Daily diving from Phuket. Which dive shop?

[bruges00]

since you're all very kind and very knowledgeable i have another question for you

i'll be doing a cruise in the similans for 4 days, for a total of 14 dives
the last day we shall be doing only two dives, the last one (if i understand well) in the late morning

hence my question: can we take the last flight Phuket/BKK of the day (e.g. around 22.30) or there may be a risk because of the residual nitrogen?

the PADI manuals suggest 12 hrs in case of one dive and up to 18 hrs for repeated dives... on the other hand the Phuket BB flight is a very short one... is there any serious risk ... should we wait till next morning?

tx

 

[stevenl]

Wait til;l the next afternoon. After diving like you'll be doing you need a minimum of 24 hours no flying. My computer will normally indicate even longer, so I would consider flying again the next day around 14.00-15.00 hours.

 

[Quero]

since you're all very kind and very knowledgeable i have another question for you

i'll be doing a cruise in the similans for 4 days, for a total of 14 dives
the last day we shall be doing only two dives, the last one (if i understand well) in the late morning

hence my question: can we take the last flight Phuket/BKK of the day (e.g. around 22.30) or there may be a risk because of the residual nitrogen?

the PADI manuals suggest 12 hrs in case of one dive and up to 18 hrs for repeated dives... on the other hand the Phuket BB flight is a very short one... is there any serious risk ... should we wait till next morning?

tx

No, wait until the next day. The PADI materials say at least 18 hours for multiple dives or sequential dive days. It makes no difference whatever what the duration of the flight is--what counts is the decreased ambient pressure on your body when you ascend to altitude. We recommend waiting 24 hours, so a flight in the early afternoon the day after your cruise ends should be fine. Relax and enjoy a day of leisure--visit a wat, go shopping, have a nice meal at a place with tablecloths, whatever--but slow down! You're on holiday!

 

[bruges00]

ok, makes sense- no reason to run any risk
thanks

 

[bruges00]

another querstion (promise. last one)
what is best to to visit the phang nga bay?
i understand there are lots of restrictions to (rightly) preserve nature. hence my QQ: can one kayak (have seen some puics on the web), can one visit by boat or....? is it done in a one day trip from phuket? and where do the boats typically leave from, in case?
Is it possible to do something not in a big group of tourists (e.g private guide or guide for a very small group) but a bit more intimate and in a way which puts us closer to nature (i.e. not only being brought to the nicest points from which one can take pictures ... but something a bit more active, e.g. kayak? short trips by boat? short hikes/treks etc)
thanks a lot in advance for any tip and suggestion
Luca
PS in case we split our period in 2 parts (and stay part of the time in the lake dsitrict and part of the time around kata), does it make any diference where we are? i undesartnd it does make a difference if we want to see phi phi and do dives around there but since the PN bay is so far in the north....

 

[Quero]

another querstion (promise. last one)
what is best to to visit the phang nga bay?
i understand there are lots of restrictions to rpeserve nature, can one kayak, visit by boat or....? is it done in a one day trip from phuket? and where boat leave, in case?
is it possible to do someting not in a big group of tourists (.e.g pruivate guide or guide for a very small group) but a bit more intimate and closer to nature (kayak? small bota? some short hike7trek to see landscape etc)
thanks a lot in advance for any tip and suggestion
Luca
PS in case we split our period in 2 parts, and stay part of the time in the lake dsitrict and part of the time around kata, does it make any diference where we are? of course it makes a difference if we want to see phi phi and do dives around there but since the bay is so far in the north....

IMO, the most interesting Phang Nga Bay kayaking tours lead you through sea caves/tunnels to the interior mangrove lagoons of the karst islands. These are sort of far from Phi Phi. The operator I use for the kayaking tours has a very nice trip that is all afternoon and into the evening. You travel on a large boat to the area where the kayaks are deployed, and you have just two people per guide, so it doesn't feel so busy. Still it may not be the only boat in the area, so even with the individualized attention, you may encounter other tourists. You can also arrange for a private experience with beach camping, for example--very close to nature. But it's not cheap to do it that way. It may be possible just to paddle around a bit near Phi Phi, but it won't be a Phang Nga Bay tour.

 

[bruges00]

thanks quero - extremely useful
where do the boats leave? is it the same pier from where the boats to phi phi also leave (cant remeber the name right now)
i guess it is closer to kata than to lake disrtrict or is it more or less the same?

 

[Quero]

thanks quero - extremely useful
where do the boats leave? is it the same pier from where the boats to phi phi also leave (cant remeber the name right now)
i guess it is closer to kata than to lake disrtrict or is it more or less the same?

No, it's a different pier--it's located at the northeast part of Phuket at Ao Por (Por Bay). I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you mean by "lake district"--do you mean Bang Tao? But the kayak tour company will pick you up from Kata or Bang Tao or elsewhere on Phuket, and take you to Ao Por, no problem. (Bang Tao is closer to Ao Por than Kata is.)