Why not do my DM on Koh Tao?

[Bowmouth]

... Sounds OK?

Sounds great!

 

[limbo]

I do know that on Kho Tao the PADI standards do go out of thew window pretty quickly depending on who you know. I think I know the CD in question that took 2.5yrs to train. I also know of several DMs that only did 1/3 of the course and got signed off, I also know of 1 instructor that did 1/3 of the DM course and then was accpeted onto the IDC even though they feel short on a lot of the requirements. Hmmm very strange

Didn't know Jonas (BANS) runs the DMTs, always thought it was Tom that did this. Funny how things change.

Sharky has, as far as I know, left Kho Tao but it was Gaz that did most of the work there anyways, I also think or it was close when I was there that Switch went out of business. Could be wrong though.

Koh Tao is an OK place though I always thought the diving was pretty much 3rd rate compated to places like the Red Sea, Borneo, Komodo and even Bleize. Most of the sites you can't move for the amount of courses going on and chumpon pinnacle, though good for sharks and the occasional whale shark is pretty much boring.

Head to Indonesia or better yet get yourself to Dahab or Sharm. The diving is sooo much better and therefore your films will be of a better quality.

Cheers

Breaking standards is not exclusive to Koh Tao, unfortunately. I have encountered similar DM stories as described by you from other parts of the world, where people got signed off as DM just for working a season.

 

[jamiemac]

Hi ti325v,

I'm also a PADI CD, although i live on Koh Samui but I do know the CD community pretty well on Koh Tao and I know for a fact that the CD application are taken pretty serious by PADI and if what you say is true, regarding him being accepted into CDTC training within 2 and a half years of becoming an instructor, PADI would have some explaining to do.

Don't be too hard on Bob, just like me, looking at PADI standards, we both know that the person in question would have to be at least 2 years an Instructor and at least 6 months a Master Instructor before he even can apply, let alone being accepted into CDTC training. Now, I don't think you have the intention to lie, but it does raise an eyebrow or two and I would most certainly appreciate it if you can mention who you're talking about. Maybe PM some members here. I would consider this allegation that you make serious enough to mention to PADI's AQ dept and see what they have to say about this.

Guys, I think you may be missing the obvious. How many times have you been told that someone , even by the person in question is a 'CD', and you know full well they're not ?

For some wierd reason bull****ters love this one and there are as many pretend CD's about as there are real ones. Sometimes they're IT's from another agency, but they like 'CD' better, sometimes they're just plain old Walter Mitty's.

Sometimes they're EFR instructor Trainers, so they use CD.

Anyway, they make things interesting, don't they?

 

[lord khram]

For those of you still who still know where I came from in the beginning of this thread...
So far my plan is to check out a few places during December: Phuket, Koh Lanta, Ranong, Koh Chang & Khao Lak. Then head to Koh Tao for NYE & afterwards decide which place I liked best & do my DM there over 4-8 weeks. After that, back to Koh Tao for the videography course & hopefully work in that for a while... Sounds OK?

By December the mud slides and floods etc on Koh Chang will have long gone and the rain stopped.
Its a great Island to visit, certainly not the best diving in Thailand but well worth a go.
I generally dive with Scuba evolution in White Sands when I go there and they have always provided me with decent service.

Scuba koh chang - scuba diving Center - Diving courses - Scuba Zone Koh Chang

 

[Thai_Diver]

By December the mud slides and floods etc on Koh Chang will have long gone and the rain stopped.
Its a great Island to visit, certainly not the best diving in Thailand but well worth a go.
I generally dive with Scuba evolution in White Sands when I go there and they have always provided me with decent service.

Scuba koh chang - scuba diving Center - Diving courses - Scuba Zone Koh Chang

Have to agree with Lord Khram on that one... IMHO Koh Chang is one of, if not the best island in Thailand with pretty good (not great) diving in general. I've also heard good things about Scuba Evolution although I have received great service and prices from Krystal at BB Divers in the past. Shop, boats, equipment rental and staff are all first rate.

About BB Divers

 

[ti325v]

Guys, I think you may be missing the obvious. How many times have you been told that someone , even by the person in question is a 'CD', and you know full well they're not ?

For some wierd reason bull****ters love this one and there are as many pretend CD's about as there are real ones. Sometimes they're IT's from another agency, but they like 'CD' better, sometimes they're just plain old Walter Mitty's.

Sometimes they're EFR instructor Trainers, so they use CD.

Anyway, they make things interesting, don't they?

He is a CD, I saw him do MSDT courses and sign off the students. nuff said.


Please I really do not want to be rude....
but think about what you are asking the poster Vidiotic, Why not tell all ? And then what ? Nothing happens !
I explained in my previous P.M. to you.
Do you actually believe everybody in the world does the right thing all the time ?
Do you think money or friendship pulls no weight ? I have seen with my own eyes....A CD sign off MSDT papers, that he personally taught the instructor in question the specialties , when they knew each other for two days. I also saw $500 change hands.
You have your feelings, I have what I have seen with my own eyes.
I worked for a week at a dive operation in Hawaii....we were paid $12 an hour, the owner was a CD.
How are we supposed to live I asked ?
I was told to take photos of my groups of DSD divers, and sell them to them....We did not have enough staff to send a photographer...
There was a freshly minted instructor there, I ranted and raved to him about how wrong this was, showed him in the manual about instructor responsibilities during dsd....
I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !
Then I hear the owner (the CD) now wants 50% of the money the staff makes taking these pictures...You think I am making this stuff up ? He is still a CD, they are still a PADI shop.
Would you like more examples ?

Too much PADI kool Aid ?

 

[stiggy]

Bubble Dragon !

If your still reading this to answer your question, KT is great place to get DM or dive con training done.

Just be careful what time of year you choose, November can generally be a bit dodgy not so good weather and also the number of people about.

Consider other areas in Thailand: Phuket, Phi PHi ,Khao Lak, Chang< Vietnam is also affordable and offers a different style of diving.

As for the rest of the arguments on here, there are good and bad instructors at all levels across the whole industry, research who you are committing to then go for a dive or ten with them and then take it from there.

There are from my experience a few people who naturally upgrade themselves to CDS , ITS and even Diving Medics. Rescue divers that are DMs etc etc Truth is they always get rumbled, It&#8217;s human nature people like to give themselves a boost and impress others.

If in doubt simple, ask to see proof of qualifications held or ask around.

I&#8217;m lucky enough to travel extensively to diving destinations and have met a lot of dive pros from all agencies, there are plenty of good ones out there.

Have fun working out where your going to train, keep us updated.

 

[jamiemac]

He is a CD, I saw him do MSDT courses and sign off the students. nuff said.


Please I really do not want to be rude....
but think about what you are asking the poster Vidiotic, Why not tell all ? And then what ? Nothing happens !
I explained in my previous P.M. to you.
Do you actually believe everybody in the world does the right thing all the time ?
Do you think money or friendship pulls no weight ? I have seen with my own eyes....A CD sign off MSDT papers, that he personally taught the instructor in question the specialties , when they knew each other for two days. I also saw $500 change hands.
You have your feelings, I have what I have seen with my own eyes.
I worked for a week at a dive operation in Hawaii....we were paid $12 an hour, the owner was a CD.
How are we supposed to live I asked ?
I was told to take photos of my groups of DSD divers, and sell them to them....We did not have enough staff to send a photographer...
There was a freshly minted instructor there, I ranted and raved to him about how wrong this was, showed him in the manual about instructor responsibilities during dsd....
I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !
Then I hear the owner (the CD) now wants 50% of the money the staff makes taking these pictures...You think I am making this stuff up ? He is still a CD, they are still a PADI shop.
Would you like more examples ?

Too much PADI kool Aid ?

Yes, more examples please!

 

[Arizona]

I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !

Is this actually what you mean, or is it just your interpretation from a photo? Most likely the latter. If it really happened, reference an article.Negligence of this sort would close a dive shop down almost immediately, especially if someone dies as you indicate. Did you initiate PADI Quality Assurance?

Getting back to the OP (Bert). I did my DMT Samui based but frequented the KT dive sites. Wonderful diving as mentioned earlier. During the off season the seas tend to get choppy and rough at times. Consider the season and a shop that can provide enough customers to complete the training. With so many CDs, you may be fortunate enough to have parts of your DMT completed under their direct supervision.

Find a location that suits your preferred lifestyle. For me, after certifying about 50 students I still consider Samui my number one option to earn IDC Staff. It is a combination of instruction but also where I would want to be during that time frame. I have met very impressive course directors in several parts of Thailand (Pattaya, Koh Lanta, Samui and Koh Tao). Training with any of them would be first rate. Good luck!

 

[Bowmouth]

...I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !

Would you like more examples ?

Still have that picture?
If yes, post it please.
No reg in her mouth does not necessarily mean she's dead. Is her second stage in her hand or just hanging loose besides her? What position is her body in?
Maybe she's just fooling around for the picture or practicing her newly acquired skills?

If she's really dead you would think the other people in the picture would be visibly shocked. Or at least not concentrating too much on taking fun-pictures. Unless they are complete morons and wouldn't care about dead people floating about.

More examples sounds good. The more the merrier...