Phuket Thailand

hantarish1010 · #1 27-12-2005, 09:41

Hey all,
Loved reading all your threads. Really nice that so many of you take the time. I'm a newbie, just on this site, and am going to Thailand March 7 to April 2, 2006. Planning on flying straight out of BKK to Phuket, and finding good scuba setups and hanging out for a month. Live-aboards and so on. Rent a place for a month, not out to be in the poshest hotel, but looking for a little taste of the country, as well as of course, the choice diving sites.
So no need for info relating to the local colour (I am American/British by birth/parentage, and have been around a bit), I realize I will be a farang and as such, will constitute a "mark" while there.
My goal -- to hang out, enjoy some really nice dives, and relax. Not aiming at tossing all the hottest chicks, and certainly not looking for STDs and so on. If a live-aboard is copacetic, so be it.
Any referrals to live-aboards or DCs that are not rip-offs would be greatly appreciated.
And any direction(s) for what to avoid, equally appreciated.

But ... practically.. I arrive in BKK around noonish March 7th.
Should I book a flight to Phuket from here, or get a flight from BKK?
And on arrival in Phuket, where is an affordable place to stay while I get the lay of the land, and find out where I want to be for the month? Any recommendations?
I am 46 years old, lived around a bit (USA, GB, middle east, etc.) and would like to perhaps use some of your wealth of knowledge so I don't get skinned my first night out....
Thanks in advance for any help possible.
Dave

hantarish1010 · #2 27-12-2005, 10:24

So -- I forgot particulars.. 46 yd old lawyer from Denver, Colorado. Brit mum, Austrian dad (and subsequent Uk -- EU passport), lived in middle east for 12 years, been to Peru, Africa, Tahiti all over Europe. Went to school in GB, US...
And am tired of the nasty rejectionist Western women (After the middle east, the bintis here really are pretty pathetic), so am open to Thai GF and so on ...

Would love input/advice/suggestions.....
Dave

LivinLOS · #3 27-12-2005, 10:51

Well I am sure people will reccomend thier favorite dive operations..

My suggestion is get out here.. Met some of the local expat dive community who make a living as divers.. March wont be high season so much and so accomodations etc should all be easy and cheap(er).. The local guys will give you the run down on what sites are must do sites.. and what operations to use.. Also I suspect you may get on well enough with one of them to want to dive with whoever they operate with..

I know a few full time divers so if you want to have a beer when you arrive and met a few its really pretty easy to sort out..

That way it removes the sales spin and gets you to the real info faster..

hantarish1010 · #4 27-12-2005, 11:16

Thanks!
Where should I head to in Phuket to find all the local expats who dive?
Is there a bar or an area?

Dave

planter · #5 27-12-2005, 11:29

I might just take you up on that myself Livinlos, I am a keen diver arriving 8th Jan for a couple of weeks and dead keen to do a bit of diving.

hantarish1010 · #6 27-12-2005, 11:38

LivingLOS,
I would really enjoy meeting you for a few beers on arrival. Any good place you know? I am flying in to BKK around noonish Mar 7th, and hope to catch the next flight to Phuket...
Dave

LivinLOS · #7 27-12-2005, 14:47

Good place for beers.. Plenty.. Good places for Diving.. Talk to some of the guys I know.. I dont dive..

I suspect my mates would be dead happy to assist as that is thier job after all.. Can always PM me for a liquid lunch..

wakeboycam · #8 27-12-2005, 17:30

I went on a life aboard to the Similan Islands in November with West Coast Divers in patong beach. Very friendly and professional staff. We where with 4 customers on a boat that could handle 16 customers. The owner Milton said he didn't make any money on this trip but felt it was his duty that if people would fly around the world for a trip like this he had the obligation to take them out. So making profit is not his main goal and to me that is a good point.

Have fun.

http://www.westcoastdivers.com/index.htm

hantarish1010 · #9 27-12-2005, 23:41

Thanks for the tip on the DC! I am browsing places in Patong right now to get a base from which to find out where the "must do" dives are, and YES, I will PM LivinLOS for a liquid lunch. Wonder if they have Victoria Bitters there (only dreaming... here in Denver they don't)...

DT

IRISH JONNY · #10 27-12-2005, 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by hantarish1010

LivingLOS,
I would really enjoy meeting you for a few beers on arrival. Any good place you know? I am flying in to BKK around noonish Mar 7th, and hope to catch the next flight to Phuket...
Dave

THERES NO SUCH THING AS A FEW BEERS WITH HIM !!!!!!!!
YOU WILL END UP GETTING PISSED.......555555555..........BELIEVE ME I KNOW.......IT HAS HAPPENED TO MEA FEW TIMES !!!!! BUT ON A SERIOUS NOTE, HE WILL SORT YOU OUT....OUR LIL HAS GREAT CONTACTS... IJ

seafox · #11 28-12-2005, 00:09

Try to stay in Patong or at least Karon so that you are near nightlife scene.

For diving do some day trips to Similans and some local diving out to Phi Phi and the King Cruiser Wreck, then do at least a 4 night if not more liveaboard to Richilieu Rock(Northern Thailand) and maybe all the way up to the Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar(Burma). Mermaid Liveaboards are reasonably priced better quality boat but there are some super boats, Anggun, Aqua One, Ocean Rover, which you will pay $250 to $300 per night and then others that might be as low as $100 a night but bunk style accomodations and public bathrooms so it depends upon what you want to spend and how nice your cabin needs to be.

Nicke, the host of the board and owner of the Mai Thai Bar, has some good contacts also.

PM me if you want some liveaboard info.

Mustang · #12 28-12-2005, 01:07

I did a three day liveaboard with Sea Bees to Koh Bon, Koh Tachai,Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.Professionaly run,good food,enthusiastic staff.All dive briefings in English but Sea Bees is German owned ,so mostly German speaking customers on my trip.(In case thats an issue for some)

Most local daytrips combine 2,3,or 4 different sites in one day so you can cover a lot of the well known local sites in 2 or three days.

My favorite site overall was of course Richelieu Rock(named by Jaques Cousteau

)
March is Whale Shark season Good Luck!!

LivinLOS · #13 28-12-2005, 03:14

Richelieu Rock was one mentioned the other day.. As I say I am happy to admit I know nearly nothing about diving but some of my mates are year round residents who make ends meet or suppliment other income with dive work..

I tend to find whatever the topic you get a more honest answer from someone who either has no vested (like the BM's) or is independant of the main companies and freelances around..

With a month to spend you have time to suss out your options and also enjoy town before settling into some tours..

hantarish1010 · #14 28-12-2005, 09:09

Thanks, LivinLOS, that sound about right. Get down there, suss out the lay of the land, ply the expats with a lot of drinks and find out who's good, who's dear, who's professional and which DCs are bogus...

Sounds like EXACTLY what I would love to do. A friend I met in Fakarava (French Polynesia), Klaus Wintersteller, and his girlfriend may be joining me down there in Phuket. I hope so.. awesome calm diver, is a didgeridoo(sp?) master from Austria, and one hell of a cool person....
So between my languages, theirs and a really healthy liver (my alcohol capacity probably comes from my brit grandfather, who lived to the ripe old age of 96 up in Scarborough), I hope to be able to figure out what's on.

But thanks-- I am positive that you are right. Those without a vested interest are the most likely to have objective, reliable, unbiased info..
Ta again
Dave

JayBee · #15 28-12-2005, 10:37

Here's some places that were recommended on another thread. Not far from the action, but you will need a motabike or take a tuktuk or mototaxi from the first two. The third one is walkable. They look like nice places for the money, and quieter than Soi Sansabai.

http://www.r24.org/phukethotel.com/phuket/palmview/

http://www.phuketdir.com/wangnamyen/

http://www.phuketdir.com/vechguesthouse/

hantarish1010 · #16 28-12-2005, 11:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayBee

Here's some places that were recommended on another thread. Not far from the action, but you will need a motabike or take a tuktuk or mototaxi from the first two. The third one is walkable. They look like nice places for the money, and quieter than Soi Sansabai.

http://www.r24.org/phukethotel.com/phuket/palmview/

http://www.phuketdir.com/wangnamyen/

http://www.phuketdir.com/vechguesthouse/

Thanks JayBee! Will be in contact with all three. Liked the second's monthly rate of 14000 TBht, and as I am there for 25 nights, sounds decent. Third one looks like it may not have a pool, but then again, I'll be in the ocean as much as is humanly possible.

Dave