Koh Tao vs Phuket in August: Diving school for smaller groups and good instructors?

[sinetwo]

Hi all,

Firstly, thank you all for being so proactive on the forums, there's a wealth of information here and it's incredibly valuable!

Secondly, I'm going to Koh Tao OR Phuket sometime in August and I've been on trip advisor and have found a few schools that seem pretty good...

I've also heard Phuket is more of a tourist trap

If someone could help me out I would greatly appreciate that.

Requirements:
* Walking distance to popular areas (Koh Tao = Sairee, etc.)
* Good clean accommodation
* Classes no bigger than 4
* Good instructors (I may have problems with equalising so it would be good to get some extra attention and care
* Decent night life/bars (definitely not clubbing with people from Jersey Shore! )

I know those may be slightly vague, but I'm a first time diver and I haven't been in the sea too much - I'd just like for my first experience to be a good one (that came out wrong!).

I hope someone is able to help, so far I've seen a lot of pros/cons about both Phuket and Koh Tao, but no overall winner

Thanks in advance & much love,
SineTwo

 

[Quero]

It comes down to personal preference. I find Koh Tao to be fairly tourist trap-like since nothing at all goes on there that's not tourist related. It's a place on the "backpacker highway" for 20-somethings to tick off their "must do" list, along with the nearby full-moon party. It can be a lot of fun to spend a week or two there if you're into meeting and partying with thousands of young, low-budget tourists. But it is definitely true that Tao remains much less developed than Phuket, and I think often people confuse those two concepts, judging anywhere that's got decent development (airport, hospitals, paved roads) as being a tourist trap. There are indeed parts of Phuket that are overbuilt and that have the negative features of a tourist trap, and those are precisely the places with a vibrant night life, lots of lodging options, walking distance to everything. I don't go there, preferring the quieter parts of the island, but then I drive rather than walking to get where I need to go. Even so, the part of Phuket where I spend most of my time--the Chalong Pier area--does have all the things in your list; though it's not especially touristy, there are good lodging options, bars, and food in close proximity, just not limitless numbers of each. Perhaps Phi Phi would be a good match for you on the Andaman side in August. Although it attracts the same demographic of young tourists that Tao does, it will be fairly quiet there in August (it's not high season) and yet there will be plenty of evening venues within walking distance for you to enjoy.

Regarding class sizes and instructor attention, Tao in August is going to be crowded, with all the stresses and pressures that puts on a busy scuba instructor. On Tao, make sure to avoid the big "factory" dive schools like Bans if you want smaller classes and more personalised attention. Master Divers is one school that offers what you're looking for. On Phuket, the standard class size is smaller than on Tao, so you won't have any problem. In fact, it's possible that you can get private instruction here since it's low season and instructors aren't worked off their feet at this time of year.

 

[limbo]

On Koh Tao is a Dutch run dive center 'Golden Divers' who teach small classes, they're located in Mae Haad, where the ferries arrive. Quero summed it up nicely already in the post above. One last thing to consider is that Koh Tao will, be busy since it will be high season there but the conditions weather and dive wise may be better on the Guf side that time of the year.

 

[stevenl]

I hope someone is able to help, so far I've seen a lot of pros/cons about both Phuket and Koh Tao, but no overall winner

That's because there is no overall winner. Koh Tao is excellent for cheap open water courses and limited but in its kind decent night life, Phuket offers better but more expensive diving, and much more variety.

 

[sinetwo]

Hi all, thank you very much for replying to this thread - and a massive thanks to Quero for providing the advice as well.

I believe I've decided to do both! Having had a look at activities, it seems I may spend 5 days on Koh Tao (hopefully not just seeing other scubadivers' bubbles) and the rest of my time on Phuket (due to variety; nightlife, animals, kayaking and other general activities).

Thanks again for helping me reach that decision!

-SineTwo

 

[fishman64]

Just joined this forum!

I am also trying to decide Koh Tao or Phuket for a trip in September. Looks like the odds of having a good dive are in Koh Tao. I may have a problem with weather in phuket.
Thanks

 

[stevenl]

The differences in weather are far, far less than the weather reports lead you to believe. Personally I would not because of the weather dismiss one area.

Buty with the higher quality of diving in Phuket your odds of having a good dive are in Phuket.

 

[sinetwo]

Hi all,

Apologies for the late reply but I did my OW in Koh Tao with Master Divers (GREAT place to learn, very attentive and small groups!).

Then I did two fun dives in Phuket.

It's been a great experience and I feel both places offered really good diving. We were lucky to experience very good visibility as well apparently, although visibility's been decent to good throughout as far as I've been told.

Wherever you decide to go it'll be a good experience.

Koh Tao had better weather on the average although there were very short bursts of rain, but that's just refreshing!

Phuket was a bit on and off, it rained for perhaps quarter of the day for a few days, and towards the end of our 9 day stay it rained hardly at all or just for an hour or so throughout. Either way it didn't stop us from doing any activities (such as an all day mountain biking trip), fishing etc.

I miss Thailand already - thanks to everyone on the forum for contributing.