Planning a trip to Similan in March

[underwaterfun]

Hi Thai Divers, We're planning a trip on the MV Scuba Explorer back to back with the SY June Hong Chian Lee in March. As it's costing an arm and a leg (with flights from Oz) can you recommed whether it's better to book directly with the boats or through an agent like Dive The World. Does it make any difference ? Looking forward to your replies.

 

[MA]

Since you're booking two trips (but different boats) you might find an agent will give you a discount for booking two.

 

[stevenl]

An agent should give you an honest advice about the value for money of the trips you're looking at, and maybe even come up with some alternatives. Also an agent might give you some discount, but for sure you won't be paying more via an agent, and the agent will take care of everything for you.

 

[Quero]

Hi Thai Divers, We're planning a trip on the MV Scuba Explorer back to back with the SY June Hong Chian Lee in March. As it's costing an arm and a leg (with flights from Oz) can you recommed whether it's better to book directly with the boats or through an agent like Dive The World. Does it make any difference ? Looking forward to your replies.

Better in what sense? Certainly working with an agent gives you just one point of contact, so that the agent gathers all the information from you and provides it to the operators, helps coordinate transfers, makes phone calls on your behalf so you don't spend money on long-distance phone charges, etc. As an agent myself and knowing what we do, I tend to go to an agent for many reasons when I'm planning an involved trip to a place I'm unfamiliar with, not the least of which reasons is to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. It costs you no more to use an agent, and you get so much customer service from the association.

 

[snorkymn]

I heard from an instructor in Thailand that about 80% of the hard corals in the Similan area were dead due to bleaching. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

[Quero]

There has been some coral bleaching, as is true throughout the region, from Maldives all the way east into the Pacific Ocean. However the bleaching is mostly in the shallows, and there are many areas with good, healthy coral. Since most of the diving in the Similans is pretty deep, you'll notice it now and then, but certainly not 90% of the time you're diving! The bleached areas are beginning to regrow, too. There were a couple of SB threads about this last spring, both in the Thailand forum and in other regional forums. Here's a link to the Thailand one.http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/thailand/336454-coral-bleaching-thailand.html