Where is the Best Place to do a Dive Internship in Thailand??

[cardboardbox]

Hello, Im planning to do a dive internship in Thailand with my bf. At the moment I'm just looking around at different places-we want to do a 7/8month course from pretty much nothing to lots and lots and lots of dives and experience through the qualifications and fully able to teach others. Where do you think is the best place to go??
Ive already researched and the first place I found was Mermaids and really couldnt spend that long in Pattaya and if the waters really murky with strong currents-great to build your skills but would scare me to not doing it from the start, I know we were chucked into large waves and being chucked off whilst trying to swim out on every attempt then being pulled over into a wave when I was just floating at the back waiting for one I had the guts to try- lets just say I didnt get back in until we got to a nicer white water beach and then my confidence grew.

But anyways found some in Koh Tao that sound good- like Crystal and The Simple Life. However Crystal has great awards n bits but has awful reviews from guests just staying as a visit on holiday-I dont wanna be in an environment where people are rude and theres apparently bed bugs. Weir slept in a hammock due to cockroach infestation on our fave island in Thailand-which was lovely being woken up be the sunrise over the beach omg!! but sooo cant do that when need proper sleep for training for so long too. And well the Simple Life had much nicer reviews. But it is hard to find reviews by people who have done these courses or actually know if all the oo something by PADI awarded something is actually any good.

Hope someone takes the time to help Thanks!! Chrissy.

 

[ChrisMan]

I recently started my internship at Mermaids and am loving it so far. The instructors have been excellent. Regarding the vis, it ain't that great, but hasn't stopped me seeing turtles, rays etc.

Go for it!!

 

[cardboardbox]

Thanks, thats great to hear. I looked at another forum about Mermaids and people do seem to have a lot of good things to say about them.

 

[PfcAJ]

The diving in Pattya isn't great, and the city is even worse (unless you're into ladyboys and hookers, then its great).

I had a pretty good time with Coral Grand at Koh Tao. The instruction I saw wasn't the best (burned out instructor), but the other staff was very helpful and energetic, the equipment was decent, and the facility is pretty great. I found the staff on the boat to be very helpful.

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

There are other choices than those mentioned, of course, include us at Aquanauts in Pattaya.

While Pattaya may not be the first choice for holiday divers because of visibility and current, those are exactly the reasons its such a top choice for divemaster and instructor training. My grandmother could do a rescue in flat seas and 100 meter visibility, but those aren't the conditions most rescues happen in. Divers get stressed by temperature, current and not being able to see. While fortunately Thailand's warm seas remove the temperature factor, there are still the other two.

As a professional, you need to be ready to handle situations in strong currents and low viz. After all, your first or next job working as an instructor may not be in ideal conditions. You certainly don't want to be forced with doing a rescue when it's your first time in a ripping current or low viz.

Read enough on here and you'll read other comments about instructors who trained in Pattaya having above-average skills, particularly on rescue and navigation. We've had our DMs leave and go work liveaboards in the Similans then come back and remark at how no other DMs on their boat could bring a customer back to the ladder under water. No compass skills. And the customer pays, as they get a nice 100 meter surface swim while Aquanauts DMs pop up and the ladder is right there.

Chrissy, a 7-month internship doesn't mean you have to stay in Pattaya the whole time. The courses do not take that long to complete. The six-month requirement comes from PADI, not us. So there's lots of time to travel and we organize trips to the Similans and Philippines, to name a couple of places, to give you more variety and experience.

Take a look at us at DivingInstructorTraining.com. You'll find Aquanauts is a better choice than Mermaids for several reasons, price among them. We are less expensive, include more courses and equipment and have a far superior pass rate. Only Aquanauts has a 100% pass rate since June 2007: more than 3 consecutive years now.

You can also ring us for free from the UK at 0800-8456-710.

Hope to hear from you soon,

 

[ChrisMan]

I'd agree with alot of the above, but from zero to hero at Mermaids, with accomodation and equipment is actually around £600 cheaper at Mermaids if you pay in full before the course. That said, I've heard some good things about Aquanauts too.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi cardboard box.

Your might wish to ask this of Quero (Marcia) --> ScubaBoard - View Profile: Quero

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

ChrisMan -- That's not accurate information.

Our 7-months Aquanauts Value internship is 5,000 GBP. Mermaid's 7-month package is 7,375 GBP
Aquanauts Value PADI Scuba Diving Instructor Career Internship | Aquanauts CDC Thailand PADI Instructor Internships Divemaster IDC MSDT Staff Training Courses

Even our Aquanauts Complete 7-month package is 7,416, so the difference you cite of 600 pounds less expensive is not correct.

 

[ChrisMan]

I paid £6800 for the full 7 month package. There is a discount if you pay Mermaids in full prior to starting.

 

[cardboardbox]

Thank you every one -i was so worried no one would reply. lol. Im taking your advice DocVikingo, and im still looking into the pattaya idea-just a bit scared of jumping into a strong current when im not used to it-but im sure it wouldnt be like that. Plus got to see what my bf thinks.
Let me know how your internship goes Chrisman-have u been there long?