Koh Tao vs. Phuket

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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. :shakehead: 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.... :rofl3:

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.
 
RE: liveaboards, I was summarizing. My husband and I fall into this weird category that while we (me) are really into the water, liveaboards don't seem to fit us. It's not just about many dives can you get in a day or week, it's all the rest that goes with it. While I like to stay down for at least 70 min. on a 60ft dive (don't worry I follow my dive computer religiously) and still come up w/ 1/2 tank, sometimes I just want to snorkel in the shallows or just walk on the beach. I don't like to be pushed to keep moving, that one macro shot could be THE ONE. We are in our late 40's, have high stress careers, and so when we do take off somewhere remote, we like the extras: fabulous beds, plush towels, and lots of them, and really good food w/ wine. We are lucky because we now have the miles and $$ to do these trips.

We don't like typical cruise ships (floating malls), and we want to dive w/ expereinced divers in very small groups. So we now own a beach condo in Akumal Mexico and do 1-2 other serious trips a year, unfortunatley that take a lot of planning because we are so picky (at least I admit it). So there you have it. Our favorite cruise is on a cat w/ app. 40 passengers, I can just jump off the side of it, and there is NO ONE on the local beach but us and no other dive groups running around. We did the Yasawas, and FP this way and I need ANOTHER trip to the S's. Isn't there anyone that does this in the Andaman ?
 
and we want to dive w/ expereinced divers in very small groups....Our favorite cruise is on a cat w/ app. 40 passengers...Isn't there anyone that does this in the Andaman ?

Here in Phuket any boat carrying 40 guests is considered a crowded boat especially when it comes to diving. South East Asia Liveaboards (SEAL) and Dive & Sail from Siam Divers (used to) run dive and sail cruises on nice boats with small groups of people. Mind you; with small groups I mean 6-10 guests or so...

:D
 
What about Koh Phi Phi?

Is the vibe more laid back like Koh Tao with the advantage of the (better?) west coast diving?? Not sure about distances or costs compared to diving the same sites from Phuket.

Hmm...
 
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