That old Pattaya question again...

[Zab]

Hey guys, I know this has been asked perhaps a few times before, but from what I gather, everyone seems to give the thumbs up to Mermaids or Aquanauts!

I finished my rescue diver a few months ago, with every intention of completing my DM and IDC in Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. However, now it looks to me, that I may have to stay in or around Pattaya, and I'm looking for some options! I must admit I'm on a bit of a tight budget, as my income is mainly generated from freelance web services over the internet...

Given all that, I want to find the most economical way to become a dive professional with all intentions to hopefully work around Pattaya when i complete training.

So far I've got about 25 dives logged including a night dive, all in and around Koh Tao, (Sail rock, Chumphon Pinnacle, Sanran Pinnacle, Angthong marine park). Thats the other reason I'm looking at Pattaya, some challenging diving. Its all very calm in Koh Tao... beautiful but calm..

Anyways.. so far the big guns seem to be Mermaids and Aquanauts, However, can anyone recommend any smaller "just as professional" outfits, that may actually take a student on after certification ? and more importantly, is Pattaya a good place for casual work as a DM ? I would liike to go all the way to Instructor, but I must be realistic about finances...

Thanks for your time.

 

[Kim]

I would have thought that by the time you have done more dives to qualify for any sort of professional training, you'll probably know the answer to this question yourself! With the amount of competition out there I'd be VERY surprised if anyone with a bare minimum of dives could earn much money at it.
I'm not trying to put you off, just be a bit realistic. In your position I'd be trying to get experience rather than qualifications.
Admittedly I don't know the Pattaya area, but in Phuket DMs tend to have at least many hundereds, but normally thousands of dives.

 

[Zab]

Thanks a lot for the kind response. doesn't a dive master course provide both experience and qualifications ? i mean playing follow the dive master, isn't really going to develop my skills much ? where as undertaking a internship for an extended period is going to help my skills develop faster, and under the eyes of qualified professionals. I know quite well that DM is not an affluent job, and yes, there are many dive masters with hundreds and thousands of dives, but any industry needs workers.. I do not expect to make a living from diving, but more likely use it to help sustain a pass-time that I enjoy very much, and share it with other people. I was actually asking a question pointed towards the Pattaya diving community in general as to whether or not there is work out there, or as may the case may be, the place is saturated with DM's and employment is hard to find. In which case I will be forced to goto Koh Phangan.

Thanks again Kim.

 

[limbo]

Kim,

You might as well stick to KP (Koh Phangang) since the average diving in PTY is not even near as exciting as KP, KT or Samui.

Koh Tao has some excellent dive shops that can provide very good training.

PTY is a city with a lot of distractions that can easily lead you astray. No too sure about DM work there though.

 

[andibk]

ZAB
Check with Seafari on Soi 5 just off the beach road in Pattaya. The shop has just got new owners and might need some one in the future with high season right around the corner. If you need any contact info just pm me and I will guide you in the right direction.

andibk

 

[red_barbarian]

You can try RealDivers. Talk to Neil. They're in the Jomtien Beach area. He and his brother are decent guys, they used to work at one of the big 2. If you need an email PM me I'll get it to you.
As a previous poster mentioned it's easy to get distracted in Pattaya, a lot of guys have really lost the plot there. The diving is mostly iffy, I've been on a wreck there with the vis measured in cm's not meter's, same dive also had us hanging of the up line like streamers. On the other side some days are really nice, and the vis can be good.

 

[Zab]

Thanks for the input I'll be in Pattaya from tomorrow. Fingers crossed I can sort something out. Failing that it is back to Phangan.

 

[limbo]

Nice to see that you stopped bashing your competitor, good one! :thumbs_up:

Keep it up.

 

[Ringo]

Seafari, despite its 3 changes of ownership in the past two years, still ranks as an IDC but exactly two instructors have trained through there in the past 2 years. RealDivers, while run by a pair of longtime, very experienced ex-Mermaids, is not an IDC at all, so they’re not a total solution. Paradise has had, I believe, 1 instructor candidate in the past year.

[/FONT]

I agree Limbo but I dont think that this sort of "information" is needed on a public forum. Wow!!!:no

 

[Geoff_H]

To be honest I think it is useful information for anyone seeking an IDC in Pattaya. If I were doing an IDC this would be information I would be interested in.

Whether it is good business to publish this information on your competitors is another story entirely. But ask yourself if this had been posted by someone unaffliated with any shop whether you would have deemed it useful or not ?