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  1. #1
    Member Treetop's Avatar
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    Can I afford to take up SCUBA diving?

    Hi - I'm considered taking up SCUBA diving as a hobby. Have a very old PADI qualification but would need a refresher. Looking to do open water/reef/wreck diving but as long as there are interesting fish I don't care where I dive!

    Now I'm living on a somewhat limited income and do not wish to acquire yet another expensive hobby (hello golf) so could anyone give me a rough idea of how much it would cost to get up to speed then perhaps dive once a month plus vacations from there on in?

    I live in Pattaya on the darkside FYI.

    Thanks for your help.

  2. #2
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    Unless youve got your own boat youre limited in Pattaya. Theres some very average wreck dives and a half dead reef off ko larn. visibility is shite compared to west coast.

    You might get a deal with a dive operator with boat for discount on their standard dive prices, worth asking operators like Mermaid. I doubt its worth investing in the gear yourself, easier to rent - plus dive tanks and airplanes dont mix well. Ivegot two sets at home, not been wet in four years!

    Ifyou have a padi operators will allow you to dive. Probably best to stick to easy shore dives to start on holidays. Many opators do free dive trials at resorthotels. Keep quiet about the old padi and get free refresher that way

  3. #3
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    Most of the good diving is all down south or over on the west woast, thus lots of travel once a month.

    A refresher course would be around $75 for a day and then you're looking at similar cost per day for full rent and dives 3 or 4 times per day.

  4. #4
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    the diving in Pattaya is nothing to speak of. like Wilson says.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Wilson View Post
    Most of the good diving is all down south or over on the west woast, thus lots of travel once a month.

    A refresher course would be around $75 for a day and then you're looking at similar cost per day for full rent and dives 3 or 4 times per day.
    Not wanting to cause a stink but why do people quote the price for doing things here in Dollars ?
    I have dived all over Thailand and never seen any dive priced in Dollars ?
    Go to most places in Thailand where they dive and it works out at around 1000 Baht a dive which includes equipment. Buy a multi dive package and the price comes down.
    Koh Tao is about the cheapest place to dive.
    Treat everyone as a complete and utter idiot and you can only ever be pleasantly surprised !

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Big Fella
    Not wanting to cause a stink but why do people quote the price for doing things here in Dollars ? I have dived all over Thailand and never seen any dive priced in Dollars ?
    Because often it is quoted in dollars.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Big Fella
    Koh Tao is about the cheapest place to dive.
    But he's gotta get there and stay there which makes it pricy from Pattaya.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Treetop View Post
    Hi - I'm considered taking up SCUBA diving as a hobby. Have a very old PADI qualification but would need a refresher. Looking to do open water/reef/wreck diving but as long as there are interesting fish I don't care where I dive!

    Now I'm living on a somewhat limited income and do not wish to acquire yet another expensive hobby (hello golf) so could anyone give me a rough idea of how much it would cost to get up to speed then perhaps dive once a month plus vacations from there on in?

    I live in Pattaya on the darkside FYI.

    Thanks for your help.
    It depends on whether you are a "toys for boys" kinda guy or not.

    If you rent all the equipment, you could maybe get a two dive trip in pattaya for around 2,500 or so. As with everything, become a regular customer or book a lot of trips together and you should be able to knock the price down.

    Diving pattaya is good to get your feet wet and can be some interesting days with respect to either dives - the hardeep wreck and give you a good work out - or marine life (some places have pretty good critters), but there can be a lot of bloody boring dives with nary to be seen.

    Costs start to mount up when you either want your own gear, get into photography in a big way or get interested in something like tec diving. Then the sky is the limit.

    Trips to better dive sites can also start to add into the costs.

    The refresher is a good idea if you have not dived in a while - do some pool work maybe then a couple of dives. Refresher courses, dunno - maybe 3500 or so? -again, probably negotiable on the package.

    There are some very cheap operators down there - but I personally have concerns over the equipment with some of them. The big two operators down there are mermaids and aquanauts - both of which are kinda ok - swing by and have a chat is your best bet.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Big Fella View Post
    ...... why do people quote the price for doing things here in Dollars ? I have dived all over Thailand and never seen any dive priced in Dollars ? Go to most places in Thailand where they dive and it works out at around 1000 Baht a dive which includes equipment.

    that's about $33 dollars right?

  10. #10
    Member Treetop's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the replies. At first I think I'll just stick to Pattaya once the rainy season is over though. Heard it was not a good time of year for diving.

  11. #11
    or TizYou?
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    PADI stands for Put Another Dollar In.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by SEA Traveler View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by The Big Fella View Post
    ...... why do people quote the price for doing things here in Dollars ? I have dived all over Thailand and never seen any dive priced in Dollars ? Go to most places in Thailand where they dive and it works out at around 1000 Baht a dive which includes equipment.

    that's about $33 dollars right?
    No idea nor want one. I only do proper money and the Queens pound

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat VocalNeal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TizMe View Post
    PADI stands for Put Another Dollar In.
    Mine is NAUI what does that stand for

    Treetop,

    Have you thought about Ko Chang? If there is still a diving place there? They might be "less" greedy than Pattaya. I went there once some time ago. Not brilliant but OK. That also solves the "holiday" once a month.
    Better to think inside the pub, than outside the box?
    I apologize if any offence was caused. unless it was intended.
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  14. #14
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    Have to admit

    Quote Originally Posted by TizMe View Post
    PADI stands for Put Another Dollar In.

    WHen I first went to Phuket, Saw the sign for Paddi Dive trips, thought it was an exclusive spot for us from the Emerald Isle. (never strong at spelting)

  15. #15
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    I always thought it stood for "Pay and Dive Immediately"

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Treetop
    Can I afford to take up SCUBA diving?
    Can i afford to get out on the piss tonite ?

  17. #17
    I am not a cat
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lostandfound View Post
    I always thought it stood for "Pay and Dive Immediately"

    Three instructors and their students are on board a dive boat in the middle of the ocean. There is a NAUI instructor, a PADI instructor, and an SSI instructor. Everything is going fine until the boat springs a leak and starts to sink. The SSI instructor says to his students, "Okay, we're in the middle of the ocean, so we might as well do our deep dive." The NAUI instructor says to his students, "Okay, we might as well do our navigation dive, so let's get our compasses out and swim towards shore." The PADI instructor says to his students, "Okay, for $25 extra you guys get to do a wreck dive!"

  18. #18
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    BB Divers

    Bang Bao I went out a couple of times with these folks, good people, my PADI cert was old, don't worry about it, dives are shallow, maybe 35 ft. at the deepest, they'll keep an eye on you. We like Koh Chang, I get back end of this month, booked 4 nights at a place we like, the wife did the discover scuba, she really enjoyed it, think we'll get her open water cert. this time. Call and talk to Kristel, the owner, her number is on the web site, prices too.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Lostandfound View Post
    I always thought it stood for "Pay and Dive Immediately"

    Three instructors and their students are on board a dive boat in the middle of the ocean. There is a NAUI instructor, a PADI instructor, and an SSI instructor. Everything is going fine until the boat springs a leak and starts to sink. The SSI instructor says to his students, "Okay, we're in the middle of the ocean, so we might as well do our deep dive." The NAUI instructor says to his students, "Okay, we might as well do our navigation dive, so let's get our compasses out and swim towards shore." The PADI instructor says to his students, "Okay, for $25 extra you guys get to do a wreck dive!"
    sweet ! B)

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Treetop View Post
    Hi - I'm considered taking up SCUBA diving as a hobby. Have a very old PADI qualification but would need a refresher. Looking to do open water/reef/wreck diving but as long as there are interesting fish I don't care where I dive!

    Now I'm living on a somewhat limited income and do not wish to acquire yet another expensive hobby (hello golf) so could anyone give me a rough idea of how much it would cost to get up to speed then perhaps dive once a month plus vacations from there on in?

    I live in Pattaya on the darkside FYI.

    Thanks for your help.
    To keep it from being too expensive, and if you dive 1/month or so, then start to get your own equipment. Don't get hung up on buying all new stuff - the expensive stuff, regulator and computer are imported and sometimes cheaper (new) outside of Thailand. But there is a lot of used equipment around. My computer is 10 years old and does everything I need. It will last another 10... Same for my regulator. Do a bit of looking around and you'll get an idea what you will need - then get it used.

    I do my diving mostly on Koh Tao. As someone mentioned, it is less expensive there. Especially if you feel like taking the next course (AOWD). If you want an inexpensive vacation and want to dive, it is the place to go. Take the Lomprayah bus/catamaran from BKK to get there - easy and costs about 1000B each way. Once you are there, bungalows / rooms come in all prices. Dive bases give you a break on a room in their resort if you are taking a class.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Treetop View Post
    Hi - I'm considered taking up SCUBA diving as a hobby. Have a very old PADI qualification but would need a refresher. Looking to do open water/reef/wreck diving but as long as there are interesting fish I don't care where I dive!

    Now I'm living on a somewhat limited income and do not wish to acquire yet another expensive hobby (hello golf) so could anyone give me a rough idea of how much it would cost to get up to speed then perhaps dive once a month plus vacations from there on in?

    I live in Pattaya on the darkside FYI.

    Thanks for your help.
    Better off diving in The Philippines, Thai culture makes diving in Thailand is too dangerous.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lorenzo View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Treetop View Post
    Hi - I'm considered taking up SCUBA diving as a hobby. Have a very old PADI qualification but would need a refresher. Looking to do open water/reef/wreck diving but as long as there are interesting fish I don't care where I dive!

    Now I'm living on a somewhat limited income and do not wish to acquire yet another expensive hobby (hello golf) so could anyone give me a rough idea of how much it would cost to get up to speed then perhaps dive once a month plus vacations from there on in?

    I live in Pattaya on the darkside FYI.

    Thanks for your help.
    Better off diving in The Philippines, Thai culture makes diving in Thailand is too dangerous.
    That is an odd statement. I have to say that I don't agree.

    There is nothing "dangerous" about diving in the first place. Like any sport, there are some risks specific to the sport - take swimming, hiking, mountain biking, or even boating for example - however the number of accidents in diving is extremely, extremely low compared to almost any other outdoor sport.

    On Koh Tao the dive shop operations are all managed by Farangs. Clearly any potential safety issues are not going to be related to Thai culture.

    And in Thailand, it is a law that divers have a guide. This means that every group goes underwater with a qualified professional dive-guide.

    There is no reason to not go diving in Thailand which is related to safety.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by TLansford View Post

    And in Thailand, it is a law that divers have a guide. .
    Could you link me to an official source for that law please?

    Ta in advance.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by TLansford View Post

    And in Thailand, it is a law that divers have a guide. .
    Could you link me to an official source for that law please?

    Ta in advance.
    I do not have a link for you.

    I first learned the information from 3 PADI course directors in early 2010. While it could have changed in the meantime, I have not heard of any changes to the law since...

  25. #25
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    ^ Thats OK - Personally. I think you are talking out of your arse....

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