DevonDiver
N/A
Regarding the differences between Tao and the West Coast.....
On Tao, we have small beachside resorts with their own divecentres...you walk from your bungalow onto the beach (10m?) and then idle down the beach to your dive centre (another 20m?). So, yes, courses are cheaper on Tao for that reason.
On Tao, most of the dive sites are less than 15mins boat ride from the beach/piers...you get on the boat, get briefed, kit up and get straight in the water. So, yes, fuel bills are cheaper...meaning Tao diving is cheaper for that reason.
On Tao, there are nearly 50 dive centres in a 4 mile long island. So, competition has forced the prices to rock bottom. Most dive centres offer free accommodation with dive courses and pay their instructors peanuts.
So, yes, Tao is cheaper for that reason.
On Tao, we have 3 world-class dive sites (Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle and Sail Rock). Again, these are a short hop from the rock and cost no extra...no need for liveaboards.
On Tao, we don't get Mantas, and Whale Sharks are rare...so most dive centres offer healthy refunds to divers for the lack of pelagic action. Ooops...that's me lying my pants off again....
In all honesty....Tao has a very different vibe to places like Phuket. It doesn't get the same tourist market and it is very much a dive obsessed island. I like it for that reason. With all the same honesty, the diving can get boring here - but is easily sufficient to satisfy the average diver for a week or so. We don't get much big pelagic action, but we do have some wicked reef sharks and lots of healthy coral. Our diving is local and this means that it is cheaper. There are too many dive shops here and this also means it is cheap....and you can shop around for a dive operation you really like the look of. Tao is an average place to work, but a great bargain for a diving holiday.
On Tao, we have small beachside resorts with their own divecentres...you walk from your bungalow onto the beach (10m?) and then idle down the beach to your dive centre (another 20m?). So, yes, courses are cheaper on Tao for that reason.
On Tao, most of the dive sites are less than 15mins boat ride from the beach/piers...you get on the boat, get briefed, kit up and get straight in the water. So, yes, fuel bills are cheaper...meaning Tao diving is cheaper for that reason.
On Tao, there are nearly 50 dive centres in a 4 mile long island. So, competition has forced the prices to rock bottom. Most dive centres offer free accommodation with dive courses and pay their instructors peanuts.
So, yes, Tao is cheaper for that reason.On Tao, we have 3 world-class dive sites (Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle and Sail Rock). Again, these are a short hop from the rock and cost no extra...no need for liveaboards.
On Tao, we don't get Mantas, and Whale Sharks are rare...so most dive centres offer healthy refunds to divers for the lack of pelagic action. Ooops...that's me lying my pants off again....
In all honesty....Tao has a very different vibe to places like Phuket. It doesn't get the same tourist market and it is very much a dive obsessed island. I like it for that reason. With all the same honesty, the diving can get boring here - but is easily sufficient to satisfy the average diver for a week or so. We don't get much big pelagic action, but we do have some wicked reef sharks and lots of healthy coral. Our diving is local and this means that it is cheaper. There are too many dive shops here and this also means it is cheap....and you can shop around for a dive operation you really like the look of. Tao is an average place to work, but a great bargain for a diving holiday.
