Browsing the internet, it looked like
Koh Tao was the place to go to learn to dive - prices are better than elsewhere, and the weather was supposed to be good in March.
But the bad news is accommodation. From looking on resort websites and forums, it seems like most of the accommodation on Sairee Beach is a bit rough, or very expensive compared to the rest of Thailand. I'm not into mosquitos, insects and people with dreadlocks and henna tattoos - if you're going to enjoy a holiday you want to do it right, but at a decent price.
It took me a lot of searching, - I looked at the rooms at Simple Life Resort - they looked very nice, but a bit pricey for me - I was quoted upwards of 3,000 baht per night!! Yikes.
So I got in touch with their dive shop, and told them I was interested in the
PADI Open Water course - and I got a much better offer of just 1,500 baht per night.
After recently completing the open water diver, I have to say I wasn't disappointed. The quality of room was very pleasant and no soap dodgers in site.
The dive course was a lot of fun. I was in Koh Tao just after the full moon party, it was a bit busy, but overall it was a very good experience. I didn't see anything big on the dive course, but my instructor gave me lots of time and I feel pretty confident to go diving now. If you're heading that way and don't want to rough it, I'd highly recommend checking them out - you can see the open water course on
http://www.simplelifedivers.com/padi/open-water-koh-tao.htmlNext time, the Similans! Anyone got any good pointers for reasonable priced / good quality? From what I understand the diving is much better over there?
