Diving Koh Tao - question about Basic Open Water license

[heiri007]

Good day, diving newbie here, aiming for the Basic Open Water license.

 

What about diving on Koh Tao this season? Are the waters less muddy now than elsewhere?

 

Is the island a bit of a tourist ghetto? I remember Koh Phi Phi a few years ago, wanted to leave again immediately...

 

Inputs appreciated where you'd go now for the first diving experience 🙏

[spidermike007]

I wouldn't call it a ghetto, but it's very crowded with very young tourists and it's quite expensive, in addition the quality of the diving is very poor, you typically visibility of 3m, if you get lucky you can have as much as 10m.

 

Stay out of the bars in Sairee Beach. The serial killer still lives there, and he is protected. 

 

I learned there and it was convenient as I was living on Samui at the time. 

[TigerandDog]

32 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I wouldn't call it a ghetto, but it's very crowded with very young tourists and it's quite expensive, in addition the quality of the diving is very poor, you typically visibility of 3m, if you get lucky you can have as much as 10m.

 

Stay out of the bars in Sairee Beach. The serial killer still lives there, and he is protected. 

 

I learned there and it was convenient as I was living on Samui at the time. 

Have to disagree with you Mike about the vis. I did my Open Water and Advanced Open Water on Koh Tao at Crystal Dive Resort. Perhaps when you did your course the vis etc wasn't that great BUT when I did both my courses the vis was exceptional, some days up to 30  metres, but on average around 15-20 metres..

[bob smith]

42 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Stay out of the bars in Sairee Beach. The serial killer still lives there, and he is protected. 

True that.

 

do you have any info as to how well he is currently protected?

 

bob.

[KhunLA]

Where are you coming from ?

 

Phuket and or Phi Phi a much better option over the Gulf ...

... season dependent of course.  I dove both Sept/Oct, and vis was nice.  A little shy of fish, and that was 1999/2000.  Phuket is all day affair, PP was better.   Actually Phuket was deeper than open water, (I think), so might want to stick with PP, as nice, close shallow dives.

 

If in the Americas, then get certified there.  S FL, Keys, Caribbean.

[retarius]

I went to Koh Phi Phi about 13 years back. Horrible dirty place from my perspective, the bathroom in the hotel was infested with cockroaches and other insects/reptiles. Never went back. Is it worth a revisit now? 

[bob smith]

22 minutes ago, retarius said:

I went to Koh Phi Phi about 13 years back. Horrible dirty place from my perspective, the bathroom in the hotel was infested with cockroaches and other insects/reptiles. Never went back. Is it worth a revisit now? 

Depends what you like.

 

Do thousands of drunken young western girls looking to hump anything that moves do it for you?

 

bob.

[AndreasHG]

I spent 10 days diving in Koh Tao with a friend in August 2023. The weather was perfect, and we had some wonderful dives (Southwest Pinnacle, Samran and Sail Rock were mind blowing).

 

We tried a few diving centers before settling for the French managed "The Diver's Boat", which proved to be the most professional among the four tested (https://thediversboat.com/en/). They are affiliated to SSI.

 

Koh Tao is the ideal location to get a Padi Open Water or SSI Basic Diver license. On the island there are tens, if not hundreds, of diving centers competing to get your money: this ensures prices are kept in check.

 

The Island is very crowded, and it is a far cry from the peaceful, laid back, diving heaven it was twenty or so years ago. But if your only goal is to get a diving license, then this should not be an issue.

 

The dry season (approximately December to February) is the best time to visit the Thai Islands located in the Andaman sea. The islands located in the gulf of Thailand, on the other end, are very welcoming also during the European summer holidays (June to September).

 

There are many options with regards to the accommodation, with prices ranging from less than one thousand Baht per night to several thousands, and the same is true for food, transport and any other service you may need. 

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, bob smith said:

True that.

 

do you have any info as to how well he is currently protected?

 

bob.

I don't have any up-to-date information. I do know that he's the son of the headman of Sairee Beach. His name is Namsod. I don't even know if dad is still the headman, but he was for for a long time, and he got extremely wealthy from that position due to Illegal land sales throughout the island, as is the case with the other four ruling families on Dark Tao. 

 

I heard that he was banished for a while, as serial killing tends to be bad for business. He likely spent time in Paris or London, and waited for things to blow over. I'm pretty sure he's back, however I'm not sure if dad has been able to reign him in. Seems like less people are ending up dead there lately. 

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

Have to disagree with you Mike about the vis. I did my Open Water and Advanced Open Water on Koh Tao at Crystal Dive Resort. Perhaps when you did your course the vis etc wasn't that great BUT when I did both my courses the vis was exceptional, some days up to 30  metres, but on average around 15-20 metres..

Around 15 dives there and I never saw better than 8-10 meters. Some days 3-5 meters. 

 

After trying the Andaman, the northwest coast of Bali, and some other spots, I realized that there's no good diving in the Gulf of Thailand. 

[bob smith]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I don't have any up-to-date information. I do know that he's the son of the headman of Sairee Beach. His name is Namsod. I don't even know if dad is still the headman, but he was for for a long time, and he got extremely wealthy from that position due to Illegal land sales throughout the island, as is the case with the other four ruling families on Dark Tao. 

 

I heard that he was banished for a while, he likely spent time in Paris or London, and waited for things to blow over. I'm pretty sure he's back, however I'm not sure if dad has been able to reign him in. Seems like less people are ending up dead there lately. 

He is definitely back.

 

I know exactly who/where he is, I just don't know how well hidden he's being kept on the island as I haven't been back there for years and I don't think I ever will!

 

bob.

[spidermike007]

Just now, bob smith said:

He is definitely back.

 

I know exactly who/where he is, I just don't know how well hidden he's being kept on the island as I haven't been back there for years and I don't think I ever will!

 

bob.

Okay, good information. I know one thing for certain, I never have a reason to return to Dark Tao. Same applies to Phuket. I still enjoy Samui from time to time, and I think Koh Phangan is amazing, but Tao, never again. 

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

Okay, good information. I know one thing for certain, I never have a reason to return to Dark Tao. Same applies to Phuket. I still enjoy Samui from time to time, and I think Koh Phangan is amazing, but Tao, never again. 

I am in total agreement!

 

bob.

[khunPer]

On 8/5/2024 at 11:00 PM, heiri007 said:

What about diving on Koh Tao this season?

Depending of what you mean by "season", as the Gulf-side has Northeast Monsoon, which begins in October and lasts till around January. Phi Phi and Phuket has Southwest Monsoon.