Thailand in June

[Bob1971]

Hi

Heading to Thailand in a week to do our basic PADI course. Question is where to go. We were in KPN 2 months ago and had planned to find a dive school on Ko Tao, but......heard the place is a complete factory and we will be sharing our first time diving with 100s of others!

Other option would seem to be Phuket or nearby, but worried about weather late May, early June.

Any help from someone who has been there and done it would be really appreciated. Also, recs for dive schools.

cheers

bob

 

[chantana]

I lived on Ko Tao 4 months and in Khao Lak (near Phuket but closer to the Similans) for 3 months. It all depends on what you like. Ko Tao is a very small island and mostly a backpacker haunt. If you like drinking and sitting around a lot, this may be for you. It's definitely a younger crowd. They do push you through the course and some of the dive schools have boats with 50-60 divers on them. There are lots of smaller schools as well though. The vis is not that great, especially when 10-15 boats are moored on the same dive site. You really have to be careful that other divers don't kick you in the face, it's that crowded. Diving's pretty cheap there though. It is extremely hot here in June. Most bungalows do not have 24 hour electricity and they turn it on from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. so if you can't tolerate that, ask first.

Seasonally, the Similans are not great now, the new season begins in October. However, Phuket diveshops are still open. I don't know if you will find a liveaboard this time of year and that is the best way to see the Similans as they are a bit far out and the journey on a speedboat is not much fun. I know there is someone from a Phuket diveshop that posts on here (stevel) and he would have the best info. Do a search for Thailand. Best of luck, I was on Ko Tao for their season and then went to Khao Lak for the season there, so I don't know how off-season is. There's also more to do in Phuket, since obviously you are in a big city.

 

[Sea Squirt]

I did part of my DM course on Koh Tao and compared to where I did my OW-Rescue it is freakishly busy. If you are interested in the "scene" as well as learning to dive then that should help influence your decision on where to go - not to mention that monsoon is fast approaching - actually I think you'll find that Phuket is already in their low season.

The Gulf of Thailand side has a few more months to go before monsoon hits in earnest. I was in Koh Tao during their monsoon and I have to disagree with Chantana on the vis - we had 15m+ vis at least on all the dives and that was with 10 OW students. If a heaving night life scene and plenty of daytime activities are what you're after I would suggest Koh Tao or PHuket (beware of taxis - they are SUCH a rip off!)

You could try this dive shop Absolut Wreck (www.absolutwreck.com) based in a small village about 400km south of Bangkok. It is a small shop with great instructors and the instructor student ratio is about 1:2 There is no "night life" to speak of, apart from local beach side restaurants and little bars, but it is a good way to experience how Thais spend their time at the beach (if peace and quiet is your thing) and the surrounding countryside is about the prettiest I have seen anywhere in Thailand (I've lived there practically all my life so I think I can be objective!).

 

[Oceanlovers]

Hi Bob1971,
There is diving all year round in Phuket and the weather is still looking good outside!
Accomodation is readily available and good rates for the savvy diver.Certainly less crowds which will be an advantage when you take your Openwater course - small groups.Taking your course and touring the surrounding islands with a 2/3 night liveaboard is a nice way to see all Phuket has to offer and this is a better option than Koh Tao which tends to be limited to quote : "freakishly busy" daytrip boats.
Take a look around the Kata area if you decide on Phuket as its one of the better beaches with a friendly personal touch.Good luck and keep us posted to your decision.

 

[Mako Mark]

:sigh:

Koh Tao

:sigh:

 

[stevenl]

You can do good courses in Koh Tao, but you have to be careful who you dive with. The main attraction of Koh Tao are the very attractive course prices, although they have gone up this year. In the Andaman Area you will find the courses a bit more expensive. There are plenty of possibillities for an OW Course. At this time of year I would not recommend to do it on Similans, but you can make daytrips to Koh racha Yai or Koh Phi Phi, you can go on a short liveaboards trip. Of course the price you will pay depends on what you choose. Most important: find an operator you feel comfortable with, because if you do a good and properly thought OW Course, you'll enjoy it the rest of your life.

 

[isdmsdt]

I have just spent a year living in Koh Tao.. and its a gr8 place to learn to dive... yes it does get etremely busy, due to few popular dive sites, used by all the companies.. i have sometimes showed up to a dive site with 300 people in the water already... Koh Tao has a very good life... and in terms of prices some of the cheapest you can find for Open Water.. if you do decide Koh Tao... i suggest you try and go with one of the smaller dive companies.... i can recommend a couple.... otherwise you can end up on a boat with 50 other people...
In terms of Phuket.. i have just started work here... and its nice... at the moment the weather is great... sunny and hot... diving here is also very good.. and now not as busy as Koh Tao... but Phuket is more of a tourist resort whilst Koh Tao is a diving community.... and its all about the diving life....
Hope this helps!

 

[h3o]

I've heard Koh Tao dives are mediocre at best... it has been compared to the beat-up areas of the Carribbean (dead coral, broken coral, and mass frequented by check-out divers). I guess anywhere that's mass frequented by divers ends up getting bad. A lot of the dives along the GBR inner and outer reef are like this. I have never been to Koh Tao, but it seems it is good place just to get certified for cheap, but not really a good place to dive as far as the healthiness of the reef, the amount and diversity of the marine life and the overall dive experience.

 

[scubashooter]

With the exception of Chumporn, Sail Rock and South West Pinnacles... Koh Tao diving doesn't hold a candle to even the local dive sites of Phuket. Lifestyle wise, many like the laid back, backpacker lifestyle of KT vs more modern Phuket. I've seen divers from both islands and the Phuket divers tend to be a bit better at buoyancy and general dive knowledge. Many OWD-DM courses held in KT too. It's a factory with a dive community. Sublime partying vs raw touristy of patong. Although Phuket also has its lowkey hangout joints. It's a much bigger plus and you have better options for everything from food to activities to do. Even LEGAL original dialogue movies in an actual a/c cinema. You still feel like you're on holiday.
I've used many ops in Phuket and can recommend a few if you private msg me. No point is giving them too much publicity
June in Phuket can be choppy and the viz is generally worse than the beginning of the year. Many of the western beaches experience bigger waves and less beach due to the higher tide. Still beautiful but not that tranquil setting in the postcards and still more beautiful than the beaches in KT.

 

[Batfish]

"heard the place is a complete factory and we will be sharing our first time diving with 100s of others!"

Well, can be like that in Koh Tao. Some of the dive shops there are trying to shed that stereotype, but it is essentially a backpacker-get-certified-cheap-and-party place. So if you're a young backpacker and like to party, that's the right place. I did my "OW to DM" in Utila, Honduras, a similar set up on a smaller scale. Great! Dive and party! But I was younger then....

If you want a small group and better diving, get to Phuket. In our quiet season, I reckon most dive shops can more or less guarantee that you and your friend(s) will be the only students in a class. It's just a question of weather really. June can be great, or you could be unlucky. I suggest checking the weather once you get to Thailand, make a phone call to someone in Phuket or check the BBC Weather

Happy Diving