Diving in Pattaya an experience

[h90]

I was diving in Pattaya, and I won't tell the exact date and company.

Some things that I found strange:

The instructors were talking that they have tomorrow one guy who is doing Advanced Diver and Rescue Diver in 2 days (AD+RD in 2 days not 2days each=4 days, theory he made per E-Learning).
Is this now standard? Or a violation of PAD rules?

Than on both dive spots they put a big anchor out, crashing some corals. Well Pat is already so bad that it doesn't matter much, but is this necessary?

 

[stevenl]

Yes, violation of PADI standards.

 

[lord khram]

I was diving in Pattaya, and I won't tell the exact date and company.

Some things that I found strange:

The instructors were talking that they have tomorrow one guy who is doing Advanced Diver and Rescue Diver in 2 days (AD+RD in 2 days not 2days each=4 days, theory he made per E-Learning).
Is this now standard? Or a violation of PAD rules?

Than on both dive spots they put a big anchor out, crashing some corals. Well Pat is already so bad that it doesn't matter much, but is this necessary?

Welcome to Pattaya diving. This sort of thing go's on all the time and has done for years.

When I started diving with BSAC in the UK many years ago, there were many euphemism's used within the club that I was a member to describe the main alternative to BSAC training, one of them being - Pay And Dive Instantly. Which then after 8 / 9 fatalities and many other serious incidents mainly involving newly qualified divers during just one year at one inland dive site, that saying further evolved to Pay And Die Instantly. I know all these sayings were simply done in jest, but when you see such things as you describe, it does sometimes make me think there may be some substance behind them

Do you not think it would be worth naming the shop concerned to warn others of their malpractice?

 

[h90]

lord khram: No there is no point in naming them.
I sit there waiting beside the 2 instructors. They speak about that they do that tomorrow.
a) There is no proof. If I tell it was shop a. Who knows I might be the manager from shop b and only want to discredit shop a
b) The others in Pattaya might not be better anyway.

I am asking myself what will be in 20 years. Make the Dive Master in 1 afternoon in Pattaya.....

Anchor on the corals...Common practice there?

By the way, they really told us how amazing the corals and the diving is there on the briefing.....in fact there is almost nothing.....

If you are interested which company, you can PM me.

 

[lord khram]

lord khram: No there is no point in naming them.
I sit there waiting beside the 2 instructors. They speak about that they do that tomorrow.
a) There is no proof. If I tell it was shop a. Who knows I might be the manager from shop b and only want to discredit shop a
b) The others in Pattaya might not be better anyway.

I am asking myself what will be in 20 years. Make the Dive Master in 1 afternoon in Pattaya.....

Anchor on the corals...Common practice there?

By the way, they really told us how amazing the corals and the diving is there on the briefing.....in fact there is almost nothing.....

If you are interested which company, you can PM me.

I take your point. What ever you are comfortable with. You are right, mostly the Pattaya shops operate along the same lines. Many of the PADI 'professionals' working in the area are people who have trained on internships in the area and simply know no different.

Anchoring in coral and many other practices damaging to the marine ecosystem are commonplace in Pattaya, not only from dive boats. This is why mostly the coral is in such a poor condition / dead.

Lies and deceit are standard practice for most Pattaya dive shops I have been with.

Thank you, I am always interested to know what is going on in the area. I will send PM.

 

[limbo]

It's not necessarily a standard breach, the instructor takes both students on alone? He can teach multilevel style, doe the AOW dives and in the surface interval do exercises fr Rescue. The rescue course would suffer most most likely and sure if the student will be able to reach mastery.

The rescue course can be done in just two days providing theory has been done online, as here supposedly is the case.

---------- Post added January 23rd, 2014 at 03:13 PM ----------

It's not necessarily a standard breach, the instructor takes both students on alone? He can teach multilevel style, doe the AOW dives and in the surface interval do exercises fr Rescue. The rescue course would suffer most most likely and sure if the student will be able to reach mastery.The rescue course can be done in just two days providing theory has been done online, as here supposedly is the case.

 

[stevenl]

It's not necessarily a standard breach, the instructor takes both students on alone? He can teach multilevel style, doe the AOW dives and in the surface interval do exercises fr Rescue. The rescue course would suffer most most likely and sure if the student will be able to reach mastery.

The rescue course can be done in just two days providing theory has been done online, as here supposedly is the case.

Doesn't the maximum of 3 open water dives per day apply?

 

[limbo]

For the student but not for the instructor

 

[stevenl]

For the student but not for the instructor

We're talking about '1 guy doing both advanced and rescue in 1 day'.

 

[limbo]

Sorry guys, that edit button proofs to be a major pain in the b*tt, it changes the running order of my post and it doesn't adjust spelling mistakes.

I added this what didn't showed up;

IF the instructor takes both courses on at the same time, he needs to make 5 adventure dives over two days, so doing rescue exercises (10) and 2 scenarios in under two hours is just absolutely impossible. The Rescue student will never master all performance requirements in under two hours. It must be done over two full days, not in two hours over two days

---------- Post added January 23rd, 2014 at 03:29 PM ----------

Read OP again Steven, he clearly states that both courses are conducted over a total of two days

---------- Post added January 23rd, 2014 at 03:29 PM ----------

Read OP again Steven, he clearly states that both courses are conducted over a total of two days

---------- Post added January 23rd, 2014 at 03:39 PM ----------

I see Steven, I did miss the part of one guy taking both courses, sorry, thought he was referring to two students over two days. You were right from the start, my mistake. For many reasons, multiple standard breaches.

---------- Post added January 23rd, 2014 at 03:39 PM ----------

I see Steven, I did miss the part of one guy taking both courses, sorry, thought he was referring to two students over two days. You were right from the start, my mistake. For many reasons, multiple standard breaches.

---------- Post added January 23rd, 2014 at 03:41 PM ----------

I see Steven, I did miss the part of one guy taking both courses over just two days, sorry, thought he was referring to two students over two days. You were right from the start, my mistake. For many reasons, multiple standard breaches.If true, horrendous!