Where to go pro - recommendations?

[flashman]

Hello everyone,

I recently quit my job (Army officer), and am heading back to Thailand in a few weeks to pursue my DM and IDC, with a view to ending up qual'd up to MSDT. I am hoping to be able to make enough working in SE Asia to sustain myself out there and work for a few years. Maybe make a new career out of it with further quals, depending on how it goes. However, if I walk away in six months with my MSDT and back home I will still be happy, having gotten six months of diving and a new skill set out of it

I have a window of a few years where I can go back to my job in the military with no problem, so I am not stressed if this plan doesn't work out and I have to go back... I love the military too, and am leaving just for a change of pace. I have enough stashed away that I can live for a year or so in Thailand without worrying about finding employment, which I figure should give me time to train, gain experience, and hopefully find a job. I'm not labouring under any illusions of finding a great paying job (or any paying job ) as a DM or getting trained in exchange for work - I plan to both work hard and be prepared for the costs involved.

I am hoping to get some recommendations as to where to go. I am planning to start off doing my DMT at Ban's. I was there earlier in the year, and was very impressed with their operation. I won't pretend to be well versed about the dive industry, but I do have lots of experience in operations management and training delivery, and Ban's seemed to be very professionally run, operated very smoothly and had a high standard of instruction. The primary reason I am looking to go there is the same reason many may avoid Koh Tao - the large number of students that flock there and general training focus of the island. I figure if I want to train and then get experience instructing, this is the place to do it.
I have ruled out Pattaya based on the environment there (ie the party focus and sex industry)... I am also looking for options in Phuket to get up to MSDT, but have never been and have no knowledge of that side. I will be heading to the Similans shortly after I arrive for a week long live aboard, and intend to get a better idea of the options on the Andaman side then. Possibly with a trip to Phuket at the end to check out dive shops.

Any help from those who have gone before would be greatly appreciated! I promise to return the favour to others when I'm in a position to do so

I'm figuring on $1,000 USD a month for living expenses based on asking around the DMTs on Koh Tao - as an outside figure. Is this realistic? More? Less? Not counting course fees and travel around Thailand in this of course. I am budgeting around $5,000 USD to get trained up to MSDT. Realistic? I am well kitted out already, with a few BCs, couple of reg sets, masks, fins, etc, so am not worried about those expenses.

If you're still reading, thanks for your time and any advice Can't wait to get back to Thailand and diving!

 

[Arizona]

I would check out:

Padi IDC Thailand Scuba Diving Instructor Courses and Internships

I did my DM through SIDS and will complete the IDC and IE with them as well. Samui is a good compromise between the limited things to do outside of diving on Koh Tao and the extremeness of Pattaya IMO. I am sure other dive schools will follow shortly with postings. The market is competitive. I would find a good instructor and an organization that has the business to provide you the classes you will need to be involved with to get the certifications you seek.

PM if you want further info.

Good luck,

AZ

 

[Diver_City Boys]

I did all my diving education in thailand with 4 dive center at samui, kohtao, phuket. I think the best decision i made was, not to do my dive education in Koh-tao. I mean do your DM and IDC, where you you think you have opportunity to both live and work at least longer term. And i don't think it is a place like Koh-Tao

Do your IDC, where it's not very intensive. Some DCs do their IDC 2-3 days earlier than others with less candidate. Avoid CDC centers, All i know they are Giant scam in thailand the way they do operate and afaik the training goes..

 

[stiggy]

Hi regarding Instructor training.

Koh Tao has a huge selection of dive centers and at last count,approximately 15 PADI Course directors,They also have 4 SSI Instructor certifiers and I believe some CMAS examiners as well.

Thats a lot of high level trainers on a small island.Its a bit presumptuous to tar all with the same brush Diver city boys.

Like any group in life some are good some are bad.

Jamie mcloud from Trident is a good bet he team teaches with Matt Bolton.

Jamie@techthailand.com

or check out Koh Tao ITC - Scuba Diving Instructor Training Courses and Instructor Crossovers in Thailand for an alternative route.

What ever or where ever you decide good luck and safe diving/teaching in the future.

 

[divingguru]

I would say that Phuket offers by far and away the best instructor training in Thailand. I have managed dive centers in Phi Phi, Phuket and Koh Mook and Instructors trained in Koh Tao are not the best. The diving in Phuket is also far better than anything that the Gulf has to offer. Also in Phuket you can have more of a life away from diving, unlike in Koh Tao where every instructor seems to end up being a pot head. There are several great Course Directors in Phuket, and I'd be happy to get you in touch with the right people when you get here, just give us a phone after your liveaboard.
Hope this has been useful.

 

[smartecosse]

i agree with diveguru

if you are a pot / piss head then Koh tao is ideal

otherwise check out elsewhere - oh, and the diving is awful on tao

PS - pls don't bother flaming me over the awful diving comment - it is awful and no matter how many times those with shops there say that it isnt it still will be

 

[limbo]

What's with all the hate about Koh Tao?

We all live and work in the same country, why not support each other rather than bashing each other?

 

[thien]

Hey Flashman,
your original post was very well written and clear on what you are looking for. So, all you need to do is follow through with your expectation and go find it. Since you will be in Koh Tao, and also visiting Phuket for a liveaboard trip, why not take a day out and go meet the Course Directors, and visit a few the training facilities?
Just like trainers in any other field, not every instructor trainers are the same. All of the Course Directors have to go through the same training path, and teach by the same standards. However, you may find that one will have the training style that fit your needs more than others. Face to face meetings will give you the opportunity to make a well informed decision of which IDC program can get you to your goal. Because at the end of the day, a good Course Director will most likely make time for you after your course, both as a mentor & colleague. Because, real success in the instructor development course should be measured base on how long and how far you will go after the dive training, not just passing an exam.
Just my 2 bahts to help...

 

[flashman]

Thanks everyone for your replies; I will take the advice here and spend a few days looking around Phuket for options to do my IDC 1/2 and onwards. It seems at least there is no shortage of options.

Although the consensus seems to be that the diving in the Gulf is not as nice as on the Andaman side, that's only an incidental factor for me. The best place to learn and best place to dive are not necessairly the same It would be nice if the two coincided though!

 

[limbo]

Flashman,

People who live in the Gulf may think differently. Although the diving may not be as good as some parts of the Andaman Sea during some parts of the year, there are very good dive sites in the Gulf, like Sail Rock and Chumpon Pinnacle, they easily beat some of the sites in the Andaman Sea and Lighthouse on Koh Tao has some of the best coral I've ever seen (very shallow though).
For wrecks, Pattaya is unbeatable in Thailand and that's also in the Gulf.

Once around these shores, feel free to contact me as well regarding your IDC.