Tao Diver

If you go diving with a school then all your equipment is included in the price of the dive. Just choose a school that has good equipment

According to the running post about the clampdown the new regulations about getting blacklisted are not coming into force till September in which case your friend should be OK. Up to now we have only rumours and hearsay that the rules have come into effect. It would be good to know for sure. The poster saying they haven't says he called BKK immigration ?

Is there a single posting from anyone that has actually left with overstay and been blacklisted ?

Some posters said they would update as they left and maybe posted elsewhere ?

It would be good to have some actual reports rather than the mindless bickering that seems to fill these posts.

Maybe the Mods could open and lock a post that just has actual up to date reports to avoid this ?

I know many people would appreciate it

Is the 20,000 Baht fine still applied with the new rules ?

 

 

Putin's Russia is a good indication of what would happen to Thailand if Thaksin won. Something for all the red expats to consider.

Is Putin a bad guy?

Why do you say so?

There are other opinions too >>> http://time.com/3005439/putin-approval-ratings/

 

 

Russians crave for blood, other countries' land and "strong hand" rule, and Putin gives them all three, thus the approval ratings, but it doesn't make him a good guy.

 

Kim Jo Il has a far better approval rating as well. I didn't realise he was such a nice guy ? 

I found a website which gives info regarding the Sports Authority in Thailand - www.thailand-visa.net/sports-visa-employment.html

Apparently it is difficult to get accreditation as a couch. Not sure why they need couches but there you go. Not many applicants I imagine...

Is accreditation by the Sports Authority open to DM or instructors? Is this the legal route you have to follow?

I tried on educational grounds, the qualifications are worth educational credits in most developed educational systems. Immigration had none of it.

As it is considered a recreational activity I doubt it would be covered under sports. I wonder if they class fishing as a sport? Maybe we could all become avid fishermen. ;-)

In all seriousness though i think there will be alot of people on education visa's pretending to learn Thai, or some other work around. We just need a clever Thai person to inspect the new system for its vulnerability, just like the old system.

Sent from my HUAWEI G610-U20 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Or perhaps come up with a new business model.

Fewer players offering DM to resorts and shops for a daily fee.

Accredited, insured DM with legal WP.

I'm not saying I know how to do this, but I am willing to try.

Not that I am a diver, or have ever dived - I am more interested in a business opportunity.

After having lived here for many years not working, at last the playing field is being leveled...

Paradise lost have you looked at the figures I posted about the profit margins in diving when legal. It isn't just the DM's and instructors it is the equipment, the tanks, the boats the shop, the rents, the electric, the criminally high water rates you have to pay etc. Fewer players would simply mean higher prices. You also have to supply the demand. As it stands now some of the big Thai owned dive centres would need to employ over 100 Thai staff to legally hire the dive professionals they need. Just what are these Thai staff supposed to do ?

Those simply saying " Get legal " Simply don't grasp the nature of the business. As I have said there needs to be some discussion between the dive industry and the Labour department to try to come to some sort of compromise to keep the divers, who spend lots of money whilst here coming to dive or to learn to dive.

The shop I work for only has small groups of 4 people per instructor even though PADI says you can have 8. Even though all our staff are legal we have a set number of customers we can deal with to our standards.

It is going to be interesting to see how this pans out throughout the islands in the coming months.

As nobody has hazarded a guess as to how much of the course price is left as profit I will divulge

1,400 Baht Or thereabouts.

I know I wouldn't want to be operating on such tight profit margins in a business. This might go some way to make people understand how hard it is to be legal. It is all well and good just simply slagging off all those who don't have all the legal paperwork but in the harsh light of day as much as I don't condone it I can understand it. Something a lot here don't seem to be able to do.

There is no diving on Samui so if diving is big on your to do list of things look at Koh Tao. Lots of nice places within your budget and diving on your doorstep not a long speedboat ride away

If diving isn't a big thing then lots of really nice places on Samui for your budget as well Good luck

This is what happens when you give fanatical idiots access to sophisticated modern weaponry. Trained military personnel would have first ensured that the target was a Russian military plane and as such a legitimate target. Why was no warning given or an attempt to communicate with the target before firing ? A very sad day indeed.

I would imagine at that hight it would all be over very quickly. Lets hope so

And I suppose you adhere to every letter of the law whilst here ? They were not taking any sort of gamble at the time as it was legally allowed. They were doing this that were correct at the time so where you get the " knowing full well it wasn't the correct way to do things " I don't know. As well as being concerned about my friends, That is what friends do.

Take one friend. He works in the Middle East. On his leave period he comes to Samui where he has a house, car and bike. He doesn't need nor want to work and gets a TV every time yet now he is knackered.

Rob you obviously know nothing of the diving industry. Where are the potential customers going to go them ? Phuket side is only 6 months of the year whereas here it is all year. I have a work permit so am not worried as do all in the shop I work in but there are many freelance instructors who simply can't afford to get legal. I also think there will be far more people on Samui effected by this new clampdown than Tao. Not those working without a permit just those who live there and have property, car, bike etc. but living there visa running down to Penang. I personally know far more people on Samui who are crapping themselves than here on Tao.

Lanfd wise I have said for the last decade you can't buy land on Tao due to the land title deeds.

Buying property on Samui and Tao are 2 different things. As far as I know you can't buy land on Tao but you can on Samui. I don't think there is any Chanote title land on Tao whereas there is loads on Samui

At present there are around 64 dive schools on Tao. Thinking that just having 2 operators will make things better is ridiculous. Having less companies but legal isn't the solution but I can't see the Thai Junta thinking things through in a sensible, business like fashion which is what is needed.

A bunch of us were talking about the same thing last night over a few beers. This isn't just going to effect those working without a proper visa and permit but all those staying here long term doing visa runs. Koh Tao has got a lot better regarding issuing work permits than the last time I was here but the island will not be able to function as it does now unless something changes regarding the requirements for getting a permit. The need to hire 4 Thai staff for each permit is impossible here. Maybe a special case can be made for the diving industry ?

Maybe it could be done on a one for one basis ?

It is the need to hire 4 Thai's that stops far more Farang getting legal. Think of all the extra money coming in if they did this.

It is going to be interesting to see just how this rolls out throughout the country not just these islands. Samui and KPG also have lots of people living thereon tourist visa's and not working either. There is going to be a lot of cheap houses on Samui coming up I think

This is what all the extra security measures which were loudly announced were all about. They use this non existing threat as an excuse to take even more of your freedoms away in the name of keeping you all safe. When it comes to spying on the British public they totally are committed to your security. Sadly when it comes to jailing or deporting terrorists that the courts deem are a real threat to the public they refuse just in case it infringes their precious human rights and as you all know their human rights always but always come before your human rights or your safety.

And you suckers jut keep letting them get away with it every time.

By their 'special' girlfriend?

I'd hazard 80% of mine!

And just how much did she take you for

Have you

WELCOME

Tattooed on your back ?

Pictures don't have much effect.

Price and public awareness does.

Put the price up at £7.00 as in UK and put some public advertising against smoking.

That will work.

And I am a smoker.

It doesn't seem to work in the UK where I am told they are around 8 - 50 a packet. Putting more pictures on the packs won't make a bit of difference either nor will blank packs as has been talked of. Politicians either need to grow a set of balls and simply ban them altogether or stop with the tinkering of the laws on packaging and hiding them from sight etc. They say they want you all to stop yet tax the living daylights out of them at the same time.

As said buy the parts you want. Buy a case with the power supply unit already inside and the rest is a breeze. You also get the satisfaction of booting it up for the first time knowing you did it all

Didn't Suzuki have one out a few years ago. Used to rev like hell ?

If that really was the third time he has done this how can FIFA in any way claim to be trying to clean up the game ? The same should also go for diving. If video footage shows a player taking a dive where there is clearly no contact they need to be punished and punished hard. I also couldn't get over how they were both writhing on the floor after like someone had shot them both. They both should be nominated for a football Oscar

12 years of living here in various places and never been threatened by Thai or Farang and unlike many others appear to have never been scammed for more than the odd beer on a cheque bin

A friends missus had a very good job done at the Thaksin hospital in Surat Thani for around 7000 Baht all in.

He bit someone! Again! He got what he deserved!

I'm sorry but it was his second offence of biting a player and should have been banned for life if FIFA really are intent in stamping out this type of behaviour from the game.