Dive Master (DM) course in Asia

[Princess Leah]

Hi all,

I am planning to travel to Sri Lanka in January for 2 weeks and am looking into taking more time off afterwards to do my dive master course. I have started to do some research on different locations and dive shops in Asia, but am finding it a bit overwhelming with all the possibilities! I have done some diving in Mexico and Grand Cayman, and completed my advanced open water course last winter.

I wanted to know what people might suggest/recommend for the dive master course based on their diving experiences in Asia (good and bad!). I would love to dive in a location with a variety of sea life and dive sites. I'm not really into partying so would prefer more of a quiet and laid-back location that isn't focused or centred around the nightlife and party scene, but with the option to do so (eg. I hear Koh Tao is more of a party scene).

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Mucksavage]

You could do worse then to consider Malapascua in The Philippines where I am based. Its a small tropical paradise but not as developed as Koh Tao or Gili Trawangan. For example there are no roads or vehicles here.

The diving is world class and the main dive is with the Pelagic Thresher Shark - the only place on the planet where recreational divers are guaranteed to see them as close as 1m away. In addition there is of course the amazing amount of bizarre macro life, some historic wrecks, walls and reefs around.

There are plenty of very good PADI Five Star dive centres on Malapascua including the one in my signature! Have a look online and you will probably see it fits your description of varied diving coupled with a laid back environment perfectly. PM if you need any help or advice.

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

Wow, that's a very large search area to cover! I'd advise doing some more in depth research and narrowing it down to a handful of options. Otherwise you're just going to get lots of answers suggesting a whole range of different places and confuse yourself even more! Having been to Malapasqua myself however, I'd agree with Mucksavage that it would be an awesome place to train!

You are correct, Koh Tao is known for its lifestyle and party scene, although it is possible to live a chilled life here. We have a huge variety of dive sites (around 40-50) making it a great place to train. Is it the best diving in the world? No. Its good, yes, and with the added benefit of being diveable all year round. But if you are after bigger/more impressive marine life and a quieter vibe, I'd agree its probably not the location for you.

One very important thing to consider in Asia is the monsoon season, which varies massively and even within a single country can be very regional, with different areas experiencing their wet season at completely different times.

Hope this helps. Happy researching and enjoy your DM

 

[nightwolf]

Since your visiting the gem of the Indian Ocean why do do your DM here?
You will find most the dive centres located here offer the course and will be more than happy to help you.

Some of the best dive locations are actually located in Colombo. Wrecks and aquatic life are plentiful and most start at 18m depth.
I will PM you the information on the dive centres in Colombo so you can do a bit of research.

Regards,
Matt