Itinerary help for inexperienced OW diver traveling solo: AOW on liveaboard or before? Where?

[UFOrb]

Haven't decided. (I am a horrible decision maker and traveling alone, which I have never done for more than a few days, puts it all on me, hence this thread.) But current options are:
1) 4 day similan/richlieau with AOW with Sea Dragon
2) Bangkok to Koh Tao, AOW in Koh Tao, 1 day in transit then 3 day liveaboard in Similans with Wicked
3) 3 day similan liveaboard with Wicked and include AOW course
4) AOW on the west coast (Koh Lanta? Phi Phi? Don't know) then 3 day similan liveaboard with Wicked

As you can see I really narrowed things down (/sarcasm). But this board has been very helpful, i can't thank you enough

I'm now thinking that from a vacation point of view you may want to chill on the beach for the last few days before heading home, so doing your liveaboard first with AOW may not be a bad option, as long you don't put yourself under pressure to dive sites you're not ready for, esp given that you haven't dived for a long time. Any good operator should take into account your experience/capabilities.
You can then enjoy some more diving and beach time afterwards
FWIW, I think you should probably stick to the Andaman coast for convenience & better diving. I hope this helps and hasn't confused you even more...
Whichever you choose I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

[MikkelBC]

I would suggest you pass on the Advanced cert. You need a refresher and to just go diving. People will try and talk you into the additional cert but you need experience.

A totally new diver needs experience with guidance. If you have the possibility to join a club or somehow dive with experienced divers willing to offer guidance and advice, then great. If not, then the courses offered by professionals are a good way to pay someone for that guidance while you build your experience. I have met several divers with 100+ dives who seemed to have learned nothing (except some bad habits) after their advanced open water course.

There is one aspect of taking the advanced open water course on the liveaboard that I really like: It guarantees that there will be an instructor paying special attention to you and supervising you - most often the instructor will be your guide during all the liveaboard dives, not just the ones needed for certification. I think it is a good way to pay for some extra supervision during the liveaboard.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I found the diving at Koh Tao to be very subpar. The island itself though was beautiful and fun.

 

[stevenl]

I found the diving at Koh Tao to be very subpar. The island itself though was beautiful and fun.

Totally agree with that assessment.

 

[Katie L]

So, I am in Thailand! I ended up starting in Koh Tao and doing a refresher and AOW. I really enjoyed it (the island and the courses, plenty of individual attention and the social scene of the dive shop/resort was good) but was hoping for some better wildlife sightings during diving. Visibility wasn't wonderful, but I got to do a wreck dive and night dive. But now that I have 7 more dives freshly under my belt, I feel much more prepared for the liveaboard.

 

[loady]

Katie can you give a post trip report?

 

[Katie L]

I can’t believe I didn’t send an update! You guys, I had the most magnificent time in Thailand. I only wish I could have stayed longer.

I completed a refresher course and AOW with Big Blue Diving in Koh Tao. I was very happy with my choice of shop/accommodations for reasons stated above. Unfortunately, an old knee injury was acting up so while I felt completely fine under water, I wasn’t able to explore the island on foot much.

Afterwards, I took an extremely long and uncomfortable night boat to Surat Thani and transferred to a bus to Khao Lak. I decided to book the 3-day liveaboard (9 dives total) to the Similan Islands through Wicked Diving. It was FANTASTIC. All of the instructors and crew were so good at creating a fun, safe, educational, sustainable, and memorable experience. I was really glad that I’d already finished the AOW before the liveaboard so that I wasn’t limited at all by depth or anything. So thanks to everyone here who suggested that.

I dove in a group with three other divers and a guide, and I liked that it was the same group throughout the whole trip, although I was fairly intimidated at first since they were all much more experienced than me — they’d all traveled and dived extensively around Asia and one was a Divemaster. I was concerned that I would run out of air and make everyone surface early every time. I did run low on air during one dive and was escorted to the surface by another guide, so after that I was extra focused on maintaining good buoyancy and actually kept up really well with the more seasoned divers. My guide and the other divemaster in my group remarked that my skills were on par with someone who had logged a lot more dives than I have. I also got my Nitrox certification while on board.

Visibility was wonderful (20 meters?) and there were a couple challenging dives with some strong currents and narrow areas to swim through. But hands down, the absolute best moment was when I learned first hand what it means when something appears “out of the blue.” Literally two minutes into our first dive of the last day, just as the group is reaching the planned depth, we look up and see the giant flapping wings of some Manta rays that appeared out of the blue and circled the group for the entire dive. One swam right over my head, just a couple fin kicks away, and I can honestly say it was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was so moved by the experience.

Thanks to everyone for your help. My plan turned out great for me, since I got to maximize the amount of quality diving and skill building I could do while sticking to a strict budget.

Now how and when can I go back??!?!

 

[chillyinCanada]

I can’t believe I didn’t send an update! You guys, I had the most magnificent time in Thailand. I only wish I could have stayed longer.

I completed a refresher course and AOW with Big Blue Diving in Koh Tao. I was very happy with my choice of shop/accommodations for reasons stated above. Unfortunately, an old knee injury was acting up so while I felt completely fine under water, I wasn’t able to explore the island on foot much.

Afterwards, I took an extremely long and uncomfortable night boat to Surat Thani and transferred to a bus to Khao Lak. I decided to book the 3-day liveaboard (9 dives total) to the Similan Islands through Wicked Diving. It was FANTASTIC. All of the instructors and crew were so good at creating a fun, safe, educational, sustainable, and memorable experience. I was really glad that I’d already finished the AOW before the liveaboard so that I wasn’t limited at all by depth or anything. So thanks to everyone here who suggested that.

I dove in a group with three other divers and a guide, and I liked that it was the same group throughout the whole trip, although I was fairly intimidated at first since they were all much more experienced than me — they’d all traveled and dived extensively around Asia and one was a Divemaster. I was concerned that I would run out of air and make everyone surface early every time. I did run low on air during one dive and was escorted to the surface by another guide, so after that I was extra focused on maintaining good buoyancy and actually kept up really well with the more seasoned divers. My guide and the other divemaster in my group remarked that my skills were on par with someone who had logged a lot more dives than I have. I also got my Nitrox certification while on board.

Visibility was wonderful (20 meters?) and there were a couple challenging dives with some strong currents and narrow areas to swim through. But hands down, the absolute best moment was when I learned first hand what it means when something appears “out of the blue.” Literally two minutes into our first dive of the last day, just as the group is reaching the planned depth, we look up and see the giant flapping wings of some Manta rays that appeared out of the blue and circled the group for the entire dive. One swam right over my head, just a couple fin kicks away, and I can honestly say it was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was so moved by the experience.

Thanks to everyone for your help. My plan turned out great for me, since I got to maximize the amount of quality diving and skill building I could do while sticking to a strict budget.

Now how and when can I go back??!?!

"When can I go back?" That's always the question! But I hope you mean when can I go back diving because there are so many more places for you to try.

 

[Katie L]

"When can I go back?" That's always the question! But I hope you mean when can I go back diving because there are so many more places for you to try.

You’ve got that right. Currently getting the itch and eyeing a $300 flight to Curaçao. Or maybe the $200 flight to Guadaloupe...

 

[rb9228]

Really enjoyed reading everyone’s recommendations, guidance, and your experience. I’m heading over there after Christmas to do my first liveaboard. I can’t wait!