kumimonster
Contributor
Howdy!
First of all, thanks for all the recommendations and information for this Thailand newbie!
I went to Koh Samui for a few days. Even though some people said to change locations, etc. This was not an option. I was traveling with a friend and we were staying with a specific chain of resorts primarily based in SE Asia. (Anantara).
When I go diving, I like to dive, multiple tanks in a single day. Two just doesn't seem to be enough. However I was to learn that it would require getting my own private boat to do so and that would end up costing a LOT of freaking baht. So 2 tanks a day. OK.
For the newbie: dive sites are a distance from Koh Samui. On average, it was about an hour to/from the dive sites - sometimes a bit more. I'd say it's a great time to listen to that audiobook you've got on your phone that you've been meaning to "read". You can get through a lot in 2 hours. Chances are you're on a speed boat so it'll be loud. Also, if you have ANY thoughts about getting sea sick, then take the meds!
These boats can get full! When I saw how many people were at the dock in the morning I kind of freaked out. I wondered what I actually signed up for when I counted close to 30 people around me. I thought I was going to end up on one of those awful boats with a mix of snorkelers and divers all jumping in at the same spot and landing on top of each other! AIE!
Anyway, a local diver at home suggested Silent Divers so I went with them. I would definitely book with them again. Easy booking process. Discount for early booking. Nice selection of equipment.
I wrote a complete review for Silent Divers and posted it on TripAdvisor:
Dive, dive, dive! - Review of Silent Divers, Bophut, Thailand - TripAdvisor
photos - on the boat.
Sail Rock: How many boats can you get at a single dive site? I thought 10 boats were a lot. The DM said he's seen almost 30 there at one point! AIYA!
Everyone says it's full of fish. It is. But it's also full of divers. Every day we dove, no whale sharks showed up. After I flew my butt to Cambodia, 3 whale sharks have been appearing every day. :-(
My friend and I wanted to check out Angthong Park. We ended up booking with a dive operator that had a boat out there. Because of the season, I guess some operators did not schedule boats out there without a private charter. With Discovery Dive Centre, the boat was not crowded at all. There was a total of 7 of us diving not including boat crew. Our DM had a DM-in-training so he went with my friend and I.
It was very pretty on the surface. Peaceful and a limited amount of boats disturbing the serenity of the place. Many others had already warned me about the chance of bad diving in the area so I was prepared. As someone that has Monterey, California as my backyard dive spot, I didn't find the dives to be horrible at all. My friend - who is an open water, tropical holiday only diver - hated it. (He did have issues with buoyancy, kicking up silt, etc so that made it even more unpleasant).
Moving slow however, I was still able to spot some nudis. Tons of alabaster worms too. They look cool I think. There was a Blue spotted ray, shrimp, and some other things. My friend said all he saw lots of crap floating in the water.
Angthong Park. Some underwater shots with bad vis.
The boat was nice. The lunch was tasty. I had seconds! The equipment available at Silent Divers was a bit better for me. When I looked in the equipment area for Discovery DC, the rental first stages had no additional port for my transmitter so I had to choose between my personal computer and their gauge console. In the end, it was all fine though. I wouldn't tell people not to go with them. The crew was great. DMs were experienced and knowledgeable about the sites. And even though the VIs isn't what people would expect for Thailand diving, I still enjoyed myself.
More Angthong fuzzy underwater not-so-goodness
Dive sites:
Day 1 to Koh Tao: 1. Shark Island. 2. Aow Mao
Day 2 to Sail Rock
Day 3 to Koh Tao: 1. Laem Tien. 2. Hin Wong Bay. (weather fail for Chumphon Pinnacle).
Day 4 to Angthong with Discovery Dive Centre. 1. Koh Yippon Lek. 2. Koh Wow.
Again, thanks to all for the advice!
First of all, thanks for all the recommendations and information for this Thailand newbie!
I went to Koh Samui for a few days. Even though some people said to change locations, etc. This was not an option. I was traveling with a friend and we were staying with a specific chain of resorts primarily based in SE Asia. (Anantara).
When I go diving, I like to dive, multiple tanks in a single day. Two just doesn't seem to be enough. However I was to learn that it would require getting my own private boat to do so and that would end up costing a LOT of freaking baht. So 2 tanks a day. OK.
For the newbie: dive sites are a distance from Koh Samui. On average, it was about an hour to/from the dive sites - sometimes a bit more. I'd say it's a great time to listen to that audiobook you've got on your phone that you've been meaning to "read". You can get through a lot in 2 hours. Chances are you're on a speed boat so it'll be loud. Also, if you have ANY thoughts about getting sea sick, then take the meds!
These boats can get full! When I saw how many people were at the dock in the morning I kind of freaked out. I wondered what I actually signed up for when I counted close to 30 people around me. I thought I was going to end up on one of those awful boats with a mix of snorkelers and divers all jumping in at the same spot and landing on top of each other! AIE!
Anyway, a local diver at home suggested Silent Divers so I went with them. I would definitely book with them again. Easy booking process. Discount for early booking. Nice selection of equipment.
I wrote a complete review for Silent Divers and posted it on TripAdvisor:
Dive, dive, dive! - Review of Silent Divers, Bophut, Thailand - TripAdvisor
photos - on the boat.
Sail Rock: How many boats can you get at a single dive site? I thought 10 boats were a lot. The DM said he's seen almost 30 there at one point! AIYA!
Everyone says it's full of fish. It is. But it's also full of divers. Every day we dove, no whale sharks showed up. After I flew my butt to Cambodia, 3 whale sharks have been appearing every day. :-(
My friend and I wanted to check out Angthong Park. We ended up booking with a dive operator that had a boat out there. Because of the season, I guess some operators did not schedule boats out there without a private charter. With Discovery Dive Centre, the boat was not crowded at all. There was a total of 7 of us diving not including boat crew. Our DM had a DM-in-training so he went with my friend and I.
It was very pretty on the surface. Peaceful and a limited amount of boats disturbing the serenity of the place. Many others had already warned me about the chance of bad diving in the area so I was prepared. As someone that has Monterey, California as my backyard dive spot, I didn't find the dives to be horrible at all. My friend - who is an open water, tropical holiday only diver - hated it. (He did have issues with buoyancy, kicking up silt, etc so that made it even more unpleasant).
Moving slow however, I was still able to spot some nudis. Tons of alabaster worms too. They look cool I think. There was a Blue spotted ray, shrimp, and some other things. My friend said all he saw lots of crap floating in the water.
Angthong Park. Some underwater shots with bad vis.
The boat was nice. The lunch was tasty. I had seconds! The equipment available at Silent Divers was a bit better for me. When I looked in the equipment area for Discovery DC, the rental first stages had no additional port for my transmitter so I had to choose between my personal computer and their gauge console. In the end, it was all fine though. I wouldn't tell people not to go with them. The crew was great. DMs were experienced and knowledgeable about the sites. And even though the VIs isn't what people would expect for Thailand diving, I still enjoyed myself.
More Angthong fuzzy underwater not-so-goodness
Dive sites:
Day 1 to Koh Tao: 1. Shark Island. 2. Aow Mao
Day 2 to Sail Rock
Day 3 to Koh Tao: 1. Laem Tien. 2. Hin Wong Bay. (weather fail for Chumphon Pinnacle).
Day 4 to Angthong with Discovery Dive Centre. 1. Koh Yippon Lek. 2. Koh Wow.
Again, thanks to all for the advice!
