Further diving education in Thailand

[morgan84]

Hello members of SB,

I have some questions regarding my future as a Professional diver, and Im hoping that some of you can perhaps give some opinions to aid me in my choices that I have to make this year.

Im turning 25 this year and im a male from Norway who currently study Psychology in London. But I wish to take a year of studies to improve the quality of my life. I recently tried scuba diving in thailand and it was the single most powerful experience I have ever had! I originaly inteded to stay in ko tao for 6 nights, but ended up extending it to 14 nights, the very maximum i could before having to catch a plane back to london...

During these 14 days I completed OW, AOW, EFR and Rescue diving pluss squeezing in as many fundives as possible(8 i think).

So now you have some background to take into consideration when replying to my following questions.

1. Nearly every thought and dream I have had since i tried diving has been about diving... Is this normal or am I the only one?

2. Where in Thailand should I continue my diving education? What are the differences between Ko tao and Phuket?

3. What budget should I be looking at? is 500.000 baht enough for a full year, everything included (Place to stay, DM and IDC fees, social expences, travels, gear and food++)?

4. I trust it wont be a problem getting an educational visa. If i complete my education in 6 months, can I then work as a certified instructor for the remaining 6 months?

5. Will it be hard to find work after completing IDC? What criteria are instructors hired after?


I would very much apprichiate any answers to my questions!

-Morgan

 

[divetatoo]

As I posted in your other string, I would dive a lot more. I wish you good luck.

 

[JDMerk]

If you are currently studying in London why not just proceed through BSAC? They seem to be well respected and that would give you additional diving environments besides what Thailand has to offer

 

[oreocookie]

i'll second what divetatoo said. go dive more. i wouldn't even think of getting training from you for at least a few years if you were to do dm and idc right away.

 

[morgan84]

thank you for your replies. but im more interested in answers to my 5 questions. My primary reason for doing this is not to teach, but rather to gain the experience you talk about. But i also wish to educate myself as much as i can while doing so. my fault for not specifying this in the original post. But im aware of what you are saying already. Please focus on my questions.

 

[oreocookie]

from what i've read, the dive education pretty much stops at rescue, once you start doing dm and idc, you're learning to teach, rather than learning to dive better. your skills will go up to demonstration quality in those courses, that i think that kinda assume they're pretty good before you start the courses. Education-wise, doing pro courses may not be the best option. Specialties courses can teach you new skills, and courses like gue fundamentals are often suggested for what it sounds like you're looking to get out of doing the courses you're looking at.

I expect you'll get answers regarding your original questions as well. Just keeping an open mind. Thailand isn't the only place you can dive.

 

[morgan84]

from what i've read, the dive education pretty much stops at rescue, once you start doing dm and idc, you're learning to teach, rather than learning to dive better. your skills will go up to demonstration quality in those courses, that i think that kinda assume they're pretty good before you start the courses. Education-wise, doing pro courses may not be the best option. Specialties courses can teach you new skills, and courses like gue fundamentals are often suggested for what it sounds like you're looking to get out of doing the courses you're looking at.

I expect you'll get answers regarding your original questions as well. Just keeping an open mind. Thailand isn't the only place you can dive.

where did u read that i wonder? I know there are other places to dive, but circumstances dictates that i go there for now. Stuff like, my father living in thailand, knowing part of the language, future plans etc

 

[rrweather]

As for the visa requirements, I would ask as many people in the area you want to go to as possible. I just spent 12 days in Thailand (the other side of the country from Phuket) diving with a shop. One of the instructors was going through hell getting his work visa renewed. He was from Europe and married to a Thai woman and had been teaching in Thailand for years. Despite all of that, he had to hire an attorney to help him renew his visa.

Without trying to sound disrespectful, anytime you deal with a third-world country, you have to expect some hurdles in a process that seems simple. Guidance from the government on what it takes to get a visa may not accurately represent what it will take you to actually get one. I went to Kenya about 8 years ago. Everything we found online and via the State Department said there was no visa requirements for U.S. citizens. Despite this information, when we arrived, we were told we needed a visa. The guy "helping" us (he worked for the government) claimed that if we gave him $50 cash each, he would get our visas for us without us having to stand in some long line. We paid it and went on our way. The point is, expect things to go different than expected when you deal with poorer nations. You will undoubtedly find yourself in a position where you have to just "go with the flow" in an attempt to make things as easy as possible: if you argue or fight the process, you will just incur more resistance.

This instructor was working for a dive shop that did not get involved in the work visa stuff so the instructors were on their own. Another instructor mentioned that they all had to set up their own business so that they could get the visa, despite the fact that they were working for a dive shop.

So, if you figure everything else out and you are trying to make this happen, I would e-mail or call every person you know or that you can find and ask them what it took them to get their visa. I would also try to talk to dive instructors in the area you plan on going and ask them the same thing. It is possible (and probable) that what someone did in Bangkok to get a visa will be different from what a dive instructor in Phuket needed to do. Don't rely on what you find on a website, even if it is the official Thai government website.

Just my thoughts. Good luck.

 

[oreocookie]

where did u read that i wonder? I know there are other places to dive, but circumstances dictates that i go there for now. Stuff like, my father living in thailand, knowing part of the language, future plans etc

I responded the way I did for two reasons. Firstly, I've thought that maybe I'd like to become an instructor eventually, so I look at threads that come up asking about doing divemaster and idc when they have a similar amount of dives as you or I do. Alot of times it seems they want to take the courses to become a better diver and they're told to dive more first, since going pro teaches you how to teach diving, not how to dive better. Not having done the courses, I can't say it's true, but seems a lot of instructors were the ones posting that.

Secondly, about Thailand. For your first post, I was under the impression that you would be going there to do the courses, not because you had other reasons to go there. If you're going there for other reasons as well, fine. Whatever you do, enjoy the diving there.