Why not do my DM on Koh Tao?

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Actually I have had quite a few bad dive experiences. 40 years in the industry is enough to see most of it and cultivates a pretty healthy respect for staying -- well, healthy.

The ability to differentiate between good and bad, safe and unsafe, dive operators is critical. It's a shame that, usually, this ability only comes with experience - which mean that it is the novice divers who are least likely to spot a dangerous operation and most vulnerable to those dangers.

I did use the best process overall: I was Assistant Manager and quit in protest over the whole mess after six months of not being able to change things.

Yes...I've had simular experiences. The worst was actually in Koh Tao...where I quit as manager of a centre due to the Thai owner, who was consistently getting involved to the detriment of safety and industry standards.

I actually resigned from there, because the owner hired a DM because he was dating the owner's wife's cousin... the owner then decided that the DM concerned didn't earn enough money...and 'ordered me' to let him do all the DSDs. He then proceeded to act in a dangerous and unprofessional manner. Having had numerous head-to-heads with the cretin (who knew that I couldn't sack him), I came into work to find that he had arranged for himself to take 4x DSD divers at White Rock (16-18m). The owner backed him, despite the fact that I clearly explained the standards etc. I quit. There's nothing more you can do.....

The same dive operation had not hydro'd or VI'd it's cylinders for 6+ years when I took over the management. 3 of the cylinders that had been in use actually failed hydro (corroded/worn valve threads). The instructors who worked at that place when I first took over used to smoke cannabis before diving. I sacked them.

I was young and naive...thinking that I could turn the place around.... but the owner was the cause of the problem...and there's little you can do about that.
 
Hey Nikki,

Sounds like we might have been diving at the same place..... lol:wink:

Oh yes ! Can't wait to be doing so again !

You are absolutely right about hooking the gear, I think it should be taught to every student. Compressed Ear-Blast Explosions just have to be outlawed.

I don't see why more folks don't invest in a dive bag with a good strap over the shoulder. Lost two masks in the Philippines to those darn boxes and gear cooks in the sun. My tropical kit weighs no more than 20 kilos with regulator, and everything stays cooler (and UV protected) in a wet bag.

They can carry my tanks/weights, lunch and all the drinks.... quite a bit !

Say hi to S and give her a smooch for me. You can decide where as long as it makes her giggle ! :eyebrow:
 
He he, nikki you are not referring to tim, are you :), have fun on the idc nikki and hope to see you in dahab for some tech diving one day!!! best wishes for 2011 to all scubaboard members!!!
 
Nikki:
The sad truth is that sometimes the boss is a Sociopath. By definition they are cunning, smart and especially charismatic. Such operations are out there and all of us have to watch very carefully. The key is just remembering to look.

Of course the boss is a sociopath! why on earth else would anybody invest in a dive centre if there wasn't a chance to torture their staff and clientele?

They may well look like normal people, and even buy a beer or two, but they're not just after your money, they're after your soul,and before you know it you're working in the dive industry and leaving that boring office behind.

And once you're in , you're in and one of them............
 
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They may well look like normal people, and even buy a beer or two, but they're not just after your money, they're after your soul,and before you know it you're working in the dive industry and leaving that boring office behind.

There's a dive center here in Alaska with a .ORG address. When I asked about non-profit status when they clearly weren't, the reply: "Have you ever heard of a dive center making any money ?" :wink:

Seriously though, one has to watch out. Some outfits DO make lots of money on the backs of locals and by cutting corners for customers. While an experienced diver can tolerate a bad experience with just some grumbling, novices can be pushed away from this wonderful sport by an early emotional trauma that can almost always have been prevented.

I try not to spend my money in those places, it's just a matter of Karma/Honor/ (insert specific cultural fabric here).
 
He he, nikki you are not referring to tim, are you :)

Tim is sweet as Canadian Maple Syrup with one of the most appropriate personalities I've seen in the industry. I can't think of anything from your home country or I would attempt just as nice a metaphor....

Would love to see you around some tec diving. I could recall the glory days of diving inside icebergs ! Mind blowing white-walled caves that kill in an instant. But it sure was fun.

Highly recommended for your extreme tec groupies looking for something new.
 
Has there been any conclusion from the original poster on Koh Tao? Im thinking of heading out there at the end of the month to work (newbie OWSI)... would be interested to hear your take on the place.

:D
 
Hi Guys,
I have just got back from completing my DM with Bans. Best time of my life!learnt so much and the Instructors/course directors were all very helpful and great fun. Im sure the other schools on KT are great too but from my experience you cant go wrong with Bans. Plus their bar (the fishbowl) is the best on the island ;-)
 
Came back three days ago from MSDT course plus 4 weeks interning at Bans, and can only say 'ditto' to 'can't go wrong with Bans'! Classy outfit, that. Also ditto to Tim being as sweet as Maple syrup :). (bring him some Tim Hortons' coffee and he'll love you forever). He is SOME teacher, managing to take the anxiety out of performance requirements and learning and teaching in general - and that is no mean feat when dealing with a black belt worrier like me! Was pretty much left to my own devices for the internship, waiting to get picked up by instructors in bars (Yes. Fishbowl.) and street corners (the one between reception and dive shop). Worked beautifully! Got to team-teach every day, except for one day where I chose to put in some beach time and snorkel with the cute lil' (5') blacktip reef sharks in Shark Bay instead. Plenty of work to go around at that shop, they are very busy, so, if you're looking for a place to get hands-on experience and rack up some certs, Bans' is the way to go! Worked with 7 different instructors and was very impressed by nearly every one of them. Nah, make that 'overawed'. Different styles and personalities of course, which is all good, it taught me lots on what to do, and some on what didn't seem to work as well. But even with some of the styles I didn't like so much, there is no COMPARISON to some of the crappy outfits I have been a victim of myself, in the past, as a beginner! The general standard on safety and professional competency and sticking to standards is extremely high, I think. The place is very well organised, they got the bugs ironed out. This is a professionally-run business. It is amazing how they combine the high volumes they handle with still producing capable divers and thing never getting too crowded. They have streamlining down to an art form, without cutting much corners on safety. It does help that most of the divers there are very young and backpackers, and so they tend to be less fearful, worried or physically limited than, say, your average day tripping cruise shipper in the Caribbean.

Dive sites are busy, that's true, but the main impact is concentrated on the two shallow teaching sites, White Rock and Twins. Not sure, but to me, 'overdived' would mean thrashed, and it's not that. More a question of ethics and experience - it IS weird to have so many other groups of divers in the water all around you. Most keep off the reef quite nicely, though. It's the sometimes poorish viz that would not make KT my number one recommendation for a fun dive destination for a serious diver. (Unless you are into worms, sea cucumbers, nudies, huge bivalves and other assorted jelloid creatures, there is an amazing selection of those.) Pretty enough to keep you entertained for a few days of diving, for sure, and everything except booze is cheap, and the topside life is marvelous! Such a pleasant little island! I couldn't speak much to nightlife as I'm 49 and married, but good music, good food, small but scenic beaches, fantastic landscape, very safe (except the scooters), lots of other things to do (do not, I repeat, DO NOT miss the trapeze school. It's a TRIP! You HAVE to try that. No really, you have to!), nice atmosphere. Dirt roads, chickens roosting on the racks where they dry your clothing, mynah birds serenading you from every tree, jungle peeking out everywhere, and smooth granite boulders in fantastic shapes decorating the whole coast line (Look! A whale! A fish head! A monkey! A buddha. A ..umh. A phallic symbol..). And still with all that rustic charm, well developed: easy to get everything you need, buy supplies, internet etc. Great weather, didn't need the AC, the cheap fan room worked just fine. And last but not least, SAFE dive operators! At least Bans and Sunshine divers, can't speak for the other ones.
As for carrying your gear, yes you do have to do that, but it's not so bad. Me, I shudder whenever I hear 'valet diving', because I'm thinking, in the end, I'm the one that pays for it. As a dry suit diver and packing my own weights on shore dives here in BC, that little bit of gear you need for tropical recreational diving seems very manageable. Also, weights and rental regs are kept on the boat at Bans', and the instructors carry masks and snorkels, so students just have a BC, shorty and fins in their bags. Very light. And the bags do get handed up to the boat by instuctors or DM's, so you just carry them a few meters over the beach, and rinse those three items. You need to learn to do it anyhow. If you bring all you own gear like me, ok, your bag will create an discernible 'ooof' sound as it travels up along the human chain, but many hands make short work, and the distances are very small. If you do have physical limitations, Koh Tao may not be the funnest place for you, though, because you have to clamber up to the big boat from the long tail (without your gear!). If you haven't climbed a swinging tire for some decades, that may seem challenging at first. There is always plenty of crew to help you, though, and all are friendly and helpful. :coffee: Oh and last but not least, tea, coffee and cookies on the boat :). Beats the hell out of watermelons on the rare windy day.
Me, I have that theory that Koh Tao is run by a syndicate, on Las Vegas model: Vegas lures in people with cheap hotels and buffets, then fleeces them in the casinos. Koh Tao lures people in with great and cheap diving, food and accommodation - then fleeces them in the bars. If you can resist the Lure of the Buckets, you can have an amazing holiday or dive education at a GREAT value.
 
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