That’s reassuring.
So, are we talking about this or just talking about this? I’m well up for it and, if I can’t persuade people to come to Okinawa, then Thailand is a decent distance for me too.
Let’s really talk about it. My diving buddy can’t afford the time or money to do a bona fide trip and I’d rather do it with you guys than some random yahoos from a local dive shop; I’ll take random yahoos from a gaming forum any day. :)
Anyone interested, email me at [email protected]. We’ll put together a list and start talking dates and places. Just to get the ball rolling, I’m throwing out Thailand in June 2007.
As for experience level, it partly depends where we go and who goes. If any of you who haven’t done a lot of diving are really interested, I’d be willing to plan accordingly. I don’t log my dives, but I’ve probably done between 50 to 100 dives; enough so that I’m comfortable in a variety of situations.
-Tom
Email sent. See above regarding experience but I hope I can get in another couple of dives before then.
Just for the benefit of others, as I said in the email, late July, early August may work better for me but I am reasonably flexible and will fit in with the group.
e-mail sent.
But isn’t a group of people discussing something like this one of the things where a messageboard beats mail?
As I wrote in the mail june isn’t the best time for me. The entire company closes for two weeks in july which means that just up to we make two magazines simultaneous. But it can be done.
Also, please feel free to add me onto any cc lists about this. johnmervaATgmail.com
Of course, as Hanzii says, we could all just discuss this in public!
Actually, yeah, we might as well hash it out here. But send me emails as well and I’ll keep a list of who’s interested.
-Tom
email sent.
God, just hearing you guys talk about diving places is getting me excited!!!
Count me as interested!
I’m a n00b too, open water with < 10 dives, but I’m planning on getting my advanced lic soon. I’ve only dived Guam and Phuket, but I may be going to the Maldives this winter - anyone got an opinon about them?
I second the love for the Great Barrier Reef. Living in Australia we really are spoilt for choice… I live over in Perth and can get fantastic dives off the beach while still in the middle of the city. Plus Rottnest Island is just beautiful. The only disadvantage is that you can see so much just snorkling that I rarely bother to dive properly.
I have also heard good things about diving in Thailand, so count me interested. I have not dived in several years, so I will need to get myself re-certified. Strictly a beginner, and with no interest in deep dives, but it sounds like the group is fairly relaxed so I will not be left too far behind.
Tom chick’s email didn’t like me.
In anycase, I’ll chime in to the dive trip whenever and however you guys are planning it. I’ll be in Southeast Asia for the better part of the next year so anywhere in Thailand or Australia is incredibly fine by me.
I, too, am open-water certified, but I have no idea how that happened since I’m terrified of water (among other things). However, I’m always looking for travel buddies so I’d come along just so I could make everyone coffee in the morning.
Also: Thailand, in the middle of the summer? Is that a good idea?
Depends on your tolerance for heat and humidity.
I’m certified Advanced open water, I don’t log dives either but I’d estimate around 250 or so. I’ve done the coursework for Rescue Diver (mate’s a dive instructor) but never paid the cash to get the badge, that said I wouldn’t put too much stock in it, I haven’t done any first aid training for years.
As for experience level, it partly depends where we go and who goes. If any of you who haven’t done a lot of diving are really interested, I’d be willing to plan accordingly. I don’t log my dives, but I’ve probably done between 50 to 100 dives; enough so that I’m comfortable in a variety of situations.
Ditto, I’m not of a mindset that says that because I can go to 40 meters that therefore I must and in some respects on trips like this, if we can pull it off, it makes sense to buddy an experienced diver with someone less so anyway.
I’m open water cert. with about ~40 dives, most of which have been shallow, either to pop around reefs or to catch rock lobster. I’ve been on one 100+ foot dive, but I’m more into bottom time than I am bottom depth.
Most of the dives I’ve done end up being <30meters the extra depth is handy for wreck diving, but if you want to look at fish, open water is fine.
Okay, cool, we have a goodly group! Let’s talk about timing. Does July 2007 NOT work for anyone? I think we want to avoid pushing it too much into autumn.
Also, since I don’t have a sense for Seasons Around the World, are there certain places that are or aren’t good at that time of year? Is Thailand bad in July?
Finally, is there anyone who lives near a good diving spot and might want to put up a half dozen of us, even if it’s just as a marshalling point? Because if one of you guys has, say, a condo on the coast near a Great Barrier Reef diving site, then I’m all for Australia.
-Tom
Make sure to avoid the atheo-anarchist stingrays. They’re hard to spot and live underground.
Thai weather from Thailand weather and climate for the region around Bangkok
My GF used to live in Laos which I guess is close enough to get an opinion on what July is likely to be like.
November thru February - Dry, “Cool” Season - Winds are predominantly from the north when this season starts. Daytime high temperatures are between 30-35 C (85-95 F), humidity between 50% - 60%. Every day is a sunny day. The ground will still be saturated in many places in November due to the previous rainy season. This is the season to travel around Thailand.
March thru June - Hot Season - Travellers unaccustomed to the heat should not arrive in this period. Even the Thais have problems in the hottest spells. Temperatures can soar to 40 C (105 F) on the hottest days, and at night the humidity rises. Sometime between late June to late July, evening downpours start to come.
July thru October - Rainy Season - By “rainy”, we are talking about evening downpours. It rarely rains for more than an hour at a time. The mornings are usually sunny, but a thunderstorm or two can come towards the late afternoon or at night. This usually starts in late July or August, but by September there is a thunderstorm on most days, often resulting in flooded streets but cooler nighttime temperatures. Because Bangkok is flat, you rarely find any place with more than a foot of water, and it usually drains away … slowly … in a few hours. By late September and October, the major rivers are high and there is sometimes permanent flooding along the river, sometimes quite deep. There is a massive investment in pumps to manage the problem, but sandbagging of economically valuable areas and flooding of adjacent areas is not uncommon. This season usually ends abruptly in late October when the winds suddenly change to the north
If the Red Sea is under consideration, I’d suggest from September-mid June both for weather and cost.
What’s the list looking like at the moment?
Thailand is awesome in July, a month longer and you’ll hit monsoon season which seriously screws up the visibility levels.
Also, tropics wise, it’s eternally hot and humid. Be prepared for the eventual onslaught of unseen bugs attacking in the dark.
Erm, what Nellie said.