Trip Report: My Experience in a Koh Tao Diving Factory

[funrecdiver]

If I was tec qualified and not just a "lowly" recreational PADI Wreck diver, I think I would have enjoyed this trip on the MV Trident from Koh Tao:

September 2010: Cave Diving and Wreck Diving Combination

I should have definitely visited a number of dive shops on KT before jumping into one there. Normally I inspect the boat and facilities carefully before signing on. It is uncharacteristic of me to make a mistake like this when selecting a group to dive enjoy some training / courses with. I think I was "seduced" by my first visit to KT and was so happy to be there, that I forgot to do my homework and due diligence.

I am sure there are some great shops on KT and I'll try again someday. I did like the blue waters off KT, which I've never seen in Pattaya (for the past 4 months). Also, when I first landed in KT, I loved the atmosphere. I'll be more careful selecting a dive resort / center next trip.

 

[marinediva]

Completed two dives in Koh Tao today. Great viz on Chumphon and nice swim throughs on Red Rock; but honestly, much less sea life than the outer islands in Pattaya (like Koh Rin, for example) by a huge factor. It makes sense. All the plankton that makes the viz low attracts a lot of fish up and down the food chain.

Also, found it interesting that two DMs on the boat have never dived in currents, never done a ripping drift dive, and never have seen strong current rip a mask off a diver going down a descent line. (I heard that there is very little current here, generally speaking, compared to Pattaya).

I'm learning a lot, and am really glad to be here!

But so far, I don't think the "Pattaya has bad diving" that people often say is correct. Yes, the viz here (in Koh Tao) is great so far; but my last dive on North Rock in Pattaya had orders and orders of magnitude more sea life (fish, fish!, fish!!)

Of course, it is way too soon do draw any conclusions. After I log 20 or 40 dives here, I will be more confident (and in a position) to type an (comparative) opinion.

Absolutely, without a doubt, the "dive center atmosphere" here is really great and the people here are really "dive focused" in a good way.


So far, Koh Tao is a great place. I really like the vibe, the people and many things about the island. Have met some very good people, absolutely.
__________________
26th AUGUST\

Hey!

Had a few fun dives and also have assisted a senior instructor in some OW courses and hanging with a lot of great people in Koh Tao, all the ex-Pattaya divers I have had a beer with agree that, for experienced divers, Pattaya is a "better" (ripping drift dives, recreational wrecks, outer island coral dives), BUT, the vibe, the people, the overall atomosphere in KT is GREAT!!!

I love this place!!! Not for the "visibility" but for the easy atmosphere for beginning OW students to embark on their life long diving dream and journey! Wow! What an amazing place!

So far, the diving is over rated, but the dive vibe and social atmosphere is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

Today we watched a student cry in joy as she completed her contained water dives, happy she overcame her fears and was able to embark on her diving journey.

I am hooked!!
28TH AUGUST

Update:

Koh Tao is certainly "cool" and "trendy" and "hip" but the diving to date has not been impressive.

Don't get me wrong, it's not "bad" but it is "bad enough" that I am close to packing the dive bags and heading over to the Andaman side, or back to Pattaya.

I feel like I am in an "aquarium with not much fish" and a "zero to hero factory" after the kids get bored with "full moon parties"...

It seems like a kind of sterile diving theme park with safe blue water for mommy and daddy's children to get cert cards and have a great time on their vacations.

I have meet some very nice people, but the diving, so far, s***s compared to my last 50 dives in Pattaya with amazing wrecks, outer island reefs full of life and great dive boats without the "sell you another cert" dive factory mentality.

This is from a unbiased diver who has been trying hard to be gracious ... Really. I am really trying to like KT diving!!

30TH AUGUST

Interesting replies.

Regarding Koh Tao dive sites, I have only dived 6 of 20+. I was not motivated to spend cash on 20+, sorry.

In all these dives combined, I saw less fish than on one good recent dive on North Rock, Koh Rin, Pattaya..... I don't think this is debatable, since that is my experience. I admit I did not count every fish. Sea urchins were not in my discussion.

If my experience diving on KT was good, I would still be on Koh Tao. My lifestyle is not dependant on earning a living selling dives or dive courses. I simply post the truth, as an unbiased, objective customer who loves to dive and spends considerable cash each month to do so.

If Koh Tao diving was so great, I would be there right now, but I left on the Lomprayah back to the mainland.

I am sorry if those who make a living on Koh Tao are unhappy with my opinion as a customer. To me, the diving was unremarkable, sorry. I wish it was better,

My post was about recreational diving, BTW, not technical diving. I did not visit KT for tech diving.
__________________

wOW FRD

My instincts tell me that something happened for you between the 30th and 31st which is the date of the last post I copied from your thread regarding going south......
Seems you had a point to prove maybe?????
What I truly cannot understand with what you have bitched about is how????? you could be assisting on a course?
You are only a rescue diver??? yes???
You have only done 60 dives?????
Yet you have been a diver for ten years ????
Maybe I am just reading it wrong.
Please enlighten me.
I actually think your expectations of Koh Tao to be to high.
Did you go for training or to see fish. Or maybe you went to train the trainers in a thing or two? No?

How many schools did you ask if they had a AED on board their boat?

Also, in telling the readers the school you used ferried divers out to its boat you kinda gives it away. Certainly narrows down the field somewhat.

How Many days did you spend on the island? Five? Six?

I spent five hours in a US airport (Hawaii) once,
I left thinking I knew all about the US and what the USA was like.

Selling is part of the game. Just like most businesses.
Walk into a car yard and ask for a 1.6lt car.....before you know it you have walked out with a 2lt car. Its called upselling. It happens everywhere, even maccas....you want fries with that????

In regards to your gear???? I trained as a student and later worked,
no one ever touched my gear. I never had gear stolen, I carried my own and handled my own.
What are you doing allowing others to carry your gear and then not taking responsibility for allowing them when it is damaged.

If you did not enjoy yourself, and I actually do not believe that,
it would be due to your attitude.

 

[funrecdiver]

If you did not enjoy yourself, and I actually do not believe that, it would be due to your attitude.

When an instructor of a dive center lies to OW students and tells them they cannot dive with their OW certified buddy after they complete their OW certification, unless they take the AOW class, this is fraud. Perhaps you are OK with fraud, marinediva? Not me, sorry, I have a "negative attitude" about fraud.

Actually, since I did not name the dive center, nor did I provide any clues where anyone can guess who they were, I think my "attitude" is just about as honorable as it gets.

I never dive at any center where I think fraud is happening. I really have a very negative attitude toward fraud, lies and deception. It takes time to know these things and we don't see them on the first day, do we?

In Thai, the old song goes "Ruu Naa, Mai Rue Jai".. .which means "You can know the face, but not the heart"... and the song goes on to say that it takes a lot of time to know the heart. When I saw a PADI instructor repeatedly attempt to defraud his students, I learned the heart, or at least something about it (I think it was sales pressure)... and that is a fact.

If you wish to support and condone fraud (and call fraud "upsell" pressure), marinediva, then my all means, do so... but you will not see me condone it, and if that seems "self important" of me, then so be it. I do not condone fraud and do not support businesses that I know have employees who do.

....I also note a sense of 'righteousness' in this thread. An 'I am better than them' attitude bordering on racism.

To bring up racism is thread hijacking, pure and simple. You are attempting to hijack the thread. There is nothing in my posts or review about race or nationality. (Actually, trying to change the topic to a personal attack is a SB TOS violation, pure and simple... that must be why you have registered with a new user ID to post this comment, your only one).

Yes, I have a "righteous" attitude. As mentioned earlier, I do not do business with people who try to defraud others. Telling OW students that they cannot dive with another OW student after completing the OW course, in order to sell an AOW course, is completely against PADI standards. I consider it a type of fraud, as mentioned earlier. Also, as mentioned earlier, I would never dive with a shop/center/resort who has instructors that do this type of thing. If that is an attitude of "self importance" then so be it. Sorry, I do not condone or support fraud and never will do business with a center if I see this type of activity. Race/color/nationality/religion have nothing to do with my trip report.

 

[marinediva]

I feel someone stating they assisted on an open water course when they are only certified to rescue diver an exaggeration.
Some others may think it is fraudulant. Knowing Koh Tao, and knowing the bigger shops which use doryies as transport, as well as Burmese Equipment Managers I would think they have plenty of DMT's to assist.

As for the idea I support fraud, well no actually, last week I left my job as an instructor because of some grey areas in the running of a business I was working for.

I just think there is more to this than what you are letting on.

Like I suggested your initial posts were full of praise, then suddenly, two days later, you are leaving and things are bad. seems strange behaviour

 

[funrecdiver]

Like I suggested your initial posts were full of praise, then suddenly, two days later, you are leaving and things are bad. seems strange behaviour

Wow! My trip report is now a full blown CIA conspiracy? You make me laugh!

You think that if we had a good view of a dive center on day one, then when we see what amounts to fraud (there was no grey area, I was there and heard it repeatedly), then something is "strange"?

Quite frankly, what is strange is your replies, which make no sense, since you were not there. What is your purpose? To attack my unbiased report? For what purpose and motives?

If I had of posted "all was rosy and the water was so blue and I saw a pretty whale shark", then what would you say? I am guessing nothing. You are simply offended by the truth of my unbiased, direct experience and you are trying attack my credibility because you disagree.

For what purpose? You want to attack my credibility for telling the truth versus posting a "pretty blue water, pretty whale shark" report??

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

OP. I am trying to understand something. You seem to have been involved with classes. Were you a DMT? I mean, I would not have a rec paying customer assist with classes, so I just am trying to be clear. You were taking the DM course, right?

 

[funrecdiver]

OP. I am trying to understand something. You seem to have been involved with classes. Were you a DMT? I mean, I would not have a rec paying customer assist with classes, so I just am trying to be clear. You were taking the DM course, right?

Hi Zen....

I don't want to be "clear on everything" because the more questions I answer, the someone is eventually going to be able to name the dive center. ... my status from day-to-day (fun diver, DMT, etc) has zero do with the credibility and accuracy of my report.

If others are OK with PADI instructors lying to students to upsell, and others are OK with they gear being broken and other are OK with rude staff, then that is OK for "other":. This was my trip report, not "others" trip report. You are welcome to write your own

 

[marinediva]

I am simply trying to understand what you have said.
Its a big call fraud.
I simply remember reading those posts, as I like yourself have an interest in Thailand.
It suprised me to read you OP.

you seem to be avoiding the questions I posed to you by turning this discussion into questioning my motives in asking you in the first place.

simple Koh Tao is a great training island, and anyone reading my previous posts can see I have trained on that Island with more than one dive shop. Of course I am bias and will question what you have said, cause right now, it does not make sense. Sorry to offend you.

Just for the record, if you would have suggested you saw a Whale shark there in August, I would have known you were telling fibs

 

[funrecdiver]

I am simply trying to understand what you have said.
Its a big call fraud. I simply remember reading those posts, as I like yourself have an interest in Thailand. It surprised me to read you OP.

you seem to be avoiding the questions I posed to you by turning this discussion into questioning my motives in asking you in the first place.

simple Koh Tao is a great training island, and anyone reading my previous posts can see I have trained on that Island with more than one dive shop. Of course I am bias and will question what you have said, cause right now, it does not make sense. Sorry to offend you.

Just for the record, if you would have suggested you saw a Whale shark there in August, I would have known you were telling fibs

I agree that Koh Tao is a great training place for beginner divers. The waters are clear and blue and there is very little current. The island is beautiful and the people are great. I think I said this many times.

My trip report was on one Koh Tao dive factory.... and I think I did a fairly good job of explaining that in both my opening and closing paragraph.

Note: Since the mods of the board banned Thai_Diver for breaking the SB TOS, it seems he is back with another registered user id Scuba_dooby_doo, or so is seems, since he is crying about "banishment".....

 

[marinediva]

Just for the record I was an illegal immigrant to Thailand.
would hate to think how many instructors there do visa runs,
Many have permits, and more do not.
Burmese immigrants live there. Many have relatives who live on the island.
The Burmese and Thai intermingled and married, they are an intricate part of
Koh Tao and that region, as the Burma border is adjacent.