39 replies to this topic

[Travelgal]

I am definitely interested in doing Thailand....at least 2-3 weeks maybe even with an add on to Phillipiines......mostlikely it would have to be late 2008 or January of 2009......

[shadragon]

I am definitely interested in doing Thailand....at least 2-3 weeks maybe even with an add on to Philippines......most likely it would have to be late 2008 or January of 2009......

I am holding off making the commitment until I see what is happening on the Bonaire Singles Week. I have to make the finances and vacation time work there first. If not, then I can go all in for Thailand. I don't have enough of either unfortunately...

[drbill]

Spent a month in Thailand back in 2001. Loved it. Dove off Koh Tao for a week... enjoyable for a first experience in the country, but found that Koh Phi Phi was my best experience in that country. I didn't make it to the Similans (due to meeting a lovely Dutch divemaster on Phi Phi) but I wish I had. Everything I've heard about the diving there sounds great.

Watch out for the scams in Bangkok. I had three attempts to scam me. I was aware of what they were doing and went with it to see how they did the scams (the scientist in me). The only one that really took me was the longtail scam. A tour of Bangkok by water with no price set in advance. The boat operator then stops mid-river and requests an exorbitant amount to take you back. Fortunately I never carry an exorbitant amount on me, so they only took me for $18. I was worried they would throw me overboard or take my two cameras, but they didn't.

I never experienced any such scams in southern Thailand. It was truly the "land of smiles" and the people there were great.

[shadragon]

I didn't make it to the Similans (due to meeting a lovely Dutch divemaster on Phi Phi)

Divemasters... Is there anything they can't do...?

That will always be the dream... Well, she could be Danish, Icelandic or Persian for that matter, but you know what I mean...

[Quero]

Oh! This resussitated thread talks about my very own playground!
After putting this all down, it seems to me to be something of a dissertation. Sorry.
Where to start....

Let's see, maybe geography....
Several people have mentioned Phuket (my home island) and a couple have mentioned islands such as Samui and Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. The Gulf has warm water and is quite fishy, but the visibility is typically not great due to silty water, there isn't much variation from one dive site to the next (leaving out the two really good sites there--Chumpon Pinnacle and Sail Rock), and the place is overrun with Open Water students. Now I have nothing against students (I dive with them all the time, LOL), but when I'm on a dive trip I don't want to be in the midst of student-soup. Experienced divers are typically disappointed with the diving in the Gulf. The diving in the Andaman, however, is superb. Lots of variety in the dive sites, beautiful underwater terrain, huge variety of marine life, color, color, color! So if I may make my bias plain, if you are coming halfway around the world to Thailand, why settle for less than the Andaman? The best time of year to come to western Thailand is from November to April, with my personal favorite time in February/March/April for flat water, no rain, and big animals.

How do you best dive Thailand's Andaman waters? By liveaboard, as mentioned by a few of you. You might be interested in knowing that besides the two boats named in previous posts, there are at least 50 other liveaboard dive boats running trips to the Similan Islands and even further north into the country formerly known as Burma, as well as south past Phi Phi. There is a boat for any budget. Most Similans trips run for 4days/4nights, but there are a few shorter ones (for those who don't have much time) as well as longer ones (for those who can't get enough of Andaman diving). Most southern trips run for 2d/2n We can combine a LOB trip to the Similans (north) with an LOB trip south for a six or seven day Andaman safari.

As far as resorts are concerned, we don't really have dive resorts of the sort you are probably thinking of, at least not like the all-inclusive places you find at destinations like Mexico. So for land-based diving we do what we call "daytrips." The dive ops send shuttle buses around to the various resort towns to pick up divers booked for each day's trip and drop them back at the end of the day. Diving is done by and large from big, slow boats. These boats have set weekly schedules, so it's always possible to arrange itineraries so that you get to dive the sites that most interest you rather than simply jumping on a boat and going wherever it takes you. We have at least 15 English-language daytrip boats going out from Phuket every day, and each carries 25 divers or more. Then there are the boats dedicated to Japanese, Korean, or Chinese speakers. Add to those the daytrip boats based on Phi Phi and Lanta, and you will get an idea of the huge choice you have as a diver. We do get a good proportion of student divers, here (though not as many as on Tao), but OW students tend to go to just a few sites and so crowds of boats are really only common at those sites and can be avoided by careful planning.

And of course, there's more to Thailand than water. Chiang Mai (and the north in general) and Bangkok (plus nearby places like Ayuthaya, River Kwai, etc.) are fascinating, but be careful of the time of year you plan to go to either city. Early winter is best after the monsoon has ended yet before the pollution and heat of late winter/early spring settle in. And there's the food. Plus the elephant rides

The floor is open to questions

[secretsea18]

Thailand got a new boat this fall... looks absolutely beautiful. It is operated by the folks at this site. The new boat goes by two names, MY Siren and something Thai. I met these folks at DEMA this weekend, and they are all good people, AND it looks like both the boat and itineraries are very good. Also excellent prices for 2008.

So good are the prices, that I am doing the Andaman Itinerary in April 2008.

There are lots of great options in Thailand, and if you can get up to Mergui, those islands were the best of my trip there in 1997 on Fantasea. Unfortunately Ocean Rover is sold, and I guess they are moving the boat to North Sulawesi.

Robin

[Quero]

Thailand got a new boat this fall... looks absolutely beautiful. It is operated by the folks at this site. The new boat goes by two names, MY Siren and something Thai. I met these folks at DEMA this weekend, and they are all good people, AND it looks like both the boat and itineraries are very good. Also excellent prices for 2008.

So good are the prices, that I am doing the Andaman Itinerary in April 2008.

There are lots of great options in Thailand, and if you can get up to Mergui, those islands were the best of my trip there in 1997 on Fantasea. Unfortunately Ocean Rover is sold, and I guess they are moving the boat to North Sulawesi.

Robin

We have several new offerings this season, and a couple have dropped out. The boat you are referring to is/was called Sampai Jumpa Lagi and is the sister vessel to the company's other boat, Jumpa Lagi. "Jumpa Lagi" and "Sampai Jumpa Lagi" are not Thai names, but rather come from the Malay language and mean "See you later" and "Come back again" (very rough translations to general meanings in English).

The prices are on the high end in terms of the average LOB price here, but Americans tend to go for the pricier boats anyway. Maybe it's just a matter of which ops can afford to attend DEMA and sell trips there!

Edited by Quero, 05 November 2007 - 05:37 PM.

[secretsea18]

Thailand got a new boat this fall... looks absolutely beautiful. It is operated by the folks at this site. The new boat goes by two names, MY Siren and something Thai. I met these folks at DEMA this weekend, and they are all good people, AND it looks like both the boat and itineraries are very good. Also excellent prices for 2008.

So good are the prices, that I am doing the Andaman Itinerary in April 2008.

There are lots of great options in Thailand, and if you can get up to Mergui, those islands were the best of my trip there in 1997 on Fantasea. Unfortunately Ocean Rover is sold, and I guess they are moving the boat to North Sulawesi.

Robin

We have several new offerings this season, and a couple have dropped out. The boat you are referring to is/was called Sampai Jumpa Lagi and is the sister vessel to the company's other boat, Jumpa Lagi. "Jumpa Lagi" and "Sampai Jumpa Lagi" are not Thai names, but rather come from the Malay language and mean "See you later" and "Come back again" (very rough translations to general meanings in English).

The prices are on the high end in terms of the average LOB price here, but Americans tend to go for the pricier boats anyway. Maybe it's just a matter of which ops can afford to attend DEMA and sell trips there!

Your take may be correct, but the new boat... what a dream... computers in each of the rooms, free nitrox, free gear and free beers... what more can you want? And the prices to Andaman are the best I have ever seen for 2008. I am there!

After having divers literally dropped on my head in the Similans by other boats... I will stick with the operations that offer a quality product. I was not impressed when out of nowhere I was trying to keep from being landed on.

PS Sorry about the confusion about the derivation of the boat name... I could barely say it.

[Quero]

Thailand got a new boat this fall... looks absolutely beautiful. It is operated by the folks at this site. The new boat goes by two names, MY Siren and something Thai. I met these folks at DEMA this weekend, and they are all good people, AND it looks like both the boat and itineraries are very good. Also excellent prices for 2008.

So good are the prices, that I am doing the Andaman Itinerary in April 2008.

There are lots of great options in Thailand, and if you can get up to Mergui, those islands were the best of my trip there in 1997 on Fantasea. Unfortunately Ocean Rover is sold, and I guess they are moving the boat to North Sulawesi.

Robin

We have several new offerings this season, and a couple have dropped out. The boat you are referring to is/was called Sampai Jumpa Lagi and is the sister vessel to the company's other boat, Jumpa Lagi. "Jumpa Lagi" and "Sampai Jumpa Lagi" are not Thai names, but rather come from the Malay language and mean "See you later" and "Come back again" (very rough translations to general meanings in English).

The prices are on the high end in terms of the average LOB price here, but Americans tend to go for the pricier boats anyway. Maybe it's just a matter of which ops can afford to attend DEMA and sell trips there!

Your take may be correct, but the new boat... what a dream... computers in each of the rooms, free nitrox, free gear and free beers... what more can you want? And the prices to Andaman are the best I have ever seen for 2008. I am there!

After having divers literally dropped on my head in the Similans by other boats... I will stick with the operations that offer a quality product. I was not impressed when out of nowhere I was trying to keep from being landed on.

PS Sorry about the confusion about the derivation of the boat name... I could barely say it.

No need for language apologies. Now repeat after me: sahm-pie joom-pa-lahg-ee (Or just say "Siren"--it's gonna take me a while to remember the short name, believe it or not.)

Anyway, I totally agree that it's a good idea to stay away from the boats that really pack them on; I only book these boats when divers make specific requests for a busy boat (I think these people like the young vibe that comes with backpacker-friendly boats).

I also think (like many other Americans) that you should buy the best you can afford. This is not an Asian attitude at all and may be another reason that the high end boats have a disproportionate number of N. Americans on them (in comparison with the number of divers that come here from there). But as for getting "free" computer use, "free" beer, and "free" Nitrox, you're paying, just that the price of these amenities is folded into the trip price . I nearly sold a 7d/6n trip on Sampai Jumpa Lagi to a customer yesterday, but she decided to go on the combined north + south trips on Colona VI instead.

I'm confident that you're going to love your trip. By April they'll have all the glitches worked out (these always come up early in the first season of a boat). Are you on one of the 5d/4n trips or the 7d/6n one (their last Similans trip of the season)?

Edited by Quero, 05 November 2007 - 09:15 PM.

[secretsea18]

No need for language apologies. Now repeat after me: sahm-pie joom-pa-lahg-ee (Or just say "Siren"--it's gonna take me a while to remember the short name, believe it or not.)

Anyway, I totally agree that it's a good idea to stay away from the boats that really pack them on; I only book these boats when divers make specific requests for a busy boat (I think these people like the young vibe that comes with backpacker-friendly boats).

I also think (like many other Americans) that you should buy the best you can afford. This is not an Asian attitude at all and may be another reason that the high end boats have a disproportionate number of N. Americans on them (in comparison with the number of divers that come here from there). But as for getting "free" computer use, "free" beer, and "free" Nitrox, you're paying, just that the price of these amenities is folded into the trip price . I nearly sold a 7d/6n trip on Sampai Jumpa Lagi to a customer yesterday, but she decided to go on the combined north + south trips on Colona VI instead.

I'm confident that you're going to love your trip. By April they'll have all the glitches worked out (these always come up early in the first season of a boat). Are you on one of the 5d/4n trips or the 7d/6n one (their last Similans trip of the season)?

Andamans trip !0 days/9 nights.... even with the "free" anmenities, the cost is quite a bargain by US standards.... especially for Andamans

[drbill]

Oh, and watch out for the "lady boys!" One night on Phi Phi I was surrounded by a dozen good looking "women" who were flirting with me. I was in seventh heaven... until one of the locals who knew me passed by and said those are "lady boys." I tried to suspend my disbelief, but I couldn't. Actually, they put on quite a show that night on stage.

Oh, and this is the "divemaster of my dreams..." (note: she isn't Asian and she is blonde)

Edited by drbill, 05 November 2007 - 10:23 PM.

[Quero]

Andamans trip !0 days/9 nights....

I'm envious!

[shadragon]

Oh, and this is the "divemaster of my dreams..." (note: she isn't Asian and she is blonde)

Any sane heterosexual male has the same dream... You can see her two nicest assets. Her eyes...

[a_fl_mermaid]

Shadragon,

How many people would you need to make the trip and what kind of dates were you considering? Do you have a ballpark figure on the cost?

[shadragon]

How many people would you need to make the trip and what kind of dates were you considering? Do you have a ballpark figure on the cost?

Numbers: This is not an official SD group trip (yet - I am hopeful though... Dare I suggest Singles Week 2008 Part Deux...! ), so there are no minimums. I can go solo if needed. I have a buddy in Japan (non-diver) who may meet me there plus a DM candidate I know locally with family in Phuket.

Dates: Flexible. It has been recommended I go in the dry season (Nov - Mar). Here is a quote from a local "for diving, come to Phuket in late winter/spring; that's when most of the Europeans are gone from their month-long winter holidays, when the big animals show up (whale sharks and mantas), and when the hotel rates are more favorable." March /April are the hot months so I would like to avoid that. I am looking at doing the Bonaire Singles Week in April / May so it would probably be Dec 2008 before I can accrue more vacation time.

Costs: This one is pretty nebulous at the moment. I can get an Air Thai NYC to Bangkok direct flight (17.5 hours) for about $1400. There are other flight options I am looking at via Hong Kong or Singapore, but the direct flight does appeal to me for many reasons. It would be another couple of hundred to carry onto Phuket. Diving and accommodation's would probably be in the $2K - 2.5K range with just the diving being $100 a day for a three tank dive on average. I am talking to a couple of local experts about that now. If I went that distance then I would like to stay for least 9 - 10 days of diving. Whatever pricing I get will be double checked through Wenchie to see if she can beat it with her contacts...

Concept: I am going for the diving. I know a lot of folks say to spend time doing the tourist thing in the rain forest and north country, but I can go back and do that when I am older and have an SO in my life... Yes Petra, I am talking about you... I suspect a combo of liveaboard and shore diving to see all that I can see. Weescot recommended Ko Phi Phi and the Andaman Sea. To that I will add the highly recommended Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock. One advantage to going as a group is we can hire a speedboat to take us where we want to go instead of a cookie cutter trip package.

I intend to do a middle of the road trip as far as comfort. I am not taking the cheapest, nor going with the most expensive for accommodation or LOB's. One recommended place on shore was Baan Krating. I am told the stated pricing drops in the off season.

OK, so that is where my research has led me so far. To be clear, nothing has been planned yet and I am open to suggs. Should give you an idea of what I have envisioned to this point though...