Pimalai Divers on Koh Lanta in the south of Thail ...
Pimalai Divers on Koh Lanta in the south of Thailand is in a class of its own and has been a unique diving experience for us, despite having been submerged in such select spots as Malaysia, Phillipines, Maledives, Great Barrier Reef and the Pemba Channel off Zansibar.
The Set-Up is highly professional, very friendly and with excellent service and super hardware and equipment. Brand new rental equipment (we were the first users after delivery taken the night before),as well as a larger, super comfortable speed board, which brought us very quickly to our dive sites were just some of the highlights. The owner-managers Moni and David truly live up to their philosophy of ´The best of all we have ever seen in our many years of professional diving´. Both of them are already for two years in this location and know the area like their backpocket. Which gives clients an great experience as they just know where to find all the small and big ´stuff´.
An additional bonus is that the Pimalai Dive Center is part of the Pimalei Resort (http://www.pimalai.com/diving.html, providing great creature comfots out of the water. Very luxury accomodation, great food, beautiful white sandy beach and excellent service - all to very fair prices.
We traveled in the shoulder season to Koh Lanta and were very fortunate with the weather. Flat seas like a mirrow made our twp day trips to different sites on Koh Ha to one of our most memorable dive experiences to date. Our 4 dives in 2 days brought us to beautiful corall gardens, caves, overhangs, all featuring a phantastic diversity in marine life - inclusive of sea horses and leopard sharks.
Crystal clear, warm waters(27 degree celcius) and 20-30 m visibility greatly contributed to our dive experience. Time between the dives can be spend relaxing on the boat under the sun sail, eatig the gourmet lunch, with lovely view on the sea and the carst rocks surrounding the site. And there is always time for a swim. The whole trip is very relaxed and completely geared towards the total enjoyment, comfort and safety of the guests.
Moni and David concentrate their business around small groups, which are lead by dive guides. None of these douzend or more diver affairs here. We liked the individual approach a lot, with high focus on safety. Mask problems were very unconventionally solved by Moni at 25 m depth - she just took off her mask, gave it to me, and spend her time under water battleing a constantly fogging up mask. This was amazingly kind and really ensure I had a great dive.
And finally, the dive boat crew needs to be mentioned. They nearly carry you into the water. All certified divers themselves, they help with the buddy check and are very aware about the needs of the divers on board and are super-friendly. A lovely experience to pampered by such a great crew.
Overall, Pimalei Dive Center is highly recommendable. There are centers were you can dive cheaper, but Pimalei is great value for money.
Beate und Peter Moores, Hong Kong
Visited Pimalei / Koh Lanta in July 2004
The Set-Up is highly professional, very friendly and with excellent service and super hardware and equipment. Brand new rental equipment (we were the first users after delivery taken the night before),as well as a larger, super comfortable speed board, which brought us very quickly to our dive sites were just some of the highlights. The owner-managers Moni and David truly live up to their philosophy of ´The best of all we have ever seen in our many years of professional diving´. Both of them are already for two years in this location and know the area like their backpocket. Which gives clients an great experience as they just know where to find all the small and big ´stuff´.
An additional bonus is that the Pimalai Dive Center is part of the Pimalei Resort (http://www.pimalai.com/diving.html, providing great creature comfots out of the water. Very luxury accomodation, great food, beautiful white sandy beach and excellent service - all to very fair prices.
We traveled in the shoulder season to Koh Lanta and were very fortunate with the weather. Flat seas like a mirrow made our twp day trips to different sites on Koh Ha to one of our most memorable dive experiences to date. Our 4 dives in 2 days brought us to beautiful corall gardens, caves, overhangs, all featuring a phantastic diversity in marine life - inclusive of sea horses and leopard sharks.
Crystal clear, warm waters(27 degree celcius) and 20-30 m visibility greatly contributed to our dive experience. Time between the dives can be spend relaxing on the boat under the sun sail, eatig the gourmet lunch, with lovely view on the sea and the carst rocks surrounding the site. And there is always time for a swim. The whole trip is very relaxed and completely geared towards the total enjoyment, comfort and safety of the guests.
Moni and David concentrate their business around small groups, which are lead by dive guides. None of these douzend or more diver affairs here. We liked the individual approach a lot, with high focus on safety. Mask problems were very unconventionally solved by Moni at 25 m depth - she just took off her mask, gave it to me, and spend her time under water battleing a constantly fogging up mask. This was amazingly kind and really ensure I had a great dive.
And finally, the dive boat crew needs to be mentioned. They nearly carry you into the water. All certified divers themselves, they help with the buddy check and are very aware about the needs of the divers on board and are super-friendly. A lovely experience to pampered by such a great crew.
Overall, Pimalei Dive Center is highly recommendable. There are centers were you can dive cheaper, but Pimalei is great value for money.
Beate und Peter Moores, Hong Kong
Visited Pimalei / Koh Lanta in July 2004