As a "born again" diver in Pattaya, logging around 5-10 dives here 20 years ago here and around 14 recently, I agree that diving here can be quite good at times, and quite bad at times. I've recently had memorable dives on the HTMS Khram (slack water, good visibility) and Koh Rin (also good tidal conditions that day).
The main bone-to-pick I have with (some of the) dive centers here seems to echo one of LK's (Lord Khram's) Pattaya bones, is a type of "bait-and-switch" diving, where a dive center promises a certain dive (like a wreck dive, or outer islands dive), and then changes the program in the morning of the dive because of the various ages and skill levels of divers on the boat that day.
While I do feel for centers with a single dive boat, and understand the complexities of trying to take care of kids, snorkelers, open water students, advanced open water students, and experienced divers all on one program; the results seems pretty consistent - the deep wreck dives and/or better outer island coral dives are often canceled to accommodate the less experienced divers and kids.
In one recent day trip, I was promised a wreck dive (we specifically discussed it), and then was told "sorry" the next morning (after I paid !!!). This creates the awkward situation of either saying:
1. OK, not a problem, I'll go home. Call me when we are actually going to ......
2. OK, not a problem, I'll just waste 2,000 to 3,000 baht on something I don't really want to do....
3. OK, this is a problem guys. You are kinda "ripping me off".... because that is *not* what we discussed and scheduled! Don't be so greedy!
None of these are winning situations for customer-divers.
I think what should happen is that the dive shop should call, email or sms the diver(s) the night before (when they have full roster of divers) and then let them know their planned trip has changed and apologize the night before, versus in the morning right before the dive (and after taking the balance of payment). That way we could make other plans the night before and maybe sleep in late, or something like that. We might go out with another dive center, it should be up to us.
Maybe the problem is that I've not been diving much in 20 years and, with renewed interest in diving, I am finding that things have changed? Promises and plans have little meaning? Dive shops just think they can take our money and give us what they want to give us versus what we actually paid for? Change the plans after paying the balance (and with money in their hands)?
What I think we recreational divers want (and deserve) are dive shops that, with the exception of weather / current related issues, stick to what we agreed on and purchased the night before...... or at least have the courtesy to let us know the night before; and offer a full refund when they change agreed upon dive plans.
I have stopped diving with two shops in Thailand (one in Pattaya and one elsewhere) because of this issue (not to mention the unmanaged children on one Pattaya day trip, sounding off their new ear-splitting high pressure emergency noise maker, whilst their instructor was nursing a hangover on the back of the boat.) I simply want to pay for agreed upon good dives, dive good dives, and not just be giving money to dive shops while I am semi-miserable on the trip, doing something I don't want to be doing and paying good money to be on a day trip I did not sign up for.
Sigh...
The more experience I have in Pattaya, the more inclined I am to see LK's point of view, I'm sad to concur. The problem is less the dive sites in the Pattaya area, it's more of how dive centers try to optimize their profits and take our money as if it does not really matter if we get the dives we agreed to. This takes the fun out of diving, or at least has started to take the wind out of my sails. I am paying good money for day trips I don't want to be doing and only informed the morning before the dive after the cash has exchanged hands!
Maybe this is a world-wide issue? I don't know since I only dive topical waters in Thailand, and I'm not a great diver, just wanting to have fun and enjoy the sport.