HH Diving

[gunner46]

Hi, just wondering how is the diving in and around HH? Anyone know cost for day trips and able to recommend a dive center?

I'm looking to do some more advanced training and a spot of recreational diving too. Do any of you guys go down (:shock:) a lot?

Cheers!

[buksida]

No diving in HH at all sadly.

The closest place is Koh Talu off Bangsaphan 2 hours south, I get down there once a month but can only dive if the weather and viz is good.

Further south is Chumphon where there are a couple of offshore islands with nice reef down to about 20 meters, less dived that Koh Tao so better chances of spotting unusual marine life.

[HughHO]

I see that the nearest dive resort is in Chumphon. Any reports.
Is there any thing like a diving club out of Hua Hin. That might be a nice event for a monthly meet of the "Hua Hin Scuba Divers" and get some trips going!

It will be not all that long before my dive bag sits in Hua Hin ready for some use!

[buksida]

Good to see another diver in HH but sadly there just aren't enough of us to form a 'club'. The nearest dive spot is over 2 hours away!

I posted this a while back:

http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/ca ... t8376.html

[HughHO]

One nice thing about scuba is that people can get certified and join in on the fun.  There must be a gent about who was in diving or still keeps his Instrucor card active.  I would think that if all the divers got together and found on person  who would like to join in the fun it woudl grow nicely. You know, a dive picutre night or something like that to get  interest goingl  Even if there isn't a person qualified to do so I bet we could find a insturctor from the Chumphon to come up ad to the class work etc. Shite, I hear PADI has e-learning where you do cyber study on the academics and meet up with an Instructor for pool and ocean work.  Who knows, in time lil of Hua Hin migh have a Dive Shop!  My scuba bag won;t be in H.H, for a bit yet but it will be a quest, one that I will be successful at, getting the divers united and increase the number of divers in HH will be a fun project.  Who  knows, PADI migh even lend their support to such an effort.  Now if we can only decide wheather we use the Red and White flag or the Blue and White flag?  Hua Hin Dive Club, by the end of 2008!  Would that be just ducky!  Getting discouts at the dive resorts, car pooling to Chumphon on a regular monthly dive outing and heaven forbit having Divers Supply from Phuket visiti Hua Hin and put on some displays of diving gear for the old and new divers..... Possibilities seems endless!   Now, does Chumphon offer Nitrox?

[huahinsimon]

H2ODunc where are you? Looks like we got a hot one up here in HughHO. Visions of a dive club even!!

Last I heard you were taking your 75hp motor to Pattaya for a couple nights on the town. 55555 You still in business? Keepin' your motorcyle upright. got all your skin?


How's the water this time of year?

HHS

[buksida]

Hugh, I'd definitely be up for a meet to discuss this further, not yet an instructor but have AI (SSI) and DM (PADI) so not far to go!

Haven't been to Chumphon for a year, most of my diving is done off the coast of Bangsaphan these days (with the odd trip to the Philippines for good measure). There used to be an Easy Divers there but I think they moved back to Tao. The Cabana (a run down Thai resort) has the monopoly now but no Nitrox last time I looked.

PM me when you're in town (dive bag also redundant most of the time)!

[Stu-Pot]

Count me in for any planned dive trips down to Talu or Chumphon.

I have dived at Chumphon a couple of times in the last 12 months. The Cabana is nothing special. The guy who runs the dive centre takes a bit of getting used to, but once underwater, it doesn't matter!! A double dive trip (with own equipment) will cost approx 1,800 baht.

Diving there is OK, not spectacular, but not bad at all. Even get Whalesharks at certain times of the year.

The HH dive club has one more member in me for sure!!!

[HughHO]

Well, I won't be back to HH for a couple months but I assure you all that I will be on the spot for a dive crew. Now, how about a little advance planning.... Not enought divers, well, lets get something going to introduce people to diving that might be inclined to take the plunge, no plunge. Now, being as anno as possible let me just say that diving is not new to me and as soon as a club is formed someone will see it as a baht nit noi chance....... Buksida can do a lot! As PADI DM he can get some forlks into the waters etc Discover Scuba etc. I would like to say that keeping the whole thing abou getting a crew of forlks together for dive safaris is easy enought but PLEASE all keep in mind that PADI Insts edtc, and Diove Cneters will want to see that all as a center for profit. there is a place for that and frankly the demographics would support a dive shop in Hua Hin serving the Cha Ma to down south area. NO dive shop from BKK to Chumphon...... I'm not at all saing that is best but I'm only saying that to illustrated that there could be enopugh people to make a nice dive community. So, I sya that when I arrive in HH I get hold of a few divers and has a meet to see if we can get some fun going. Now, that being said I really meust say that HHAD is no worse that any other board to get sucha an activity going. Hey, mabey even the common bond oif diving will clear break the ICE that lurks about some times. considering the demographics and income base for this makret we go get some support from PADI, (I will be able to make that happen). Good luck and good diving and I can't wait to join in. Buksida. mabey you can gather up the different divers gear, get their tanks illed and find a pool a litrtle deeper that 1.5 meteres and do some PADI DS programs that will lead to certification. Have a look at the PADI web site about e-learning and see how easy it would be to get some people going etc. There has to be z few folks about that used to be PADI members that may need not to much to reactivate. Getting as many people into the event wil allo us to get some discounts on diving a gear sales. As some know there is a place in Phuket called Divers Supply just out of Chalong that reps most line for the area. We might be able to get in there also (don't worry they won't deal with clubs but lets just say for now that there are other ways.

Wouldn't it be fun to have Hua Hin charter a whole boat and do the similan Islands. Remeber we can get the boat to come far north for a pickup..... that seems like a very ambitious activity but it will make things real fun. So, for the next 100 days if every diver in HH can get one person into diving that would be great. Go to PADI web site and click on e-learning...... If that happens At least one big trip per month and look how great the diving is in Kota Kinablu(sp?)

Happy bubbles and I look for ward to doing a little diving

[buksida]

Some positive thoughts there. As far as I know you can't get tanks in HH so it would involve a drive to Chumphon. The Coral resort in Bangsaphan has a small dive shop but only half of their (12) tanks are usable and I doubt they would let us use them - I will ask this weekend when I'm down there.

Getting a pool should be no problem, most people who have bought houses have one, just need to find one that's into diving also!

Getting a boat to anywhere diveable from HH is not practical with the price of fuel these days - it would take forever and cost us a small fortune!

I haven't renewed my active DM status with Padi for a number of years so would have to go about doing that should we get enough interest. Look forward to meeting up and getting rolling with something like this - my diving activities are few and far between these days.

[HughHO]

Tanks, no problem as I'll likely have 4 80's Now the fill will be the problem. We'll deal with that by having people who go south get them filled. Anyway, as to K. Buksida's lapsed DM card just contact Jenny Harper at PADI S.E. Asia....
I can't seem to get her e-mail address in...
Any way the notion that every diver find a friend that would like to join him or her on diving safaris is a good way to double the number of divers. Again, it will be a bit of time before my dive bag is in HH but I will set up a meeting with those interested and see what we can do. OH, why don't I chose Phuket? Been on all those dives from chalong too many times and beside the best diving in Thailand ion of the Islands reacable from Chumphon. For a big trip we could motor south and do a liveaboard to the Similans.....

It will be a bit more but I'm sure that we'll gin up a nice crew, remember it is easier to make a diver from an old friend and diving is so easy in Thailand vs many other places in the world!

Looking forward to a nice crew of divers, no matter they be newly certified or long time divers!

[crazy88]

Well the waistline isn't getting any smaller and a few recent fishing/snorkelling trips have rekindled my desire to go diving again .I am out of teaching status (ie have not paid my fees for 2 years ) but will do a staff update sometime in August when I take a group down to Koh Tao for a liveaboard .

IF a club was formed I would be interested but could not commit to every weekend .I can teach and certify up to AI once renewed(full instructor must complete examination with independent instructor examiner ) and also most specialties .My swimming pool is not deep enough for training but I am sure someone will have one that is .The owners of the 3 largest equipment suppliers in the gulf are close personal friends so I could help out with that aspect as well .

If you want to get together let me know I,ll come along .



Crazy 88

[HughHO]

An instructor in HH... Great news!!! So people can work on Divemaster once you get back to status.... This will be a boon to he action in HH! And you have some connections on diving kits, would that be from Divers Supply in Phuket? I've noted the place while making my way back to the west side from many a trip out of Chalong. You could be the kick start a crew in HH needs. I would expect that expiditions south could run well even though HH resdident Scuba Instructor is busy elswhere. What do you think of the e-learning process and how it could be used to increase the number of divers in HH?

[crazy88]

The 3 main suppliers are Siam dive enterprises,aquamaster and dive supply .Dive supply are the largest .None carry ALL brands .

The learning systems involve self study and are very well constructed .You can cheat but you will only be cheating yourself and your instructor WILL know.The academic knowledge is of course essential but you learn to dive in the water,not the classroom .A pool 20m long and 1.4m shallow end, 5m deep end would be ideal .2m max 10x5m is enough however .

I have always preferred to train divemasters on an internship program with a view to them working in the industry as I find it more rewarding and better suited to the working lifesyle I maintained for some 10 years .There are ,however, a number of program options that work extremely well ,both intensive and part time .By the time you have reached this level of training your level of dedication will be the primary deciding factor in your success .Oops,starting to sound like an instructor manual

Let me know when you want to meet up .

Crazy 88

[buksida]

While on the subject of equipment suppliers do you know anyone that can replace a battery for a Suunto Stinger (wrist type)? Don't want to have to drive to Phuket to do it!