Psuedo tech diving on Koh Tao?

[sushimassa]

After a couple of years of trying, I've finally managed to book a trip to Thailand... and to top it all, I started diving last year which means that I can take advantage of the deep rather than being stuck on the beaches.

Somehow, I convinced my girlfriend to go home a few days early which will leave me three fulls days on Koh Tao to do some diving. Obviously there are plenty of dive ops to choose from!!

Since getting certified last year I've been diving on a back plate and wing configuration and am looking for a place on the island to rent a similar set up to save my carrying it all over.

I've found a couple of places:
DJL Diving: Technical Diving Thailand | Decompression dive training courses, wreck diving, ccr rebreathers
Big Blue: Big Blue Technical

Are there anymore out there? Does anyone have any experience of Diving with either of these companies?

I'm not a tech diver. I've only got 50 dives and never deeper than 30 meters (so far!) and love looking at the fishes. I just like using the tech rig.

If anyone has any reccomendations/ideas, please let me know!

Thanks!

 

[KT Darius]

Hi Sushimassa,

Honestly, there are only two dive shops on the island that are really doing much tech diving. The other shops tend to advertise it (e.g. Big Blue, Ban's, Asia Divers) and feed their students through those two. I am the CD at Davy Jones' Locker and we run local tech trips off our RIB to a few sites closer in- like the Torpedo and Unicorn... Occasionally, we venture further out to do some exploration and in August and September we are running a few liveaboard trips. We're doing a great trip at the end of this month to dive the HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Repulse out of Singapore. We have a recreational dive operation that runs out of the same shop and basically provides the cash flow to sustain our own interest in tech diving.

There's also the boys from the MV Trident who run trips pretty often and do exploration trips throughout the Gulf. Jamie, the owner, is my next door neighbor and is a good laugh.

I'd say get in touch with both Gary from DJL, and Jamie and see what they have on offer for your dates and experience level. DJL is DJL Diving | Koh Tao Thailand | PADI 5* Dive Resort | dive internships and the Trident is Tech Thailand.

Best of luck.

 

[sushimassa]

Thanks for the post. Its good to get some insight into how the operations work.

I sent a mail over to DJL, and am waiting to hear back. I really like the sound of the "Intro to Tech" dive day and was hoping I'd be able to work that in to my trip. But then I saw that you'd all be off over in Singapore. Sounds like a great trip!!

As I'm not certified beyond AOW at the moment, I'm still limited to the shallows but was hoping to put a tech slant on my trip! Otherwise, I'll just be sitting on the deco-line at 30 meters waiting for everyone else to come back up for their stops!

If DJL can provide me with a BP/W to use while I'm there, I'm more than happy to dive with the rest of the PADI divers.

That said, I'll be sure to send a quick mail over to Gary and Jamie to see what they say.

Thanks again!! Enjoy the Repulse... heard it's a great dive.

 

[jamiemac]

Hello there,

Good to hear you're got a good tec slant on your diving already, but it can't be rushed, you're doing the right thing.

Have a look at Tech Thailand , get some dives up and then perhaps do some diving offshore with MV Trident.

You'll need at least 100 dives, 10 days to complete your tec course, and a nice fat wallet which we'll help you lighten,

yours,

Jamie MV Trident

 

[sushimassa]

Jamie,

Thanks for this message and the PM. Once I've doubled my dives, I'll come knocking on your doors again... I'll start saving my penies now...

Looking forward to leaving the drysuit at home and diving your in your back yard.