Looking for a dive partner

[mooro_uk]

Hi, I'm looking for a dive partner for the last week of April. None of my friends are interested in diving! I have my PADI open water but haven't dived for quite a while so definitely need to do a refresher course. Unfortunately I don't have much time to travel due to work commitments so it will have to be somewhere that's not too far to travel from Bangkok for a few days diving.

If anyone is interested please feel free to PM me or reply below.

Thanks!

[craigt3365]

One thing you might consider is to just come here to Pattaya and hook up with one of the many diver operators here. Scheduled trips leave every day. I was at one of the outer islands a few months ago snorkeling and it was amazingly good. Just a thought....

[h90]

One thing you might consider is to just come here to Pattaya and hook up with one of the many diver operators here. Scheduled trips leave every day. I was at one of the outer islands a few months ago snorkeling and it was amazingly good. Just a thought....

I was there a couple of month as well, almost no customer, so all decided it is to windy for the outer islands (there was no significant wind, but no customer on the boats ---> save the diesel). On the inner islands it was the worst I have ever seen....

I would recommend any other place over the inner islands. (Wrack in Pattaya is nice).

And the dive partner you get is a bit of lottery. Can be excellent or can be one who learned in Pattaya and is more a danger to than a partner....

On the other side I think Pattaya is the only destination close to Bangkok.

[mooro_uk]

One thing you might consider is to just come here to Pattaya and hook up with one of the many diver operators here. Scheduled trips leave every day. I was at one of the outer islands a few months ago snorkeling and it was amazingly good. Just a thought....

I was there a couple of month as well, almost no customer, so all decided it is to windy for the outer islands (there was no significant wind, but no customer on the boats ---> save the diesel). On the inner islands it was the worst I have ever seen....

I would recommend any other place over the inner islands. (Wrack in Pattaya is nice).

And the dive partner you get is a bit of lottery. Can be excellent or can be one who learned in Pattaya and is more a danger to than a partner....

On the other side I think Pattaya is the only destination close to Bangkok.

Thanks for the replies guys. I presume by the inner islands you mean Ko Larn and Ko Sak, whereas the outer islands are Ko Rin and north and south rock? So the outer islands are better for diving generally speaking?

If I can't find a dive partner here I may just chance it and go directly to one of the dive operators there. I was thinking of staying in Jomtien so any recommendations for diver operators would be cool!

[craigt3365]

Hopefully somebody will come online and help out. I know there are shops in Jomtien, but can't remember the locations.

[h90]

I dive once with real-divers. It was better than most of the other experiences. But that was long ago. Could have changed.

[Basil B]

Defiantly better with a dive operator, many offer trips to the far Islands but do not always go...

Often it can be the weather, sometimes just scrimping on fuel or captain wants an early finish, some operators are better than others.

Be nice if they were to have a board in each shop showing the boat schedules and where they actually dived over the last 3 weeks...

[h90]

Defiantly better with a dive operator, many offer trips to the far Islands but do not always go...

Often it can be the weather, sometimes just scrimping on fuel or captain wants an early finish, some operators are better than others.

Be nice if they were to have a board in each shop showing the boat schedules and where they actually dived over the last 3 weeks...

The boat schedule the plan before are often broken.

Another reason to change the schedule is if they get some OW students ---> only flat dives.

[Basil B]

My experience in Pattaya has been Students went on another boat, some times we would have "Discover Scuba" novices but they still took them out to the Far Islands as there are plenty of places where they can dive.

[h90]

My experience in Pattaya has been Students went on another boat, some times we would have "Discover Scuba" novices but they still took them out to the Far Islands as there are plenty of places where they can dive.

If there are enough students and that DC has a second boat. Some DC don't even have 1.

I am not saying that all is bad, but it is a bit of a lottery.

[Shurup]

Look up for a Bangkok dive travel group. they organize trips all over Thailand and to other countries sometimes.

[mooro_uk]

Look up for a Bangkok dive travel group. they organize trips all over Thailand and to other countries sometimes.

Thanks Shurup willl give it a try!

[PhuketdashScuba]

If you come to Phuket I'll take care of you personally . You'll just have to take some no flying time into account after your last dive of the trip.

[h90]

If you come to Phuket I'll take care of you personally . You'll just have to take some no flying time into account after your last dive of the trip.

I think from Phuket you can also go with the bus (train??) overnight to Bangkok.

Last dive in the evening and overnight back??

[PhuketdashScuba]

If you come to Phuket I'll take care of you personally . You'll just have to take some no flying time into account after your last dive of the trip.

I think from Phuket you can also go with the bus (train??) overnight to Bangkok.

Last dive in the evening and overnight back??

Yes, that's an option, but would limit the divesite selection for an early enough return to be guaranteed to catch the bus.

And on the trips to nearly all sites, last dive finished latest 16.00 hours would after 18 hours no flying allow flying again the next morning 10.00 anyway, arrival Bangkok downtown 12.30 hours, so busing gains some time but not that much.

So as an alternative I think the bus is good, but when possible I'd prefer the plane.

[mooro_uk]

If you come to Phuket I'll take care of you personally . You'll just have to take some no flying time into account after your last dive of the trip.

I think from Phuket you can also go with the bus (train??) overnight to Bangkok.

Last dive in the evening and overnight back??

Yes, that's an option, but would limit the divesite selection for an early enough return to be guaranteed to catch the bus.

And on the trips to nearly all sites, last dive finished latest 16.00 hours would after 18 hours no flying allow flying again the next morning 10.00 anyway, arrival Bangkok downtown 12.30 hours, so busing gains some time but not that much.

So as an alternative I think the bus is good, but when possible I'd prefer the plane.

Thanks Phuketdash for the offer and h90 for the suggestion. I would love to go to Phuket again but don't really have the time on this trip and don't really want to travel anymore than I have to. I will be travelling from Saudi to Singapore on the Friday, then Singapore to Bkk on the Sunday and then back again via Sg on the following Friday, thus don't really want to do anymore travelling in between plus I will need to stay in Bkk for a few days during that time as well. Pattaya or Jomtien is as far as I can/willing to go for this time!

I joined the Bangkok Diver Scuba Travel Club, so with a bit of luck will find someone from there who can dive with me.

[Basil B]

As you pointed out in you first post you are only open water, and very rusty at that.

I would advise a refresher course, certainly would not advise diving with anyone less qualified than dive master.

Not sure what gear you have, but you will need tanks and probably weights as well plus probable charter a boat, that will not be cheap.

Still think you can do better by contacting any of the dive centres in Pattaya/Jomtien, some of them even go down to Samae San further down the coast, it is really nice down there, but check with anyone diving down there that there will be dives for persons of your experience as they probably be doing dives on the Hard Deep wreak which sounds well outside of your expertise.

[buddy]

Adventure Divers in Jomtien.

038-364-453.

[Stan42]

I'd be more than glad to be your dive buddy. I did my divemasters in Pattaya and know nearly all locations like the back of my hand. Just let me know if it's Pattaya, when, and with what diving center. I recommend Adventure Divers.