DM course - looking for advice and opinions

[Bexny]

Hi all,

I'm planning on doing my DM course in January and I was wondering if anyone did their course at any of these locations:

- Puerto Galera, Philippines
- Koh Tao, Thailand
- Utila, Honduras

I'm considering the first 2 because I'm currently based in Asia (and thus would be easier to get to), but I'm curious about Honduras as it would give me a chance to brush up on my Spanish.

Any advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Bubble Junky]

I did mine at Koh Tao - Ban's. Enjoyed it a lot, and learnt a hell of a lot. They have some very experienced instuctors, and a hell of a lot of students, so there's never a shortage of courses to assist on. Why not check out the west coats of Thailand too - Koh Lanta - the diving is much nicer, and Koh Lanta is a nicer island, IMO.

 

[Bexny]

Thanks Bubble Junky. Could I ask when you did your course at Ban's? Also, during your time there, did you find that the DM candidates were mostly zero-to-hero types or mostly serious divers with some experience?

 

[Bubble Junky]

I did mine at the beginning of 2002, but I still know the CDs/most of the instructors there. There were a mix of both zero-heroes and 'serious divers'. There are usually quite a few DMTs at any one time there (20-30).