Scuba Junction
Good for: fun, Safety, small groups and attention
- Address
- Sairee Beach
- Website
- Phone
- 0 7745 6164
Lonely Planet review for Scuba Junction
A groovy new storefront and a team of outgoing instructors lure travellers looking for a more intimate dive experience. Scuba Junction guarantees a maximum of four people per diving group.
Traveller reviews for Scuba Junction (1)
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one of the best months of my life!
kwat7109 recommends this,
I did my Dive Control Specialist training (DCST) at Scuba Junction, Koh Tao, in late December 2011/January 2012. This is the SSI program people do instead of PADI's DiveMaster training (DMT) program, although it's actually equivalent to PADI assistant instructor. Over the same period, I also did a five-pack of SSI diving specialties (to get my Master Diver rating), which Scuba Junction offered at a bargain rate.
Scuba Junction looked after me extremely well, I had a brilliant time and I'd highly recommend it as a place to do the course.
The head instructors Gemma Castle and Evan Creutz looked after all of us DMTs/DCSTs very well and made sure that we were on track with our tasks throughout the course. I benefited greatly from training sessions with both of them - they were very competent, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly teachers. Evan was my mentor and talked to me at length every couple of days about the experiences I was having diving, and gave me a lot of practical advice about how to get better. I also learnt a lot from pool sessions and classroom/presentation sessions with several other instructors. It was fantastic to learn from a number of different people because everyone had a special focus and perspective, and I could take a little from everyone.
Perhaps most importantly of all, I had plenty of opportunity to dive every day throughout the course - four or five times a day wherever I could and 125 dives in the seven weeks I was with Scuba Junction. There was always a staff member on the Scuba J boat who was willing to include me in their group, teach me and give me feedback. The current divemasters Vera Teulings and Eva Fernàndez Torné were fantastic, encouraging me to brief and lead groups of students (under their supervision at the back) or assist on scuba reviews/tuneups. This gave me real practical experience, and the girls provided a lot of helpful feedback to help me improve. Both of them are amazing girls whose customers adore them! I saw a lot of happy divers walk out of the shop at the end of the day, and many people came back to dive with Eva and Vera again and again.
It was also a very sociable, fun place to do the course! I've made friendships which I hope will last a long time, from amongst the Scuba Junction staff, the other DMTs/DCSTs and their friendly customers. All of the staff members were supportive and helpful, and there was just a great atmosphere and vibe. I ate out with one or more people from Scuba J most nights, and there were lots of dinners and parties and events. Natalie and David, the managers of Scuba Junction, and their shop staff of gorgeous Thai girls Phim and Mena, made sure that everything ran smoothly with my administrative arrangements and accommodation (at Prik Thai, just behind Scuba J).
Location is excellent, right in the middle of Sairee Beach. Facilities are great, with a clean tidy shop and safe, new equipment, dive computers free for everyone. Safety was clearly a high priority with SJ management and staff. No complaints about any other aspects of my experiences with Scuba J. Koh Tao itself is a beautiful island with lots of fantastic dive sites and a great place to learn more about diving.
I highly recommend doing the DCST/DMT course with Scuba J for a great diving holiday or as a first step to become a scuba diving professional!
Good for: fun, Safety, small groups and attention
