Where to go and when?
If I wanted to train Muay Thai full-time and just go for a fun dive once a month, then I would do it in Phuket. If I was going to combine working in diving and Muay Thai, I would spend November – April in Koh Lanta, and spend the rest of the year in Koh Phangan or Koh Samui. For beginners, I would do my Discover Scuba Dive Introduction and my Open Water Certification in either Koh Lanta or Phuket. It’s a bit more expensive than Koh Tao but I think the experience is worth it – I did my first dives in Phuket and fell in love immediately.
Map Of Koh Lanta Photo Gallery
The long boat rides on the way there and on the way back (plus lunch and drinks on the boat) make it much more special. Who knows if I would have fallen in love with diving if I had done it somewhere else? For your Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and Divemaster course I would recommend doing it in either Koh Phi Phi or Koh Tao -it’s a lot cheaper and you will have a good chance of landing a job on the island afterward. Just remember, before you do your Divemaster course, ask if you can work as a non-paid Divemaster for a month afterward and see what they say. I would continue to look around until someone says yes.
