DM Internship on Koh Tao - who should I consider and who should I avoid?

[AndyC1123]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to go to Thailand to do my DM Internship in January 2010 (followed by Videography Internship), and was hoping you could all give me some advice as to who I should definitely consider doing it with, and who I should avoid - and of course reasons why!

I think I've decided on using Thailand Gapyear Internship, but know that there are literally 100 different companies to chose from, and that's just on Koh Tao (which is my preferred location due to year-round good conditions!!

Any advice very welcome - I'm looking to book by the end of the week as I need to secure my videography place asap.

Cheers in advance

 

[limbo]

Hi Andy,

With all due respect, but in my opinion you're going at it in the wrong way.
First of all, all experiences are personal, if person A doesn't like the way his DM course was conducted, for person B this could be the best experience ever. Same goes for dive centers, one person may think a specific dive center is the best thing since sliced bread and somebody else may think that the same dive center is absolutely crap.

Most DC's that I know on Koh Tao are well run and deliver good courses and my advice to you is to just go over to Koh Tao, walk around for a day or two and get a feel for what DC you like best, try to meet some instructors that will be teaching you and get a feel for them and in general, you will find out what store you like best.
Before you start this, make up your mind if you want a big school(Bans, Buddha View, Crystal, Asia Divers) to teach you or a smaller outlet (Planet Scuba, Simple Life), which may give you a more personal approach. For both set ups there are cons and pros.

Good luck with your final choice.

 

[JonJonboo]

avoid Padi IDC Thailand Scuba Diving Instructor Courses and Internships

 

[lord khram]

Sounds to me like Limbo has given you the best possible advice.
The worst thing out would be to commit yourself to a DC for a lengthy period and be unhappy with them.
As you are already a certified diver, just go as a diving customer, try out a few places and see how you feel about them. Not mentioning your intention of doing training.
I know it doesnt relate to Koh Tao, but just look at the Divemaster course thread by 'Penguin Tom', you may find later that the relatively small amount of time and money you would spend on such an exercise could turn out to be a good investment. It would enable you to try out the facilities and boat etc at a variety of shops, and of course aditional diving experience prior to furthering your training.

 

[katdiver]

You really do need to get the feel of the place before you buy into your internsip. You have the time, go and dive.

 

[mgmonk]

Jan in KT..... brrrrrrr......

 

[DevonDiver]

My recommendation would be Crystal Dive Resort (DM Intern) and Deep Down Productions (Videography).

 

[vdonick]

same recomendations as above....i did my DM at crystal dive...really good crew of instructors etc and Matt is the only course director in asia to be awarded platinum status 2 years running, 3 other course directors, dedicated DM training team, really good laugh as well, and an excellent internship programme afterwards..crystal actually get you to do more than PADI requirements as they want you to be the best DM possible.

I then worked for Deep down productions for 6 months after doing the pro course and the team there are really good at what they do and you will learn everything you need to know about filming and editing underwater footage.....the good thing is they work in conjunction with crystal so you will already know everyone you are dealing with from the instructor/DM team to having already having met all the videographers while doing your DM course....they even do a new try dive course to see if you get on with it before commiting to the full course.

if you want any more info, drop me a message.

 

[limbo]

VDONick,

There are PADI Course Directors in Asia that have received Platinum status for 3 years running and there is only one other Course Director working full time at Crystal besides Matt, the other 3 that you mention work for other shops on the island but team teach IDC's with Crystal to bring each other numbers up but are in no way associated with Crystal.

Crystal does run a good program but you should get your facts straight.

 

[J-Sun]

Hi Andy, Glad to hear you have chosen Koh Tao to do the rest of your training over all the many destinations in Thailand. The choice is endless and very confusing. Limbo has some good advice there. Just concentrate on getting here first without committing to anything.
I am a videography trainer at Deepdown Productions. Please feel free to email me sales@deepdown-productions.com . We can discuss our course outline/costs in private. We offer without doubt the most comprehensive, extensive and best value video course on the island at a price that is realistic. Affiliated with Koh Taos' most awarded dive centre you will not need to purchase you own dive equipment before your course and the rest of the benefits are too many to mention. One piece of advice now, you don't need to pay deposits for anything until you arrive on the island so please don't commit to anything before you get here to save disappointment.
We look forward to hearing from you soon
Jace