OP
ElEstratega
Registered
Hi everyone again,
I am back from my trip in Thailand and Malaysia and what a great time I had! I followed your advice Chris and went to the Perhentian Islands for my OW with Turtle Bay Divers. You can't imagine how grateful I am for that suggestion. The islands are beautiful, touristy only to a certain limit (way less than Koh Phi Phi or Koh Tao, for instance), on any beach you still had at least 10m on each side for yourself, perhaps because it's still a bit complicated to get there. The diving school was the best operator I had the pleasure to deal with during this trip, they had good equipment which looked fairly new, groups were always small (3 students with 1 instructor and 1 dive master for the OW course, my girlfriend did the AOW and they were 4, the maximum they admit on each course), they were very serious about every little detail, all instructors were competent, and everyone was very friendly. The dives were nice, never a disappointment, and waters were usually pretty calm, visibility good... due to all of this I think this is an ideal place for OW and AOW training. Plus the nightly BBQs at Mama's Place are not to be forgotten :drooling:.
After doing some other trips in northern Thailand we went south and headed for Koh Phi Phi, not really intending to dive, but as we arrived we were convinced to go on a two-day liveaboard with Moskito Diving, 7 dives, and I would do my AOW on the way. The waters were pretty rough as it was not the best time of the year for diving on this side of Thailand. The boat was incredible, especially considering we were only 4 divers on a boat that can take up to 16. First dive was a wreck at 28m (King Cruiser). Visibility was poor and currents strong, definitely not an enjoyable dive for an OW newbie like me (it was only my 8th dive). My excitement and some overexertion due to the currents made me run out of air by the end of the dive and had to use my buddy's air during ascent. So that was a tough start for me, but the next dives were surely the best of my holyday, especially the Anemonee Reef was gorgeous. Loved the night dive by Phi Phi Leh as well.
Next we went diving in Koh Tao but due to time restrictions we only did two dives and couldn't wait for weather to become friendlier around Cumphon Pinnacle, so we ended up going to Shark Island and King Kong. Those two dives were disappointing, very little to see in comparison with Perhentians and Phi Phi. Plus the operators we had were not as serious as in our previous experiences, the groups were larger, and we ran into other groups more frequently (to be fair it was high season here while it was low season at Phi Phi, but the difference in marine life was still quite significant). I wouldn't like to judge diving in KT after only two dives but we left disappointed. On the other hand snorkeling in Tanote Bay was fantastic (as was our bungalow on top of the rocks with a wonderful view).
That was it, 16 dives total, not a bad start I guess, and again Chris thanks a lot for your suggestions, they really contributed to my holyday, I'm glad I joined this forum before going on that trip.
Best to all,
Diego :hai:
I am back from my trip in Thailand and Malaysia and what a great time I had! I followed your advice Chris and went to the Perhentian Islands for my OW with Turtle Bay Divers. You can't imagine how grateful I am for that suggestion. The islands are beautiful, touristy only to a certain limit (way less than Koh Phi Phi or Koh Tao, for instance), on any beach you still had at least 10m on each side for yourself, perhaps because it's still a bit complicated to get there. The diving school was the best operator I had the pleasure to deal with during this trip, they had good equipment which looked fairly new, groups were always small (3 students with 1 instructor and 1 dive master for the OW course, my girlfriend did the AOW and they were 4, the maximum they admit on each course), they were very serious about every little detail, all instructors were competent, and everyone was very friendly. The dives were nice, never a disappointment, and waters were usually pretty calm, visibility good... due to all of this I think this is an ideal place for OW and AOW training. Plus the nightly BBQs at Mama's Place are not to be forgotten :drooling:.
After doing some other trips in northern Thailand we went south and headed for Koh Phi Phi, not really intending to dive, but as we arrived we were convinced to go on a two-day liveaboard with Moskito Diving, 7 dives, and I would do my AOW on the way. The waters were pretty rough as it was not the best time of the year for diving on this side of Thailand. The boat was incredible, especially considering we were only 4 divers on a boat that can take up to 16. First dive was a wreck at 28m (King Cruiser). Visibility was poor and currents strong, definitely not an enjoyable dive for an OW newbie like me (it was only my 8th dive). My excitement and some overexertion due to the currents made me run out of air by the end of the dive and had to use my buddy's air during ascent. So that was a tough start for me, but the next dives were surely the best of my holyday, especially the Anemonee Reef was gorgeous. Loved the night dive by Phi Phi Leh as well.
Next we went diving in Koh Tao but due to time restrictions we only did two dives and couldn't wait for weather to become friendlier around Cumphon Pinnacle, so we ended up going to Shark Island and King Kong. Those two dives were disappointing, very little to see in comparison with Perhentians and Phi Phi. Plus the operators we had were not as serious as in our previous experiences, the groups were larger, and we ran into other groups more frequently (to be fair it was high season here while it was low season at Phi Phi, but the difference in marine life was still quite significant). I wouldn't like to judge diving in KT after only two dives but we left disappointed. On the other hand snorkeling in Tanote Bay was fantastic (as was our bungalow on top of the rocks with a wonderful view).
That was it, 16 dives total, not a bad start I guess, and again Chris thanks a lot for your suggestions, they really contributed to my holyday, I'm glad I joined this forum before going on that trip.
Best to all,
Diego :hai:
