Guest Posted July 20, 2001 Report Share Posted July 20, 2001 One of the things I've always wanted to do is get Open Water dive certification. I'm a complete beginner. From what I've read, I should look for 5 star certified schools. Can anyone recommend a good dive school in Samui or Phuket? As a side note, which of these Islands has better diving? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brink15 Posted July 20, 2001 Report Share Posted July 20, 2001 Zwoel, Phuket beats Samui hands down, when the season is right. Phuket's prime season is from October (late) to March. Samui has far less marine life and much poorer visibility due to its location in the Gulf of Thailand. The Andaman Sea is where it?s at for Thai diving and Phuket has access to many great sites. 5 Star PADI shops are usually the safest bet as the PADI regional manager monitors them more closely than non 5 star shops. The most important factor beyond location and condition of equipment is your instructor. This is the person you will be trusting to take care of your safety. This is also going to be the person responsible for whether you have a fun class, or drawn out bunch of lectures. Here is a list of links to some of the shops I would recommend: Dive Asia Siam Divers South East Asia Divers Not to play favorites, but Siam Divers is run by two folks I know personally and for whom I have a great deal of respect. Our own Racha has his own shop on Koh Racha Island off Phuket and would also be a very good person to contact. His site is: Thai Sea Your best bet is to send some e-mails, figure out when you will be going, and allow enough time to check out the shops and instructors when you arrive. If you have any further questions let me know. [ July 20, 2001: Message edited by: Brink15 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummigut Posted July 20, 2001 Report Share Posted July 20, 2001 Your coming here for vacation? Do yourself a favor, take the Open Water Course where you live. Then take the final open water test here in Thailand. Thus, you don't waste all of your vacation sitting in on the damned course, and except for your first dive (your open water test), you can determine where you will go. <<burp>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 21, 2001 Report Share Posted July 21, 2001 Brink, Thanks for the fantastic information. I'll definitely check out the ones you mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brink15 Posted July 21, 2001 Report Share Posted July 21, 2001 Sorry Racha I listed the live-aboard opperation Racha is involved in as his site. Racha's site is: Raya Divers Hope this didn't cause any confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 21, 2001 Report Share Posted July 21, 2001 Thanks for the clarification. When I looked at the original site, it looked a bit over my head (pardon the pun). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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