Diving Koh Samui -- is it just me, or is it a bit expensive?

[BabyFugu]

Hi everybody,

My first post on scubaboard, and glad to be able to read so much good information about diving in Asia.

I have a feeling that over the past few months, I've been a bit spoilt diving in the off-season in the Philippines where everything was dirt cheap and we enjoyed three dives a day for wonderfully low prices.

I'm now heading to Koh Samui for 5 days in December, and from what I've seen online, most dive shops seem to offer tours for about THB 4,000. I'm surprised! Is it just me, or is it a bit expensive? Can anyone recommend a dive shop there that is less than what seems to be the typical US$115 a day? Are the prices this high primarily because of the long boat trips?

 

[limbo]

That's indeed the reason, about a year ago fuel prices 'skyrocketed' in Thailand, as anywhere else in the world and locations like Samui that have longer boat trips had to adjust prices accordingly.

 

[BabyFugu]

Thanks Limbo. I figured that was the main reason. Seems like most of the companies take you to the far-away(ish) islands. Can you recommend any dive spots that don't require an hour-long boat ride, or an area with any good beach dives? I'm staying in Lamai.

 

[wedivebc]

Thanks Limbo. I figured that was the main reason. Seems like most of the companies take you to the far-away(ish) islands. Can you recommend any dive spots that don't require an hour-long boat ride, or an area with any good beach dives? I'm staying in Lamai.

If you stay on Koh Tao you will be really close to all the dive sites the Koh Samui ops take you to anyway. It is way cheaper from there.

 

[limbo]

Thanks Limbo. I figured that was the main reason. Seems like most of the companies take you to the far-away(ish) islands. Can you recommend any dive spots that don't require an hour-long boat ride, or an area with any good beach dives? I'm staying in Lamai.

In lamai you can beach dive at Hin Ta/Hin Yai and in Chaweng the local reef, see my pix on here for some reference, many were taken on Chaweng reef. However, in December you need to consider the wind direction and the visibility may not be that great due to the potential rain.

In the South of Samui are some islands near by but nobody services them anymore. Visibility during December is expected to be fairly low there.