questions about diving in Egypt/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand

[Similan]

I have been to Similan islands about 10 times and it was different everytime. Some spots can have a very strong current. We once picked up divers from another boat who missed the rope which is the only way to get down to the dive site without being blown away with the current. They were totally panicking, I guess their dive guide didn't tell them what to do and what to expect so it is important to choose the right boat. This special dive site always has strong to very strong current, I never had it without any current. Whereas other dive sites e.g. Richlieu Rock or Elephant Rock or KohBon can have everything between 0 to very strong current depending on the moon phase. I always went with the SeaBees on their boats (except once). They are my favorite recommendation (and are still my favorites). In Sharm el Sheik and Dahab usually there is none, not much or only slight current, not comparable with Similans conditions. 50% of the Similan dives are also a lot deeper than the Egypt ones and therefor more challenging, and stressier for beginners and as you need more air as a beginner, a lot shorter.... I would recommend to start with Egypt (or somewhere else, e.g. St. Croix US Virgins) to be better prepared, more experienced and have more fun diving the great Similans - would be really a pitty if you struggle with yourself instead of enjoying them. I think they belong to the best spots in the world . They were worth every trip I made (and hopefully will be again soon)

 

[EvaL]

Hi. I have not been to any of the places you mentioned (I'm going to Sipadan this June/July) but I have been to many places where every dive is a drift dive (Cozumel in Mexico, Nusa Penida in Bali). Most of these dive sites in current so f 1-3 knots are fine for beginners so long as they are mentally prepared and follow some rules such as:
Descend together as a group. Try to stay close to the DM during the dive.
Don't fight the current, in fact, let the current carry you. You hardly need to kick, except to stay away from corals and stay closer to the group.
Carry a safety sausage (I bring one on every dive, even if it's not a drift dive). This way you can be picked up by the boat if you're separated or get lost.
And the best part (if you have a competent boat crew) the boat will be there to pick you up when you surface. In many regards, it's the simplest form of diving - no need to constantly check your compass for bearing and the usual turn around near half tank and navigate back to boat.

 

[k374]

Question - do dive ops in these locations check for AOW certification before allowing divers to do deep (75'+) dives? I do plan to get my AOW shortly when it warms up here in CA but i'm just curious.

 

[Misa]

IMO start with the Red Sea shore dives, then liveaboards. Its an amazing place. I`ve spent 3 weeks there diving and i still need at least 3 weeks more to see almost all that Red Sea has to offer. You are so far thou!

 

[itempleton]

Question - do dive ops in these locations check for AOW certification before allowing divers to do deep (75'+) dives? I do plan to get my AOW shortly when it warms up here in CA but i'm just curious.

I don't think so. You might be restricted from certain dives because you're not ready but you won't be restricted because you don't have the AOW. I took the AOW on a Similans liveaboard and that worked very well. The AOW is very simple (has anyone ever failed the course?) and it's poorly labeled (it does not make you an "advanced" diver) but I found it useful.