OWSI Internships - Mermaids Pattaya

[andydiver]

I'm looking at taking an internship at Mermaids Dive centre Pattaya Thailand in November, with the view of travelling around the world scuba diving for a living!! Firstly I'd like to know if this is the right course to be taking to be able to do this and secondly has anyone trained at Mermaids in Pattaya. Would you recommend it or do you have any other recommendations

 

[riverserf]

Andy...I was in Thailand two years ago and I happened to dive with Mermaid's. I had a great experience (but then I'm new enough that I still think every dive is a great experience) with them. Especially the staff. they were friendly and nice...some of the wetsuits seems a bit worse for wear but you'll get that anywhere, I guess.

I'm also thinking of doing the internships at Mermaid's but not for another two years...(I'm trying to plan ahead). There have been a lot of people on this site that have said good and bad things about it....mostly all good when it comes to comments about Mermaid's as a dive shop or school.

the negative comments come from people talking about how the visibility isn't as great or consistent in Pattaya as it is in other places in Thailand. But...my experience before Pattaya had been limited to diving in rock quarries and the Mississippi River (might as well have your eyes shut).

One of the things I really like about the Mermaid's dive program is you are guaranteed 200+ dives...and it's unlimited so if you want to dive everyday you can. That's something important to me because I KNOW I need experience in the water most of all. Really, if you price it...200 dives (at about $30/dive)... that equals $6000 and you're getting an apartment for 6 months....lots of training...and the books and gear too. So for my wife and I, we decided it would be a 6 month dive vacation if nothing else. Some might get bored diving the same locations over and over but I figure that will give me more time to work on fine tuning techniques. And there are over a dozen dive sites near Pattaya.

I did look at internships out of Koh Tao too...but couldn't find anything that gave unlimited diving or guaranteed 200 dives...and as I said, I want that bottom time as much as any classroom training. If you find anything else, let me know. If you do go to Mermaid's...let me know. I'd like to hear from someone in the course. I may even make trip there in November or January to introduce a friend to diving...but we're also considering Cambodia/Vietnam as a destination for that trip...or even the Similan Islands.

 

[manzanillo diver]

I did look at internships out of Koh Tao too...but couldn't find anything that gave unlimited diving or guaranteed 200 dives...and as I said, I want that bottom time as much as any classroom training. If you find anything else, let me know. If you do go to Mermaid's...let me know. I'd like to hear from someone in the course. I may even make trip there in November or January to introduce a friend to diving...but we're also considering Cambodia/Vietnam as a destination for that trip...or even the Similan Islands.

Most if not all of the internships out there will offer you the unlimited diving and the courses which you get in Thailand. You dont have to travel as far either.. give these sites a look over

www.neptunesdiving.com/internships.html
www.prodive.com

 

[mislav]

I'm looking at taking an internship at Mermaids Dive centre Pattaya Thailand in November, with the view of travelling around the world scuba diving for a living!! Firstly I'd like to know if this is the right course to be taking to be able to do this and secondly has anyone trained at Mermaids in Pattaya. Would you recommend it or do you have any other recommendations

Andy, take a look at this thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=134342

 

[Tony007]

I did my Internship on Koh Tao and logged over 200 dives. I'd definetely reccomend it. Easy acess to dive sites, good vis for most of the year, great lifestyle esp. if you're 18-35 but most importantly plenty of opportunity for 'real life' application and work afterwards if you want to hang around. I also gained almost 50 certs from my MSDT assisting on all levels of courses from DSD to aspects of the DM course. I had a good look at Mermaids and got some really positive feedback regarding the instructors there but decided against it based on Koh Tao (in my opinion) being superior in may other factors!

 

[riverserf]

Tony, do you happen to have a website for where you did your internship at? I was in Thailand two times earlier this year and decided to stop by Mermaid's in Pattaya to check out the program and meet some of the instructors. I didn't have a good impression this time.
It was very chaotic and there were big communication problems. The first day I showed up and walked into the shop, the first DM I tried to speak to told me to 'wait a minute' while he got some people ready....after the truck pulled away he asked what he could do. I told him I'd talked to Peter, the owner, about diving that day and he said, "oops, I just sent the truck out." you'll have to wait until tomorrow. Then, it turned out they were closed the next day (the DM said he hadn't known about that...not a sign of great communication).

I asked to fill out the paperwork and get registered so I wouldn't miss the boat again and they said, do it later, the morning of the dive. The morning of the dive (3rd day trying to dive) while filling out the paperwork I reported I'd had stomach surgeries and they said I needed to get a doctor's clearance. I then explained the surgeries were 15 years ago, long before I got my certification and that I had a medical examination prior to certification. In fact, I had even dived with Mermaid's before but they wanted me to wait another day. If they had let me do the paperwork when I wanted, they would have pointed this out and I could have done it the day they were closed. In all, I felt like it was really messed up with little communication between DM's.
I jumped on a bus, went to Koh Chang and did my diving there. It was great. Better water, better corals, better fish.

I still want to find a program that allows the unlimited diving because I need as many as possible. Can you tell me more about where you did yours at?

Riverserf
There and Back Again

 

[Tony007]

The CD's name is Matt Bolton and his website is www.idckohtao.com. Very thorough in every area. Really enjoyed it and during the IE i had a chance to look at candidates from other centres which made me realise what a first class job Matt did with us.

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Hello Andy,

If you are interested in an internship in Pattaya, be aware there is more than one choice. Our center offers a similar program to Mermaid's but with some very attractive differences.

Like Mermaid's, we at Aquanauts offer unlimited diving, full accommodations, all your courses, books, & PADI fees and, if necessary, a full set of brand new equipment. Aquanauts, however, also offers 11 "Truly Free" Bonus Courses. You get 10 PADI specialty courses with no extra charges for manuals and certification. We also give you the EFR Instructor course and the manual and certification free.

We have a website that explains this all in detail. Please see www.divinginstructortraining.com

 

[rhyz]

Been lookng at doing this myself also, but just gathering research material at the moment. Will have to send out emails soon to alot of places.

Andy did you do a search for Thailand internships? You will find alot of threads devoted it to it with alot of great information, Thailand in general also.

 

[Sirenita]

"It was very chaotic and there were big communication problems. The first day I showed up and walked into the shop, the first DM I tried to speak to told me to 'wait a minute' while he got some people ready....after the truck pulled away he asked what he could do.."

My honest opinion? That is a totally realistic account of every single morning at Mermaids!
I have written a short account from my own direct experience of what you can expect from a morning at Mermaids in my blog at the following link:

http://lisaevans.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_lisaevans_archive.html

It's a realistic non sugar-coated account

Mermaids is great experience if a very large and busy dive centre is what you are looking for. If you're dreaming, however, of a hut on the beach, I suggest that you look elsewhere than Pattaya, try Koh Tao!