Chumphon review or warning

[h90]

I went to Chumphon again.
Here the story:

After dinner I booked at Chumphon Cabana Resort for diving. The told me it is 2000 Baht + 200 Baht Nation Park fee. With own equipment it is cheaper 10 or 20 %, she doesn't know but will ask the Manager on the next day. Start 8 AM

Next day: Other girl: Price 1950+Nationpark fee....OK no problem, I signed it on the room.
I went there for the diving at 8 AM. They told me I need a voucher which I did not have so had to go back and get it...no problem.
At 8 they just started to fill tanks so enough time for breakfast.
Compressor has just a short dirty hose and takes the air from the small hot room.

Transit to the boot.
Boot is small old but looks OK
Just 3 people snorkeling and me and a "Dive Master" diving. The "Dive Master" had packed his equipment in my private bag because he had none.
Installed my equipment: Tank pressure 196 bar
Coming there: Tank all the time in the sun, pressure 193 bar.

Jumping in the water: I first hear a strange sound but could not find any leakage on my equipment. I see leakage from the "Dive Masters" tanks neck where the valve is screwed in the tank. I recognized a strange taste, and later very clear when you breath out thru the nose: Oil in the Air, not much but clearly recognizable.
The last 10 min we dove at 6-7 meter, max. deep 18 meter but the Dive Master wanted to make a safety stop of 2 min at 7 meter.
Total dive time 39 min with still plenty of pressure.

Than food, fried rice without meat, with egg. The cheapest food in Thailand but tasty.
The captain is putting plastic trash in the water and the "Dive Master" is fishing in the Nationalpark.

Screwed my equipment on the second tank: 146 bar. "Dive Master" is surprised as he was sure it was filled correctly. As we had no spare tank he took it.
The other tank had 216 bar.

On the dive 40 min....a lot air leaked out from the "DM" tank neck. I have again oil in the air.

So fazit: The tanks had no inspection for ages, till the Oring between tank and valve aged. The compressor filter was not changed till ages. The captain is a swine.
The Nationalpark is full with nets under water and the environment not as good as some years ago. I would bet the young Thai guy isn't a Divemaster he is just got some teaching how to swim around with Tourists.
So I would avoid this Dive Center.

What I know on the same Beach Tung Wua Len there is a French Dive Center which is closed at the moment because quite saison.
There is a Instructor called "Werner" who is going with his customer on the same boat, but he has his own rental equipment and his own compressor.
There should be not far away a Resort called "Palm Beach Resort" which also offers diving.

 

[mgmonk]

I've dove with Werner and had a very good time. I also know JP, the French Inst., from his Koh Tao days. His ex-DM, Pi Mee, is a very good friend of mine on Koh Tao. I have great respect for Pi Mee. He worked there for years when Easy Divers had a Chumporn branch.

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Anyone else been out there with stories?

 

[lord khram]

Sounds just like Pattaya diving to me, but much less expensive, why all the complaining?

 

[h90]

I've dove with Werner and had a very good time. I also know JP, the French Inst., from his Koh Tao days. His ex-DM, Pi Mee, is a very good friend of mine on Koh Tao. I have great respect for Pi Mee. He worked there for years when Easy Divers had a Chumporn branch.

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Anyone else been out there with stories?

Yes Werner is nice, also his wife (Jaruwan????). He fixed my problems where to put the weight so I am balanced in every way when I began diving.
JP I remember: I booked and he called me in the night, he with slightly french dialect and I with strong german one+bad mobile phone connection. I thought he cancel the trip or change the time, but in fact he prepared food on order, he had many option of baguet or Thai food for every customer different, hahahaha
I told for me anything is OK but for him it was important that I select what I prefer hahaha.
There is one more new provider I have to test next time in Chumphon...

When did you dive the last time there?? I had the impression it got a lot more dirty+less fish (which is no wonder if there are everywhere nets) Do you think the same or did I just have an unlucky day?

 

[h90]

Sounds just like Pattaya diving to me, but much less expensive, why all the complaining?

Well I am one of the big Pat basher, but never had there bleeding tanks or oil in the air.
Environment is also better than in Pat. Pat is a professional rip off by farangs on bad diving sides.
This experience was bad Thai style. Pretty different. (Well after my next Pat dive I may change my mind)

 

[lord khram]

Well I am one of the big Pat basher, but never had there bleeding tanks or oil in the air.
Environment is also better than in Pat. Pat is a professional rip off by farangs on bad diving sides.
This experience was bad Thai style. Pretty different. (Well after my next Pat dive I may change my mind)

A bad days diving is a bad days diving and is equally unacceptable, regardless of who provided it. I thought the whole idea of PADI was to have consistent standards around the world regardless of location or nationality of the operator.
I am not going to go into all the problems I have encountered there, but numerous times I have seen leaky cylinders and dodgy equipment.
And yes the dive sites in pattaya do leave a lot to be desired.
If you want a really bad experience, just PM me and I can give you the details of a Pattaya shop that I am sure you will visit once and never forget.

 

[stiggy]

For once I have to agree with LK. (up to the compulsive Pattaya bash)

The main concern here by the description you give is the compressor and what sounds like oil blowing/leaking through the filter.

Did you express your views to the dive ctr at all, about the trash and fishing in the marine park ?

 

[mgmonk]

When did you dive the last time there?? I had the impression it got a lot more dirty+less fish (which is no wonder if there are everywhere nets) Do you think the same or did I just have an unlucky day?

I dove there in 2007. Can't remember the sites offhand, but I didn't see too many nets or indications of overfishing. Things do change fast here in the gulf. There's been more fishing in the last few years around Koh Tao for sure.

What I did enjoy was being the only boat on the site, only four of us in the water, and the coral was in very healthy shape. Not an abundance of exotic life, but it was nice to get away from the crowds. Mind you, I had been working as a DM on Koh Tao for 6 months before I took this trip, so I was itching for dives that involved less than 50 people swarming around me. That probably had a lot to do with my impressions.

 

[lord khram]

For once I have to agree with LK. (up to the compulsive Pattaya bash)

The main concern here by the description you give is the compressor and what sounds like oil blowing/leaking through the filter.

Did you express your views to the dive ctr at all, about the trash and fishing in the marine park ?

Not a direct bash in this case, just responding to the comments of another.
Its not only me that thinks Pattaya is a crap place to dive.

 

[h90]

For once I have to agree with LK. (up to the compulsive Pattaya bash)

The main concern here by the description you give is the compressor and what sounds like oil blowing/leaking through the filter.

Did you express your views to the dive ctr at all, about the trash and fishing in the marine park ?

in the dive center there is no one you can speak with. it is empty. You book the dive in the hotel by the same staff where you book a room. Than you go in the bus there and one guy is diving with you.
Noone you can ask someone.
I mentioned the bleeding tanks and he told "no problem".