Scuba Diving, Dive Shops, Live-aboards

[Toolman192]

Hi,  I love to scuba dive.  I wanted to start a thread that talks about scuba diving.  It can be for suggestions for dive shops, resorts, live-aboards, etc.  Please make recommendations for anything related to diving.

 

Thanks,  Richard

[LASportsNut]

Great idea.  I love your profile photo. 

[yappal]

Look forward to chatting about SE Asian diving.  I am headed to Redang and Perhentian Islands in Malaysia in a couple of weeks for some diving.  Sorry I wont be able to make a side trip to Thailand.

[Toolman192]

I agree.  I am obviously her for the ladies, but I have not been to Asia.  I want to see some sights, and I want to dive.  I am sure a trip to Phuket and the Phi Phi islands will happen, and I am looking at the Thailand Aggressor.  I have been on several of the Aggressor Fleets other ships and love them.  Their motto is Eat, Sleep, Dive.  With a slight change......."Sex, Eat, Sex, Sleep, Sex, Dive" and my fantasies will come true.

[alonen]

Mostly diving centres are OK!

 

Just avoid http://www.divecentrepattaya.com/ bad attitude, expensive, bully manners IMHO.... 

 

Actually all others are good! 

[TDAGLM]

I am a diver also...but didn't know what  Aggressor Fleets were...so went and had a look. Seem interesting.........

[Toolman192]

I am a diver also...but didn't know what  Aggressor Fleets were...so went and had a look. Seem interesting.........

 

IMHO, Aggressor liveaboards are among the best out there.  They really are dive boats made for diving.  They are not the life of luxury, but they are clean, nice, professional, and perfect for diving.  I have been on 4 times.  There motto is eat, sleep, dive.  You typically do 5 dives per day.  Excellent food.  And with those two you will sleep well.  It is also nice diving from a liveaboard since they do not have to come back and forth to shore in a specific spot so they can access the best sites and sites that are less frequented.  The Thai Aggressor is new, but I am looking into it, but I think my first trip to Asia will be more sight seeing and mongering and I will do some diving.  

[muffhunter1]

I used "South Siam Divers" out of Phuket. Great live-aboard boats!

 

Check out their web site for more info.

[Toolman192]

I used "South Siam Divers" out of Phuket. Great live-aboard boats!

 

Check out their web site for more info.

 

 

http://www.southsiamdivers.com/%C2'>

[Toolman192]

I used "South Siam Divers" out of Phuket. Great live-aboard boats!

 

Check out their web site for more info.

 

 

Here is the website:     http://www.southsiamdivers.com/

[fishman64]

I have a free week in Sept and want to dive.

I was looking at http://www.similandivecenter.com/liveaboard-koh-bon-similan-islands.html

 

I just need to make my way to Khao Lak. Where the f$#% is Khao Lak? lol

I assume I fly into Phuket then take a taxi??

 

I could just get hotel in Khao Lak and just do daily dives.

http://www.similandivecenter.com/daytrip-similan-islands.html

 

Anyone have other suggestions for diving in thailand?

If you only had one chance to dive, where would you go?

Thanks

[ost22]

Yes you fly to Phuket for Khao Lak and take a Taxi. Take maybe 45 min and 1000-1500 baht.

 

Problem is the National park in the Similan is closed until November. Weather in September can be very bad for diving. I don’t know if there is some good diving out of the National park near Khao Lak but if you go to Khao Lanta (south of Phuket) and have some luck with weather you can have some good diving.

[fishman64]

Yes you fly to Phuket for Khao Lak and take a Taxi. Take maybe 45 min and 1000-1500 baht.

 

Problem is the National park in the Similan is closed until November. Weather in September can be very bad for diving. I don’t know if there is some good diving out of the National park near Khao Lak but if you go to Khao Lanta (south of Phuket) and have some luck with weather you can have some good diving.

 

That sucks. I just got a return email back from the liveabord saying the same thing. Damn.

A dive shop in Phuket returned my email and they have daily diving around PhiPhi and Raya Yai.

Maybe I will do that.

[Thizar]

Great thread, cant believe that I just found it.

 

I'm due to head off back to Thailand in the next couple of months. I can get a fairly cheap flight to Phuket but never been there before. I'm a keen wreck diver, does anyone know of any good wreck dives to do around Phuket? and any recommendations for companies to use.

[takkishinegra]

done some decent dives around pattaya with seafari, good wrecks and also been on a few trips beyond pattaya with them - came across 2 dolphins at Koh Sak a month ago !

 

http://www.seafari.co.th/

[ScubaKen3]

I have never done the Live Aboard Dive Boat.  Sounds perfect for a Dive Addict like me, however cabin fever worries me a little.  Do they stop or dock at small towns or Islands? Are there any Girl Friendly ones known around Thailand?

 

Scuba Ken

[bodbod]

its cheaper and better diving in Spain ,one question to any dive shop that dears to answer Spain pays European wager European taxes European fuel costs Thailand pays thai wages = crap pays thai tax = v low pays thai fuel cost = v low charges top $$$$ for diving = rip off ???????

[el_jefe]

What's the cabin situation like on these lived boards? Shared I guess. Wondering if I'm too old to share a room. Do people go on these trips alone or mostly with a bunch of friends.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[boxershrimp]

done some decent dives around pattaya with seafari, good wrecks and also been on a few trips beyond pattaya with them - came across 2 dolphins at Koh Sak a month ago !

 

http://www.seafari.co.th/

 

Seafari are good, yes. But pretty small, so if the instructor on call has to instruct, they bring in freelancers. Which is always a lottery. I've never lost in that lottery, but I have met some interesting characters. Like the one slightly older gent who regaled me with tales of soi 6 and such, the entire way out and back (he'd just gotten married, so maybe he was missing that whole life?)

 

Best to dive with is a blond british guy who's also been the main instructor when I've been there. Sorry, I'm terrible with names, but I think he's Neil? Haven't dived with them for a while now, but I walked past there a couple of times when I stayed at LK Empress last time (~2months ago), and he was still working then at least. Professional but not boring, that's the best kind of guide you can have, in my opinion. Also, there's an episode where him and me went down to the Hardeep and then got totally blown away by the currrent. That sort of thing makes him easier to remember, for sure.

 

Best looking and friendliest was a pinay instructor. (Mem? Mam? Something like that, maybe.) She's not the best diver, but fun to dive with if you can tolerate cringing every time she crashes into shit

[Capna]

Thanks for this thread. I'm making diving plans for south Thailand in the last week of October this year.

[boxershrimp]

I finally went off the deep end and decided to try diving back home. Today was "getting used to your dry suit in the pool" day, and on Sunday I have two OW dives. In water that's supposedly around 10 degrees now. Why did I sign up for this...?

[forcebwithu]

I finally went off the deep end and decided to try diving back home. Today was "getting used to your dry suit in the pool" day, and on Sunday I have two OW dives. In water that's supposedly around 10 degrees now. Why did I sign up for this...?

 

LOL. Reminds me of my OW qualification dives. Early spring in Wisconsin during a day with light snow falling. Adding to our misery, the dive was in one of the large flooded quarries where the water is headache cold all year round.

[Thaidive]

Sea Bees divers is a good choice in Phuket. Run by Germans, not much of a sence of humor but safe and well run.

 

Rode my scooter from Kata beach to khao Lak last year, took two hours.

 

Day trip on Similans were ok, very crowded Richaleu Rock is a great dive, about a two hour speed boat ride from khao lak.

 

The further away from wet season you get the better the vis. Many Thai reefs are experiencing bleaching, due to rise in water temp, so check with local dive shops before heading to sites.

 

Heading to indonesia this year for diving. Anyone have any experience there? Looking for recommendations.

 

Thanks

[boxershrimp]

I've dived around/near Bali, mostly around Nusa Penida from over on Nusa Lembongan. It was freaking excellent, and really cheap too. In my experience, and judging from what I've heard from other people about other places, I'd say Indonesia has the best value diving in the world.

 

Best dive in my life so far was off Nusa Penida. A real washmachine one, in a manta soup. i.e. we were thrown about like crazy by the surge while scores of mantas were (apparently) playing all around. Sensory overload, I can assure you.