Sports / Diving costs
The cost of scuba diving in Thailand is very competitive. Indeed, in many cases the costs are considerably lower than anywhere else in the world.
Rates for the various tours obviously vary from destination to destination and from dive center to dive center. A typical half day diving trip to Phuket's west coast will cost approximately 1,500 Baht per person including the rental of complete equipment. A full day diving trip to the west coast of Phuket, with complete equipment, will be around 1,800 Baht.
A tour from Phuket to the Phi Phi islands, with full equipment, is available from 2,500 Baht per day. And a five-day, six-night tour to the Similan Islands, with full equipment and meals, will cost around 16,000 Baht.
Pattaya rates are similar but are calculated on a different basis. A trip price typically consists of two parts, the cost of the boat to the diving areas plus the cost of equipment rented. The trip price for the close islands group (13 km or 1 hour by boat) is approximately 400 Baht but may be more expensive in the high season. The trip price includes the guide, lunch, drink and first aid supplies on board. Equipment rent is around 1,000 Baht for 2 dives. To farther islands (25 to 30 km, 2 hours by boat) costs about 700 Baht, again including the fee for the guide as well as lunch, drinks and first aid, if necessary. Equipment costs the same as for the close islands.
The PADI certification dive courses range from around 2,000 Baht for the Introductory Course (1 day) to 15,000 for the Divemaster Course (6 to 8 days, or longer) or around 40,000 Baht for the complete Instructor Course (9 to 10 days). Pattaya rates usually are lower than Phuket rates. Some dive centers offer complete holiday packages. Ranging in price from 15,000 to 25,000 Baht per single occupancy, with a surcharge between December and March.
These packages include accommodation in a first class hotel, airport transfers, breakfast and lunch (when on board), five full days of diving as well as two night dives (or other specialities), equipment and occasionally non-diving sightseeing tours.
Asia Magazine (issue of October 18 to 20, 1991) recommends: "For the learner, the soundest advice is to shop around, speak to the owners, look at their qualifications and ask to speak to the instructor. If you don't like him or want to trust your life in his hands, you are wasting your money. There have been no known fatalities, but for the sake of a few hundred baht it's worth going where you feel comfortable."
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