Pattaya Vs. Phuket

[Arizona]

I liked having my car on Samui. It was a long trip from BKK and if you don't get to the ferry at the right times the waiting can be a drag. Much safer than a motorbike IMO. If you can rent a car while there consider it. I've been to Samui four times and Limbo helped my find a rental on one trip.

I have to agree with funrecdiver, in that having a car in BKK-Pattaya makes things much better. I really enjoyed the ease and relative low expense of diving Pattaya from BKK. Driving can be a headache with traffic in BKK and in general takes a little getting used to, but if you are armed with GPS and patient no worries... I wish I had a car on Phuket because of the rip off taxis. Meter is best!

 

[funrecdiver]

Funrecdiver,

You can actually bring your car to Koh Tao, from Chumpon. Not the easiest/most convenient trip over but definitely manageable. Not that I would recommend it though! Once on Koh Tao you're better off with a rental bike and leave the car in Chumpon.

I'll actually be on Samui by car via Surat on June 21st to the 24th. My friend wishes to complete her OW cert then, but I don't think she will have enough time, given we have a one hour appointment at a resort on one of those days. We were planning to drive to Krabi on the 24th and then back to Surat to fly to Bkk on the 26th.

 

[limbo]

Funrecdiver,

If the 21st and 24th are travel days, your friend will indeed not be able to complete the OW course, however, in two days the Scuba diver course can be completed or you can do a referral.

For either option, feel free to PM me for more details.

 

[lord khram]

Sounds like good advice to me given by funrecdiver, a little time and money spent doing some research for yourself would be a wise investment.
Imagine the scenario, you book something by e mail and commit yourself to a particular DC for a period of time, you arive there and dont like the DC for what ever reason, or you may not get on with the instructors. Everyone has their own requirements, a DC that someone else can recommend, you may dislike. Simply try some places out by doing a day or two diving with them and see which one you prefer, dont mention your intention of doing the courses as some places will go out of their way to impress you and once you have commited to them things may take a change for the worse.
The additional few days diving that you do will all be good additional experience to you as a prelim to your courses. As will the experience of seeing the different methods adopted at different DC's, rather than learning just one. Also you could even consider doing your courses at different locations, but the downside to that is sometimes if you book courses as a package this may attract some discount.
Simply dont be rushed into things, take your time and be certain to get what you want, even if it costs a little more. There is no need to book courses in advance, generally you can book with a shop and start the next day. Also one thing to bear in mind when listening to advice, not all will be impartial, some have a financial interest in you visiting specific locations.

 

[lord khram]

Funrecdiver,

If the 21st and 24th are travel days, your friend will indeed not be able to complete the OW course, however, in two days the Scuba diver course can be completed or you can do a referral.

For either option, feel free to PM me for more details.

I have personally witnessed countless OWC's that have been completed from scratch in only 2 days, not that I would recommend such practices.

Indeed some months ago there was a thread on these forums, where such practices were discussed at length.

 

[Ringo]

Simply dont be rushed into things, take your time and be certain to get what you want, even if it costs a little more. There is no need to book courses in advance, generally you can book with a shop and start the next day.

Some very sound advice!

 

[BermudaBlue]

Thanks all for the advice. Checking out a few different operators, and going for a dive with them before deciding does not sound like a bad idea. The only thing that worries me a bit about doing this is finding a vacancy?! Even if we are going in peak season (probably February) do you think most shops will have availability to take on two individuals for DM with only a couple of days notice?

 

[jamiemac]

Funrecdiver,

You can actually bring your car to Koh Tao, from Chumpon. Not the easiest/most convenient trip over but definitely manageable. Not that I would recommend it though! Once on Koh Tao you're better off with a rental bike and leave the car in Chumpon.

I wouldn't.

You can get a vehicle there, cost you 5-6000 baht for the round trip. Rip off. Then you've got only two roads to choose from, then you've got to try and park in the 'town'. Then put up with idiot taxi drivers stopping in front of you with their doors wide open while they do their business ( of ripping off tourists), but if you should stop in front of them for any reason for a millisecond they'll give you hell.

Koh Tao is not nice for motoring, trust me! Sorry to any Koh Tao taxi drivers who read this ( not likely though), but you're a terrible lot, even by Thai taxi driver standards

 

[lord khram]

Thanks all for the advice. Checking out a few different operators, and going for a dive with them before deciding does not sound like a bad idea. The only thing that worries me a bit about doing this is finding a vacancy?! Even if we are going in peak season (probably February) do you think most shops will have availability to take on two individuals for DM with only a couple of days notice?

A simple yes will suffice there.

 

[Apecks]

Thanks all for the advice. Checking out a few different operators, and going for a dive with them before deciding does not sound like a bad idea. The only thing that worries me a bit about doing this is finding a vacancy?! Even if we are going in peak season (probably February) do you think most shops will have availability to take on two individuals for DM with only a couple of days notice?

You should not have a problem with Mermaids in Pattaya. They are big enough to accomodate most things. I have just finished my IDC with them last month - very impressed with the standard of training and expertise available there. Well recommended