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w00ti

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Location
Singapore
# of dives
0 - 24
Hello Everyone! I'm pretty new to diving and this forum! But everyone seems really nice and I hope to learn more about diving from everyone here:D

Just a burning question : How do you guys normally plan your dive trips? Do you go to shops recommended through the forums or is there a go to website to search for dive trips? I'm thinking of going on my first dive trip in Phuket and all the websites out there confuses me haha:shakehead:
 
When I plan a dive trip I use ScubaBoard as one source as well as sites like TripAdvisor and word-of-mouth from other divers. I don't remember ever being disappointed if I researched my trip ahead of time.
 
Ahh I see..seems like I have to do a bit of research. How long does it normally take to research? Also, what are the things to look out for during a dive trip?

Thanks in advance!
 
My technique is as follows.
Decide on possible destination(s).
Search Scubaboard on diving in these areas, weather, monsoon times, current, water temp, type of diving, etc
Search the web for dive shops etc.
Search Scubaboard for reviews/comments of these dive shops.
Search Tripadvisor for reviews on these dive shops.
Search Tripadvisor on accomodation.
Google "diveshop name" review
Google "accomodation name" review
Google "location name" review
If I am not finding much then post a question on Scubaboard for anyone who knows the location or area and can recommend
As with any of these reviews.
If the poster has < 10 posts then treat with caution
If it is wildly different from the other reviews (positive or negative) treat with caution
If it is more than 3 or 4 years old then I tend to ignore, over 18 months treat with caution.
Beware different cultural backgrounds,
Try and read 4 or more reviews from any reviewer
Sometimes it is worth while to PM a reviewer to understand what the problems were .
I take a special note on weather at the time of year as some locations shutdown or restrict their activities for the wet season. In some cases it affects currents, water temp, etc.

Have fun, even when it does not always go to plan you can still have a great trip.
 
U May or maynot have been to his Singapore forum

Scubasg.com

Searching scuba board is also good
 
It's my understanding that the majority of the diving in Singapore involves travel to surrounding areas, so all the dive shops should be pretty familiar with dive operators in the nearby destinations. Ask the shop where you got certified if they organize trips, because a lot of shops do. Going with a group of people you have met before will make a trip more fun.
 
My technique is as follows.
Decide on possible destination(s).
Search Scubaboard on diving in these areas, weather, monsoon times, current, water temp, type of diving, etc
Search the web for dive shops etc.
Search Scubaboard for reviews/comments of these dive shops.
Search Tripadvisor for reviews on these dive shops.
Search Tripadvisor on accomodation.
Google "diveshop name" review
Google "accomodation name" review
Google "location name" review
If I am not finding much then post a question on Scubaboard for anyone who knows the location or area and can recommend
As with any of these reviews.
If the poster has < 10 posts then treat with caution
If it is wildly different from the other reviews (positive or negative) treat with caution
If it is more than 3 or 4 years old then I tend to ignore, over 18 months treat with caution.
Beware different cultural backgrounds,
Try and read 4 or more reviews from any reviewer
Sometimes it is worth while to PM a reviewer to understand what the problems were .
I take a special note on weather at the time of year as some locations shutdown or restrict their activities for the wet season. In some cases it affects currents, water temp, etc.

Have fun, even when it does not always go to plan you can still have a great trip.

Thanks for the heads up! Seems like a lot of research I need to do haha..Not as easy as I thought. Is there an easier method to compare the price of different dive shops? I'm a bit of a lazy bum haha


I've read through Scubasg.com, but it doesn't seem to be very active. The community here seems larger and more active

---------- Post added July 29th, 2014 at 11:29 PM ----------

It's my understanding that the majority of the diving in Singapore involves travel to surrounding areas, so all the dive shops should be pretty familiar with dive operators in the nearby destinations. Ask the shop where you got certified if they organize trips, because a lot of shops do. Going with a group of people you have met before will make a trip more fun.

Yea I thought about it, but I think it will be cheaper to go with the local dive shops in the area rather than dive operators in SG. Saving every bit counts :D
 
If you want a good experience, it often requires a bit of research. I know when I spend my hard-earned $$$ to travel somewhere remote, I want to get the best diving bang for my buck. I don't care about frills and 5-star accommodations but I do care about the reputation of the dive operator I choose. I want to know many things about them besides price. That's why I spend the time researching. And, of course, ScubaBoard has been a good source of information for a number of my trips.
 
Hi w00ti, I'm from Singapore too, and let me also add a disclaimer that I'm also an instructor, but my advice is based on my own experience, as well as lessons learnt from others. As DrBill wrote, there are MANY other factors besides price that you MUST consider. Do realise that all businesses have overheads to maintain, and yes, plenty of operators out there will undercut each other just to land your business. But something has to give when it's that cheap, and it's usually instructor to student ratio. It's not uncommon to see one instructor to more than 10 students. Educational institutions are very guilty of this because they want it cheap. So what gives besides the high ratio? Using "assistants" who are usually NOT trained to look out for signs of panic, or how to react to situations. Imagine yourself being at the end of a line of, say, 10 students, and your instructor is at the other end. Heaven forbid, if there's no one looking out for you, and you're feeling panicky, who can you turn to? Even in a pool situation, when an instructor took their eyes off the student, the student bolted to the surface and after a series of mishaps, drowned.

There is an excellent article that is pinned on Scubaboard, called "how to look for an excellent scuba class". Do search for it.

As I've written numerous times on my own blog: if a dive operator tells you that "it's only diving, how hard can it be?", run as quickly as you can. Yes, call me an alarmist, but I tell my students that diving IS dangerous if you're not well trained, and GOOD training takes time and money. And diving safe isn't just about "getting over and done with" the training, it's about mindset as well. I've been in some hairy situations and while I griped about it during my course, I was thankful when the **** hit the fan, and I was able to react to it quickly and instinctively, because even during leisure dives, I took a bit of time to practice emergency procedures.

Diving is supposed to be fun, but it's fun only when you're well trained and have the peace of mind that you'll be able to take care of yourself if something happens. Don't scrimp on your training.

Enjoy your journey!
 

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