mamafeelgood
12-27-2005, 05:00 PM
Diving in Mombasa with Pilli Pipa dive school Wasini island - an absolute joy. It wasn't just the spectacular dives with pristine reefs, fabulous visibility, huge variety of marine life, lack of big dive groups and interesting dive sites; it was that they listened and really thought carefully about ME and the kind of stes that I would enjoy.
Unfortunately for them, my faith in dive companies was sorely shaken and as I am a nervous diver in the first place I found myself emailing them numerous times with lots of requests, equipment I wanted to have, marine life I wanted to see. My list included, dolphins, groupers, nudibranch, turtles, seahorses, octopus, shark, ray and soft coral. They didn't overpromise and I didn't actually expect to see all of these - but I did, in abundance and best of all there weren't 100 other divers looking at the same thing.
Like many people, I did my PADI open water course in Koh Tao on the east coast of Thailand where dive classes, whilst for the most part being very professional and having all the equipment, are more like production factories that leaving you feeling as though you have been sitting on a conveyor belt for four days. Most sites are now overdived and groups are huge. The atmosphere is great for the type of people who like to bungee jump, dive with sharks and show off about how they were the first to do this or see that in the pub later in the evening (nothing wrong with that!). However, for those of us that enjoy taking our time and see diving as a more meditative or educational experience or for those of us that enjoy conservation or marine biology, dive schools like this just don't cut the mustard.
For those in Thailand who prefer a quality experience, I dove with a fantastic dive company called "Viking Scuba" in Ton Sai on the west coast of Thailand, run by a Thai lady named Bo and her boyfriend, the instructor P'neuk was also Thai, didn't speak a word of English and was one of those rare "half fish, half man" types. Absolutely wonderful (although I don't know affected they were by the Tsunami)
If the best thing about Pilli Pipa is that they listened, the second best was that they were informed. Selina and Harm who run the place are both marine biologists and keen conservationists as is Yatin the instructor who works for them. They have 8 lovely dogs who are the real owners of the place. Harm is wonderful. If he likes you, he would do anything for you, if he doesn't - you can kiss his arse. He is perfect for the more gung ho, experienced diver. Selina is practical, experienced, and a whirlwind - she is great for intermediate (or all types of diver). Yatin is very patient, well informed and gentle and born for novice diving with more nervous or inexperienced divers. All are exceptionally kind.
One of the reasons they don't blow their own trumpet is because they don't want to cater for a mass market like the gimmicky dive outfits in Diani Beach or Mombasa. They have a great deal of respect for their waters. Whilst I was there I saw another outfit take a group out to a pod of adult dolphins who and their calves and dive right on top on them.
The experience, while great for the divers, was awful for the dolphins and made me embarrassed to be human. After all, I wouldn't want to see a pod of dolphins jumping all over a baby! Many outfits around the world sell this type of experience to people who simply don't know any better. If you want to do do this type of thing GO to Seaworld in Florida or something. There is a world of difference in letting any wild animal come to you and hunting it down.
Unfortunately for them, my faith in dive companies was sorely shaken and as I am a nervous diver in the first place I found myself emailing them numerous times with lots of requests, equipment I wanted to have, marine life I wanted to see. My list included, dolphins, groupers, nudibranch, turtles, seahorses, octopus, shark, ray and soft coral. They didn't overpromise and I didn't actually expect to see all of these - but I did, in abundance and best of all there weren't 100 other divers looking at the same thing.
Like many people, I did my PADI open water course in Koh Tao on the east coast of Thailand where dive classes, whilst for the most part being very professional and having all the equipment, are more like production factories that leaving you feeling as though you have been sitting on a conveyor belt for four days. Most sites are now overdived and groups are huge. The atmosphere is great for the type of people who like to bungee jump, dive with sharks and show off about how they were the first to do this or see that in the pub later in the evening (nothing wrong with that!). However, for those of us that enjoy taking our time and see diving as a more meditative or educational experience or for those of us that enjoy conservation or marine biology, dive schools like this just don't cut the mustard.
For those in Thailand who prefer a quality experience, I dove with a fantastic dive company called "Viking Scuba" in Ton Sai on the west coast of Thailand, run by a Thai lady named Bo and her boyfriend, the instructor P'neuk was also Thai, didn't speak a word of English and was one of those rare "half fish, half man" types. Absolutely wonderful (although I don't know affected they were by the Tsunami)
If the best thing about Pilli Pipa is that they listened, the second best was that they were informed. Selina and Harm who run the place are both marine biologists and keen conservationists as is Yatin the instructor who works for them. They have 8 lovely dogs who are the real owners of the place. Harm is wonderful. If he likes you, he would do anything for you, if he doesn't - you can kiss his arse. He is perfect for the more gung ho, experienced diver. Selina is practical, experienced, and a whirlwind - she is great for intermediate (or all types of diver). Yatin is very patient, well informed and gentle and born for novice diving with more nervous or inexperienced divers. All are exceptionally kind.
One of the reasons they don't blow their own trumpet is because they don't want to cater for a mass market like the gimmicky dive outfits in Diani Beach or Mombasa. They have a great deal of respect for their waters. Whilst I was there I saw another outfit take a group out to a pod of adult dolphins who and their calves and dive right on top on them.
The experience, while great for the divers, was awful for the dolphins and made me embarrassed to be human. After all, I wouldn't want to see a pod of dolphins jumping all over a baby! Many outfits around the world sell this type of experience to people who simply don't know any better. If you want to do do this type of thing GO to Seaworld in Florida or something. There is a world of difference in letting any wild animal come to you and hunting it down.