Heading Down to South Soon - Lock Your Doors! (Hahaha)

[funrecdiver]

Update:

Good slow easy trip so far with overnights in Cha'am and Chumphon. Will ferry to Tao today.

Heard good things about the viz this week. Look forward to getting wet tomorrow.

 

[funrecdiver]

Completed two dives in Koh Tao today. Great viz on Chumphon and nice swim throughs on Red Rock; but honestly, much less sea life than the outer islands in Pattaya (like Koh Rin, for example) by a huge factor. It makes sense. All the plankton that makes the viz low attracts a lot of fish up and down the food chain.

Also, found it interesting that two DMs on the boat have never dived in currents, never done a ripping drift dive, and never have seen strong current rip a mask off a diver going down a descent line. (I heard that there is very little current here, generally speaking, compared to Pattaya).

I'm learning a lot, and am really glad to be here!

But so far, I don't think the "Pattaya has bad diving" that people often say is correct. Yes, the viz here (in Koh Tao) is great so far; but my last dive on North Rock in Pattaya had orders and orders of magnitude more sea life (fish, fish!, fish!!)

Of course, it is way too soon do draw any conclusions. After I log 20 or 40 dives here, I will be more confident (and in a position) to type an (comparative) opinion.

Absolutely, without a doubt, the "dive center atmosphere" here is really great and the people here are really "dive focused" in a good way.


So far, Koh Tao is a great place. I really like the vibe, the people and many things about the island. Have met some very good people, absolutely.

 

[limbo]

Good post FRD. My fave dive site in the Gulf is Sail Rock, try to get a day's diving in to this site and I wonder how you like it.

I share your thoughts on PTY diving although in season, I totally enjoy the good viz the Samui archipelago has to offer!

 

[funrecdiver]

Hey!

Had a few fun dives and also have assisted a senior instructor in some OW courses and hanging with a lot of great people in Koh Tao, all the ex-Pattaya divers I have had a beer with agree that, for experienced divers, Pattaya is a "better" (ripping drift dives, recreational wrecks, outer island coral dives), BUT, the vibe, the people, the overall atomosphere in KT is GREAT!!!

I love this place!!! Not for the "visibility" but for the easy atmosphere for beginning OW students to embark on their life long diving dream and journey! Wow! What an amazing place!

So far, the diving is over rated, but the dive vibe and social atmosphere is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

Today we watched a student cry in joy as she completed her contained water dives, happy she overcame her fears and was able to embark on her diving journey.

I am hooked!!

 

[funrecdiver]

Update:

Koh Tao is certainly "cool" and "trendy" and "hip" but the diving to date has not been impressive.

Don't get me wrong, it's not "bad" but it is "bad enough" that I am close to packing the dive bags and heading over to the Andaman side, or back to Pattaya.

I feel like I am in an "aquarium with not much fish" and a "zero to hero factory" after the kids get bored with "full moon parties"...

It seems like a kind of sterile diving theme park with safe blue water for mommy and daddy's children to get cert cards and have a great time on their vacations.

I have meet some very nice people, but the diving, so far, s***s compared to my last 50 dives in Pattaya with amazing wrecks, outer island reefs full of life and great dive boats without the "sell you another cert" dive factory mentality.

This is from a unbiased diver who has been trying hard to be gracious ... Really. I am really trying to like KT diving!!

 

[Thai_Diver]

Funrecdiver... What a load of hogwash!!! If you think there is much less sea life in Koh Tao compared to Pattaya you must do most of your diving at Underwater World on Sukhumvit Road! I dive regularly in both Pattaya and Koh Tao and, as every real diver in the area knows, Pattaya is second rate at best.

In a matter of days you have gone from being ‘hooked’ on Koh Tao (especially after assisting a ‘senior instructor’ WOW) to ‘the diving ‘s***s’. You complain about the ‘zero to hero factory’ in Koh Tao but isn’t that what you really are yourself. In your public profile and other posts on SB you claim to having completed your 50th dive in Pattaya, the diving Mecca of the world, having collected PADI OW, AOW, EANx, Wreck, EFR & Rescue along the way. Of course, you have ‘dived in currents, done a ripping drift dive and seen a strong current rip a mask off a diver going down a descent line’ so that must make you extra special!

You are the Dick Turpin of Scubaboard! You hijack the majority of other posts and quote your recently googled ‘facts’ offending other members in the process. Clearly you like the sound of your own keyboard. Maybe no one will want to support me on this but I’m sure that I’m only saying what the majority of other readers of your self important rubbish are thinking. I have worked at dive centres and on dive boats around the world and have come across many wannabee experts such as yourself in the past. Do us all a favor and crawl back to your Pattaya puddle and leave the real diving to the rest of us.

 

[ayeshacantrell]

I live and work here on Koh Tao in diving so do know this little island pretty well. Its probably one of the few places in the world where you can learn just about anything to do with diving from experienced professionals without travelling more than 15mins !

There are many schools here - some are quite different from others.

You will find schools whose business do cater more toward the young backpacker market but you also find schools who cater more for experienced divers and technical divers too. You will find schools with a greater bias towards a certain language amd schools that offer a more premuim service at a higher price. You will also find the schools that specialise in career packages or zero to hero.

It does mean that every diver is likely to find a centre to suit them. The problem arises when divers end up at the 'wrong' centre for them.

There are some amazing ship wrecks out of Koh Tao but they are at technical depths - these are the best and most memorable dives I have ever done. These wrecks were discovered by very expereinced deep water explorers based out of Koh Tao. These guys are available to teach and share their experience.

You will also find re-breather and cave diving experts too.

You will find published underwater photographers and documentary producing underwater film makers.

You will certainly find divers who have worldwide expereince and have dived and taught in some of the most challenging conditions the ocean has to offer ......ripping currents included !!

There is some fantastic experience and some amazing knowledge ready to be shared - if you just care to look around.

Its hardly fair to categorise every dive centre here on Koh Tao as you have done - particularly when you only have experience of one of them.

As for the conditions - over the time you have been here they have been a little changeable - but 2 days ago I enjoyed 30M viz at Chumpon and yes I missed the whalesharks too - but they have been around. You have seen my photographs on the other thread so you do know the conditions have been good. Fullmoon was only a few days ago and the conditions are always erratic around full moon each month.

I wonder how many of the 20+ dive sites here on Koh Tao that you have visited ?

 

[watboy]

Update:
Don't get me wrong, it's not "bad" but it is "bad enough" that I am close to packing the dive bags and heading over to the Andaman side, or back to Pattaya.

I feel like I am in an "aquarium with not much fish" and a "zero to hero factory" after the kids get bored with "full moon parties"...

Let me get this straight... the Koh Tao night life is so wild, the diving so bland, and the dive instuction so "Zero to hero"ish... that you want to go back to Pattaya...

Is this the Anti-LK?

PS: Sea Urchins do not count towards pattaya fish count.

 

[Bowmouth]

Tuesday might just be a deep shark safari.......

A deep shark safari....

What's that????

 

[funrecdiver]

Interesting replies.

Regarding Koh Tao dive sites, I have only dived 6 of 20+. I was not motivated to spend cash on 20+, sorry.

In all these dives combined, I saw less fish than on one good recent dive on North Rock, Koh Rin, Pattaya..... I don't think this is debatable, since that is my experience. I admit I did not count every fish. Sea urchins were not in my discussion.

If my experience diving on KT was good, I would still be on Koh Tao. My lifestyle is not dependant on earning a living selling dives or dive courses. I simply post the truth, as an unbiased, objective customer who loves to dive and spends considerable cash each month to do so.

If Koh Tao diving was so great, I would be there right now, but I left on the Lomprayah back to the mainland.

I am sorry if those who make a living on Koh Tao are unhappy with my opinion as a customer. To me, the diving was unremarkable, sorry. I wish it was better,

My post was about recreational diving, BTW, not technical diving. I did not visit KT for tech diving.