Scuba diving in Thailand

[Quero]

I am giving my own experience on diving in Phuket.
...This is my suggestion to any new divers going to Phuket:
...Try to find out which operator run its own boat.

That is certainly one way to approach making your bookings. It will take a lot of time, though, and is still rather scattershot.

Another approach, and the one I suggest, is to work with a good agent who knows about all the options so that s/he can recommend boats that meet the diver's needs and wishes. An agent who has no vested interest in which boat the customer goes on is far more objective and prepared to find the best fit between the customer's needs and the available options than an operation whose business it is to fill up its own boat first and foremost.

 

[red_barbarian]

It's possible you may find a good agent that will match up your needs with the right operator, unfortunately it's my experience your just as likely to get an agent that wants to book you and the highest commission trip. The overall recommendations found on Scubaboard in my experience are the best resource in finding a good fit.

It's been my experience in Phuket that you get the luck of the draw in terms of boat crowding. Almost all my dives in this area have been tech dives either deep or long penetrations in the King Cruiser so my experiences may be different from what you get. Thg diving in the Phuket area has better viz than the northern Gulf areas. The marine life density is marginally better in the Phuket region, the wrecks in Pattaya are probably more interesting for divers staying inside the NDL's and wreck penetration limits. The viz around Koh Phi Phi has been better in my dives than the areas the Phuket shops usually go to.

Diving in Thailand is becoming quite expensive for the quality of dive experience. If you are coming strictly for the diving you may wish to investigate some of the Indonesian and Philippine areas as well. In the end your personal tastes and interests will dictate what gives you the best dive experience and value. To the OP if you detail what you really like in your diving and what's important to you I'm sure you will get quite a few responses that will help you make an informed choice.

 

[Centrals]

That is certainly one way to approach making your bookings. It will take a lot of time, though, and is still rather scattershot.

Another approach, and the one I suggest, is to work with a good agent who knows about all the options so that s/he can recommend boats that meet the diver's needs and wishes. An agent who has no vested interest in which boat the customer goes on is far more objective and prepared to find the best fit between the customer's needs and the available options than an operation whose business it is to fill up its own boat first and foremost.

May I know whose that "agent" would be for someone who had never been to the island?
How would you locate this "agent"?
Dive operators come and go quite regularly. How could that "agent" has all the necessary knowledge of each one of them?
I never ever utilized the service of a agent to book my diving. I contact the operator directly, cut off the middleman.
There are more than enough informations available on various forum for any interested party
to look at.

 

[Quero]

@Centrals, again, it's great that you have figured out a system and found an operator that works for you, but if you had used a good agent, perhaps you would have been spared the bad dive you had to the King Cruiser when you booked with the operator directly? You have some preconceived notions which appear to be colouring your advice here, and I think it must simply be due to your lack of understanding of how the dive industry works on Phuket. I'll try to explain a little, since you ask.

Since you have never used an agent, I guess you don't know that we are not "middlemen" in the sense that most people interpret the term. Divers pay no more when they use the services of an agent than when they go directly to the operator. It is the operators who pay us to bring them customers, and we agents have excellent working relationships with the operators we represent. The operator that doesn't encourage and welcome agency bookings is extremely rare.

You ask how we obtain the knowledge so that we can advise our customers? The operators do everything they can to help us! When a new operator opens, they send us emails with schedules, announcements, etc. Operators send their booking/marketing managers around to our offices at the start of every season to drop off materials and make personal contact. They hold events on their boats to get us on board for a look around before sales to customers even begin. It's a close and supportive working relationship between the agents and the operators.

How do people find agents? By looking in places like ScubaBoard. There are numerous positive comments about several of the agents who work here on Phuket right here in the Thailand forum--these include Ringo, Stevenl, and me.

Centrals, you should book with your favorite op and research your options in the way that suits you best. I'm glad you come to dive with us from Phuket, regardless of how you book. I am responding to your posts simply as a way to fill in gaps in the advice you give to others, and I'm honestly not trying to get into any sort of debate with you. I'm only saying that your way isn't the only way even though it is the best way for you, particularly and individually. The fact of the matter is, however, that your way is not the best way for everybody, and actually it's not even the best way for most people.

 

[Centrals]

There are a lot of "agents","middlemen" floating around on SB.
How to spot an honest "agent" is beyond me?
Recommendation? How do I know if they are genuine or colluded?

There are various ways to book a holiday and through an "agent" is just one of them.
I go directly to the resort/operator as my travel insurance will cover it if anything happen as long as it is an registered company.
I have one question for you Quero:
Can you name all the dive shops in Phuket beside Scuba Cat that operated their own dive boats?

 

[Quero]

There are a lot of "agents","middlemen" floating around on SB.
How to spot an honest "agent" is beyond me?
Recommendation? How do I know if they are genuine or colluded?

Good questions. As I said, there are plenty of recommendations right here on SB. Would you like me to post links?

There are various ways to book a holiday and through an "agent" is just one of them.
I go directly to the resort/operator as my travel insurance will cover it if anything happen as long as it is an registered company.

My company, and those of the others I mentioned, are all registered businesses and furthermore have the sanction of the Tourism Authority of Thailand to work with foreign tourists. I have never had a travel insurance company deny a claim to my customers. I would guess that this might be an issue for divers who book with those little sidewalk booths, though.

I have one question for you Quero:
Can you name all the dive shops in Phuket beside Scuba Cat that operated their own dive boats?

Yes I can.

 

[Buadhai]

it's my experience your just as likely to get an agent that wants to book you and the highest commission trip.

How many dives did you book through agents before you decided you were being misled?

 

[Divesanywhere]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but a friend and I are going to Phi Phi end of August, beginning of September for about 10 days. Will be diving but want relaxation too. Is the weather going to be awful? Heat is fine. More just worried about rain, etc. Thanks.

 

[Quero]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but a friend and I are going to Phi Phi end of August, beginning of September for about 10 days. Will be diving but want relaxation too. Is the weather going to be awful? Heat is fine. More just worried about rain, etc. Thanks.

You should expect some rain. But the rain is warm, and it's sporadic. It doesn't usually rain every day, nor all day long. The usual pattern is for the rain to fall for an hour and then clear into bright sunshine, and maybe another shower later in the day or overnight. The rain is actually good for cooling things off a bit in the middle of summer. Chances are that you'll have so much fun that whatever rain you encounter won't be the main thing you remember about your trip!

 

[stevenl]

Nobody can predict the weather, especially that far in advance. September tends to be one of the wettest months, so do expect some rain.
There are some nice and sheltered divesites in the area, so even if there is some wind you'll be able to enjoy your diving.

Have fun.