I'm looking for a place to do some scuba training in Phuket, on the cheap.

 

So, no boats and no shore diving because of the rough seas in the wet season.

 

This is not a commercial enterprise; just two experienced divers and one very experienced instructor who is a friend of ours.

 

Does anybody know if there are any dams or lakes in Phuket that are easily accessible by car and are up to 20 metres deep and are known to have been dived?

 

Many thanks.   

No, there are no such options. All DC's would be using them if there were.

Diving schools have swimming pools. To do freshwater dives in a reservoir requires a different certificate than ocean diving. It isn't necessarily applicable to Phuket because the altitude doesn't change a lot but there are considerations and differences for freshwater diving as opposed to the sea. 

 

If the diving school doesn't have a dedicated pool you will be probably taken to a beach such as Kata to train from shore. There is no way a diving school is going to take you up to a murky reservoir above sea level to train you because it will end up being cheaper. 

 

Water clarity, the difference between salt and fresh water environments and the fact that diving at a different altitude than sea level will throw off their pressure charts are reasons for this. Buoyancy will also not be the same so you can not train to dive in the ocean in fresh water.

 

Diving isn't really a poor man's sport so if you can't afford quality instruction you probably don't have the money to dive on a regular basis. If you are looking to do it for a living as a divemaster you also need proper training. 

 

So bite the bullet and get real training or just go snorkelling.

Reservoirs have parasites and leaches. They just love divers.

@anotheruser

 

Your comment is rather condescending, a month late and irrelevant to the conditions I outlined in the OP. 

 

You may have too much time on your hands. Get out more. 

 

 

18 hours ago, Tapster said:

@anotheruser

 

Your comment is rather condescending, a month late and irrelevant to the conditions I outlined in the OP. 

 

You may have too much time on your hands. Get out more. 

 

 

 

Go dive in a reservoir for all I care. Many of my points were spot on and accurate. Sorry if they weren't what you wanted to hear. 

On 10/15/2016 at 9:43 AM, Tapster said:

@anotheruser

 

Your comment is rather condescending, a month late and irrelevant to the conditions I outlined in the OP. 

 

You may have too much time on your hands. Get out more. 

 

 

On top of that he shows he really does not know what he is talking about here.