Beginner traveling in mid//late December -- Tips for Location and Dive Ops Please!

[emilynewbie]

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds to this... I am going to Thailand in December. I have the option of going to the islands around the 20th. I have heard that Koh Tao is great for diving (and cheap), but I also heard that it will be monsoon season there, although it is considered a year-round diving location.

I can spend about 5 days or more in the islands, and I want to either do my OW referral dives or the whole OW course.

I'm looking to do this as cheaply as possible. I saw that Big Blue Diving in Koh Tao offers OW for 9000, including accommodations in backpacker style housing. Something comparable would be fantastic. Also, it would be a bonus if there are other things to do nearby other than diving.

Any recommendations for dive ops and islands?

 

[ayeshacantrell]

Your Open Water Course here on Koh Tao is 9000-9800B depending on weather you do PADI or SSI.

If you were wanting to do some of your learning online before you come then you might consider SSI as their elearning is free.

You can check this out here..

SSI :: SSI Scuba Schools International :: take your dive @ diveSSI.com

If you want to know a bit about the differences between PADI and SSI - you can read this blog that I wrote...

Which to choose – SSI or PADI? « Courses « Diving On Koh Tao « Master Divers

November is typically when monsoon hits here and we close our dive centre however at the moment Im not really seeing any sign of us getting a proper monsoon. We open, as most other centres that have closed do, on the 1st Dec when the worst of the weather has typically passed. You can have a look at the link in my signature which has dive reports going back several years now which will show how the conditions were in previous years too.

Please do remember that this is a very busy time and I would strongly advise you to book particularly where accommodation is concerened ans especially if you are looking at the more budget options. Rooms are already filling up.