Search results

you can do your theory part online as brnt999 suggests & even the confined training with a local dive shop if you have one, it will save you time in Asia but will cost a little more & you miss the social side of training with your group. Once you've chosen a location, yes there are a few here...

Last year on Koh Tao monsoon started mid December & there wasn't much rain, this year it "started" mid October & who knows how long it will last for, the advertised November monsoon in the guide books doesn't apply anymore. Yesterday the viz around the dive sites close to the island is 8-12m...

I've worked for a few dive shops on koh tao & while some are a "dive factory" most offer well structured DM courses & its true that most new DM's will probably never work in the industry. Most, if not all, DM courses can be done in a time frame to suit the customer. Best advice is to come here...

By big/slow boat I meant the normal ferry services, don't know why i didn't write that in the first place....

You would be looking at a 3 hour or more 1 way trip from samui on a normal boat, 6 hrs or more both days. 2 dives 1 hr each plus 1 hour break. so a 10 hour day, unless you get a company with a speed boat. Don't know of any on samui. You could try getting a normal ferry to Koh Tao & book a...

Have a look here http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/thailand/465480-padi-idc-koh-tao-feedback.html, for some tips on searching for an IDC

True enough, but you can fly to Samui & Chumphon from BKK & take taxi & ferry from there, I think there is golf on samui & chumphon...

The weather on Koh Tao is changing right now, not officially monsoon but not summer time either, & the ferry's do eat into your travel time but you can take over night ferries to save time & accommodation costs & there's enough to do on land on Koh Tao & Koh Phangan for non divers.

We're (Koh Tao) sitting under a storm right now, but is expected to leave soon, check out windguru for the weather conditions you can see for yourself, its pretty good but not entirely accurate. A whaleshark was here a few days ago & as the sea temp lowers to 28/27C we should start to see more...

There are a few IDC's to choose from, do you want Padi or SSI? A place where you can do both IDC & Tech? Do you want to work afterwards? Do you want a big school or small? Remember to research who the course director is & ask for references. There's a few IDC centres here but only 3 Tech shops...

In Feb the weather is decent on both sides of Thailand, you could do Koh Lanta as suggested, Krabi (climbing, kayaking & culture, central market), Koh Tao for diving mostly, bouldering, easy climbing, an animal clinic to work out & Eco project (Koh Tao Exists). Travel between all 3 places is...

I was on perhentians for 6 months, you can't "trust" monsoon seasons, beautiful islands & the small one has more life if you're travelling alone, being a small island prices are higher than the main land. I stayed in Semporna for a few days, expensive & not pretty but the diving was amazing...

I've worked in Dahab, Perhentians & Phi Phi but like Koh Tao so much I've stayed for 2 years, its a great lifestyle here & some good people.

Koh Tao has great conditions for the last 1 week, right now 20m+ viz, 30-29C temp, no whale sharks or bull sharks yet, they should arrive in a few weeks when the conditions change.