Diving and teaching in east Thailand, quiet place. Non-commercial use only.

[tgui]

I'm living until next June 2008 in a quiet town between Rayong and Trat, in eastern-coastal Thailand.
I do teach CMAS courses from 1 star diver to 3 stars diver (equivalences with Padi open water, advanced OW and divemaster). This is a non-business and non NGO charity fun activity which means no complicated and friendly people only, cheap prices with no commission, no busy places, no crowdy dive sites (just us and the fish).

I you travel in east Thailand and want to know more about this please just contact me by email.

Tgui

 

[stevenl]

Wait, you have 50-99 dives and you are a CMAS Instructor?

BTW, Smartcosse is right, you would need a workpermit if you take people diving, teach, or whatever you plan on doing.

 

[smartecosse]

ok then so how much to get qualified to the equivalent of open water?

 

[Makhno]

Re: the 50-99 dives, the scubaboard's user profile info is not often terribly accurate (for example, it says I'm a divemaster -- which I am -- but doesn't say that I'm also an instuctor ...). So maybe he or she has a lot more dives than that 50-99.

And although I agree that 99 dives is too few to be a truly competent scuba instructor, just to note that Thailand tropical diving isn't the same as more challenging diving in some other places ... I must say that about 10 or 12 dives in awful visibility with frigid water and strong currents and a herculean challenge to navigate back to the boat -- in terms of valuable learning experience, that's worth more than 100 or 120 Similans dives ... (stevenl, I hope you don't take my comment the wrong way; it's just that I've seen plenty of divers with 150+ dives -- all tropical -- who can't even properly set up their kit, can't navigate, expect the DM to manage for them all of the factors involved in DCI risk, and are basically clueless about anything other than following a very conscientious DM. No problem -- hey, that's low-stress diving for them -- what I'm trying (not very articulately) to say is that the number of dives doesn't necessarily reflect one's abilities). Give me someone from Finland or New York or Vancouver British Columbia with 40 dives, versus someone who's done 100 dives in the Red Sea, and the former will almost surely be better divers ...

But sorry -- I have digressed -- because what is worth remarking upon is: "This is a non-business and non NGO charity fun activity ..." for which I think Tgui deserves kudos. Cheers to that, Tgui!

 

[waylander48]

Work permit for charity workers
Foreign volunteer workers with non-profit organizations should have work permits even if they are not paid for the work they do.

In Thailand "Should" has many meanings as you should know and Tgui is right in Thailand outside of large commercial zones most people have little or no trouble working with the Thai's and do not need a lot of regulation. If you show them respect then they while show you respect. If you argue like is done here on the SB then I can see why the local government will be hard on you.

Tgui I am not close to the water right now but I can take trips down to visit and dive and have been looking for a buddy for a wile outside of all the hustle and bustle. If you are not turned off on the SB please let me now. I wile be coming down to your area in Jan.

 

[stevenl]

the 50-99 dives, the scubaboard's user profile info is not often terribly accurate (for example, it says I'm a divemaster -- which I am -- but doesn't say that I'm also an instuctor ...). So maybe he or she has a lot more dives than that 50-99.

Since the user fills this out himself, and Tgui just signed up, I think it will be accurate. I am just surprised a CMAS Instructor can have less than 100 dives.

"This is a non-business and non NGO charity fun activity ..." for which I think Tgui deserves kudos.

Yes, agree with that, but: why charity to tourists? I thought charity was meant to help people who need it. Like: a DM course for people (Thais) who would like to work in the diving industry but can not afford the course.

in Thailand outside of large commercial zones most people have little or no trouble working with the Thai's and do not need a lot of regulation.

Until you piss of the wrong person, which is of course easily done if you offer trips a lot cheaper than another commercial operation.

 

[tgui]

Waouh first I would like to say that I'm very surprised of the speed of the answers. I think french internet forums are very slow compare to this one. It's like this amount of answers would be the one for an entire month on french forums. Maybe that's why I didn't find any buddy yet by internet.

Anyway I apologize for my profile mistake:
I have more than 500 dives, I do dive 50-99 times a year and do sport and free diving. I surely wouldn't be a CMAS 2* instructor with only 99 dives, because you need to have a least 300 dives to become a CMAS instructor in Thailand. Again sorry for my profile, I'm not english native so sometimes my english it quiet random.
Next time I'll make a joke and call myself Regional Staff Instructor Course Administrator with only 25 bubble-maker dives, hehe!

In the area I stay in there are about 6 good reefs to be seen, from 1 to 3 hours by boat, the visibility is surely not incredible, same as in Koh Chang. The depth is between 10 and 25 meters, I do rent thai fishermen boats to go to the reefs. I do rent tanks to a thai lawyer who has a dive shop in here.

waylander48 : you're welcome, just tell me when you come around by email or private message, and we will have fun!

Makhno: yes cold water diving can be much much harder than here. Also I think it is very good to dive in different places to learn more about the sea.

stevenl : oh yes I do teach diving to 25 thai students for free, and I do teach divemaster course to one thai guy at the moment, and my wife and me did translate 1*, 2* and 3* CMAS courses books for free for TDA-CMAS Thailand.
So what ? For his birthday the king gave gifts to people who did do free things for a while, like cleaning roads and others... I mean that at least there are some people who do appreciate what we do! For exemple the sea gipsy who were given 1* diver course with our translation last august in Phuket. All we got for months of work was... one free 1* diver certification. But the goal isn't to be paid. Everything is OK.

 

[waylander48]

[QUOTE/]

Yes, agree with that, but: why charity to tourists? I thought charity was meant to help people who need it. Like: a DM course for people (Thais) who would like to work in the diving industry but can not afford the course.

I did not see where he was teaching or supervising any tourists ?

Until you piss of the wrong person, which is of course easily done if you offer trips a lot cheaper than another commercial operation.[/QUOTE]

Sow you mean it is not the Thai government we need to watch out for it is the other frang we need to watch, That is so sad

 

[stevenl]

Sow you mean it is not the Thai government we need to watch out for it is the other frang we need to watch, That is so sad

No, I mean also other farang. Unfortunately, but true, I have been ripped of by other farang here, and my experience with Thais is a lot more positive than with farang.

I did not see where he was teaching or supervising any tourists ?

Well, I don't see his post as a call to more Thai students, do you?

tgui: TDA and CMAS Thailand are not the same. TDA is a suborganisation of TDA, completely independent, and does not teach or do anything like that. The translationwork you did was for CMAS, not TDA.

On a different note: if they were to seperate the 2 better, I would consider becoming a member of TDA, but at the moment, with the over the top CMAS influence, even on the letterhead of TDA, I am not interested, and with me a lot of DC's here in the area.

Do you rent tanks to or from a Thai lawyer? If it is from, I can imagine him giving you troubles if you start taking 'non charity guests', potential business for him.

 

[tgui]

There's originally a fight between TDA main members. Some would like TDA to be more PADI, some would like it to be more CMAS, and some others would like it to be half PADI half CMAS.
Personnaly I think PADI isn't really a social lever, and CMAS is more closed to the way TDA acts: giving true professionnal certifications, and doing things for free to promote it's image to thai people, not only Phuket tourists.
I'm sorry but except americans I did never see anybody saying that PADI was anything else than a marketing business machine. I think people aren't as blind as some other think. I think also that CMAS 3* for exemple is a true gate to professionnal diving like scientific or commercial diving(it's a standard). But PADI doesn't teach its own instructors what a deco table is. Oh yes, pay for the Tek Course and pay yourself new fashion sunglasses at the end, arf arf arf...
Do you really think that the instructor courses TDA is giving to dozens of thai military diving instructors could be done with PADI ??
Hem hem, maybe that's why TDA is with CMAS, not with PADI.
PADI as no time to loose doing this kind of things, because to them time is money. But in Thailand people aren't that in a hurry, even if they like money.
I'm PADI and CMAS instructor, I think I can write something objective about this. I don't mean I don't like PADI, I do like some of their stuffs, same about CMAS. So please my post isn't a troll.

I have a question also: if I was thai, would you write this question to me :
Do you rent tanks to or from a Thai lawyer? If it is from, I can imagine him giving you troubles if you start taking 'non charity guests', potential business for him.

Is a thai such like exotic in the touristic fortress ?

Sincerely