Scuba diving in Cambodia

[DevonDiver]

I would stay away from Eco Sea. This is their latest review on Trip Advisor:
Do not use ECOSEA DIVE in Sihnaoukville Cambodia - Sihanoukville Forum - TripAdvisor

We all know that Trip Advisor is an unreliable source of information. There aren't any barriers to prevent unscrupulous behaviour from competitive companies...and many reviews placed there are false.

The OP's review certainly looks false..and hints at a deliberate attack on a competitor. Such behaviour is never good for the scuba industry..and dubious business practices like this say more about the originator than the supposed target.

And an article about The Dive Shop:
Private Eye | Official Site

I have been doing some research on the dive shops there as to who to go diving with and so far due to bad reviews I have ruled out Ecosea. I also recently came across this article about The Dive Shop Cambodia and have now ruled them out too. They are partners with a company called Coral Cay and this article is quite tragic about what happened.
Private Eye | Official Site

The link given leads to an article aimed at investigating safety standards by British Tour Operators. It specifically mentions adherence to voluntary standards that apply to UK-based tour companies, charities and other organisations who provide expeditions, fieldwork and adventure activities outside the UK (British Standard 8848). The underlying principle of BS8848 is that the UK-based tour organiser is responsible for all aspects, including safety, of a venture provided either on a voluntary basis or in return for payment.

This has NOTHING to do with ANY dive shop - let alone the one you have singled out for your 'warning'.

I doubt ANY dive shop in Asia, let alone Cambodia, has any knowledge of BS8848. Why should they?

Dive shop operations are governed by appropriate National Regulations...and the standards specified by whatever scuba agency they represent. Nothing more, nothing less.

That article is irrelevant for the purposes that you have quoted it.

It's funny how two 'completely different' people have both referenced the same irrelevant article - anyone would think that you're somehow linked... or maybe just psychically connected. But that's impossible considering how one of you is in Cambodia...and the other is in "London".

~"Of all the google hits, on all the sites"... you "just happened" to both find the same one and both happened to misunderstand its subject.... and both happened to incorrectly interpret its relevance to this thread..... hmmm

I've also heard that there is a new dive shop opening soon for this high season.

Would you care to disclose your interests in this thread?

It would be very dishonest to be involved, as you are, in this thread if you had any sort of active interest in a Cambodia dive shop...and did not disclose that interest.

Likewise, it would be very dishonest to create sockpuppet accounts, giving false identities/locations; in order to post as different users onto a forum for the sake of spreading negative publicity about a competitor. Are you aware of what an "IP Address" is?

Those stunts tend to severely backfire and cost dive operations a lot of credibility. Just saying............

 

[Jun Lao]

Hi Jun
Besides, the wrongful death article linked to about the Dive Shop is something that happened in Fiji, not Cambodia as far as I understand. Check it out yourself as I only skimmed it.

As for macro life, what you can expect to see REGARDLESS of who you decide to dive with is seahorses, carrier crabs, porcelain crabs, ghost shrimps, various pipefish and plenty of octopusses + whatever I've forgotten right now. Ask for the muck sites - not the usual coral sites.

ummy - I don't know what to think about it, but at least now you know my impression of the dive shop from the brief period I was there.

I personally think all four dive shops are doing equally good - but I dislike the dirty fighting going on in here (and possibly on Tripadvisor as well)

Over and out,
SK

SK, thanks much Bud... The macro life sounds spectacular- Carrier crabs like like like on info posted, peeps like me do smell b.s. a mile away but at the end of the day, all I want is my seahorse- and carrier crab

if weather permits, will be there next week, a short review with pics, and from what I've read, have enough time to try other dive centers

again tnks sk

 

[sierrakilo]

Hi Jun,

No prob. at all mate. I suggest you actually do as scuba2011 suggests - have a walk around, talk to the shops - they're all within walking distance. See who you feel comfortable going with.

@DevonDiver - Scuba2011 writes in his profile info that he's a diveshop owner. Now, as there are only two diveshops on Koh Rung Sanloem where he supposedly resides, (and as we can safely rule out that he's the owner of Ecosea,) there's obviously some nasty slanderous business going on here. Not exactly how I would do things if I were opening a new dive shop personally. Such things backfire.

 

[Jun Lao]

Hi, finally done diving sihanoukville and went with Eco-Sea dive,

The full trip report Sihanoukville - Yagit Diver        

...Far, Rustic Accomodations, poor viz... but...Amazing Critters- Did not dissapoint

and yes, Seahorses are guaranteed, did 6 dives, saw on 4 dives.

Some photos of my trip


maggie simpson by Yagit Diver, on Flickr


checkmate by Yagit Diver, on Flickr


what am I? by Yagit Diver, on Flickr


sandwich by Yagit Diver, on Flickr


dots by Yagit Diver, on Flickr


pickle by Yagit Diver, on Flickr

if you're a muck diver, you'll love it... if you dive with Eco Sea, get Chana or Pirom as guides

 

[Jun Lao]

also, here's a video on the diving in Sihanoukville, pretty good actually

 

[Turtle-Diver]

Awesome pics there, the macro diving does look awesome in Sihanoukville! I've been looking for info to write an article on Sihanoukville and this forum post gave me everything I could have needed and more. Thanks guys

 

[auddy]

I'm looking at someplace to dive end Jan 2014 and Cambodia came to mind as there're still reasonably priced air tickets to Phnom Penh over Chinese New Year.

Are there more recent updates on the diving in Cambodia?

 

[purcitron]

need advice please.
-whats the best (given the limitations) place to dive between vietnam & cambodia? im going to be there in mid may & would like to get some dives in.
-any walls, big fish, good viz in vietnam or cambodia?
thanks!

---------- Post added March 14th, 2014 at 02:17 AM ----------

thanks for the info!
-is the diving any better in vietnam? east coast of thai (near pattaya?)
-im looking for a good place to dive around cambodia/vietnam.. anywhere with good viz? no big fish in the gulf of thai/east china sea? hows the water temperature in may?
thanks again!

 

[gtto]

Hi,
I dove in Sihanoukville two months ago. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the shop. I am an MSDT with close to 1000 dives. This was by far the worst dive I have ever done. Viz was about 9 ft at the most and there was virtually nothing to see. Compounding that was the abundance of urchins that made getting close enough to the bottom to see anything difficult. The best part of the dive though was when the guide disappeared.......I went to the surface to see where he was and he was smoking a cigarette on the boat! Next time I am in Sihanoukville I will stay on the beach. At least the food in the restaurants there is good. Footnote: Most of the restaurants on the beach have a happy menu which means everything on that menu has grass in it, Technically illegal but they all do it. Welcome to SE Asia.

 

[Wingy]

Cambodia and Vietnam - you dive there to get wet not dive trip type destinations. Had a chuckle at rudeness of dive shop owners - jmo Vietnamese rudeness outstrips Cambodian rudeness by a mile.