What's the deal on Koh Tao?
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jamespitt
Guest
the diving is ok in KT, but yure probably having much better diving in the gilis at the moment. save your bucks for diving around indo. head east and dive sumbawa, flores, rinca and komodo. apparently timors got some great diving and also sulawesi too. there are heaps of places better than KT.
the only reason KT is so popular is because it is so cheap and easy to get to from BKK. and some people have a "pack mentality" and feel safer going where everyone else goes. for purely diving, give it a miss. for a beaut island and soem social activities, then consider it.
i was also impressed with tioman islands off malaysia. redang is better and perhentian have also got good reports.
jim
the only reason KT is so popular is because it is so cheap and easy to get to from BKK. and some people have a "pack mentality" and feel safer going where everyone else goes. for purely diving, give it a miss. for a beaut island and soem social activities, then consider it.
i was also impressed with tioman islands off malaysia. redang is better and perhentian have also got good reports.
jim
scuba734
Guest
This has been thrashing around for a while, so I don't know if my warning is in time. I am not talking about the diving or accommodation quality, but on what you intend to do. Presently, Immigration Police and Department of Labour are very serious abput alien working in Thailand without a proper work permit. The law states that not only the employee but the employer as well, will be brought to court. The penalty for the employer could be that his/her business licence will be revoked. We are hiring 2 dive instuctors and 2 dive leaders, and are now going through the legal process, to safe those 4 people from being "illegal aliens". People, especially aliens who have worked in Phuket, KT or PP would say nonsense, we never get caught. Let me put it this way, lots of cars may run through red lights, including yours. But when you get caught, the explamamtion of "but that's what every body is doing" doesn't help.
Hey,
I just recently completed my DM at Buddha View on KT. I spent a little over 2 months there, diving 2-4 times a day. Although BV is one of the larger schools they operate 3 large boats, and occasionally a speedboat as well, so things aren't generally too crowded. The equipment they offer is...so so, but I was diving with my own gear. Mark is great!! Really nice guy and definitely knows his stuff. Also the group of instructors is really good too, good attitudes and good teaching manner. I can't comment a lot on the diving since most of my dives have been in Thailand, but I will say that there are many dive sites very close to the island, lots of fish life, although perhaps not as many exotic species as other places, and the last month or so I was there the deep dive site...Chumpon pinnacle...had a huge influx of 2-3 meter reef sharks in addition to nice schools of batfish, baracuda, trevali, etc. Corals in and around Koh Tao are not the best...on one of my last dives there we found the one lonely soft coral growing umolested out in the sand. The lifestyle on KT is a good one...very chilled out for the most part, although there is allways a party going on someplace on the island every night. Buddha View is located on Chalok Baan Kao beach, which is much prettier and more layed-back than Sairee. Plenty of accomodation to be had on the beach, or nearby, for not a lot of cash. I may go back next year to do my IDC at buddha view. They have a very nice (air conditioned) IDC facility. Thumbs up from me.
Dan
I just recently completed my DM at Buddha View on KT. I spent a little over 2 months there, diving 2-4 times a day. Although BV is one of the larger schools they operate 3 large boats, and occasionally a speedboat as well, so things aren't generally too crowded. The equipment they offer is...so so, but I was diving with my own gear. Mark is great!! Really nice guy and definitely knows his stuff. Also the group of instructors is really good too, good attitudes and good teaching manner. I can't comment a lot on the diving since most of my dives have been in Thailand, but I will say that there are many dive sites very close to the island, lots of fish life, although perhaps not as many exotic species as other places, and the last month or so I was there the deep dive site...Chumpon pinnacle...had a huge influx of 2-3 meter reef sharks in addition to nice schools of batfish, baracuda, trevali, etc. Corals in and around Koh Tao are not the best...on one of my last dives there we found the one lonely soft coral growing umolested out in the sand. The lifestyle on KT is a good one...very chilled out for the most part, although there is allways a party going on someplace on the island every night. Buddha View is located on Chalok Baan Kao beach, which is much prettier and more layed-back than Sairee. Plenty of accomodation to be had on the beach, or nearby, for not a lot of cash. I may go back next year to do my IDC at buddha view. They have a very nice (air conditioned) IDC facility. Thumbs up from me.
Dan
scuba734
Guest
Last heard, a few weeks ago, all of New Haven, every thing, are all closed down.
The guy who was shot down was the brother of Ban owner. He was into local politic and constuction and others, but not diving. So, the mafia world is not that bad in KT. People do get shot or killed in other places around the world too.
The new and probably one of the best hotel in KT is Coral Grand Resort, and the price is also higher than the others, but not too much.
KT Cotage, I have been there 3 times, not because I like it, but it's the favourite spot for dive trips, which translates into "not so expensive". Guess next season, I'll pamper myself by staying at Coral Grands Resort !!
The guy who was shot down was the brother of Ban owner. He was into local politic and constuction and others, but not diving. So, the mafia world is not that bad in KT. People do get shot or killed in other places around the world too.
The new and probably one of the best hotel in KT is Coral Grand Resort, and the price is also higher than the others, but not too much.
KT Cotage, I have been there 3 times, not because I like it, but it's the favourite spot for dive trips, which translates into "not so expensive". Guess next season, I'll pamper myself by staying at Coral Grands Resort !!
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