Internship in Thailand

[jimmyuk]

hi im jimmy, from the uk, im currently an open water diver.

iv got my heart set on turning pro, iv been looking into an internship in thailand to take me from an open water diver right up to msdt

i was wondering where in thailand would be the best place to do my training Koh Tao has caught my eye, could you reccommend some dive centres that i could use iv looked on the web and theres so many to choose from and also not knowing what centre is reputable is a bit of a concern, a reccommendation would be great.

Is doing this type of internship the best route to turning pro, and is becoming a msdt enough to be able to find work, what would be the best specialist courses to take to improve my employability

how long normally does it take to go from open water to msdt doing an internship providing training goes smoothly

how much should this type of internship cost in total including accommodation

how much cash do i need for living costs per month, iv been told about £250 per month is that really enough

what type of visa will i need

thankyou very much for taking the time to read my message any feedback would be greatly appreciated, cheers guys. jimmy

 

[DevonDiver]

Crystal Dive Cente, Koh Tao. The CD, Matt Boulton, does an excellent IDC.

 

[dirtguy49]

Koh Tao is kind of diving ZOO and the dive sites are not very good.

I have seen people doing IDC programs with Mermaids Dive Center in the Pattaya area. At least if you are in Pattaya and you have a few minutes to travel, you can take a bus or something. If you are on Koh Tao, you are stuck there. Here is the web site for Mermaids, I am told that they have a whole lodge set up for their trainees, etc.

GOOGLE - mermaids dive center in Pattaya

 

[DevonDiver]

You criticize the dive sites in Tao, and then recommend Pattaya?!?!

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Good point Devon!

Really, though, what is important for professional training is not the same thing as what's important for holiday divers. While Pattaya may be passed over by holiday divers -- at least those not interested in wreck diving -- it is one of the best places in Thaialnd for pro training due to the variable conditions you will experience over the months you do your internship.

As for Koh Tao, there's plenty of threads on this message board related to the area's reputation for diving and for professional training. Do your research!

For internships, you should seriously have a look at Aquanauts in Pattaya, which has lower prices, smaller classes and a hugely better pass rate than Mermaid's. See us at the link below.

 

[stevenl]

Is doing this type of internship the best route to turning pro,

IMO: no. The best route is enjoying yourself and gaining more experience while diving. Dive in different areas with different diving conditions, see what and where you like, and return there for your DM and/or IDC.

 

[DevonDiver]

IMO: no. The best route is enjoying yourself and gaining more experience while diving. Dive in different areas with different diving conditions, see what and where you like, and return there for your DM and/or IDC.

Good point. I failed to note the OPs dive experience.

It should be noted that whilst you could start a DM internship with as few as 20 dives, it doesn't necessarily mean you should.

A breadth of diving experience in different global locations and conditions goes a long way to making you a more accomplished and knowledgeable diver...which, in turn, makes you more professional, credible, respectable and employable as a dive pro.

That said, there are many people who do DM programmes in Thailand (and elsewhere) with the minimal number of pre-requisite dives.... and they undoubtably gain a lot of valuable experience and skills from the training.

However, if your long-term ambition is to become a credible and employable dive professional - then gaining some wider experience will give you something that can't be replicated on a DMT programme.

 

[jimmyuk]

thanks devon, sound advice again mate cheers, could you suggest any places to dive and the types of dives that i should be doing accross the globe that will give some good experience? cheers jimmy

 

[DevonDiver]

Go wherever interests you, dive your heart out...enjoy!

Don't forget the excellent diving to be had around the UK... I dove in the UK for 12 years before I moved to Asia as an instructor. I just couldn't wait for holidays to go diving...and swiftly became an avid fan of the wrecks around the south coast of the UK.

As for diving spots abroad....you can do a lot of diving, very cheaply, around SE Asia. Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia and the Philippines offer some easy options for very cheap independant travelling and world class diving.

 

[marinediva]

I did an Internship at Buddha View in Koh Tao.
The visa situation means you have to do visa runs. If you go to a border you would require a visa every month. If you go to an embassy every two months. I got to see Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Singapore on my visa runs, with the flight to Singapore costing less than $40 aus.

I decided NOT to go to mermaids because of the area, I don't enjoy watching sex tourists and dirty old european men with young children. Also they were more expensive than than Crystal or Buddha View.


There are some great sites off Koh Tao, and the fact is the focus is on dive training, not dive tourism. A large % of backpackers are on their way to AUst GBR where an OW course is twice the price. The cost of living is very affordable and it is possible to pick up work as a DM whilst you are waiting to continue your instruction.

I was there for 7/8 months and managed just under 800 dives. 4 a day plus every second day 5 with the night dive. The last three months I earnt enough money to pay for my accommodation and daily expenses.

A lot of people put it down, but basically these people have never been or never did professional training there.
It is a training island and if you are wanting to live diving for six months, this is the place.

Suggest you do read some other threads on the island.
The quality of instructor and course director is extremely high in the above mentioned schools and would challenge anyone to suggest otherwise.