Advanced Open Water in Thailand - any suggestions, please?

[stevenl]

However, it was still not my definition of "quiet," so if I was going to go to Thailand again, I might head down to Lanta for a while.

Take into account that Phi Phi only has gotten louder the last few years, so no, really not quiet, in that respect Phuket has more to offer.

If you really want quiet, besides Koh lanta you can also consider Koh Lipe.

 

[bcdannymalone]

Hi Sandpipa,
I agree with limbo- Koh Lanta is worth looking into. I went there for the 1st time last month and was impressed with the crew at Go Dive. Nice boat and people. Lived in Thailand for 10 years and think Lanta is the most beautiful place I've seen. Diving's not as great as the Similans and Surin, but still pretty good.

If you're going on the liveaboard, you can also do your course on the boat. That's an option, but I think that unless you have a money issue, I would prefer to just be fundiving and relaxing out in the Similans. Have a great time!

 

[Sandpipa]

Thanks again for all the advice, folks. Half the fun's in the planning - once you have some options! - so I'm very grateful for all the suggestions.

Have a very happy festive season.

Sandpipa.

 

[jdfmail]

In thailand cheaper is normally better. Funny but true. The liveaboards are a prime example. 16000 to 20000 for Similan trips net you the best service and food. 25000 gets you 5star and excellent service. Boats that cater to foreigners charge much more and have poor service and food compared to the Thai boats. When it comes to certification classes, it's best to find a recommended instructor, dive shop doesn't matter. AOW I just did it for 4000bt during my trip to Similan on a liveaboard.

 

[CrazyGirl]

Lanta is much quieter than Phuket and an AOW course there would include diving at the world famous Hin Daeng/Hin Muang dive site... which is rarely visited from Phuket as it is too far.

Lanta is super easy to get to from Phuket.. There is a ferry which runs daily in the High season. Or you can go there by minivan.

There are many dive operators which mostly cater to specific languages/countries. I have dived with Scool divers which is more international than the other operators. Really good food on board the boat.

Hope this helps

 

[stevenl]

In thailand cheaper is normally better. Funny but true. The liveaboards are a prime example. 16000 to 20000 for Similan trips net you the best service and food. 25000 gets you 5star and excellent service. Boats that cater to foreigners charge much more and have poor service and food compared to the Thai boats.

Find some body who really knows the boats and can give you a good advice. Then you will notice that this quotation is bollocks.

 

[Zippsy]

Lanta is much quieter than Phuket and an AOW course there would include diving at the world famous Hin Daeng/Hin Muang dive site... which is rarely visited from Phuket as it is too far.

Really?????????? I'd agree with the quieter part.

 

[smartecosse]

In thailand cheaper is normally better. Funny but true. The liveaboards are a prime example. 16000 to 20000 for Similan trips net you the best service and food. 25000 gets you 5star and excellent service. Boats that cater to foreigners charge much more and have poor service and food compared to the Thai boats. When it comes to certification classes, it's best to find a recommended instructor, dive shop doesn't matter. AOW I just did it for 4000bt during my trip to Similan on a liveaboard.

boats that cater to foreigners?? HELLO thats all of them except perhaps one or two and they are really struggling as the "thai" diver base is small and once they have done the similans they move onto other areas. So pretty much every single boat in the similans caters to foreigners

You get exactly ( in most cases) what you pay for. Yes you still dive the same dive sites BUT both the level of service and the level of safety that you get will be vastly different.

You can count on one hand the number of boats that are of INTERNATIONAL standard. That being said there are still of lot of very nice boats operating there. Poor food and poor service on boats that cater to farang? So let me guess, you reckon Darinee beats Ocean Rover for service & food quality?

How many of these boats have you been on, in fact how many liveaboards have you done in total cos what you have said is utter misleading tripe.

Oh, and the reason you would get a cheaper AOW on a liveaboard is that you have already paid for all the diving in the cost of the trip. Did the 4000 Baht include the certification fee and the manual as well?

 

[jdfmail]

Yes the 4000 included all fees.


I am not misleading just stating another side to things.

 

[stevenl]

You make me curious, give us a few names please. The boats that cater to Thais that I know of, like Pawara, Panunee, Divemaster, are quite often more expensive than others in the same comfort class.