Instructor Course in Thailand

[madfishdiving]

Ok so a mate from work who travels to Thailand on a yearly basis told me that diving courses over there are quite reasonable in price.. is this true?

Because after recently completing my Rescue Diver course I thought it would be great to do dive master etc. dive instructor over the next couple of years.

I could spend a while over there having a ball as a wicked holiday but also get my accreditation.

I would love to hear what people have to say.

Cheers, Stef.

 

[Garrobo]

Other than the long flights and cost of living in Thailand, that might be a good idea. Lots of things to do over there that are illegal here too. Get your shots and have fun.

 

[samaka]

Or... Go somwhere nice instead... Thailand is good on the paper but when you get there you wish you'd gone somewhere els. There are plenty of options. If you desperately wnat to go to South East Asia I would recommend the Philippines which is like Thailand but nice. Or... if you're serious about your DM and Instructor course you could go to Egypt...

.....a.....

 

[madfishdiving]

Anywhere really guys....

The main thing would be just to do a bit of travelling, hopefully with a couple of mates but perhaps do the course's on our travels.

Egypt you say? why is that?

 

[Hank658]

Anywhere really guys....

The main thing would be just to do a bit of travelling, hopefully with a couple of mates but perhaps do the course's on our travels.

So says the guy from SA with the GBR in your backyard! Dove it once and would love to get back. Now that's travelling, at least for me...... Goes to show location is also a matter of perception!!

 

[maged_mmh]

Or... Go somwhere nice instead... Thailand is good on the paper but when you get there you wish you'd gone somewhere els. There are plenty of options. If you desperately wnat to go to South East Asia I would recommend the Philippines which is like Thailand but nice. Or... if you're serious about your DM and Instructor course you could go to Egypt...

.....a.....

OP is from Australia ... Egypt is way too far IMO

 

[madfishdiving]

So says the guy from SA with the GBR in your backyard! Dove it once and would love to get back. Now that's travelling, at least for me...... Goes to show location is also a matter of perception!!

good point. its still a fair way from me being at the bottom end, but still worthy of a choice.

 

[torqd]

I did my IDC in Thailand and was very happy with the results. Of course, you have to do your own research to decide on where you want to be and who you want to do your certifications, but Thailand can be a very nice place. There are places that I wouldn't choose, but I enjoyed my time there enough and I would go back to Thailand to work, if I thought I could get the right visas.

I can say that I really enjoyed my time on Koh Samui (about a month) for my IDC, and then my internship in Koh Tao (about three months). Both are islands in the Gulf of Thailand, have good bargains for housing and food, and are reasonably easy to find vendors that speak passable english. The time I spent in Chumphon, Bangkok, and points in between was limited, and there were many fewer locals that spoke english. It's my understanding that Phuket is a great place as well, but it's more commercial and therefore more expensive with seasonal diving.

 

[String]

Thailand is good on the paper but when you get there you wish you'd gone somewhere els. There are plenty of options. If you desperately wnat to go to South East Asia I would recommend the Philippines which is like Thailand but nice. Or... if you're serious about your DM and Instructor course you could go to Egypt...

.....a.....

I find it amusing that someone in Hurghada (a horrible horrible main town with absolutely nothing nice there at all unless you like dust and concrete) telling someone thailand isnt good. Egypt itself is nice but somewhere like Dahab, Marsa Alam etc. Less of the outright tacky tourist crap and more relaxed (with less concrete dust).

"Thailand" is a big place - you cant blanket the entire country with one statement. There are many resorts each with different characters. If you want low-life, festering debauchery then Pattaya exists. If you want more diving orientated and quieter you have Koh Samui and so on. "Thailand" isnt one homogenous place.

 

[madfishdiving]

am i right in thinking that the actual courses are cheaper over there than say, in Australia?

another question is how long does the dive master course take roughly? like how many dives etc.