[Closed] Thailand and diving

If you are recovering from surgery I'd be very cautious about diving, especially in more remote areas such as southern Thailand.

Its surprisingly how stressful it is on the system, and any potential areas or problematic circulation can be a concern. While your open waters will keep you to the 18 mt limit so somewhat safer, its still only a guideline for a fit healthy individual.

I did my Dive Masters at Scuba Junction on Koh Tao Island, and while it does boast some of the most spectacular sites in the world, the nearest decompression chamber is Bangkok, and the flight would have to go above the safe elevation ceiling to get you there.

If you want a relaxing holiday, have a look at Bali which is simply stunning (and allows side trips to the likes of Borneo) or if you do decide all included, mexico and a few ruins.

mm okay so I don't know anything about diving, I wasn't planning on going deep!! although how shallow can you go before you WOULD need a decompression chamber? The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow and it's 6-12 weeks recovery (MR MC tends to heal quickly too) so thought November would be okay. Thing is we want a holiday with something to do, sitting around on a beach just isn't us and would be bored after 2 days that's why I thought maybe diving would be quite good. Mexico was the other option on the list, any suggestions on where in Mexico?

how long does it take to qualify diving as well? how long are classroom sessions? I thought about doing theory and pool dives in UK then open water dives out there?? would I have to buy much kit or could I hire it?

i reckon he'd be fine to dive by then tbh...the doc's prob recommended to stay away from hazardous activity in case of impact to the area operated (could be wrong, but guessing a biking-related injury). diving is totally low-impact in terms of knocks etc. decompression is only needed if you've poisoned yourself with excess nitrogen in your bloodstream, shouldn't be a problem if you're both reasonably healthy and go with a good dive school.

i did my open water in koh tao - was good fun. think we did the whole thing over the course of 4 days - a couple of half-days in the classroom, pool session and then 4 dives. it's cheap enough to do it out there - usually stay on a 'resort' so when you pay for the course you'll get accommodation included. a few nice restaurants and bars hidden away but the main area is a bit noisy and filled with pissed up travellers.

could easily do 2 weeks out in SE Asia - a week diving, a few days at angkor wat temples in cambodia and some bangkok touristy stuff. internal flights with air asia would be the way to go as they're usually pretty cheap.

would be a sweet holiday actually - can i come??

Hi,

The nearest decompression chamber to koh tao is actually on koh samui so getting to that isn't a problem. I did my padi open water on koh tao which was ok and saw a fair bit but then went down to the perhentian islands in ne Malaysia to do my advanced open water which was amazing. Even just the snorkeling around the islands was incredible. Would highly recommend it, I went with matahari dive school on the small island.

The open water course was 4 or 5 days and the advanced was about the same.

It may be worth checking with dive schools if there are any restrictions on what you can do within that sort of timeframe post op.

Hope that helps
Doug

Learning to dive is an option but certain surgery will put it out of the question, so it depends. Should be a couple of days of pool sessions and book learning (which can be done in the UK, although its probably only really a couple of half days and most of the book stuff can be done in the evening or by the pool so not a big issue if you have a couple of weeks away) then a couple of days to get 5 sea dives. Thailand is a great option but there are a few cowboys out there. Lots of great, chilled out places mostly starting with Ko.

Some other options, Mexico - Never been but heard good things, lots of Americans; Caribbean - More expensive, bit more westernised (good or bad?) but still relaxed; Egypt - shorter flight, cheap, could do a mix of antiquities and diving. South/Southern Africa - Diving a bit tougher, not ideal for beginners but possible, safari.

Your open water lets you descend to 18 metres, which is the acceptable depth you can emergency ascend from without issue under normal circumstances.

Obvious issues are some of the more relaxed dive plans if you do anything other than your course, and discomfort caused by the pressure if the injury is lingering at all.

Other potential problem is the weight, and cumbersome nature of the equipment, you may have to walk in off the beach in full regalia, and part of the course involves removing your BCD while submerged which does require a pretty full range of movement.

Have been to the Playa del Carmen in Mexico a couple of times, and found it ideal. Can day trip to Cancun if you want a bit of shopping / nite life, and plenty of historical sites to do on the day trips. Service is typically very high, and the all inclusive packages provide plenty of good food, and drink to get you through the more sedate times.

The SO always talks about the various spa facilities, which she also rates highly.

or you could go to egypt as well for a diving course...

I would've thought he would be fine by then, the surgery is 2/3's of the tendons connecting his tricep to his elbow have been torn, so they are going to be reattached, so I think the point is anything like MTBing where he is likely to re-tear that injury, so I was hoping diving wouldn't be in that category!!!

Peachos, Koh Tao what company did you go with? Would you recommend doing theory before hand then? Thinking that it's depths of winter and all that, not sure Stoney Cove is my idea of fun 😉 how easy is to to get to CAmbodia from Thailand? I have no idea on the layout of these countries but that's something I fancy! Do you organise all of this yourself individually before hand, or is it easy enough of a coutnry to turn up and book stuff as you travel around?

MM egypy not sure with the current shark on the loose 😉 well I'm sure it's been caught now. Doesn't appeal massively for some reason. Thailand still drawing me more, then Mexico I think, but obviouly it depends on Mr MC too.

Oh so many more questions to ask the surgeon tomorrow "Mmmm do you think he could dive in November?"

Excuse the ignorance but what's BCD!?? I think movement wise he'll be fine by then, has 98% movement in it now, just a bit of bone and tendon floating up in his tricep somewhere which should be a lot lower ....

BCD is the vest you wear to make you buoyant - basically it fills with air and when you add a weight belt it lets you float around rather than sink to the bottom of the ocean or float on the top.

it was a while ago when i was out there travelling when i did mine, but thailand is DEFINITELY they type of place that you can turn up with no bookings and find places to stay/do a course. in fact it's probably better as you can check out the accommodation / istructors before you give any money away. can't remember who we did it with, but it was a pretty decent outfit. you can easily get to seam reap (cambodia) from bangkok by bus or probably fly in. it's not that far, but if you travelled by bus you'd probably spend a good couple of days of your precious holiday on a dusty bus there and back. could probably get a private car out though which would halve the time...

Peachos that's useful thank you, it's such a mine field as I search the internet for ideas it gets bigger!

Bear in mind the guideline is not to fly within 24 hours of diving (minimum from memory is 12 hours after a single dive, 18 after a multi dive).

Can be a hassle on shorter breaks especially if you are planning to do a few side trips while you are there.

Also if you are heading over in November its close to the end of the rainy season (peaks in september), so water visibility can suffer on alot of the in shore sites due to the water run off.

You should be able to do your theory etc before you head out, which will save some of the classroom tedium while you are there, and also allow you do do a few recreational dives after your course, which is what makes it all worth while. Shark Island, and the Pinnacle off Koh Tao are exceptional.

OOO you said the word "Sharks" which gives me shivers! Mr MC was just talking about flying times etc, I would've thought we might do a 2 weeks ish holiday. Depends on what fits/would be best/money etc. What's the difference with the recreational dives then? or do you just mean you can be more relaxed as you aren't learning in effect?

Recreational = sightseeing 🙂 Lead by a Dive Master so the majority of planning etc is taken care of.

Normally get 3-4 dives in across a day out on a larger boat. Benefit of Koh Tao is the majority of the better sites are within reach, alot of the Koh Samui / Phangan crowd head out there which makes for a much longer jaunt.

Also worth visiting the East coast of the mainland, around the Krabi or Phuket areas if your away for a fortnight.

MC - for more info try asking the folks over on YD - [url] http://www.yorkshire-divers.com/forums/forum.php [/url]. It's a pretty similar community to STW, so you'll get the full range of helpful responses, ill-informed opinion, banter, bickering, forum jokes, open abuse and trolling.

Thepurist that'll be useful! I'll take a look this evening, keep the posts coming! I'm off to take Mr MC to hospital now, fingers crossed. Mmm thought of sun and holidays is keeping me happy!

I'd be careful about diving when recovering from surgery. As said above, he will be carrying a fair amount of weight on land (bcd+air cylinder+extra weight to overcome salt water related buoyancy, (this weekend I carried an extra 22kg to help me sink in the Forth). There's also the effect of depth pressure to deal with. I'd suggest finding a doctor who knows about diving and asking them. Your local BSAC branch or PADI centre should be able to help.
Also, have you dived before? If not, I'd recommend a Try Dive just to see if you can deal with breathing underwater as some people really struggle. I recently met a guy who turned up to do a pool session, was really excited abut it, but just couldn't deal with beathing underwater or any of the exercises you need to do (mask off, lost breathing kit, that kind of thing). Again BSAC/PADI (probably PADI) wil probably be able help you out.
You might even consider a PADI referral - do some pool work here, but do the open water sections elsewhere, eg Thailand. That way you come home as qualified aquajunkies.

I dived with these guys when I was in Thailand late last year: http://www.thailand-divers.com/ . Run by a couple of brits, very professional and safety-concious - found them via YD as the guy who runs the shop is a mate of someone on there. We were on a couple of day trips (as my gf and I are both qualified) but the guide we had was great and seemed really well suited to teaching newcomers.

They're based in Patong, Phuket - which is the seedy town centre but most lively for nightlife. Plenty of accommodation there that is away from the noisy roads though, and you have dozens of different beaches a short ride away.

You've been able to do a "referral" for a while and everywhere seems well geared up for it these days. Effectively you split out your open water course - do the book/classroom work and the skills stuff in the swimming pool over here, they sign off a form which you take on holiday and they do the four open water dives. Saves doing the dull stuff on holiday, although if you've got a relaxed couple of weeks then it's not such an issue.

Have a look through the standard PADI medical declaration (you always need to sign this off every time you go diving with a different operator) - if there's anything on there that might be a concern then get a letter signed off by a doctor that understands diving. A mate missed out on a week of diving because he assumed he could get a local doctor to clear him (as he'd done before) but they refused unless he travelled to Cairo and got a load of tests done.

First a bit of general advice - If you're taking recommendations from people about the quality of the school or dive sites always ask where else (and how much) they've dived. Diving is pretty amazing so people who've only dived one location will tell you it's great when it might compare pretty badly to others. It can be very difficult to find any properly objective ratings for dive locations as sites change over time(generally for the worse - overfishing, over diving, storms, sea warming, increasing pollution and run off from deforestation).

It's very rare to need to pre-book diving - I reckon you're nearly always better just turning up and having a chat to them first (make sure you trust/get on with the instructors). Pre-booking accommodation is becoming a bit more important everywhere. It used to be the done thing to turn up in the morning and find somewhere but the internet now means the best places tend to fill up prebooked in season.

First thing to do re the surgery is to ask the doctor. As others have said I suspect it's 're-injury' they're worried about rather than anything else. Dive equipment is heavy so putting it on/carrying it about it can be easy to strain back/arms/shoulders but a lot of fat, unfit, people dive so it's not that bad. Ignore talk of 22kg weights(!) - in warm water with a thin wetsuit you only need a few kg at most.

Once you're in the water you're effectively weightless so not a problem. If you do have an issue it is possible to put your kit on in the water (if it's calm) which can be a big help.

Check the climate carefully in that part of the world - when it's good on one side of the Thai peninsula it is bad on the other. The weather is better on the west at Christmas - I think little sun on the east then. Check for the other places I mention as well.

Thailand is a wonderful place to visit. IMO it has the best food in the world. It was the first place i've subsequently visited in SE Asia and every other country has disappointed on the food front. I dived off Ko Tao back in the early 90's and wasn't particularly impressed - however, the only other place I'd dived back then was the Barrier Reef and it was rainy season so the best, offshore, sites were not accessible. Ko Tao will have changed a lot (it was shacks on the beach back then) but I hear good things from people who've been recently). The best diving in Thailand is actually off the west coast north of Phuket. That really is "world class" but we got to it on a liveaboard so not sure how accessible it is from shore/for beginners. East side islands remain more developed and package tourists (Ko Lanta's the best of the bunch), West side still attract more backpackers. Ko Tao still least developed of the Samui/Pha Nang/Tao trio.

Indonesia: climate in all the places that follow is good in December. Huge amount of places to dive but the best stuff is the least accessible/developed as far as I can work out. The diving we did off Bali was a bit disappointing. Gili Islands was better and would be a good place to learn. Further east again I hear great things but difficult to get to.

One place I would hugely recommend is Pulau Weh - Indonesia's northernmost tip. Easy to get to now you can fly to Banda Aceh from Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia. Fantastic diving, a great place to learn as the bay has superb diving in <10m of water, very cheap. Disadvantages - food not as good as Thailand, few tourist so no nightlife. Muslim country (though beer readily available to tourists).

The other place that would be great to learn is Caye Caulker, Belize. I was there in Summer so don't know about Nov-Dec. Again, good diving just offshore, great, cheap, super small, super chilled Caribbean island. Incredible diving once you get properly off shore (though it can be a rough trip out). If you have time you can fly cheaply to Cancun and make your way down through Playa Del Carmen (So so diving but the fresh water cave diving is pretty amazing), Tulum (ruins) to Belize City. The bus ride is an experience rather than luxurious but a good one.

Egypt is out at that time of year as the water is too cold. Liveaboard diving there is really good but the coastal towns are nasty or resort hotels.

Egypt is out at that time of year as the water is too cold.

I've dived Egypt in December before and it was fine - just went for a full 3mm rather than shorty.

[s]East[/s] WEST side islands are more developed and ATTRACT MORE package tourists (Ko Lanta's the best of the bunch), [s]West[/s] EAST side of the Peninsula [s]still[/s] attracts more backpackers. Ko Tao still least developed of the Samui/Pha Nang/Tao trio.

I've dived Egypt in December before and it was fine - just went for a full 3mm rather than shorty.

[url= http://www.divesitedirectory.com/red_sea.html ]http://www.divesitedirectory.com/red_sea.html[/url]

Water temperature: 20°C (68°F) in February to 27°C (81°F) from July to October
Suit: 3mm or 5mm wetsuit (November - April), shortie for rest of the year

I think the last time we went was a September (it was a few years back and a liveaboard way down towards Sudan) but we were diving 5mm/3mm full suit and Katie would still have been cold. That said, she gets cold in a full 3mm suit + thermal when the water is 30C. You do get colder if you're doing 3+ dives per day

So much info to get looking at. I have had a look at the medical questionnaire already that is fine, other than Mr MC doing this tricep tendon damage we are both fit and healthy (well normally!!!!!). Weight isn't an issue either, normally we both do a significant amount of weight training so weights we can cope with (plus being in uniform at work that's an extra stone of kit to carry around all day). But it has occurred to me to talk to Consultant about it, i'll just wait until his follow up appointment after his op rather than right now! (In surgery now 🙁

Thanks for all the advice it's great and getting me quite enthusiastic about a nice fun holiday with something different.

I did my open water in Koh Lanta (Blue Planet Divers - highly recommended), but the boat took us nearer to Koh Phi Phi. The visibility was superb, and the wildlife truly breathtaking. One piece of advice if you're booking locally: ask how many people will be in your group. We were very lucky to have 1:2 tuition, with a Dive Master assisting as well. We heard all sorts of horror stories about groups of 6 or even 8, with people having completed the course and still not having a clue.

Ransos - good point. Group size is normally the problem with the cheap places to learn (Cairns, Honduras + possibly Ko Tao). Small dive shops in small places worth looking for.

Katie had 1:1 in Caye Caulker and would have been the same @LumbaLumba on Pulau Weh

I presume if you go diving with these companies included in the price is all the kit, or do I need to provide something of my own?

They're all set up for people who arrive with nothing.

We carry fins/mask/snorkel (so that we can snorkel when we're not diving and know our fins fit) and a wetsuit (so we have one that fits properly).

If you already have a suitable wetsuit take it but I'd not buy anything specifically for your first trip.

I have a wetsuit although it's a full length triathlon wetsuit, is it much different? ooooo exciting there is so much stuff out there! think I might contact some local dive companies for their advice and look into doing some of the theory potentially before hand?? To give us more diving time over there!??

Personally I wouldn't bother doing anything in the UK.

Save your money and spend it on extra dives when you're away.

All kit is provided. The only thing I wish I'd bought is a mask - finding one that fits well is a bit of trial and error, so if you find a brand you're happy with, you might think about buying it. It's not much fun having to constantly clear your mask underwater...

The only thing I wish I'd bought is a mask

Also, wrt the wetsuit for triathleting - might do, but we'd need some pics to sure.

++ for buying your own mask and snorkel. Even if you never get on with diving, they'll do fine for snorkelling off the beach wherever you are in the future. Having one that fits and hasn't been used with the [s]spit[/s] anti-fog solution of other people makes for a more pleasant experience too.

Cool that gives me more of an idea! So how long a holiday do you think you would want? Ie how many dives would you do (presuming I get on with it). I see open water PADI takes 4ish days, then maybe 4 days after taht for more diving so I thought a total of 14 day holiday? enough? too much?? Just got some Thailand guide books out of the library!!

wrt the wetsuit for triathleting

I believe they're no use - they're made super flexible for swimming but that means they get compressed at depth so don't keep you warm diving.

[url=

wet suit - sorted[/url]
full screen btw

PADI Open Water is 3-4 pool dives and 2-3 open water dives. IMHO do the pool dives here so you can get out and play when you're there. At the very least, you'll get some key skills - mask clearing, regulator (mouthpiece) recovery, what to do if your air runs out, etc. You do exercises in the pool that you repeat in the sea. I'd reckon you'll be more comfortable when you arrive, you'll enjoy the exercises and get more out of your time there

All IMHO, but..

Whatever you do, it'll be be fun

LycraLout that video is awesome although gives me the heebie jeebies! Not sure how I feel about big dark holes was just thinking lovely blue water with pretty coloured fish, or am I now being super naive??
I like your theory about doing pool stuff here, are dive companies over here happy to do that? I presume they give you certificate with what stage you may have reached?? Got some Thailand guide books from the library to get stuck into next.

Another question, what airlines tend to be cheapest for flights to Bangkok then? How much should I expect to pay for a flight in November?

The deep dark holes are unusual - your ideas are closer to what you'll see. It's just a super cool vid.

It's called a referral, and your dive centre should be ok with it as long 's a PADI centre. Google for PADI referral, and you'll find something like [url= http://www.divemasterscuba.co.uk/beginnnercourses_openwaterreferral.html ]this[/url]. You'll get a log book to record where you are and future dives.

BTW - I saw that video this weekend. I was shown it at the dive centre as I was being treated for an accident. I fell out of the boat in the boatyard

definitely do the theory and pool in the UK - last thing you'll want to do is watch videos and do theory when on holiday - ask UK training schools about doing pool and theory so that you can do an 'open water referral' the uk schools will probably have contacts overseas and if they aren't welcoming, don't dive with them

also, warm water dive outfits focus less on the pool sessions and do more in the sea, whereas UK dive outfits make sure that your skills are sharp before letting you in the sea; therefore you'll get there and be able to sail through the OW dives

and the pool work is valid for 12 months iirc

Cool that defintaely sounds like a plan! Worried I do that freak out thing when I try to breathe under water, should be fun though. Cheapest flights are with Jet Airlines ... anyone heard of them? Or would you pay a bit more and go with someone like Qatar airlines, at least I've heard of them!!

Doctors concerns are valid. Any hyperbaric doctor would be concerned about the possibility of scar tissue creating a nucleus for bubble formation during decompression - predisposing you to "bends". Shallow diving is no safer. Bubbles form in your bloodstream on EVERY dive -if you stick to the decompression tables they're just more likely to be non-pathogenic. Get clearance from a [u]hyperbaric doctor - check with local dive shops. If you just want to see the reef/fishes go snorkelling. The visibility in most tropical waters lets you see everything just snorkelling(there's bugger all extra below 20m - yes, a generalisation, but trust me on this that's what years in marine science teaches you!). If you're fit, snorkelling is heaps easier (less equipment)and safer - if you're unfit... dive snorkelling deaths here in Oz are split about 50/50 - mostly snorkellers having heart attacks...If you feel you must dive please get hyperbaric medical clearance before you leave home. Assuming you get clearance (quite likely) speak to the instructors and find one you trust will look after you, not just your money, and have a ball! To (hopefully :D) dispel any thoughts that this is a random internet opinion I'll point to 34 years diving experience (including mixed gas commercial),30 years marine science diving (half in tropical waters - Great Barrier reef, a horrible job, but somebody's got to do it :D), and 20 years as a Dive Medical Technician.

Ooo Bampot, you make it sound quite scary. Don't worry I am not going to be naive and stupid in this. Now to find a hyherbaric or whatever it was Dr!!!! mmmmmm the choices.

wrt the wetsuit for triathleting

I believe they're no use - they're made super flexible for swimming but that means they get compressed at depth so don't keep you warm diving.

Nevertheless, some pics of m_c in her wetsuit might help. A shower would do fine to simulate diving conditions. That would work for me.

More seriously, bampot's post (and he clearly knows more about this than I do) is why I suggested speaking to a dive doctor. A surgeon will tell you all you need to know about how to behave on land but won't know about diving. Ask your own consultant if he can refer you to someone who knows about diving, or use your local BSAC/PADI communities if they can recommend one.

LOL @ BBSB I like your subtle style but shame I don't know how to post pics 😉

Sorry.... not meant to be scarey. Diving is brilliant (and sure beats working for a living :D). Just wanted to make sure that you got clearance from a doctor that actually understands what the issues are. BBSB's on the money with finding one through a local dive club/agency (I'm sure you can find details of the BSAC - British Sub Aqua Club on t'web). The snorkelling reccomendation is if you want to have a holiday and have the "swum on coral reef" lifebox ticked off, it's a hell of a lot easier than going through the diving training rigmarole. If you're wanting a few days of "underwater exploring" then go diving - and only dive as much as you feel comfortable doing. It's no fun to push out the maximum number of dives in a day just because the trip offers them (and you need to tell mates about how EXTREME! DUDE! - sorry to shout - you were :-)). You're on holiday, RELAX, do a few dives, graze the smorgasbord, lie in the sun, have another dive, RELAX 😀

Cheers for that Bampot. HEre's a question if you qualify to do open water PADI how many dives a year do you have to do to keep your qualification up and running? As next thought was am I going to fork out £350 for learning to dive and hvaing a great time to never use it again? When I could potentially go snorkelling and see some cool stuff, then maybe do some sea kayaking etc. I would love to go scuba diving but now just thinking if it's worth it with all the money? I am heading off to ScubaDucks later to ask some questions!

Most diving certs (not sure about GUE) don't have an expiration date. Foreign dive centres will generally do a 'check out' dive for your first dive of a trip where you're in a relatively benign setting and monitored closely. That means that you/they have a chance to make sure you're competent in the water and take steps to sort anything out. That happens all over, from PADI splash & dash type stuff to more advanced technical trips.

OO looked at both Dive Masters on Koh Tao and Blue Planet Divers on Koh Lanta. Anyone got any preferences? So say I did course on Ko Lanta, should I stay there and do more diving, or do you recommend trying a different island/different sites? It is about £100 cheaper to do the whole OW 4 day course in Thailand, which I could be tempted with as not in a hurry to get it all done. it's really expensive to do just the OW Referral in the UK and transfer it over. Thikn I need serious chat with Mr MC tonight (not his anaesthetic has worn off!)

i did my open water in Ko Tao about 7 years ago at Big Blue, no idea if it's still there but seemed ok to me. My sister had done her dive masters there a couple of years before i think. They didn't have a pool, but it meant you did the pool stuff at a shallow beach which was prob more fun. If you time your trip to ko tao to coincide with a full moon party on ko phangan then you'll find that clears out most of the backpackers...

Having dived other places since, i'd say i probably wouldn't go back there again for diving, but it's a good (cheap) place to learn. Now, if you want fantastic diving nearish to there head to sipidan!

It is about £100 cheaper to do the whole OW 4 day

They didn't have a pool, but it meant you did the pool stuff at a shallow beach

Blue Planet Divers were brilliant for us: really well organised, small group (just the 2 of us) nice boat, great dive sites. If you fancy another dive site while you're there, you could take the boat down to Koh Lipe. Tiny island with a backpacker vibe - you dive off a longtail! There's even a speedboat service to Langkawi, which is in Malaysia.

Ransos now you are beginning to suggest things that I would love to do but is turning this trip into a mammoth trip away that will cost a bob or too (I know it's not going to be "cheap"). think i'll just stick to Thailand. My only query was whether to lean on say Ko Lanta do a few dives then move to another site say Ko Phi Phi or Koh Tao????

Just spent more time with the guidebook! Didn't realise Koh Tao was other side in Gulf of Thailand. I have a vague plan, 2 days in Bangkok fly down to Krabi, then over to Koh Phi Phi and Ko Lanta, doing OW cert on one with a few dives then a few days of diving on the other. Back to Phuket for a day then fly up to Chiang Mai before back to Bangkok and home. Now just need to get the 2 weeks of leave from work that's probably the biggest hurdle for Mr MC and me!!!! So next thing will be to purchase our own masks. Thanks for all the advice guys, any more is ace but this was brilliant. Now just got to pick which dive school to do it with and whether to pre-book or wait until we arrive.

Nothing wrong with doing all your training in Thailand (especially with the savings - it's a supply and demand thing compared to the UK :D). You may find you love diving and want to keep going in the UK... but it will be very different diving in the UK! Not neccesarily worse, just different - but probably not the kind of "glamourous" tropical diving everybody imagines is "normal" diving...Maybe another option is: We get a LOT of people who come to the Great Barrier Reef and "need" to go home saying they've dived it.. they do the PADI "Resort Diver" (IIRC) which gives them a few dives with minimal instruction, escorted by an instructor. If you love it, the couple of days spent doing it count towards upgrading to Open Water Diver later on at another PADI schol elsewhere in the world (don't personally like PADI, but will resist a rant :-), the important thing is to find an instructor you feel you can trust).

Looking at your tentative plan... please be aware you should not fly within 24 hours (preferably 48 - that's the rule I enforce here at work)of diving. Cabin pressure is lower than sea level (especially at night when they drop the pressure to send everybody off to sleep - or to stun the pi$$ed football team...), so there's a further chance of getting the "bends". I know airlines here in Oz will not let you fly if they suspect you've been diving within 24 hours (a mate was kicked off a flight 23:50 after a dive - and that was into the departure lounge, not even onto the plane!).

Oh dear, it's starting to sound scarey again... sorry, I work managing divers now and OH&S is at the top of my list ALL the time... You will love diving - I'm probably getting a bit old and jaded on it :D, so have to keep reminding myself how awesome the early days were! Get to the warm water and indulge yourselves!

One thing I will say about costs - most foreign dive operators will have headline prices that seem very cheap compared to the UK. They then charge extra for everything - manuals, kit hire, air fills, certification fees, etc.

UK places usually charge one flat fee which covers absolutely everything you'll need. Certainly based on typical Egypt prices, you're barely saving anything once it's all added up.

WEll you save about £100 when I looked into it, and it works out way more expensive to do the OW referral bit over here before you go. I have been sending out e-mails to the dive companies to ensure the price I'm looking at is everything included rather than extras and so far it is. Good point BAmpot, I did know that (Mr MC had mentioned it), well plan will be finish diving on one of the islands, get a boat to Phuket and spent 1 day 1 1/2 days there before flying up to Chiang Mai. Right I'm at work now so time to put the annual leave in as that's probably the biggest hurdle since I've done all my research!

Oh the Padi resort diver, is that mind basically where you swim with the instructor (paired up, so one on one) and they do all the inflating of BCD's and other stuff? or is it slightly more technical than that?

Never done the "Resort Diver myself"... but have seen flocks of chinese doing it on Green Island, off Cairns. My feelings go out to the instructors - most chinese don't swim (apparently), so it's a real challenge. Looked to me like you do a mornings training in the pool, and then the instuctor escorts you on your dive, but you are expected to be able to look after yourself (while the instructor looks after the really wobbly ones...)

MMM think i'll just do the full thing as it's part of the challenge. So now to decide when to go, was going to go end of nov into beginning of Dec but wondering whether to go end of Oct into Nov so slightly quieter. Can't get a definitive answer as to whether the rainy season at end of Oct would ruin the diving??

A bit off topic, but went for a dive this weekend. This wasn't the dive, but was the same place with the same people. Viz was slightly better and there were more critters. Good fun. One of them rolled over and one of the boys did some serious tummy tickling. And this is the east coast of Scotland, not the world's top dive destination

If you go a bit later, you can go to DIVE 2011 where there will be loads of operators who will give you good discounts for booking with them:

[url= http://www.diveshows.co.uk/ ]http://www.diveshows.co.uk/[/url]

We booked at a stand there and got great prices for a Dahab dive centre a few years back. If you go armed with a knowledge of what things cost standard you can haggle a bit and get some deals.

Unfortunately TooTall I think that's leaving it a bit late, we need to go before Christmas and as December is high season we need to book earlier. Thanks for the help though!

Get in flights to Thailand are booked end Nov into Dec!!!! Whoop whoop.

good grief, look at that, I'm turning green

have fun

Live aboard dive boat in the Maldives or Ladshadweep islands?

Thanks what I am doing next month 🙂

Ha ha sorry BigButSlimmerBloke...don't know if I can contain my excitement until November is the next problem! Now all the bits inbetween to sort out, which dive company, what to to do in Bangkok and Chiang Mai! Yeah..

So we have now just arrived back from our trip to Thailand! What a fantastic holiday we had, probably the best we have ever had. Wespent 2 days in Bangkok and did some touristy stuff, Wat Po etc, and we walked everywhere! Went to see Khao San Road .. not what I expected at all, I thought it would've been full of more crack heads a la The Beach 😉 (stereotypical I know!!!). Wasn't a fan of Bangkok originally but I think heading there straight off the plane isn't the best idea, when we returned there yesterday having to kill 12 hours I liked it a whole lot better!!

Then we flew up to Chiang Mai and did a 3 day trek which included elephant trekking (fun for 1/2 hour but I wouldn't do it again!! They do look after the animals well though), Then bamboo rafting which was fun.

Done to Koh Lanta where we finished our OW qualification and dived for an additional 4 days. It was awesome, loved every minute of it we saw turtles, leopard sharks, all kinds of awesome fish! Octpus fighting with a moray eel, it was such a fantastic experience we have now discovered a new additional expensive hobby to add to MTBing, although diving will purely be in warmer climes! I cannot fault the company we dived with www.diveandrelax.com they were brilliant, friendly, enthusiastic, professional, saftey conscious. Defiantely worth a trip with them.

SO next question is where shall we dive in 2012?

Thanks for all the adivce and help. LOVED IT!!!!

Just take up skiing and you'll have the perfect trio. Sounds like you had a great time.

Maldives is the best diving I've done if you can afford it (live aboard the way to go and they look really expensive nowadays). Pulau Weh (off Banda Aceh Indonesia) if you want to explore more of Asia (check out Lumba Lumba dive centre). Can go elsewhere in info or Malaysia afterwards.

Central America? Belize (incredible reefs), Honduras?

Simons I like it .. we are already snow board (I can't ski due to knee injury!). So now juggling MTB, dive and boarding holidays is a mare!! 2012 we are having to forego snowboarding as Mr MC has a big "0" holiday in Jan and we are MTBing in India, Bike Verbier in June then was thinking a dive trip SEpt/Oct! Thanks for the suggestions a few of those had been mentioned and TBH I had already started reading about Belize on lonely planet.. not even in the UK 5 hours and I was looking up other places!!