I've dived all over the barrier reef,S.E.Asia,the Bahamas(great reef sharks)and Malta and Gozo, now I'm looking for the perfect place,company etc to do my PADI divemaster course. I know I havent been Red Sea way but I'm afraid of it all be too comercial and I wont get the attention I would like as I would hope to spend atleast a month or more. any suggestions fellow bubble blowers?
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Thread Status: Hello
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Thailand Thailand Thailand
Take my word
Go to Koh Phangan
Go to Lotus diving
Nowhere will you meet nicer people
Let me know If you are interested
I will send you any and all info
Take my word
Go to Koh Phangan
Go to Lotus diving
Nowhere will you meet nicer people
Let me know If you are interested
I will send you any and all info
The cheapest place
Utilla, in the bay Islands of Honduras. You can do it for free, if you are willing to work for a dive shop. Rent is cheap, food is cheap, the diving is incredible. When you are done with your divemaster you can imediately start making money. Here you will probably do your ITC also.
Good Luck
Capt. Kevin Lucas
www.aventurapelada.com
Utilla, in the bay Islands of Honduras. You can do it for free, if you are willing to work for a dive shop. Rent is cheap, food is cheap, the diving is incredible. When you are done with your divemaster you can imediately start making money. Here you will probably do your ITC also.
Good Luck
Capt. Kevin Lucas
www.aventurapelada.com
Kevin
Tell me more ......How do I get hooked up???
What's the diving like?Whats the vis. like in december?
How much is cheap???
Al
Tell me more ......How do I get hooked up???
What's the diving like?Whats the vis. like in december?
How much is cheap???
Al
pretty damn cheap
I did my divemaster there about 4 years ago. I doubt that much has changed. Utilla has the reputation as being, the cheapest place in the world to dive, $10 a tank. Open water certification runs about $125 including 3 nights accomodation. I paid $450 for the complete Divemaster course including all the dives. I had freinds who were willing to pass out flyers to the new arrivals. They did Openwater thru divemaster for free. You can find a place to stay for $5 a night. Rent a small house for $150 a month. A beer costs 50 cents a honduran taco(baleada) 60 cents. 70' to 100' visibility, consistantly. 100' coral wall 100 yards off the beach. I swam into a cave at 70' and exited at 130'. As far a coral growth and visibility it is as good as I have seen anywhere. This place attracts a young backpacker crowd. Expect lots of parties and a high turnover of beutiful women. It would be paradise without the sandflies and if there was surf. I need to go back for a visit. I had a great time there. To get there you go to LaCeiba on carribean cost of Honduras, then take the ferry to Utilla for $10 dollars.
Capt. Kevin
www.aventurapelada.com
I did my divemaster there about 4 years ago. I doubt that much has changed. Utilla has the reputation as being, the cheapest place in the world to dive, $10 a tank. Open water certification runs about $125 including 3 nights accomodation. I paid $450 for the complete Divemaster course including all the dives. I had freinds who were willing to pass out flyers to the new arrivals. They did Openwater thru divemaster for free. You can find a place to stay for $5 a night. Rent a small house for $150 a month. A beer costs 50 cents a honduran taco(baleada) 60 cents. 70' to 100' visibility, consistantly. 100' coral wall 100 yards off the beach. I swam into a cave at 70' and exited at 130'. As far a coral growth and visibility it is as good as I have seen anywhere. This place attracts a young backpacker crowd. Expect lots of parties and a high turnover of beutiful women. It would be paradise without the sandflies and if there was surf. I need to go back for a visit. I had a great time there. To get there you go to LaCeiba on carribean cost of Honduras, then take the ferry to Utilla for $10 dollars.
Capt. Kevin
www.aventurapelada.com
More info..................
Captkevin
Do you know any one that has been to Utilla in the last year or so.
I'd hope the place hasn't changed.
I'm looking for more info.
My brother and I might go in dec.
Any and all info. would be helpfull.
Kevin are you from the US?
Captkevin
Do you know any one that has been to Utilla in the last year or so.
I'd hope the place hasn't changed.
I'm looking for more info.
My brother and I might go in dec.
Any and all info. would be helpfull.
Kevin are you from the US?
Wazee
I am from Houston Texas. I spent 9 months driving thru all of Mexico and Central America. When I found this place in Costa Rica. I have been here sinse. About 2 two years ago a friend of mine went to Utilla on my recomendation. He loved it. Utilla thrives on the backpacker crowd. I doubt it has changed much as for as the prices. The backpackers just wont go if it is too exspensive. They also have ITC courses from time to time. The neighbor island of Roatan caters to the charter dive business from the U.S. It is twice as exspensive. Granaja is another Island close by that is exclusive and very very exspensive. You can do your divemaster or ITC on Utilla, then go make some money on the other Islands.
Good luck and have fun
Capt. Kevin
I am from Houston Texas. I spent 9 months driving thru all of Mexico and Central America. When I found this place in Costa Rica. I have been here sinse. About 2 two years ago a friend of mine went to Utilla on my recomendation. He loved it. Utilla thrives on the backpacker crowd. I doubt it has changed much as for as the prices. The backpackers just wont go if it is too exspensive. They also have ITC courses from time to time. The neighbor island of Roatan caters to the charter dive business from the U.S. It is twice as exspensive. Granaja is another Island close by that is exclusive and very very exspensive. You can do your divemaster or ITC on Utilla, then go make some money on the other Islands.
Good luck and have fun
Capt. Kevin
Thanks for the fast reply.I spent last winter in Thailand,on Koh Phangan. It's realy cheap to live/dive there but The vis. was bad untill feb.so This year I think I will go to Utilla for three months first. I'd love to do the ITC course and then go work in rotan.I just finished my Trimix certification so I'm realy looking forward to some warm water diving with a single tank.I checked out you web site,what does it cost to hang out there for a month?
Wazee
I've spent some time in Tailand also. Tailand is one of my favorite countries. Koh Samui and Kho phangang were alot of fun, but there was no visibility while I was there (how about those omellettes). Koh Phi PHi was incredible, crystal clear with alot of coral and alot of fish. Here in Costa Rica the visibility comes and goes but the wildlife is incredible. More fish here than anywhere else I have been. I don't have the equipment for scuba yet. I enjoy freediving. Costa Rica is not a cheap as other places in the world, but it is worth every penny. Food is cheap, and it is possible to rent a house here for around $500 a month. Transportation is exspensive, unless you are willing to ride the bus or bike it. I have driven here three times from Texas. This way you get to visit many cool spots, bring all your gear and have transpo. while you are here. Central America is a tiny place, I can be in La Ceiba Honduras in 2 days. Tica bus lines is inexspensive and goes to every major city in Central America. Other good dive spots Corn Islands in Nicaragua, Bocas del Toro in Panama.
I've spent some time in Tailand also. Tailand is one of my favorite countries. Koh Samui and Kho phangang were alot of fun, but there was no visibility while I was there (how about those omellettes). Koh Phi PHi was incredible, crystal clear with alot of coral and alot of fish. Here in Costa Rica the visibility comes and goes but the wildlife is incredible. More fish here than anywhere else I have been. I don't have the equipment for scuba yet. I enjoy freediving. Costa Rica is not a cheap as other places in the world, but it is worth every penny. Food is cheap, and it is possible to rent a house here for around $500 a month. Transportation is exspensive, unless you are willing to ride the bus or bike it. I have driven here three times from Texas. This way you get to visit many cool spots, bring all your gear and have transpo. while you are here. Central America is a tiny place, I can be in La Ceiba Honduras in 2 days. Tica bus lines is inexspensive and goes to every major city in Central America. Other good dive spots Corn Islands in Nicaragua, Bocas del Toro in Panama.
My wife and I spent two weeks in Roatan and Utila the summer before last. We got to see some big whale sharks in Utila, but I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than that.
The reefs were trashed and there was very little fish life. I don't know if was a hurricane or coral bleaching, but it appered to be dead above 40'.
It was cheap and there were a lot of backpacker types wandering around. I saw places that you could stay at for $3 a night. They were shared rooms with fans and maybe a window. The dive operations were average at best.
Roatan had nicer reefs but very few fish. THere are also some pretty nasty biting sand flies down there. I though tthat i would be clever and put bug dope on my legs so that I wouldn't get bit. THey went up the back of my t-shirt and ate me alive. My wife counted over 100 bug bites on my back after the first week down there.
If your looking for cheap it is the place to go. If your looking for good diving I would go elsewhere.
Jon
The reefs were trashed and there was very little fish life. I don't know if was a hurricane or coral bleaching, but it appered to be dead above 40'.
It was cheap and there were a lot of backpacker types wandering around. I saw places that you could stay at for $3 a night. They were shared rooms with fans and maybe a window. The dive operations were average at best.
Roatan had nicer reefs but very few fish. THere are also some pretty nasty biting sand flies down there. I though tthat i would be clever and put bug dope on my legs so that I wouldn't get bit. THey went up the back of my t-shirt and ate me alive. My wife counted over 100 bug bites on my back after the first week down there.
If your looking for cheap it is the place to go. If your looking for good diving I would go elsewhere.
Jon
This fly story scares me!!!!!!!How was the vis. on your trip .What month did you go in?Do you know if the vis gets bad in the winter?How many dive shops are on utilla?How expensive is Roatan?
Thanks in advance for the info
Thanks in advance for the info
We went in August. The vis was fine, equal to other islands that I have been to with the exception of maybe Cozumel. The water temp was very warm. It was 86 degrees in the deeper water and 93 in the shallows.
Roatan wasn't too bad compared to Bonaire or Curacao. Utila seemed to have dive operations built into the side of every other building that we passed.
Jon
Roatan wasn't too bad compared to Bonaire or Curacao. Utila seemed to have dive operations built into the side of every other building that we passed.
Jon
Hi
Thailand is the answer in my opinion and Koh Tao is the island
A single dive will cost around 900 bht (£15) buy 10 and the price is 550 bht (£9) more and it is negociable. discounts can be had against accomodation and the course prices are great PADI OWD = 7000 bht (£115) , Advanced and rescue is about the same, DM about 19000 bht (£330)
I did mine with LV diving, its a small operator with a good boat and some great staff, Klous and Gary, I managed to get it done in 3 weeks but you can take as long as you like and all your diving is free, I have known some to do over a hundred dives before completing the course. experience is everything!!!
nedd advice on how to get there? let me know
hope this is helpful
Thailand is the answer in my opinion and Koh Tao is the island
A single dive will cost around 900 bht (£15) buy 10 and the price is 550 bht (£9) more and it is negociable. discounts can be had against accomodation and the course prices are great PADI OWD = 7000 bht (£115) , Advanced and rescue is about the same, DM about 19000 bht (£330)
I did mine with LV diving, its a small operator with a good boat and some great staff, Klous and Gary, I managed to get it done in 3 weeks but you can take as long as you like and all your diving is free, I have known some to do over a hundred dives before completing the course. experience is everything!!!
nedd advice on how to get there? let me know
hope this is helpful
I've been trawling these threads all morning, and found no reference or referals to Southern Africa. Utila may be the cheapest place in the world north of the equator, but with the favorable (if you're earning $$$'s) rate of exchange, South Africa and Mozambique must be very attractive.
Check out some of the following for more info:
www.shanti.co.za
www.aliwalshoal.co.za
www.simplyscuba.co.za
www.satourism.co.za
Certification available for NAUI, PADI, CMAS and SSI, course prices are reasonable, and there is so much to do besides diving.
December is our summer time, so you can escape the winter blues, and there are direct flights available out of New York, Miami, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, etc.
Come down and see for yourself!!
Check out some of the following for more info:
www.shanti.co.za
www.aliwalshoal.co.za
www.simplyscuba.co.za
www.satourism.co.za
Certification available for NAUI, PADI, CMAS and SSI, course prices are reasonable, and there is so much to do besides diving.
December is our summer time, so you can escape the winter blues, and there are direct flights available out of New York, Miami, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, etc.
Come down and see for yourself!!
Hi, try Moal Boal on Cebu Island in the Philippines, the course is cheap if you have your own gear, plus the dive shop will give you a job and pay you for guiding. It is also a good place to do your IDC/IE. There are lots of dive shops there all run by foreigners, plus three PADI course directors and a very friendly resident group of people. You will probably be able to work your way around the Philippines if you are personable enough. Try Visaya Divers, Viking Divers or Sea Explorers.
I love Thailand. I love Thailand , I love Thaaland.
Phi Phi Island inparticualr.
I didn't like Kho Tao - too busy and has a bit or a reputation as a dive sausage machine.
OK OK I'm biased - I lived on PP Island and taught there following my DM and IDC.
The water is fantastic , sites close , Island life is soooo relaxing and the dive shops are very good.
Try Moskito Diving - the fist shop and the best boats by far.
Enjoy
Phi Phi Island inparticualr.
I didn't like Kho Tao - too busy and has a bit or a reputation as a dive sausage machine.
OK OK I'm biased - I lived on PP Island and taught there following my DM and IDC.
The water is fantastic , sites close , Island life is soooo relaxing and the dive shops are very good.
Try Moskito Diving - the fist shop and the best boats by far.
Enjoy
