Question 1

I don't have diving gears . . .

Accepted Answer

No worries, there are rental diving gears. We select the provider of rental gear who service and maintain their equipment in excellent condition to ensure that you will have a safe and enjoyable experience.

If you are looking forward to take a course, diving equipment are included in the course.

If you are looking for fundive and trips, rental gear can be arranged. We just need your weight and height.

Question 2

Can we do night dive in Phuket? (SCUBA)

Accepted Answer

Absolutely!!! Kata beach is a good site for night dives. You can select the time and date that you want to do the dive as it is a shore dive, so no boat trip needed.

Question 3

What do I need to bring on a dive boat?

Accepted Answer

Personal use items such as
- Dry clothes
- Towels
- Sunscreen

The boat has most of the things you needed. Food, snacks, water and soft drinks, sea sickness pills are available/provided on the daytrip dive boats.

Question 4

How is the day like on a diving boat day trip?

Accepted Answer

If you book a transfer, the transfer will pick you up according to your pick up time by the boat company's transfer from your hotel. The transfer will take you to Chalong pier where we'll meet at around 07.45

We will then board the boat at the end of the pier. Once everyone and their equipment is on the boat, the tour leader of the boat will start with a boat briefing to get you to know about the layout of the boat and the facilities. After the boat briefing, breakfast is be served.

The boat takes around  2 hours to travel to the first dive site for Racha Noi island, and around 2.30 hours for Phi Phi trip. During this time, after you have finished your breakfast, your divemaster/instructor will call you to the dive deck to assemble/check your equipment. 
* Please be aware that the boat may change their schedule due to weather condition and safety reasons *

If you are on the trip to Phi Phi, please prepare your National Park Fee (CASH) with you. You can give to your Divemaster/Instructor to give to the tour leader. The ticket is valid for 3 days
We're sorry to tell you that double pricing still exists.
Thai National - National Park Entry Fee 40 THB, SCUBA Diving  Fee 200 THB
Foreigner - National Park Entry Fee 400 THB, SCUBA Diving Fee 200 THB

Before we arrive at the first dive site, your divemaster/instructor will give you a dive briefing of what we are going to do and how the dive site is. The boat usually give signal 10 - 15 mins before arriving at the dive site so everyone could get ready.

Each dive maximum time is 50 mins follow by surface interval(break) around 50 mins - 1 hour.

As you can imagine, sometime the boat can be a bit crowded so there is a long line for food. By the time you finish your meal or even before you can finish it, we might arrive at the next dive site already, so be quick to leave time for yourself to digest, you don't want to feed the fish on your next dive !!!

Only after the last dive can you purchase some cold beer on the boat. On most boats there'll be a board to write your name and mark how many beer have you taken. PLEASE PAY FOR THE BEER BEFORE WE ARRIVE AT THE PIER.

Before we arrive at the pier, the boat will have a short debriefing to tell you how and when to get off the boat and also your transfer back if you book a transfer organized by the boat company. Please check your belongings around the boat, make sure you don't forget anything. The boat do not dock at the pier for long time so if you forget something, you will probably get them the next day. Also don't forget to tip the boat crew as a form of gratitude.

Once the boat arrive at the pier, the boat crew/divemaster/instructor will off-load the diving equipment first, please do not try to get off the boat until instructed to. We will then return to the meeting point and get your diving equipment.

Boat leaves the pier travelling to 1st dive site
Dive 1 - 50 mins
Lunch
Dive 2 - 50 mins
Snack Break
Dive 3 - 50 mins
Snack Break/Beer O'clock heading back to Chalong pier

Please note that all the dives are no deco dive

For what you need to prepare/bring on the boat with you, please visit What do I need to bring on a dive boat? (https://www.thedivejourney.com//s/f/what-do-i-need-to)

Question 5

Can I do Freediving and SCUBA diving on the same day/trip?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can ! But you must do Freediving first then SCUBA diving, and never the other way around.

While SCUBA diving, your body accumulate Nitrogen in your tissue, that is the reason why you do not ascend quickly or getting on an airplane. If you do, you'll risk getting Decompression Sickness(DCS) or the Bends. Think if yourself as a unopened bottle of soda, if you open the lid slowly, the bubbles will form and float to the surface slowly without overflowing, but if you open the lid quickly or shake the bottle, the gas inside will rush out of the liquid causing it to flow. Freediving ascend and descend quickly similar to you shaking the bottle of soda and accelerate the rate of gas releasing out of your tissue.

Question 6

When is a good season to dive in Phuket?

Accepted Answer

You can dive in/around Phuket all year round. Most of the dive sites are close to the islands such as Racha Islands and PhiPhi Islands which the island itself can block the wind and the waves, getting there is another story.

The best time(most calm) season is from November to April(summer). Monsoon season begins from May to October.

Question 7

I haven't dived in a long time, what do I have to do?

Accepted Answer

If you haven't dived in more than 6 months, if you don't have many dives or have not dived in many years, it is advisable to take SCUBA Skill Update course to  create comfort and confidence in your diving skills.

Question 8

How many students per class?

Accepted Answer

We tend to have a small class. There is no minimum number of students for us to start a course. Many times there are just 1 student, so if you're lucky you get a private course. We prefer small class so we can give students more time and attention.

The maximum number of student we like to teach is no more than 3 students, and if we have 4 or more, we will have an assistant or separate the class into smaller groups.

Question 9

How's diving in Phuket?

Accepted Answer

Phuket has many dive sites around it. You can book day trip boat to different dive sites leaving from Chalong pier(see dive site page for more information). There are many reasons why you should come to Phuket for diving.

Logistics - You can fly straight to Phuket International Airport then head right to the hotel of your choices. Transportation is not difficult as the island is not very big, meaning everything is close by. Taxi, car rental service, and public transport are available.

Accommodation - You can find accommodation of all ranges from budget hostel to 5 star hotel. Different areas of the island has different style.
Patong - Beach accessible with party & night life but also a bit more expensive and crowded
Kata & Karon - Beach accessible while being a bit more quiet. Bars are available but not as many and not as crowded as Patong area
Phuket Town - Find local lifestyle and cuisine. Many good budget hostel and nice boutique hotel. Almost everything is within walking distance.
Chalong - If you are planning to just dive and don't really want to go anywhere else, you can stay around Chalong Pier. There are several hotels close by with only 2 - 5 minutes walk
Rawai - The most Southern area of Phuket. Not as crowded, many gyms, active lifestyle.
Kamala, Bangtao and Cherngtalay - More quiet area with a few bars around. Beach accessible.

Convenience - You can find 7-11 everywhere you go. Shopping malls not far away. Variety of food are available here from local to western cuisine. So you are not staying in the middle of nowhere and limited to only what the hotel could provide.

Day Trip - There are dive boats going on daytrip to various divesites everyday, so you are not limited to only the schedule of one boat.

Local Divesites - There are other local dive sites such as 
Koh Waeo and Tinlizzy wreck in Bangtao bay
Shore dive/night dive from Kata Beach
Tataeng Lake in Phang Nga province 1 - 2 hour drive
Koh Hey is only 20 - 30 minutes away from Phuket Aquarium with a wreck in the South bay.

Question 10

What if I cannot do the required freediving skills?

Accepted Answer

There are several options.
1. We will certify you with the highest certification possible. For example that if you can complete pool requirements for FREEDIVING LEVEL 1 course but you couldn't dive to 10 meters due to equalization problem, we can certify you with POOL FREEDIVING which you can later upgrade to FREEDIVING LEVEL 1.
2. Come back again to complete the required skills. This shouldn't be longer than 6 months.
3. Send video. If you go back to your country and able to find an instructor(prefered) or a capable buddy(not prefered) who can safely film you doing the required skills, you can send them and we will certify you.

Question 11

Is Spearfishing legal in Phuket/Thailand?

Accepted Answer

Yes it is!

However, there are some areas such as national parks or wildlife protection zone. So it is best to do it with the locals or with those who knows where you can do to avoid getting into trouble.

Question 12

Are there Sharks or other dangerous animals in Phuket?

Accepted Answer

Yes! There are Sharks! But they do not hurt us!

Here in Phuket, we have small sharks such as Black Tip Reef Shark, Leopard Shark(Zebra Shark), Bamboo Shark, Whale Shark, and the most important thing is, we're not in the menu of any of these sharks.

The biggest shark we have here are Whale Shark, they are also the biggest fish in the ocean. Eventhough they are a type of shark, they are actually a filter feeder which means they eat plankton. They are the gentle giant of the ocean.

Leopard Sharks are quite big as well, but they lay quietly at the bottom of the ocean. They eat rays, and crabs they can find on the sea floor. Their teeth are made to crush their food, not to tear off flesh.

Black Tip Reef Sharks are active predator. They swim around the shallow reef area hunting for food. However, they are smaller than us. So when they see us, they usually run away.

No one here is afraid of sharks here in Thailand. We're actually excited to see one swimming by because they are the indicator that this area has food and is a healthy habitat for them to live.

Question 13

How cold is tha water in Phuket?

Accepted Answer

Usually the water temperature is around 28-30 degree Celcius. However, during the high season sometimes we get a thermoclines around 10-15 meters down. The temperature can drop down to 24-26 degree Celcius, so no need to worry about the cold. You can dive in your shorts and bikini's😁

Question 14

Can I learn Spearfishing without learning Freediving?

Accepted Answer

Short answer is "no"

Long answer is "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"

Freediving is the core fundametals for spearfishing. To learn spearfishing, freediving should now becomes your second nature. You shouldn't have to think about the steps you need to do anymore. Remember, you are now going to operate an equipment that can kill another person, so you need to focus all your attention on the safety and situational awareness. You also are exposing yourself to other risks such as entaglement, staying at dept for a long period of time waiting for fish, diving in a more challenging conditions. So, you'll need to learn the proper freediving techniques to stay safe first before taking spearfishing course.

Another misconception is that you need to be able to dive deep. Yes, diving deep allow you to find more fish and a bigger fish, but that doesn't mean there are no fish you can shoot in the shallow area, you just have more limited option of fish you can shoot.

Question 15

Why is Spearfishing in Phuket expensive?

Accepted Answer

Because you'll need to charter a boat out. You can't spearfish from any other tourists or diving boats that are going out. The most expensive thing is the boat fee. And to get to a good spot with good fish is a bit far.

Question 16

Can I take SSI course if I did my prior course with different agencies?

Accepted Answer

Yes, most of the agencies have similar levels and standards. There are equivalency chart which tells you what your prior course is equivalent to SSI.

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