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That is an interesting development with respect to pricing. I used Koh Tao for the value, the vibe and the array of dive shops available. There were easily 75 to 100 in 2014-2018 and the courses and multi dive packages some of the lowest in the world. None of the dives stood out to us, I was...

Regarding Koh Lanta. First of all, some context. My perspective comes from ~300 dives, I am rescue/deep/nox cert. Maldives, Red Sea, Indonesia Malayasia, Carribean, Philippines. Land based and live aboard. I visited first time in 2022, I was not expecting much and had a few extra days in...

I cannot overstate my disagreement with what you say about Koh Tao vs Lanta. Koh Tao is a scuba cert dive factory with nearly 100 dive shops pre covid and likely that number now. The sites have ten to thirty boats hitting them each and every day and you feel that. There will be swarms of...

and you will have complete disappointment as no shop on Koh Tao island posts anything about Sail on a regular basis. It is just too far for the slow boats they operate to get there. Koh Samu has the only shops that go there and it is limited to once or twice a week when conditions are deemed...

Sail Rock is by far the best dive site in the gulf. I have dived there three times and always from Koh Samui based dive shops. Koh Toa has no dive shops that feature or advertise Sail Rock. That trip is like 2/3rd of the way to back to Samui and seems to be well outside the range of Koh Tao...

and this has exactly what to do with getting to Lanta???

well, thank you for that reality check. Sure enough "Touristic Boat ( Suspended due to the Corona pandemic )"

Along the same lines as the OP, except this is for warm up dives, so to speak. My situation is that I'd like to get into the area several days (likely four or five, perhaps more) ahead of a Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone liveaboard that leaves from Hurghada. I am ~300 dives, Rescue/Deep/Nox...

This was a refreshing and incredibly helpful thread. Having over 300 dives throughout southeast Asia reading this thread most likely prevented me from making a huge mistake in diving here. The harshness of the shore dives, the complete lack of big things and other considerations would likely...

Once in ~300 dives I had a belt come off. it was my fault for not checking it and making adjustments after my decent. Weight belts are used millions of times a year without incident. In my case, I immediately dumped my BCD and exhaled, signaled my dive buddy and went head down hard kicking...

I'm Rescue/nitrox, ~210 dives and planned to go to Coron with my two teen sons, (AOW/nitrox ~75 ea) this January. Reading this thread, I am seriously reconsidering. I am not not ok with the S.O.P. of these dive shops and don't want to get into an disagreement about it on vacation. Apo...

Agreed. Somehow I got my islands mixed up late when posting. Providencia is the target island for for all the reasons mentioned. The review posted on CHUM is a terrific read. Very helpful.

90% of the people saying "Phuket", in fact, mean they are going to Patong, within the province of Phuket. And there is no dive resort in Patong with local reef dives 15 minutes away. I fully underestimated the distances involved to dive sites on my first (and likely last) time I went to...

How was the scuba trip to San Andres Island? Looking to go there in early January with my two teen boys. Very experienced divers. Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand.

Makes a lot of sense. Agreed, AOW doesn't make you advanced, its the number of dives you do that increases your skill sets, the accumulation of subconscious competency, the feel, the awareness, that gets you better. You mention watching gauges most of the dive. Not necessary to once you've...

This thread got dropped. I want to let any future visitor know that NO Dive boats leave to APO Reef in late June. Forget about it. Storms start to smack Apo Reef and its not safe for the boats to be out there. No diving again until at least November. So nix late June until sometime in...

This is an absolutely invaluable thread ! OP, thanks for starting the thread, and same to each of of the replies. I have inquires out. Me and my two teenage boys as a group of three.

Monterey??? really, w.t.h?? imho, it doesn't belong on anyones list. You say: "...can have incredible viz". Reality is visibility is normally quite poor. Those days are very rare and special days, most of the time you are stuck with less then 15 feet, five meters. The days of great visibility...

Wow, that video totally blows me away. So Unauna-Sactum is it? Where you ok with their service for this area (Palau Sulawesi and Togean)? I will be in Bali and promptly heading to the Komodo Islands with my two teenage boys. I could go to Palu area as well. I love south east asia...