Dive Clubs

[LucidLucifer]

I originally posted this in the wrong forum by mistake. I was hoping a mod would move it for me, but that hasn't happened, so I'm reposting it here.

Hi all,

I've just relocated back to Thailand after a six year absense, and in my time back in the UK got very involved in the UK diving scene with BSAC. I'm really keen to keep the diving going (keeps me sober at the weekends) but want to do it within a 'club' environment i.e. not through some commercial operation.

My question..........are there any non-commercial clubs, or loose affiliations of divers around this area? My searches have produced a few leads, but all seem long-dead now. I got my hopes up when I contacted BSAC Thailand, got told there was a new club that had just opened, but from looking at it seems more like a front for a dive shop and school.

Cheers....'LL'

[Shurup]

Well, open one yourself and people will join. I wouldn't mind to join a club.

[LucidLucifer]

That is the direction I think I may have to go.

So here we are; Who wants to join a dive club?

It's a newly formed, thriving, multi-agency and non-commercial club with one member (me), and one potential member (Shurup).

All are .

[Shurup]

Count me in.

[h90]

I have no time to be a real member......But if you guys need air, I have a brand new 300 bar compressor in Nakhon Si Thammerat and can bring it back to Bangkok.

Not many around that are willing to fill 300 bar.

I may or may not get reseller prices on equipment, if someone need something. But it is necessary to compare the prices, as I don't know the market prices.....But worth to try....

[LucidLucifer]

Count me in.

Two members and counting - And it's only been formed for half an hour (I did say it was thriving !!)

I have no time to be a real member......But if you guys need air, I have a brand new 300 bar compressor in Nakhon Si Thammerat and can bring it back to Bangkok.

Not many around that are willing to fill 300 bar.

I may or may not get reseller prices on equipment, if someone need something. But it is necessary to compare the prices, as I don't know the market prices.....But worth to try....

Thanks h90....all sounds good

[Shurup]

It may be harder to make it work, with everyone living all over Thailand. I work here and live here for the most part, my work schedule is 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off and I never know where I'm on my week off. Honestly I don't like BKK.

Either way, I'm going back to Canada end of the month and will be going back for the next 6 months as my GF going there too so closer to the end of the year I can be more active as a member.

[LucidLucifer]

I'm far from expecting and easy ride on this one, but I can try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained....

[h90]

It may be harder to make it work, with everyone living all over Thailand. I work here and live here for the most part, my work schedule is 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off and I never know where I'm on my week off. Honestly I don't like BKK.

Either way, I'm going back to Canada end of the month and will be going back for the next 6 months as my GF going there too so closer to the end of the year I can be more active as a member.

Depending on how many people join....

Keep in mind...as longer you stay in BKK as more you hate it.....I am here 10 years

[LucidLucifer]

Keep in mind...as longer you stay in BKK as more you hate it.....I am here 10 years

I've only been here about 10 days now, but did have 4 years here prior to 2006, only the last year of that was in Bangkok. Being in Bangers played a large part in why I left, hated it also.

My circumstances now are radically different to then though. I have a nice house now, in a much nicer moobaan, just outside Bangkok, and only 10 minutes (even with traffic) from where I will be working. Much better job, enough money to give me a decent disposable income, new car on order so I can get about.....and of course my diving. None of these things I had before.

The boredom/hating bangkok thing is the exact reason I want, or should I say need, to get something sorted club wise. In so many ways I hated living back in the UK, but belonging to a great club, doing fantastic diving (yes, there is fantastic diving in the UK), actually made me sad to leave. I'm not expecting to replicate what I had back home, but a great group of divers doing what we love, with some laughs along the way, would do for me!

[gamini]

We had a great diving club in Thailand in 1963. We had a lot of members both Thais and expats. Ran SCUBA courses free and weekend outings in Pattaya, also trips to Phuket and Koh Samet. We joined the South East Asia Diving federation in 1965 which became affiliated with Cousteau's CMAS . . I left Thailnd in 1965 on holiday, but when I returned a year later they had a proper clubhouse in Pattaya.

I don't think there are any clubs now, but many dive shops some of which are run by people whose only qualification is to have enough money to purchase the PADI instructors course.

It would be a great Idea to start a proper diving club. Good luck

[h90]

We had a great diving club in Thailand in 1963. We had a lot of members both Thais and expats. Ran SCUBA courses free and weekend outings in Pattaya, also trips to Phuket and Koh Samet. We joined the South East Asia Diving federation in 1965 which became affiliated with Cousteau's CMAS . . I left Thailnd in 1965 on holiday, but when I returned a year later they had a proper clubhouse in Pattaya.

I don't think there are any clubs now, but many dive shops some of which are run by people whose only qualification is to have enough money to purchase the PADI instructors course.

It would be a great Idea to start a proper diving club. Good luck

It seems that some government (not this I guess) try to push CMAS in Thailand. Once a year I read about them.....But it seem there isn't much going on.

[seaeagle]

I'm a BSAC AI in Phuket, and I certainly miss the club environment and 'economics'.

However, the idea of 'club diving' is to go diving together off a club / members boat at weekends, and have a club-night during the week. I'm just not sure how you can do this with members all over Thailand.

[Shurup]

That what I thought too.

[Guts]

Keep me in the loop on this one.

I've been member of a CMAS club for 10+ years and was always good fun.

My suggestion would be, start up a Thailand Diving Group/Club (with a provincial representative if that is easier).

Create a Facebook Group or Meetup.com group where people can post what they are up to and/or event page where people can sign-up.

Do a little survey what everyone wants out of this group and the best days/times for dives. Then post first event and go diving or just meetup ;-)

I have no time to be in the organizational part right now, but PM me if you need assistance.

[Shurup]

I've been invited by one group actually a year or so ago, and was invited to a couple dive trips which I was unable to make to. Not sure if they were in Thailand temporally or not. The organiser is very into underwater photography. Now that you've mentioned the facebook page, it reminded me that they have one.

I will look for that FB group tomorrow and read a bit about what kind or group they are and what sort of events they have.

[Shurup]

Here is a page, after a few min of browsing, it doesn't look much like a group, however I did receive a few invitations from them as I mentioned.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/LawrenceAlexWu

[LucidLucifer]

Thanks for the offer of advice Guts, and you've got some good ideas there. I was thinking of a facebook page too. Free and easy publicity. When I have a name for the club/group as a starting point I will set it up. Any good suggestions and I'd i'll set it up tomorrow, or soon as.

Personally, if I had my choice, I'd like to go the formal club structure route. That would however involve fees, not club wise necessarily, but at least for BSAC or CMAS membership. I'd be afraid that that would put people off.

On the plus side I know BSAC offer support if you want to set up a branch, I presume CMAS do too? You do need 8 members to set up a branch though, and i'm still 7 short.... .

[LucidLucifer]

Here is a page, after a few min of browsing, it doesn't look much like a group, however I did receive a few invitations from them as I mentioned.

http://www.facebook..../LawrenceAlexWu

Thanks for that too Shurup....I'll give it a browse. I might even get back in contact with this supposed BSAC branch in Bangkok. Maybe my impressions of it being a front for a commercial operation were wrong....although I do have serious reservations on that. That fact that the guy also offers PADI courses kind of gave it away.

[h90]

Thanks for the offer of advice Guts, and you've got some good ideas there. I was thinking of a facebook page too. Free and easy publicity. When I have a name for the club/group as a starting point I will set it up. Any good suggestions and I'd i'll set it up tomorrow, or soon as.

Personally, if I had my choice, I'd like to go the formal club structure route. That would however involve fees, not club wise necessarily, but at least for BSAC or CMAS membership. I'd be afraid that that would put people off.

On the plus side I know BSAC offer support if you want to set up a branch, I presume CMAS do too? You do need 8 members to set up a branch though, and i'm still 7 short.... .

why do you want to go the formal structur? not just a bunch of people who meet without structur first?

[LucidLucifer]

Purely because I think a formal structure would offer greater opportunities for growth, progression, and I hope, a lasting legacy.

I do realise that an informal group is the best way to kick-start this, and that would be the way I would go.

[Javabear]

I think you can count me and my wife in on this. We live in Rayong. I can't dive right now because I am recovering from back surgery but I make a great boat minder. We are both PADI Open Water certified.

[Shurup]

A few links here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bkk-divers/273687-bkk-divers-48.html

I didn't read all the pages, there are too many and I'm busy with work.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/thailand/417464-bkk-diver-club.html

http://www.meetup.com/find/?keywords=diving&mcId=&mcName=&lat=&lon=&userFreeform=Bangkok%2C+Thailand&gcResults=Bangkok%2C+Thailand%3ATH%3Anull%3Anull%3A%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A3%3Anull%3Anull%3A13.7522222%3A100.4938889&op=search&resetgeo=true&events=&allGroups=true

Don't have time to register to check them out, but it looks like the above mentioned Alex Wu is an organizer.

[LucidLucifer]

Hi, thanks Shurup. I was checking out scubaboard the other day. I've been on there before, but not really on the Thailand section. The whole BKK divers thread makes quite depressing reading. Clearly what I want to do has been tried rather unsuccessfully before. Such a huge shame.

I do find it hard to believe that with all the expats living here it can be that difficult to get something together. Everyone seems either uninterested or too busy.

Admittedly, TV might not be the best place to get the word out, but I was hoping for more of a positive response than what i've had. Time will tell.