Ringo
Contributor
Obviously you must have done this when you worked here but unlike your experiences we have never paid or had to pay a baht to the police.
Mandatory TDA membership
- Thread starter katdiver
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Obviously you must have done this when you worked here but unlike your experiences we have never paid or had to pay a baht to the police.
Latest news from PADI is that after a meeting with the highest authority at TAT Phuket, this TAT person denied that one has to become a TDA member and definately not a CMAS member.
Work is in progress to tie up a few loose ends, amongst others in the vein of what Ringo remarked, the 'equipment approval' paper has not to be signed off by TDA but posibly by each own organisation.
This sounds like a good development and hopefully TDA will remain but has to or will open up to everybody without forcing anybody to become a CMAS member.
Work is in progress to tie up a few loose ends, amongst others in the vein of what Ringo remarked, the 'equipment approval' paper has not to be signed off by TDA but posibly by each own organisation.
This sounds like a good development and hopefully TDA will remain but has to or will open up to everybody without forcing anybody to become a CMAS member.
stevenl
Contributor
At the moment there are talks with TAT head office in Bangkok. By phone they already confirmed there is no TDA membership requirement, so hopefully they confirm this and will be willing to let other TAT offices know the same, especially the one on Samui (do you have one there or is there one in Surat?).
Samui needs to go through the Phuket TAT office. It seems that they'e responsible for all of the South of Thailand.
Steven, between who are those talks with TAT Bangkok and......?
Steven, between who are those talks with TAT Bangkok and......?
stevenl
Contributor
TAT Bangkok and PADI (I did not confirm this myself with Hans BTW, but Katdiver just did, see the answer below).
TAT Phuket has confirmed that a membership of TDA is not required, so your saying that you also do business with Phuket TAT surprises me. But maybe there are separate persons handling Phuket and Samui applications/renewals.
TAT Phuket has confirmed that a membership of TDA is not required, so your saying that you also do business with Phuket TAT surprises me. But maybe there are separate persons handling Phuket and Samui applications/renewals.
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OP
I got a call from Hans U this morning. The top director at TAT Bangkok states that there is no requirement for TDA membership for staff or businesses. The equipment approval paperwork will be dealt with by the agencies the centres are aligned with. Hans told me to contact him if any anomalies crop up in the future.
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stevenl
Contributor
That sounds good. But let's now wait ans see what the local TAT offices say and more importantly do.
OP
Does anyone have an update on those Samui dive centres that got their TAT renewals turned down because they were not TDA?
Hi Katdiver,
Me thinks that Hans cleared all potential problems for the time being. This high up person at TAT Phuket basically said none of all these supposed new rules regarding TDA/CMAS had any substance and if somebody in his office said different, he was to be called to the rescue and set his minors straight.
I would assume that Hans contacted the shops who were involved and cleared all potential problems. I can follow up though and see what's up. To the best of my knowledge one shop became a TDA member and had their TAT license renewed during this short period of TDA/CMAS madness, but they had French staf on the paylist who were already CMAS instructors, so at the most, they lost out on 11.000,-THB for TDA/CMAS dive center membership.
Although this is a very positive first step, I most certainly hope that all recreational dive organisations that have vested interests in Thailand will stand up, possibly unite and call a halt to the potential compulsary CMAS membership.
Me thinks that Hans cleared all potential problems for the time being. This high up person at TAT Phuket basically said none of all these supposed new rules regarding TDA/CMAS had any substance and if somebody in his office said different, he was to be called to the rescue and set his minors straight.
I would assume that Hans contacted the shops who were involved and cleared all potential problems. I can follow up though and see what's up. To the best of my knowledge one shop became a TDA member and had their TAT license renewed during this short period of TDA/CMAS madness, but they had French staf on the paylist who were already CMAS instructors, so at the most, they lost out on 11.000,-THB for TDA/CMAS dive center membership.
Although this is a very positive first step, I most certainly hope that all recreational dive organisations that have vested interests in Thailand will stand up, possibly unite and call a halt to the potential compulsary CMAS membership.
OP
Thanks Limbo. Indeed, what should the greater Thailand diving industry do to ensure it's not hijacked in the future?
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