Some advice needed

[chris74]

Hi,my name is Chris and i am a 48 Y/O Male from Australia and want to learn diving after a recent trip to Thailand where i tried it in a pool there and loved it.
I have read the open water manual so will have a little knowledge when i get there
My question is i am going to Phuket In Feb to do my Open Water course and so confused on who to go with as there is so many,i will be staying in Patong.
I spoke with Kingfisher diving,dive asia and sunrise among others when i was there and now really confused.
I liked kingfisher and sunrise as they said they would limit class to just myself and maybe one other.
Any help and suggestions would be appreciated from anyone who has done this course over there recently or can recommend anyone.
Thanks and look forward to reading and learning a lot more

 

[DiverBuoy]

I'm not from there, but didn't want you to think no one saw your post, or greet you. Give it a full 24 hours and keep monitoring your post here and you'll have plenty of reponses from folks from Thailand who know first hand or divers who frequent the LDS (local dive shops) in that region. Thanks for such a nice intro with all the details, look forward to you joining the rank of fellow diver Chris74.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Also this post may help:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=122998

and this forum:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=422

 

[Quero]

Hi,my name is Chris and i am a 48 Y/O Male from Australia and want to learn diving after a recent trip to Thailand where i tried it in a pool there and loved it.
I have read the open water manual so will have a little knowledge when i get there
My question is i am going to Phuket In Feb to do my Open Water course and so confused on who to go with as there is so many,i will be staying in Patong.
I spoke with Kingfisher diving,dive asia and sunrise among others when i was there and now really confused.
I liked kingfisher and sunrise as they said they would limit class to just myself and maybe one other.
Any help and suggestions would be appreciated from anyone who has done this course over there recently or can recommend anyone.
Thanks and look forward to reading and learning a lot more

Hi Chris! Glad to hear that you are soon on your way back to Phuket to take up scuba diving.

Since we all teach according to the standards and procedures of the certifying agencies we belong to (meaning that there isn't meant to be a lot of variation in the course itseslf from one instructor to the next) the greatest factor in terms of student satisfaction is probably the rapport the student develops with the instructor. If you know somebody you like and trust, that may be the instructor for you.

Freelance instructors (like those that many storefront dive ops contract to work with students like you) are often able to accommodate one-on-one or very small group courses, and there are many, many freelancers on Phuket. By February, the season should be somewhat less busy than it is now, which will make it even easier for you to get the kind of individualized attention you want with an instructor you will feel comfortable with.

 

[chris74]

Thanks for that advice i really appreciate it.
I would like to book with someone prior to leaving as i will arrive on the 9 Feb and would like to start on the 10 Feb.
I will have read the manual a couple of times by then and can use the dive planner ok now.
would like to get the one on one training rather than a group of about 5 or 6 if possible.
Quero ,if you can recommend i would really appreciate it.
My e-mail addy is chriss710@hotmail.com.
Thanks again

 

[murphdivers286]

Welcome to the board 2006 Scubaboard..... Looks like you have your question answered, but if you need any additional help just semd me a PM (Private Message).

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Hi Chris Welcome and hope you find a good instructor for your Open Water...

 

[DandyDon]

I've in Fort Lauderdale today - been driving and diving the Overseas Hiway from Key Largo to Key West with some others from ScubaBoard.com for the last week, but wanted to say "hi there.

don