sitting under a storm right now, but is expected to leave soon, check out windguru for the weather conditions you can see for yourself, its pretty good but not entirely accurate. A whaleshark was here a few days ago & as the sea temp lowers to 28/27C we should start to see more (no guarantees though) towards the end of autumn, I hope.

The island is quiet after the summer rush, you shouldn't have a problem finding accomm to suit your budget if you just turn up, Sairee is the main place for everything. If you're confident riding a scooter then get one off the ferry, 150 baht per day, a taxi is 100 baht each to sairee, just check everything out before you ride off. After diving you find it easy to explore the island's beaches.

As for diving morning dives start between 6am & 7.30am depending on which dive school you use, the earlier the better, less divers on the dive sites & you can be back between 10.30 to 12, depending on which dive sites you go to. plenty of time to enjoy the island with your friend.

 

[lovelaos]

My only problem with Koh Tao is the time it takes to get there!! Even the quickest of routes it takes 8 hours from Bangkok and this might just put me off, this time.
With Phuket, I can fly from Bkk in the morning and be on the golf course in the afternoon!
Would daytrips to 'Phi Phi Island/shark point'(3 dives) and 'Raja Yai/Noi'(3 dives) be too difficult for a novice like myself or am I worrying about this too much?