has anyone heard of aquanauts or mermaids in pattaya, i like the open water diver instructor package with all the equipnemt accommadation and training,are they any good or is there a similar package somewhere else in a better to do it in thailand
Mermaids or Aquanauts?
- Thread starter benwoodss
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There are plenty of options and choices in Thailand. I'm located in Koh Samui and work with small groups and lots of personal attention.
Koh Tao and Phuket are other good options, have a good look around. If you like more info, feel free to PM me.
Koh Tao and Phuket are other good options, have a good look around. If you like more info, feel free to PM me.
Ex-Aquanaut
Contributor
Hi Craig, I sent you an e-mail reponse to your inquiry today. If you didn't get it, let me know.
Camille, reading your year-end stat report I actually was pretty amazed that you certified just two fewer instructors than we did last year. (39 vs. 37)
So, like you, small groups and lots of personal attention is what we do.
Camille, reading your year-end stat report I actually was pretty amazed that you certified just two fewer instructors than we did last year. (39 vs. 37)
So, like you, small groups and lots of personal attention is what we do.
Wow, Camille is up there with the "Big Boys". Glad to have done my part 
Is that the normal range of instructors Aquanauts' promotes annually? I bet the DM numbers are different.
For the OP, think about season and the environment you want to live in while doing your training. If you can visit a few places and make personal contact that would be ideal IMO. It sounds like you are just starting out and this process will take some time (as it should). Obviously, my experiences with advanced level instruction is mostly with Limbo, but I do dive Pattaya regularly and can comment RE: environment and dive conditions... I have had the pleasure of diving with Aquanauts and Mermaids on several occasions over the past 3 years, both are very good IMO. In the end you will be assessed by the same PADI instructor process so the training will cover the same standards. PM if you want more info.
Good luck,
Is that the normal range of instructors Aquanauts' promotes annually? I bet the DM numbers are different.For the OP, think about season and the environment you want to live in while doing your training. If you can visit a few places and make personal contact that would be ideal IMO. It sounds like you are just starting out and this process will take some time (as it should). Obviously, my experiences with advanced level instruction is mostly with Limbo, but I do dive Pattaya regularly and can comment RE: environment and dive conditions... I have had the pleasure of diving with Aquanauts and Mermaids on several occasions over the past 3 years, both are very good IMO. In the end you will be assessed by the same PADI instructor process so the training will cover the same standards. PM if you want more info.
Good luck,
For my 2d worth, go for small. If it's all the extras on top that attract, then fine, but for me the attention, detail and delivery were tops. I didn't do my IDC in Thailand, location is not so important, I chose my CD on reputation.
If you are here on holiday I would suggest Southern Thailand everytime before Pattaya. The diving in Pattaya is really not that good. Bad viz, not much to see, dangerous jetskis and speedboats and an area that is culturally void. I'm sure this will piss off a few but it's true. I live in Bangkok and dive Pattaya once a month or every other just to get wet but wouldn't go if I was on holiday.
Hi,
My tuppence worth....It looks like you have only just started diving from your profile.
If this is true then why commit to your IDC with a company at such an early stage. I'm sure Aquanauts and Mermaids are both perfectly reputable but you should also be aware of whether the location is suitable for you.
From my experience Pattaya is a fairly ordinary place to dive and if you have the freedom to look at other places too then do so. However, if you need to be near Bangkok or are a rampant sex tourist then sure Pattaya is probably the best place for you to do your IDC.
Otherwise take a look around and consider what is important to you. If you are just starting out then why would you want to do a huge number of dives in one of the most mediocre spots in Thailand?
Fyi I did a very rewarding Advanced-DM at SeaDragon in Khao Lak and then did IDC in the Perhentians in Malaysia.
Cheers and Good Luck
My tuppence worth....It looks like you have only just started diving from your profile.
If this is true then why commit to your IDC with a company at such an early stage. I'm sure Aquanauts and Mermaids are both perfectly reputable but you should also be aware of whether the location is suitable for you.
From my experience Pattaya is a fairly ordinary place to dive and if you have the freedom to look at other places too then do so. However, if you need to be near Bangkok or are a rampant sex tourist then sure Pattaya is probably the best place for you to do your IDC.
Otherwise take a look around and consider what is important to you. If you are just starting out then why would you want to do a huge number of dives in one of the most mediocre spots in Thailand?
Fyi I did a very rewarding Advanced-DM at SeaDragon in Khao Lak and then did IDC in the Perhentians in Malaysia.
Cheers and Good Luck
Ex-Aquanaut
Contributor
JDF and Surin, you're both missing the OPs point. He's not planning on being here on holiday, he's coming to do a long-term, professional training internship. And, for this, Pattaya is an excellent choice, specifically for the reasons that make Pattaya less than desireable for many vacation/holiday divers.
Yes, Pattaya often has challenging currents, poor visibility and lots of others sharing the water. If you're here for a fun dive, that may turn you off. If you're trying to challenge and test yourself with an eye towrd becoming a professional instructor or divemaster, then those are pluses.
Think about rescue scenarios. The majority of rescues do not occur in flat waters with 100m visibility. They occur where the victim is stressed, whether it be through ripping currents, low viz or (inapplicable to Thailand) low temperatures. If you've trained as an instructor in only ideal conditions, what happens the first time you're out in the real world and have to face a real rescue in poor conditions. I certainly wouldn't want my instructor to be just as freaked out as me if I were a new diver in that situation.
With due respect to the other centers and CDs in southern Thailand, I think its fair to say that Pattaya consistently, 11 times a year, produces some of the highest quality instructors that pass the IE in Thailand and Southeast Asia. While they, of course, can never go on the record and say so in a forum such as this, PADI examiners, at each and every IE, tell the assembled candidates that they love coming to Pattaya because of the standard and level of preparedness of the students.
Note that Aquanauts has not had anyone fail an IE since June 2007 and has certified more than 70 instructors in that time.
As for the comment that only "rampant sex tourists" would enjoy Pattaya, you're simply being petty (and ignorant) Surinboy. Yes, if that's what you're into, then there's lots on offer, but Pattaya gets more total visitors (Thais and foreigners) than any other beach resort, nearly 5 million last year. There are more than a dozen tourist attractions, including a terrific aqarium, tropical gardens, zoos, museums and cultural sites. Families and young children are common sights and the city is host to FIVE 5-star resorts.
If it were what you claim, none of that would be true.
The red light scene is easily ignored and, for someone staying in one location for 6 months or longer, then remote locations like Khao Lak, while lovely, are impractical and even boring. If you're going to stay long-term, you want modern conveniences like shopping, theaters, bowling, gyms and a wide vareity of restaurant cuisines. The area is host to two recompression chambers, two world-class hospitals and offers all the enjoyment of tropical beach living and the comforts of an urban beach resort.
Is Pattay for everyone? No. But is it as bad as many on this forum from the southern regions like to claim? Certainly not.
Yes, Pattaya often has challenging currents, poor visibility and lots of others sharing the water. If you're here for a fun dive, that may turn you off. If you're trying to challenge and test yourself with an eye towrd becoming a professional instructor or divemaster, then those are pluses.
Think about rescue scenarios. The majority of rescues do not occur in flat waters with 100m visibility. They occur where the victim is stressed, whether it be through ripping currents, low viz or (inapplicable to Thailand) low temperatures. If you've trained as an instructor in only ideal conditions, what happens the first time you're out in the real world and have to face a real rescue in poor conditions. I certainly wouldn't want my instructor to be just as freaked out as me if I were a new diver in that situation.
With due respect to the other centers and CDs in southern Thailand, I think its fair to say that Pattaya consistently, 11 times a year, produces some of the highest quality instructors that pass the IE in Thailand and Southeast Asia. While they, of course, can never go on the record and say so in a forum such as this, PADI examiners, at each and every IE, tell the assembled candidates that they love coming to Pattaya because of the standard and level of preparedness of the students.
Note that Aquanauts has not had anyone fail an IE since June 2007 and has certified more than 70 instructors in that time.
As for the comment that only "rampant sex tourists" would enjoy Pattaya, you're simply being petty (and ignorant) Surinboy. Yes, if that's what you're into, then there's lots on offer, but Pattaya gets more total visitors (Thais and foreigners) than any other beach resort, nearly 5 million last year. There are more than a dozen tourist attractions, including a terrific aqarium, tropical gardens, zoos, museums and cultural sites. Families and young children are common sights and the city is host to FIVE 5-star resorts.
If it were what you claim, none of that would be true.
The red light scene is easily ignored and, for someone staying in one location for 6 months or longer, then remote locations like Khao Lak, while lovely, are impractical and even boring. If you're going to stay long-term, you want modern conveniences like shopping, theaters, bowling, gyms and a wide vareity of restaurant cuisines. The area is host to two recompression chambers, two world-class hospitals and offers all the enjoyment of tropical beach living and the comforts of an urban beach resort.
Is Pattay for everyone? No. But is it as bad as many on this forum from the southern regions like to claim? Certainly not.
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