Hi, this is the second part of what is or will be a five part post on how to learn to dive. Part one introduced you to the attractions of diving, namely learning a new skill, meeting new people and travelling to different places. This second part will go on to discuss where should you learn to dive and what is the difference between the training agencies.

Home or Away?

As mentioned in the previous learn to dive post it is only after your first introduction to diving that you would even look at your home town for a dive shop, if you live in-land like I do. You will be surprised however at the number of dive locations that can be a few hundred miles (or km) from the sea. You would also be surprised that regardless of the temperature people still learn to dive. I have found myself in waters as low as 5degreeC teaching people to dive!! So it’s not only holiday makers that learn to dive, many people take up the sport as a hobby while still in their home country.

Obviously whether you should learn to dive at home or away is defiantly a personal choice, diving in 5degreeC isn’t for everyone, but there are a few considerations before you make the decision. The main benefit I see from people who learn to dive while still at home is time. Dive courses are split into 3 segments, pool training, open water training and academic training. This last part I think is best done over a longer period than the 2-3 days you get while on holiday.

My reason for saying this is that when you have more time people will actually read the stuff you have asked them to, but on holiday many people will read only what they need to know to get through the exam. This doesn’t make them bad divers just not fully informed in my opinion.

The main advantage of learning to dive when on holiday is variety. Depending on where you live and how far from the sea you are will depend on the number of dive schools in your area. You may only have the one school who only teaches from one agency and the dive school may not really be that good. On holiday to most beach destinations, however, you will find at least 6 dive schools or as many as 200, teaching all the main agency standards. With these types of place you literally have the dive world to choose from.

What Dive Training Agency Is Best?

Short answer, None!

I have trained under only 2 different agencies but looked at the other agencies training programmes and to be honest now they are all pretty similar in their structure. It wasn’t always like this though and when I learned to dive with BSAC (British Sub-Aqu-Club) training was a lot different then. Academic and pool sessions lasted for about 6 months before we were allowed into ‘real’ water and we ridiculed PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) trained divers, for their short inadequate training. Today however, things have changed and most training agencies now have a 4 day course that you can learn while on holiday.

I am now a PADI instructor teaching these 4 day courses and can say that people are trained well enough to become certified divers, and PADI’s wishes to get people in the water as soon as possible is the right way to do it. If you talk about it so much people can get a little apprehensive but if you get in the water the day you book your course or the day after you feel great.

Before I finish I would like to point out that PADI (not sure about other agencies) have a course that does allow you the advantage of learning the academics and pool stuff while you’re at home. You then can go on holiday and finish your Open Water Diver Course in the open sea. These referral courses are a great way to learn to dive as it allows you the time to read and understand the academics and gives you more time to play in the pool. Just don’t do the course so early before your holiday you need a refresher before the next part or so late you fly the day after you complete it.

You should now have an idea why it would be good to learn to dive from post one, now you have something to think about, regarding what agency you should choose and if you can wait till your next holiday to learn to dive. Personally I enjoy diving regardeless of location or weather, so I always advise people to take up the challenge of learning to dive sooner rather than later. In the next part of this post series you will get to know what happens on a typical dive course.

This is the fifth and final post in my learn to dive series. In the previous posts I have discussed why you should learn to dive, is one training agency better than another and is it better to learn to dive at home or when on holiday? I have also broke down a PADI Open Water Course to give you an idea what you will do when you learn to dive and what you can do after you gain your dive qualification.

In this final post I’m going to let the pictures do the talking. Now please remember that the pics you see were taken by me and I am by no means a great underwater photographer, nor do i have a proper underwater photographic equipment. I have tried to include images that provide an insight to what it would be like to learn to dive and what you may see. I could waffle on about each image and what is happening in them but I won’t, I will however describe them .

This was a bunch a divers I taught in Ao,Nang Krabi. They are on the way to there first ever open water dive and the 2 people on the left continued after the course to do PADI Advanced Open Water with me.

The image on the left is a diver exploring a reef near Maya Bay off Phi Phi, Krabi. The image on the right is a rare sight indeed, this is me on open water on a safety stop.

A collect of fish swimming over shallow rocks in Donald Duck Bay in the Similan Islands.

A view from inside the King Cruiser Wreck Thailand. This is no longer possible since wreck penetration is not allowed here anymore.

The exit of a swim through near Maya Bay, Phi Phi island.

The next 3 images were all taken during personal dives in the waters around Thailand, I can just about remember their names, do any of you know them? If so you should let other know in the comments.

I hope this series of posts on learning to dive has been helpful in someway and maybe answered a few questions. If you have missed any of these posts there is a list of links at the end targeted to individual posts. If there is anything you would like to know about scuba diving or learning to dive in particular then leave a message in the comments and I’ll try and answer it. That’s enough from me now so what are you waiting for go learn to dive.

Happy Diving!

Learn To Dive – Part 1 Why Learn To Dive?

Learn To Dive – Part 2 Where To Learn To Dive

Learn To Dive – Part 3 What Will I do On The Course

Learn to Dive – Part 4 What To Do After You Become A Diver

If you’re looking for a scuba diving holiday in Thailand one of the most popular options is what I like to call the ‘Andaman Safari‘. This isn’t a light hearted type of holiday and would not be of much interest to non-divers. It normally takes 14 days in total (or it should in my opinion) and would include 6 days and nights on a Thailand liveaboard to the Similans at the heart of the holiday.

You would have the opportunity to do 22 dives in the Similan Marine National Park and beyond but as I said above this is a heavy schedule and not suitable to non-divers. If you have never been on a Liveaboard then maybe 4 dives a day for 5 days wouldn’t be the ideal time to start. Thailand dive centres in Phuket and Kho Lak offer many different types and durations of liveaboard to the Similans, Richeliu Rock and Burma Banks and if it’s your first time I would suggest a shorter trip maybe 3days – 2nights.

If you are a committed diver however and looking for a scuba diving holiday in Thailand have a look at my suggested itinerary:

• Day 1 Depart your home
• Day 2 Arrive Phuket and transfer to your hotel
• Day 3 Take this day to rest and see a little of Phuket sights.
• Day 4 Board your liveaboard, usually in the evening, and travel to the Similans over night
• Day 5 to Day 9 There will be four dives in total offered per day.
• Day 10 After your two early morning dives you will return to your Phuket hotel.
• Day 11 Rest Day
• Day 12 Rest Day
• Day 13 Fly Home
• Day 14 Arrive home

The positive side to this type of holiday in Thailand is that you get to see the best dive sites the country has to offer. The negative side is that you would miss out on all the culture and sites around Thailand, it really depends what you want from a holiday! If you’re like me and many other divers who travel to Thailand often then you can have the best of both worlds. On one trip you can do the liveaboard and on your next trip stick with dayboat diving. The advantage of doing it this way is that you get all the dive sites. Liveaboards don’t often visit the same sites the day boats do.

Scuba diving holidays in Thailand are just as varied as the country itself and after only one visit you should try and get back to somewhere different the next time to dive something new!