new gear in thailand

[Ibdapilot]

Oh my, "Funkyspelunker" you hit a chord... been a while since anyone mentioned Soi Cowboy. Wow, a dive shop near there? Imagine that! What i would n't give for a night along Soi cowboy.

There used to be a place callled "Larry's ", I believe, off Soumkuvit across from the Queen's Park Hotel. It was both a dive shop and bar/restaurant. Decent prices on dive gear and a KILLER american style hamburger in the restaurant side.

 

[Blox]

Ok, maybe I was wrong about Pattaya, but I know for sure theres a wider range of kit in the stores on Phuket and Tao.

Maybe I just couldnt find them in Bangers as they were located on the 8th floor of some obscure building in a district that taxi drivers wont take you.

That Mares shop was in Soi 24, right next to one of the biggest shopping centers/malls (Emporium) but has moved recently. Since I've got pretty much all I need, I could not be bothered to find out where they'd gone. You'r right though - it was a couple of floors up

 

[Blox]

lbdapilot,

There is indeed a DS pretty close to Soi Cowboy - the Bangkok Branch of Dive Supply. It's located in Sukhumvit Soi 23, i.e. definitely bordering Soi Cowboy.

"Larry's Dive" is still there and still running with the same concept

 

[Quero]

Buy your gear in Thailand. Even if the prices are similar to Holland, you can get 7% tax back at the airport on departure, which would automatically make your purchase 7% cheaper. Make sure to ask the shop to fill out the forms. I bought all my gear in Phuket when I still lived in Malaysia for that reason.

I agree that you should consider the cold N. Atlantic water you dive in at home when ;you buy your regulator. You can get sealed first stages in Thailand (frost protection). I bought a Legend LX Supreme at All 4 Diving in Patong (Phuket); it has a sealed first stage and a lip guard for use in cold water.

Don't bother buying a warm (7 mm) wetsuit in Thailand unless you want to get one custom made. There's a shop in Chalong, on the road to the pier, very near the roundabout if you're looking to do that, although I have no idea if they even carry materials of that thickness. Otherwise little to no thermal protection will work just fine. I generally wear a full-body half-mil neoporene just to keep the jellies off my skin. If I'm chilled after multiple dives, I layer a half-mil Radiator shirt under it.