Best place in Asia for both OW cert & experienced diver?

[elby]

Hi All,

I'm new here, and would love your input on an upcoming trip/OW course. I'm an experienced diver (DM with >100 dives) living in Taiwan, and a friend from the States is coming this way for about a week in late January to visit and get his OW cert (I know that's not a whole lot of time, but he can't take that much time off). We're not staying in Taiwan, but will meet up somewhere else in Asia. There are so many options (Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc), and I'm having some trouble narrowing down the list.

Do you have any suggestions for places that would be suitable for a brand new diver and an experienced one? I've been diving in a few places in Asia (Koh Tao, Panglao, Hoi An), and would love to try somewhere new. Any particular dive shops that you'd recommend for getting an OW cert?

We're also interested in activities other than diving, so ideally, we'd stay somewhere where diving isn't the only thing to do. Any ideas/suggestions you have are most welcome! Thanks in advance!

 

[Edward3c]

Koh Lipe, DJL for accommodation and diving.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Koh Lanta. You can dive Hin Daeng while your friend is in the classroom/pool, and then you can both get on a trip to Koh Ha...
Have a look at Lanta Diver...

 

[Centrals]

Philippines is a lot closer to Republic of China than anywhere else for GREAT scuba diving.
For OW training, both Moalboal(Cebu Island) or Puerto Galera(Luzon) are highly recommended.
Not sure if there is direct flight between Taipei and Cebu City though.

 

[hsinhai]

FWIW: Both EVA and AirAsia fly nonstop from TPE to CEB

 

[Centrals]

FWIW: Both EVA and AirAsia fly nonstop from TPE to CEB

Then I would recommend Moalboal over PG because of straight forward transfer from the airport.
Nelson's Dive Center.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Puerto Galera. Asia Divers. It will keep an experienced diver entertained with quality of reef/life with some challenging dive options and some mellow dive options for the newbie. All sites except Verde Island are within 5-10 minute boat rides from the pier and they return between dives. Do as many or as little you want without a huge time commitment. It’s also very well-priced and relatively convenient to get to.