Just as a matter of interest - are you saying that Whale Sharks are spotted all the year round on Ko Tao ???
Just interested as I have never heard of anyone - incl. thai whaleshark co and WWLF - mention sightings all the year round ??
Mike
Whoa Mr west
why do i have visions of you stamping your feet if your dinner is cold?
I wasnt aware that you where the guru of all of Whale sharks in thai waters.
How about you get it right.... Whalesharks have not been always more abundant on the west coast Ill think your find that as wild creatures they go where they feel,
As for koh tao from my experience of living here the last 6 years they tend to come and go and do not follow the sightings as published in sad publications where a journo will make one dive and write an article.
As for thai whaleshark co. Ive emailed them on many occasions and they in fact refer people from the obviously more chilled side of thailand (gulf) to world wild life fund.
As they have more influence in these waters if you dont believe me ill glady forward
the email they sent in reply assumeing you can read thai that is..
The rest of your email seems to be a personal attack on some one who is just happy that the area he dives and loves has at last got the coverage it deserves.
Now for the fury .Where did you hatred for koh tao come from
I personally work very close with both dan and padi and not just as an instructor.Obviously there are issuses here in the gulf but instead of bitching about it we are currently doing something about it this takes time and commitment and we also make very little money for our efforts which side of the fence do you sit on.
Apart from your boasting ive done 2000 dives ect this makes me me the ultimate reference point, from that statement where does that leave me as ive covered three times that in thailand,
Ill tell you still smileing and loving it, and if the ohh so terrible diving here keeps obnoxious no it alls away then yes i agree it is awfull here.
Kind regards Gary
Lover of whale sharks
Hater of negativity
=SORRY - NOT TRUE !!! ... you are trying to advertise your business through the forum.
:=
:=1/ Whalesarks have ALWAYS been spotted more often on the West Coast - YES - they have been seen on Kao Tao at Chumpon Pinnacles every now and then - normamly March / April.
:=
:=They have also been seen in Ko Chang - first spotted in about 1997 by a Dive Centre in Pattaya.
:=
:=There are PLENTY of divers on the West Coast who have never been lucky enough to see one on the West Coast - they are palegic so sometimes they are there and sometimes not - but how many people have seen them on the East Coast - FAR FAR FEWER !!!! If you dob't believe me contact the Thai whaleshark organisation who monitor Whaleshark sightings in Thai Waters ?? I don't have their URL or e-mail address handy but you can find it if you want.
:=
:=How many times do you see Manta Rays on the East Coast ?? - they are seen daily in their twos and threes on the West Coast at The Similans / Hin Daeng / Hin Muang etc.
:=
:=Same as White tip sharks, octopus, Leopard Sharks, etc etc etc
:=
:=2/ DAN SEAP has nothing to do with diver certifications !!! DAN is simply a non-profit organisation who deal with diving related injuries.
:=
:=PADI is happy with Ko Tao from the point of veiw that it is a cut-price factory making them a lot of money - however when it comes to quality of training PADI is taking a step back and having a close look at Ko Tao this year !!! Did you know that there are at LEAST THREE of the major operators in Carins Australia who IMMEDIATELY require you to do a Scuba Reveiw if you have Ko Tao on your cert card ???? There are more and more dive centres world wide doing this which is why PADI is now looking seriously at Ko Tao !!!
:=
:=3/ YES - about 4 or 5 months ago the Thai Navy sank a wreck at Ko Phai at the Pattaya Far Islands - this was due to extensive negotaions between PASS and The Navy.
:=
:=So what ??? The viz in Pattaya remains 5-10 m and the marine life / corals are still dying at an unprecedented rate.
:=
:=SO - BOTH coasts DO have some good dive sites - but having logged over 2,000 dives on BOTH coasts of Thailand in the past 10 years - NOTHING in Thailand compares to The Similans or Hin Daeng, Hin Muang or Richaleiu Rock near the Surin Islands !!!
:=
:=Samui offers what - Chaweng Reef ??? The "Marine Park" - max depth 10m even Open Water Students complain about it !!!
:=
:=PLEASE put accurate information here - NOT just misleading info to try and promote your dive centre.
:=
:=Mike West
:=(No pun intended with my sur-name)
:=
:=:=I was pleased to see 5 pages devoted to Thailand in June issue of "Dive"....until I realised they delt exclusively with the Andaman Coast!
:=:=
:=:=I'd like to make a few points.....
:=:=
:=:=a) Whalesharks are more often seen in the Gulf of Thailand, Indeed I recently Dived with someone who had never seen one in 2000 dives/3 years on the west coast.
:=:=
:=:=b) PADI/DANSEAP place Koh Tao as no 2 in the World in the amount of Divers certified each year. They believe Koh Tao/Samui will surpass the Barrier Reef in 2 years (1 operator accounted for 6000 certs in 12 months)
:=:=
:=:=c) The Royal Thai Navy deliberatly sank a vessel for Divers in Pattaya last year. For info on wrecks in Thailand see;
:=:=
:=:= <a href="http://www32.brinkster.com/deepdive/b2_wrecks.htm" > <a href="http://www32.brinkster.com/deepdive/b2_wrecks.htm" > <a href="http://www32.brinkster.com/deepdive/b2_wrecks.htm" > <a href="http://www32.brinkster.com/deepdive/b2_wrecks.htm" > <a href="http://www32.brinkster.com/deepdive/b2_wrecks.htm" >http://www32.brinkster.com/deepdive/b2_wrecks.htm</a></a></a></a></a>
:=:=
:=:=For further information on Thailand please see my reports on the link below.
:=:=
:=:=Regards,
:=:=
:=:=Dave Covey
:=:=www.divesamui.org
:=:=
:=:=
:=:=