Scuba Diving

[Scuba Scott]

Hi,

I have just finished my studies in Australia and am looking to change my life direction and live and work as a Scuba Instructor.

I have heard of some really good deals offerred in Thailand for someone who has no experience in scuba diving but wants to become an instructor.

Basically i want to get certified as a PADI Scuba Instructor so i can live and work anywhere in the world.

I would appreciate any info on doing something like this in Thailand and also any comments or advice from anyone who has done this themselves or know someone who has. I have checked out some websites but the deals sound a little too good so i am not 100% sure whether i believe these packages or not.

Just don't want to get caught out with someone wanting to make a quick buck.

Cheers,

Scott

[wuggiman]

Hi Scott

Depending on your mobility and whether you can move there are several options. You will find that prices will also differ a bit, pending on where you want to do you IDC (Instructor Development Course).

I am myself an Instructor, but did this before coming here, but know of several shops who can provide this course for you.

In Bangkok, there is a shop called The Dive Site on Nana BTS station, and i think they have 1-2 more shops here in Bangkok, but they have been really greaty to me so far.

you can contact them on [email protected], just ask for Pete or Paul.

I go to Pattaya on a regular basis and dive with them there, not the best diving in the world, but its a good day out and keeps me in the water.

[Scuba Scott]

Hi Scott

Depending on your mobility and whether you can move there are several options. You will find that prices will also differ a bit, pending on where you want to do you IDC (Instructor Development Course).

I am myself an Instructor, but did this before coming here, but know of several shops who can provide this course for you.

In Bangkok, there is a shop called The Dive Site on Nana BTS station, and i think they have 1-2 more shops here in Bangkok, but they have been really greaty to me so far.

you can contact them on [email protected], just ask for Pete or Paul.

I go to Pattaya on a regular basis and dive with them there, not the best diving in the world, but its a good day out and keeps me in the water.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow!

Thanks for the qucik reply. I didn't expect one so quick haha.

Can you tell me if you know of anyone who has done one of these packages with the accomodation and everything thrown in that i have seen advertised on the web?

I have a friend who did this on an island just off Thailand (ko tao), well he was already a Dive Master when he got there so he only spent a month living there before he finished. He said unless i like living in a small dirty hut go somewhere else haha.

Anyway thanks for info and anything else i can find out before deciding where to do this would be great.

Cheers,

Scott

[Plus]

Small dirty huts is about right for Koh Tao, but considering the sheer number of diving schools, divers, and Padi students it's the easiest place to find what you want. Also most dive spots are only about half an hour away.

You CAN find better accomodation, too.

[BKKDUDE]

Hi,

I'm on my way to becoming a dive master, and love living in phuket.

Two bad news for you

-Recently most dive outlet are hiring thai dive master, instractors

because of less salary and bringing less compatition

-I have been informed that there are more than 1500 pro divers

in phuket area alone at certain times

I don't think you can get hired with nice package, much better is you

can start you own diving outlet, which won't be easy considering more

than 250 dive outlets operating in thailand (nearly 100 in pukhet area)

You need very careful planing if want to start your own. Someone

please correct me if i have wrong information

Thank you

Edited January 4, 2006 by BKKDUDE

[The Dive Site]

Hi Scott

Welcome to LOS

yes we can definitly help you, but as wuggiman (thank you) mentioned, it will depend on where you want to do this, you will have several options;

Phuket

Samui

Phi Phi Don

Koh Tao

Krabi

Lanta

Pattaya

Koh Chang

You will find that all the above vary in price and what is included in this price. You will also find that housing and living costs vary a little, depending on where you go, what is most important however, is if the season is right, as this may limit your actual diving experience, not to mention working as a DM or Instructor, as there may be very few or no customers, which is why we mainly use Pattaya, as it can be dived all year around (although not Similan or Sipadan conditions), it does provide a good all round training ground, and it always has many divers as well as Interns and other courses.

We run Instructor courses all year around (almost every quarter), and once done, we do provide a placement service, unless you want to continue your education.

There are off course a lot more to this, which i will be more than happy to help you with.

[Scuba Scott]

Thank you for the info. Can you send me more info on an internship through to instructor, (price and whats included) somewhere around Bangkok or even Pattaya. I would like to do this on the mainland if possible so i can travel a lot easier when i am not diving.

I would like to see what Thailand has to offer but i don't fancy the idea of basing myself on the islands as accomadation, the ease of travel arrangements, scheduales and cost is of course going to be better on the mainland.

Wuggiman mentioned Pattaya as a dive destination and i have also heard it is not a bad place to enjoy the nightlife, can you let me know a little bit about the general lifestyle i could expect should i choose to train there.

Cheers,

Scott

[The Dive Site]

Hi Scott

No worries,

I understand your need for being on the mainland in order to travel etc, also as it would be about 6mths of Internship, you would find that some of the time on the Islands may not be the best conditions in diving or level of customers to train with.

Our Internship costs 7,495 USD and includes a full set of equipment, incl a dive computer (Suunto), as well as all materials, manuals, PADI fees, as well as your own room. You also have unlimited diving throughout this term. I will off course give you the full details of equipment and all the manuals.

Yes, Pattaya has got a lot of night life, and am sure that you will find many things there to do, living there for 6 mths, will give you the Island feeling of life, as you will be diving every day. Life is very relaxed here. But you will also be able to travel around in the area and see many things, as well as explore the off the path things.

just email me and i will give you full details

cheers

[Plus+]

I heard that this year there's a huge drop in divers in Pattaya - down by 80 %. That's of course 2005, last year, in fact.

I chose one of the most visible outlets on the Internet and boy, were they shit! Shitty boat, shitty food, shitty office - with walls decorated mostly by the owner's diving certificates - hundreds of them. Shitty weather (we hit the rain), only two customers - me and the guy who paid 50,000 baht for his "speciality" course. No visible safety measures either.

They, like everyone else in Pattaya, offer the full range of training courses where navy seals can learn something new.

Extremely dodgy place, and the prices are a lot higher than on Koh Tao I mentioned - for simple dives nearly three times higher.

There must be better schools in Pattaya but, judging by the presentation, it's one of the bestest.

[2long]

Scott,

Don't sign your life away to live in Pattay before you've spent some time there. Most normal people think it's a shithole. Good and cheap= Koh Tao. Better but not as cheap=Phuket/Phi Phi

Just because the deal might be right isn't always teh best reason, I wouldn't want to go back to, let alone live in, Pattaya. As far as the diving goes, you may get to see some German condom fish and recently emptied (by ladyboys) wallet fish.

[RAZZELL]

I learnt to dive in the UK and the tuition was far superior to any I have had in Thailand, or Spain or Mexico...

I'm sure their must be some great schools in OZ...Yes, more expensive but if you genuinely want to change career surely you want to start off on the right footing?

Do you want quality or to be on a "PADI production line?"

Just a few thoughts...

All the best

[Jersey_UK]

I learnt to dive in the UK and the tuition was far superior to any I have had in Thailand, or Spain or Mexico...

I'm sure their must be some great schools in OZ...Yes, more expensive but if you genuinely want to change career surely you want to start off on the right footing?

Do you want quality or to be on a "PADI production line?"

Just a few thoughts...

All the best

I learnt to dive down in OZ years back - admittedly on the Tourist trail - but although they did teach me everything I needed (as a basic warm water diver), I did quickly realise (by diving up and down the coast at plenty of locations) that for the "learning to dive" (open water and "advanced" (LOL)) they would certify anyone who paid, whether they knew what they were doing at the end of the course or not. It's a business.

In my case the fact that I can't swim more than 20 metres or tread water unaided for more than 30 seconds was absolutely no hinderence to qualifying. But I HAVE always been confident in the sea - am VERY AWARE of my limitations!!! - but confident nonetheless and I make sure I do always have some additional bouyancy within my "range".

Having said that I am SURE their are plenty of places in OZ who do a quaility job with the instruction, especially for the higher levels - just be aware that not every place. Maybe try and get in a Dive Club? I dunno what the situation is in OZ, possibly they do either cheaper courses or it is a case that you can just learn for free from folk in the club, so when you take a course (or just the exams / tests) it is pretty much a formality.

I have done a bit of diving in Thailand, basically I would put the "standard" as being "if you pay you pass" - and that safety is pretty much as to be expected with everything else in Thailand. But I am sure their are exceptions.

As already said it seems to be a VERY competitive business in Thailand (it's one of the few jobs / businesses that are fairly easy for a Farang to get into AND which many Tourists seem to prefer dealing with a Farang) - I would however be VERY cautious about signing up for any package that promises you a job at the end of it (especially for some of the large figures to be paid) - whilst technically true - it may well be the case that the job "offer" is in practice so unattractive that you quickly decide to venture elsewhere. If you think about it, if a Dive school is signing up instructers on a regular basis that would quickly require a very large operation to support the instructors - and if they are not training folk regularly perhaps you should ask yourself whether they are going to be good enough to train you? Of course if you treat a job as a possible bonus then that is another story.

[The Dive Site]

I heard that this year there's a huge drop in divers in Pattaya - down by 80 %. That's of course 2005, last year, in fact.

I chose one of the most visible outlets on the Internet and boy, were they shit! Shitty boat, shitty food, shitty office - with walls decorated mostly by the owner's diving certificates - hundreds of them. Shitty weather (we hit the rain), only two customers - me and the guy who paid 50,000 baht for his "speciality" course. No visible safety measures either.

They, like everyone else in Pattaya, offer the full range of training courses where navy seals can learn something new.

Extremely dodgy place, and the prices are a lot higher than on Koh Tao I mentioned - for simple dives nearly three times higher.

There must be better schools in Pattaya but, judging by the presentation, it's one of the bestest.

Yes you are right, there is a drop in divers this year, but i think it is general for the whole of Thailand, due to last years events.

The only thing i can say to your experience is that it sounds like you had some very bad luck. The best thing to do (if you have the time), is to check out the operator and their facilities before hand. Unfortunatly not all have this opportunity. But you do find such shops all over the world, unfortunatly.

[Scuba Scott]

Thank you everyone who has given me advice on this topic. I think the best thing for me to do is go and dive at a few of these places first. In fact i am going to see what it is like diving for a day in Pattaya then Phuket before i decide any further.

Also point taken about learning in Oz but after living in Oz most of my life and the prices for the same certification levels and package being almost double compared to Thailand i want try my luck outside of Oz while i am young enough with fewer responsabilities.

As far as good instruction goes it is sometimes upon the student to learn as much as possible from many resources rather then beleive everything the instructor or coach may tell you. I say this because i have been a life guard, life saver, level 1 sport coach, swim instructor and state basketball player for many years now in Qld, so i have taught and been taught many different things by many different people. I believe having a good or bad instructor is like having a good or bad professor at university, you have many differnt learning resourses at your disposal so use them and remeber when you are finished your studies it is up to you what you make of yourself as even the best student can turn out to be a flop when it is time for the real thing.

Thanks again for all the info guys and anymore advice is always welcome.

Cheers,

Scott