South Siam Dive Report: Bad Equipment + Crowded + Bad Sites = Sad Diving
- Thread starter John Trecker
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You guys are scaring me. I'm spending 2 weeks on Koh Tao for family vacation and was really hoping to make it a dive vacation.
Should I adjust my plans and just get really high every day?
Should I adjust my plans and just get really high every day?
LOL.
A family diving vacation on Kokh Tao? Why not?
You might even senn a whaleshark at Sail Rock. Chumphon Pinnacle is another good site to enjoy.
Couple of local eating places at Mae Haad(on the uphill main road) are exceptional good. They had set pretty high standard to use as yardstick for me!
The Kingdom has a lot more to offer for a family diving vacation than
her rivals. Most if not all places are readily accessible by public transport and the country is compact enough to travel without the need to take domestic flight or long ferry ride. Cambodia, Laos or even Vietnam(through either countries) is just a short hop on the bus. I have left out Burma for political reason.
Have fun.
JonnieB
Contributor
Well it depends on your expectations. Ko Tao is renown as an inexpensive "backpacker" dive destination, but not so much now as there are five-star resorts on the island so it caters to all demographics. However, it's still a predominantly young crown of college age and twenty-something divers and partiers. The diving is still pretty inexpensive...the cheapest in Thailand, however, you get what you pay for...converted wooden fishing trawlers crowded for the most part with recently certified OW divers. (Ko Tao is number one in PADI OW certifications annually than any other place on earth.) This also tells you something about the local dive site conditions...corals having been crashed on by generations of divers.
There are some good sites...the open water pinnacles of Sail Rock, Chumphon Pinnacle, and Southwest Pinnacle being some but these are one to two hour boat rides away. There are also some decent shores dives at Aow Luk and Shark Bays. So again it depends on what your looking for in your family vacation...some nice beaches, resorts, restos, and diving Tao can fit the bill...just don't expect superlative marine life or a lot of advanced level divers.
Most dive sites are very near to Koh Tao. Two dives in the morning and then come back with the family for lunch etc etc. This is a family holiday after all.
You do not this luxury if based in Phuket. Pick up in the morning and depend where you are staying if will be about 1hr round trip to pick up other divers scattered on various beaches. All the sites are not that interesting at all unlike Koh Tao which has at least two excellent sites. And because of the travelling and the pick up services, the cost is a lot higher than Koh Tao.
I had met number of very experienced divers spending a family holiday on Koh Tao. There are other members of the family to consider.
You do not this luxury if based in Phuket. Pick up in the morning and depend where you are staying if will be about 1hr round trip to pick up other divers scattered on various beaches. All the sites are not that interesting at all unlike Koh Tao which has at least two excellent sites. And because of the travelling and the pick up services, the cost is a lot higher than Koh Tao.
I had met number of very experienced divers spending a family holiday on Koh Tao. There are other members of the family to consider.
@Centrals and @JonnieB
Thank you both. I did find a shop that will do my daughter's bubblemaker (big blue diving) and their morning boats also leave at 6:30 leaving afternoons to snorkel with the family.
We'll see. Lots of shops to choose from so I'm just going to spend the first couple of days checking them out in person. Mos def on Sail Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle, though.
We are staying at AC2 Resort so we're pretty close to Mae Haad and @Centrals restaurant suggestions. All in all, I'm giddy as hell.
Is the Kingdom yoke or din?
Thank you both. I did find a shop that will do my daughter's bubblemaker (big blue diving) and their morning boats also leave at 6:30 leaving afternoons to snorkel with the family.
We'll see. Lots of shops to choose from so I'm just going to spend the first couple of days checking them out in person. Mos def on Sail Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle, though.
We are staying at AC2 Resort so we're pretty close to Mae Haad and @Centrals restaurant suggestions. All in all, I'm giddy as hell.
Is the Kingdom yoke or din?
Yoke is more or less the standard in SE Asia but the "insert" is getting popular. If in doubt, ask ahead.
Master Divers in Mae Haad. Small group.
Only a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal, turn right as you come out of the terminal.
There are dive factory so be careful how to choose your operator. You will see the number of divers on the boat.
Master Divers in Mae Haad. Small group.
Only a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal, turn right as you come out of the terminal.
There are dive factory so be careful how to choose your operator. You will see the number of divers on the boat.
JonnieB
Contributor
All of SE Asia, including Thailand, is predominantly yoke, but if you're DIN the shop will have an adaptor.
Big Blue is a good shop, as is Eco Divers and French Kiss Divers. I'm sure you'll have a great time...just don't take the roads too fast on your motorbike.
I definitely want to try Master Divers but they haven't responded to numerous emails. Big Blue seems to be the only place willing to do the Bubblemaker so I'll start there and then assess the rest individually. I don't want the big boat but I also like the idea of leaving early and getting back before lunch. Of course this is all speculation and I'll probably just end up with what's easiest.
Six weeks to go and sooooooo excited. This is my first time in the Kingdom and I can't wait to eat ALL the foods.
Going in August? Oh my.
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