Diving in Vietnam: Trip Report (with photos!)

[AlexinWanderland]

I just chimed in on a thread about the price of diving in Vietnam and it inspired me to share my own experience. In November I visited Nha Trang and checked out the local diving scene.

You may know Nha Trang also has a pretty poor reputation for dive safety standards. I observed first-hand why. As I was snorkeling in a bay during a party-boat trip, I observed what was easily the most reckless and ridiculous diving practice I’d ever seen. A “divemaster” (who I highly doubt was licensed) was taking a student on a DSD with one set of gear and one tank of air between them. The student was wearing the BCD, regulator and tank, and the divemaster was wearing the fins and dragging the student by the tank around the reef. Seriously.

So yes, we chose our dive shop with great care after that! We considered Rainbow Divers (double the price without any discernible reason), the shop next to Rainbow Divers (can’t remember the name, but our second choice), Angel Divers (we liked the instructor here though it seemed a tad sketchy) and our winner: Sailing Club. We booked a two tank day trip with lunch.

Our first dive site was South Beach. We knew that we had come at the worst time of the year for visibility due to rainy season run-off from nearby mountains, but we had high hopes. Unfortunately the water was pretty murky, (and pretty cold!) but by sticking mainly to close-up shots we were able get a few great photos from the dive. Our second stop of the day was at Moray Beach dive site, known for it’s healthy hard and soft corals. I was impressed, the coral really was lovely.

We saw tons of tropical fish, clownfish, nudibrach, lionfish, a cuttlefish, and an octopus! Nothing big but we weren't expecting anything different.

In the end I was happy with Sailing Club. We were a bit disappointed with the dive sites as they were crowded and we didn’t “leave the dive site if it was crowded with other boats already” as promised, probably because there were uncertified divers on-board who needed to be catered to. However, the boat was the best one I saw out on the water, the lunch was fantastic, and the service was great. My gear was set up for me and stripped off me the second I exited the water, something I don't normally experience with the kind of budget diving I do! Amazingly it was $40 for both dives, all-inclusive.

I would dive here again if I was in the area, especially at that price. I loved Nha Trang, great place to unwind and have fun after weeks of non-stop travel! There were mud baths, a great beach, a fun amusement park, and fun boat trips around the islands.

To see photos and my full post: Alex in Wanderland | Travel and Diving Blog | Diving in Vietnam

I'll try to answer any questions... Happy diving

 

[DevonDiver]

Thanks for the report - I was there in 2009... was great.

I don't remember Rainbow Divers being that much more expensive - but they were the outfit I choose. I was extremely impressed with the professionalism, courtesy and customer service. The dive sites they took us to weren't crammed with divers (perhaps the extra money goes towards more fuel for the boats to escape the hordes?). I enjoyed the dives... it was all macro stuff, but a nice change from what I'd been seeing day-in, day-out in Thailand for the previous year.

 

[TSandM]

Thank you very much for the report. As someone planning a trip soon to somewhere a bit off the beaten path, I can tell you that reports from such areas are very much appreciated!

 

[Luko]

If you were looking for nearby spots less crowded than Nha Trang, you could have also tried Hon Ong/ Whale island.
There's a nice thatched bungalows resort located on its own island in the midst of a bay, called "Ile de la Baleine" (french for whale island). The beach is gorgeous, the sea's lakelike flat and ther's a Rainbow divers outifit running on the island.
The coral spots are slightly better than Nha Trang's ( 3 Kings and Belfry are even quite good actually) while there are plenty of macro spots with HUGE nudibranchs in the sheltered areas.
It's been a while I dived there (actually 8 years ago)... but when I read people saying that diving in VN is not worth, I remember this area and have to disagree. :cool2:

 

[AlexinWanderland]

At the time we were shopping around (November 2011) they were charging in the $70s range for two dives (we paid $40 with sailing club though I think they gave us a pro discount). I think maybe we just caught someone who had just started or was bad with customer service because we went in and asked, "So, tell us what you do that makes it worth almost double what your competitors are charging" and they just kind of shrugged, ha. Your answer sounds much better!

We too were working in Thailand at the time so enjoyed the change of pace and even the different varieties of tropical fish. Mostly I loved having my gear set up and stripped off! What luxury!

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Thanks for reading! I actually dove in Cambodia on the same trip and THAT felt off the beaten path! Good reminder, I need to get that trip report up too...

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I actually remember reading about Whale Island... I can't remember why we didn't go, I think it was a mixture of being there at the wrong time of year and not having very long in general. And I totally disagree that diving in Vietnam is not worth it. At least if you are in the area, you can't go wrong at those prices!

 

[sara!]

thanks for the report! and nice pics!
did you rent the scuba equipment? if not, is it advisable to rent?

visiting vietnam (including Nha Trang) often as a good friend is living in HCM. but usually only over the long weekend, so thought to rent the whole gear instead..