Considering doing my OW in Phuket in mid April

[dmw]

Hi,

Having enjoyed my Discovery Scuba some 4 years ago I am now looking to finally do my Open Water.

I will be in Phuket in mid April. This is the end of the peak season ...

***will conditions still be good for diving (for OW purposes)? ***
I have read that the waters can get rougher at this time.

I will be staying in Patong but I notice that the Patong operators seem to use different locations for the open water diving component of the course. Should i be choosing an operator partly by where they do their dives? if so which locations do people recommend for OW?

Any other advice about doing OW in phuket greatly welcomed.

thanks

d.

 

[Batfish]

April is hot, sunny and calm. The weather changes in May.

Have a look: Phuket Weather Blog

 

[Quero]

Don't worry about the weather; mid-April should still be fine. Anyway, we dive year round from Phuket; it's mainly trips to the Similans that are affected by the monsoon season from May to November, and we don't take Open Water students out there--at least the ops from Phuket don't.

As far as where Phuket ops DO take students for training dives, unless you are working with one of the shops that do Open Water training from shore, we all take our students on daytrip boats, mostly to Koh Racha Yai. But any daytrip location that offers a relatively shallow, sheltered site works fine. You might see ops offering training dives at Phi Phi, for example, but the boat ride is rather long (about 3 hours each direction), and my advice would be to go out there for fun dives after you're certified so that you get the most enjoyment for the time you spend getting there and back.

Finally, you should choose an operator according to instructor, not dive site. Meet your prospective instructor, have a chat, and if you feel at ease, sign up!

 

[mislav]

Phuket is a very good location to do your OWD course. Have no fear - you will greatly enjoy it, I'm sure!

 

[dmw]

Quero - which operator do you work for?

do you have a web link?

 

[Quero]

Quero - which operator do you work for?

do you have a web link?

I have my own small dive school. I'll write to you privately to give you contact information.

 

[Bowmouth]

Many dive shops in Phuket will give you a variety of options on how to do your Open Water Diver Course. Options include all 4 required training dives from the beach (cheap and convenient), 2 training dives off the beach and 2 from a longtail boat to a reef not far from shore, all 4 training dives with a proper daytrip diving vessel to Racha Yai Island (a nice day out to reefs with often better visibility than shore diving).
Your best option is to do your course with an established (PADI) divecentre/dive shop in Phuket and to shop around a bit when you arrive. In Patong are many (PADI) dive centres and you will find it easy to book your course with one of them. Be a bit careful with booking online and make sure you're actually booking with a diveshop and not just an individual.

 

[bleesr]

See my note about my recent experience with a private dive instructor - Ross James. Contact him at divingandsnorkelling@gmail.com and it will be better --- less, less other students/people, personal attention, he knows all the area, dive sites, etc., very nice person, professional, responsible, safe and much much cheaper experience. I would highly recommend going that way. Bonnie