Koh Lanta Pimalai Divers

[yasminrlee]

This is a warning for any professionals applying to work with Pimalai / Phoenix divers in Koh Lanta. My Partner and I dropped everything to take up a position promised to us by this company. On arrival we found that the managers had changed their minds about employing us and did not seem to think that this was an inconvenience to us, despite our traveling across the country on two days notice because they needed us so quickly.

Please think carefully before accepting employment from these people!!!!!

 

[Pimalai Divers]

Dear Jasmin,

Please be honest in your comment.

It was requested that you need to be able to drive a motorbike, which is needed on this island to bring you to the south, the place where our boats are located. Average journey of 30min.
You was very welcome here but you refused to drive a motor bike after a thinking for one day...
So, very sorry but this was the point that we could not give you the job and this was your decision.

You asked for boats taxis etc.... but sorry, we do not have something like this on Koh Lanta.
So, do not say we changed our mined. It was you, who refused the driving on the motorbike and this cannot work here on the island.

Learn and grow a little bit more, you are still very, very young and just a starter. Hope you will find the right way and also the way to be honest to yourself.

I'm 30 Years in this business, and as far as I remember you just finished your certification.
We gave you a chance to get more experience, but you refused. Up to you!

David & Gesine / Phoenix Lanta

 

[yasminrlee]

Hi David and Gesine,
I was very honnest and also fair in my comments. I will not argue with you about the motorbike, it's true I was not willing to learn to ride a bike and to risk my safety for strangers, it would just have been nice if you had told us about the need for a bike, before we travelled across the country on two days notice at your request.

We should all be honest with ourselves, we all know that there was a lot more that I could have said but did not, so I have tried to be fair to you both. My partner and I have found another job in Koh Lanta where we are treated extremely fairly and where the conditions are excellent, so we consider ourselves to have had a narrow escape.

Best of luck in finding more instructors in the future.
Yasmin and Jack

 

[watboy]

Yasmin,

Lanta's such a small island, why make such a fuss. It is not Phuket, it is not Pattaya, the dive shops for the most part get along and dive professionals don't pick public fights with each other. I have had nothing but numerous of good experiences with Pimalai divers. And riding a bike is risking your safety for strangers? Making that statement I think you really need to rethink the whole living in thailand, let alone teaching diving in Thailand.

 

[yasminrlee]

Watboy,
Sorry for airing dirty laundry in Public, you're right about that, of course. I was wanted to prevent what happened to us from happening to other instructors. My first post should have been the only one on this subject so sorry about that.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I cannot speak to the professionalism of David and Gesine as employers nother than to say that when I dove with them, the staff I interacted with spoke very highly of them. I can also say that Gesine is a wonderful woman and went very much out of her way for my fiance and I when we were there in November 2009. She picked us up at Ancient Realm every dive day and was always a real pleasure to deal with. Mike and Mo were their new DM's and were also great and a lot of fun. I for one have had very few foreign dive experiences that were as fun and professional as they were.

To the OP and David/Gesine, I am sure there was fault to be shared by all parties but this thread does nothing to make either of you look any better.

 

[hahaha]

Walk into almost any dive operation on Lanta today and you will hear horror stories from people with first-hand experience working at this dive centre. Any good experiences with this operation were had IN SPITE of the management. It's always a clear indication of trouble when not a single member of staff stays for a whole season.

Narrow escape you certainly had Yasmin, good luck in the future!

 

[instructorinasia]

I agree with Watboy. Issues like this should be spoken about personally not on a forum like this.

The Dive Industry, worldwide, is usually a close-knit and happy community and we want to try and keep it that way.

 

[jdfmail]

Walk into almost any dive operation on Lanta today and you will hear horror stories from people with first-hand experience working at this dive centre. Any good experiences with this operation were had IN SPITE of the management. It's always a clear indication of trouble when not a single member of staff stays for a whole season.

Narrow escape you certainly had Yasmin, good luck in the future!

1st post and just registered? hmmm I'm sure we're all thinking the same thing.

 

[ScubaSteve]