Is OW enough?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

TaNoO

Registered
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Location
Columbus, OH
# of dives
0 - 24
Hi,
I'm planning to go diving in southern thailand next year. I'm wondering if OW is enough to dive in the famous dive sites in thailand or I should get AOW. Thank you,
 
It certainly would not hurt! Courses are also a great way to encourage you to dive more often. Thailand has varied diving environments so gaining more experience will enable you to enjoy yourself even more. Similans' diving for example, can be deep with strong current. Being able to deploy an SMB would be a wise skill to gain if you have not already.

What time of year do you plan on visiting? A liveaboard may be a good option. Getting your EANx cert may be something worth looking into as well. Once you get over the cost of airfare, you will find things quite reasonable in Thailand.
 
I'm planning to be there in April. I'm originally from bangkok, but I've never been to phuket. What time of year you think would be best to be there. I'd like to be there during durian and longan season too :D
Do they drift dive in thailand?
 
During April, the weather conditions will most likely be best in the Gulf, around Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Visibility should also be splendid than.

Phuket is best enjoyed roughly from October to March/April.

Drift diving should be no problem in the Similan islands.
 
As Limbo has written,the seasons generally begin to switch around that time period. You could visit both Phuket and Koh Tao/Samui in April. You could also book a liveaboard once on Phuket or just enjoy day trips. You will have a lot of options and need not book before you arrive. Check out the local vibe and make your mind up then. Doing both could be a lot fun. You could do your AOW in Thailand as well, but considering your location (Florida) there is no shortage of good diving or instructors.

Coincidentally, I just finished certifying a good friend Open Water in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area. I am here visiting family. PM if you want a recommendation on an instructor in that area for AOW. I know of one in particular that would be very good, especially for the photography adventure dive you can take as part of your AOW.
 
Hi,
I'm planning to go diving in southern thailand next year. I'm wondering if OW is enough to dive in the famous dive sites in thailand or I should get AOW. Thank you,

I am not an expert on Phuket dive sites, but a quick look suggests that going to AOW would be a good idea. As an open water diver you are trained to 18 meters. AOW gives you some experience in deeper diving, and you can do dives down to 30 meters. Looks like several of the dive sites in Phuket are around the 20-25 meter mark.

I am sure you would get great diving in Phuket as an open water dver, but you may have the option of a few more sites as an AOW.

(Thats the practical side, on the theoretical side, I always support any diver who is interested in further training!!).
 
During April, the weather conditions will most likely be best in the Gulf, around Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Visibility should also be splendid than.
in April in the Andaman Sea the seas are normally flat. Visibility tends to be not so good because of the plankton in the water, but chances of manta rays and whalesharks are highest in April.

Advanced open water would be recommended, and, especially for a liveaboard, I would also recommend Nitrox. Nearly all dives would be driftdives.
 
tanoo i was thinking of dive shops in our area to check, if your a student Scuba Center in delray will at times discount rates. The scuba Club in palm beach is pretty cheap and everything is on premise so you dont have to worry about being at docks at certain time finding parking... Force-e is also one of the other cheaper places. From talking with them they all seemed very well capible, and seeing how they schedule their courses i was slightly more impressed with scuba club for their scheduling and you can review things in the pool and ask questions if your having any problems to try getting more comfortable. advanced openwater also puts you through actual dives where nitrox is just classroom stuff. Nitrox will help you have longer down time so more enjoyable trips but AOW they usually put you through with night dives and a couple other dive qualifications that are helpful or fun like navigation
 
You can do your AOW and nitrox certs on board one of our Mali Jasmine trips out of Ao Nang, Krabi. We can get you down to Hin Daeng for the manta rays. We've even had whale shark encounters out at Shark Point, our local islands and Phi Phi from our day boat too. With the nitrox cert, you will soon be able to do the knowledge development part on line with PADI, then all you need to do is the quick review and the practical section on board.
 
Absolutely do the AOW and do a nitrox certification, too.
If you can do it before you go, all the better, if not, schedule the training for the very start of your trip.

Why?
AOW is, IMHO, the minimum certification any diver should have. And it is a fun certification, too.
Nitrox is great for diving. Much less fatigue and healthier for you in general. A very good idea to have this cert, and more and more dive bases offer nitrox for free.

Tom
 

Back
Top Bottom