Dive Review of Davy Jones Locker/Silver Sands in
Thailand/Koh Tao

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Davy Jones Locker/Silver Sands: "Excellent place to do a PADI IDC Course!", Nov, 2014, by Raymond C Villemarette, VA, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 7940.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I sort of stumbled on to Davy Jones Locker as I had planned to do my PADI IDC (Instructor Development Course) with Asia Divers in the Philippines. Since my travel schedule did not line up with the Asia Divers Philippines course schedule I reached out to Asia Divers Thailand which I assumed (incorrectly) was the same operation. The POC I had who worked at Asia Divers Thailand it turned out had moved to the Davy Jones Locker operation. A bit of web research said Davy Jones Locker was a five star operation and 100% successful with their students so I decided to give it a shot. I have done a good bit of diving in Thailand with shall we say mixed results so you kind of hold your breath sometimes when you decide to go with a local operation in Thailand which is also true in much of Asia where pretty much anyone can set up a dive operation. I will say that I was completely surprised by what I found in Koh Tao and with Davy Jones Locker. The course was professionally run, well organized and when it came time to take the IDC test I really felt prepared. The had a very nice classroom, the equipment was good, the Course Directors were great and everything worked the way it should and even when there were some bumps the Course Directors were able to straighten it out. Basically I highly recommend this operation if you are planning to upgrade you SCUBA skill set. Now about Koh Toa: It is a very small island which is fairly close to its better known sister island Koh Suami. It is primary known as a backpacker destination but it also has a significant number of dive operators. There are no direct flights and the only way to get there is via ferry which is possible from a number of locations including Koh Sumai or the mainland. The diving I would rate as very good for Thailand and they have a variety of dive locations to cater most divers. I will say there is almost no current at most of the locations so do not expect to do the kind of drift diving you might do in Indonesia or the Philippines. Also the water is pretty warm and most of the dives were done without wet suits. I would say if someone was learning to dive this would be a good place to take them as they will not be dealing with currents or cold water! The operation primarily works off of boats which will take about 15 to 30 divers at a time to the diving locations. You typically take a long boat from the beach and then transfer to the larger boat to go to the dive site. The boats are pretty typical for this part of the world and they do the job but they are not luxurious. The dive sites are pretty good and you will see plenty of aquatic life in water with very good visibility most of the year. Koh Toa itself like I said is a backpacker destination so hotels tend to be pretty cheap and the majority do not cater to high end clientele. The Silver Sands where I stayed was clean and well run and the air conditioning worked. The town itself is pretty small with lots of places to eat but without the nightlife options you have on the bigger islands. That is not to say they do not have a few Bars but it is not like a Phuket where many people go for the nightlife as much as the diving. One thing I forgot to mention is that this operation is one where you could get five dives a day if wanted to as they run two dives in the morning and two dives in the afternoon with a night dive option. This is not the case for many places where the travel to and from the location will really limit the number of dives you can do in a day. One other note if you plan to make a stop in Koh Tao be aware that the infrastructure has really only been developed at this point to the backpacker level. I was dragging a dive bag and my suitcase from a business trip when I arrived and I will say they are no luggage boys to help you get your stuff on and off the boat, down the pier or to the taxi stand which is really just pickup trucks. I managed but next time everything will be in a single bag with straps that I can actually carry if I have to. Koh Toa is a beautiful place and part of that is because it is not on the main highway of life - it is a bit off the beaten track. I observed one holiday couple from Europe with a baby, stroller and huge suitcases and it was pretty clear they had not read the fine print on this holiday stop. All the husband could do was to drag his pile of stuff in twenty foot increments to try and get it on the boat.
Websites	Davy Jones Locker
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Maldives, Thailand, Philippines, Hawaii, Okinawa, Australia, Red Sea, Mediterranean
Closest Airport	Koh Sumai	Getting There	Bangkok to Koh Sumai and then ferry to Koh Tao
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	84-86°F / 29-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	I bought a GoPro when I was in Koh Toa as the underwater camera I brought had crapped out somewhere in route. It was the first time I used a GoPro underwater and in general I am pretty happy with the results. Koh Toa is not a Lomback Indonesia which is known for its critters but there was plenty of sea life to take pictures of if you are so inclined. I was there at the beginning of rainy season so we did have days when the water clarity was not that great but not that great is still pretty good.

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Dive Review of Davy Jones Locker/Silver Sands in Thailand/Koh Tao

Davy Jones Locker/Silver Sands: "Excellent place to do a PADI IDC Course!", Nov, 2014,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Davy Jones Locker/Silver Sands in
Thailand/Koh Tao