Scuba Junction Diving Co. Ltd
Scuba Junction Diving Co. Ltd
5
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Full view

About
Centrally located on Koh Tao’s beautiful Sairee beach, Scuba Junction Diving specializes in providing a friendly & personalized service, highly rated by Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet & i-escape. With Experience staff and a team of, multilingual professionals. Scuba Junction Diving is a PADI 5 Star Centre offering courses for all levels of diver, from beginner to professional. Exclusive benefits include: • Cheap dive insurance • Maximum group size of 4 • Discounted accommodation in clean, quiet resorts • 2 x swimming pools • New scuba equipment serviced on site by certified equipment technicians • Free dive computer use • Restaurant • Massage Parlour • Free optical lenses • Free wifi • Free taxi transfers
Koh Tao, Thailand
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Scuba Junction Diving Co. Ltd
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
1,028 reviews
Excellent
947
Very good
52
Average
12
Poor
10
Terrible
7
Wai C
Hong Kong, China110 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
Go for Scuba Junction!! Choosing Scuba J was the best decision I’ve ever made. My 9 days with Scuba Junction was the MOST amazing journey I’ve ever undertaken! Originally, I just planned to do my Open Water (OW) Diver with them. However, my instructor Rich (They call him “Chip”) was an extremely professional and highly experienced instructor who got me addicted to Scuba diving! In the end, I decided to do my Nitrox and Advanced Open Water (AOW) Diver Course with him, with no hesitation. Their professional training and cozy atmosphere make it an absolutely fantastic place to start your diving journey.
Professional training. I was in a group of two for my OW and was given one-on-one supervision for my AOW. This kind of individual attention ensures that I master all the necessary skills taught in the course to dive safely and cool when I dive in the future. Rich fine-tuned my diving skills, including my posture, buoyancy, and breath control. I feel so confident to dive in the future! I know that some other dive schools on Koh Tao teach with a instructor/student ratio of up to 1:8. I wonder how their instructor can give enough individual attention to everyone to ensure that they could master the skills and dive safely. I ended up doing in total 11 dives with them. By that time, I am highly confident in my diving skills.
Cozy atmosphere. Scuba J is not a diving school. It is family. Scuba Junction gives you an extremely cozy atmosphere for learning diving, making friends, and having LOADS of fun. It is a relatively small dive school on Koh Tao, that why everyone knows everyone else so well. I interact with other students, divemasters and other instructors a lot. Listening to their stories is very inspirational. Hanging out with them was just so warm. I genuinely learn a lot from the course, and from my interaction with other people from Scuba J. They all have interesting stories to tell. Scuba J is a unique dive school that you’re not gonna experience this kind of relationship anywhere else.
I’m extremely glad and fully satisfied that I chose Scuba Junction. I’m definitely going to come back to dive with Scuba J again in the future! However, if you push me to name a few cons for this shop, I’d say those cons are nothing when compared to the amazing experience you’d get from then. Here they are:
Slightly higher cost. If you’re looking for the most enjoyable experience on earth and you’re willing to pay for a tiny bit little more for that, look no further! Scuba Junction is THE choice! However, if you instead just want to get the license at the lowest possible cost, please look elsewhere. Honestly speaking, I can tell that the instructors here aren’t trying to make loads of money out of you. If they want to be rich, they won’t be in Thailand teaching diving. They just charge you slightly more to compensate for higher costs to offer you the top-notch experience.
Basic room. Don’t hold high expectation for your room though. It’s a dive school, not a 5-star hotel. The rooms they offer are really basic, with no AC. The room I got don’t even have fridge and hot water. And the room does get quite stuffy during the day, but is cool and cozy during the night. If you want to have more comfort and enjoy more facilities, you could ask for recommendation for them. The staff there are extremely helpful and they would be more than happy to give you recommendations, and help you with anything else!
I can’t exaggerate how much Scuba J means to me. IT IS SIMPLY THE BEST DIVE SCHOOL in the world. I am now going back home and I can’t possible tell you how much I miss it. I definitely will come back to meet the amazing people here again.
Extra info:
- Barbecue night! They sometimes hold Barbecue night for everyone in the dive shop to make friends and have loads of fun!
- All the instructors there were native English speaker. No worries about communication problems!
- Many solo travellers learn to dive with Scuba J. Don’t be afraid to do dive on your own! You will make friends easily there!
- Why I chose Scuba J? I was on TripAdvisor looking at the reviews of different dive schools! I was amazed by the length and honesty of the reviews of Scuba J. We receive no discount whatsoever for our review. We simply hope other travellers get to enjoy Scuba J’s amazing experience.
Professional training. I was in a group of two for my OW and was given one-on-one supervision for my AOW. This kind of individual attention ensures that I master all the necessary skills taught in the course to dive safely and cool when I dive in the future. Rich fine-tuned my diving skills, including my posture, buoyancy, and breath control. I feel so confident to dive in the future! I know that some other dive schools on Koh Tao teach with a instructor/student ratio of up to 1:8. I wonder how their instructor can give enough individual attention to everyone to ensure that they could master the skills and dive safely. I ended up doing in total 11 dives with them. By that time, I am highly confident in my diving skills.
Cozy atmosphere. Scuba J is not a diving school. It is family. Scuba Junction gives you an extremely cozy atmosphere for learning diving, making friends, and having LOADS of fun. It is a relatively small dive school on Koh Tao, that why everyone knows everyone else so well. I interact with other students, divemasters and other instructors a lot. Listening to their stories is very inspirational. Hanging out with them was just so warm. I genuinely learn a lot from the course, and from my interaction with other people from Scuba J. They all have interesting stories to tell. Scuba J is a unique dive school that you’re not gonna experience this kind of relationship anywhere else.
I’m extremely glad and fully satisfied that I chose Scuba Junction. I’m definitely going to come back to dive with Scuba J again in the future! However, if you push me to name a few cons for this shop, I’d say those cons are nothing when compared to the amazing experience you’d get from then. Here they are:
Slightly higher cost. If you’re looking for the most enjoyable experience on earth and you’re willing to pay for a tiny bit little more for that, look no further! Scuba Junction is THE choice! However, if you instead just want to get the license at the lowest possible cost, please look elsewhere. Honestly speaking, I can tell that the instructors here aren’t trying to make loads of money out of you. If they want to be rich, they won’t be in Thailand teaching diving. They just charge you slightly more to compensate for higher costs to offer you the top-notch experience.
Basic room. Don’t hold high expectation for your room though. It’s a dive school, not a 5-star hotel. The rooms they offer are really basic, with no AC. The room I got don’t even have fridge and hot water. And the room does get quite stuffy during the day, but is cool and cozy during the night. If you want to have more comfort and enjoy more facilities, you could ask for recommendation for them. The staff there are extremely helpful and they would be more than happy to give you recommendations, and help you with anything else!
I can’t exaggerate how much Scuba J means to me. IT IS SIMPLY THE BEST DIVE SCHOOL in the world. I am now going back home and I can’t possible tell you how much I miss it. I definitely will come back to meet the amazing people here again.
Extra info:
- Barbecue night! They sometimes hold Barbecue night for everyone in the dive shop to make friends and have loads of fun!
- All the instructors there were native English speaker. No worries about communication problems!
- Many solo travellers learn to dive with Scuba J. Don’t be afraid to do dive on your own! You will make friends easily there!
- Why I chose Scuba J? I was on TripAdvisor looking at the reviews of different dive schools! I was amazed by the length and honesty of the reviews of Scuba J. We receive no discount whatsoever for our review. We simply hope other travellers get to enjoy Scuba J’s amazing experience.
Written June 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kimtiffin
Harlow, UK15 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
I ve just spent 15 days diving with scuba junction,and what a very enjoyable experience it was.from the moment I arrived to the day I left,scuba junction took care of me .picking up from ferry ,booking accommodation and arranging dive trips. The staff are very helpful and friendly, nothing is to much trouble ,from the shop girls,dive guide and boat crew.all work very hard to make sure you have a safe enjoyable dive trip. I would recommend them to learner or experienced divers.u
Written February 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Kim for your joyful and amazing review, we too enjoyed you being here, such an easy and fun customer to have around and that you have returned so many times!
We will see you soon or in the very near future I am sure.
Be safe and keep diving!!
Written February 16, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
erikschellenberg
Dachau, Germany3 contributions
Sep 2018 • Friends
It was my second time diving with Scuba J ... the first time I did my OWD and AOWD and had a great fun.
Because of that I came back for just some fun diving and didn´t regret my decision for one second. Everyone working at Scuba J is very friendly and helpfull and because it is one of the smaller dive schools on Koh Tao it feels familiar very quick.
If you are looking for safe and fun diving in small groups I would recommend doing so with Scuba J.
Thanks to everyone for making our dive trip awesome !
Special thanks to Justin Parker for all the perfect guiding and the promised turtle and Philippa Hall for the excitment under water.
Cheers from Germany
Erik
Because of that I came back for just some fun diving and didn´t regret my decision for one second. Everyone working at Scuba J is very friendly and helpfull and because it is one of the smaller dive schools on Koh Tao it feels familiar very quick.
If you are looking for safe and fun diving in small groups I would recommend doing so with Scuba J.
Thanks to everyone for making our dive trip awesome !
Special thanks to Justin Parker for all the perfect guiding and the promised turtle and Philippa Hall for the excitment under water.
Cheers from Germany
Erik
Written September 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beldo74
Shanghai, China7 contributions
Feb 2015 • Friends
I had, for the first time in my scuba dive experience, to badly write about a dive center.
First they asked me to pay all amount in advance (later on I understood why) and only the morning suppose to dive they clearly requested to see my Dive Notebook (for what?! First they didnt tell me the day before and second never happen to me that Dive center requested. They claimed for checking my last dive. I told them was 4 months ago, they didnt listening to me!)
Pls note I regularly had my Dive Licence with me! There was no way to persuade instructor to fix the problem, I ask to bring me in the shallow water to see my skill, this I thought could be a reasonable way to fix the trouble: NO WAY.
Moreover, at the end of the story, I only get HALF of my money back: they claimed I wasted dive-master half day (yes, maybe to write down my name on the paper, this is the only thing he did for me!)
So, they waste my time (I woke up at 6.00 am to dive), they waste my money (I paid half amount for NOTHING).
My recommendation?! Guys, go to PURA VIDA Dive Center!!! No trouble.
First they asked me to pay all amount in advance (later on I understood why) and only the morning suppose to dive they clearly requested to see my Dive Notebook (for what?! First they didnt tell me the day before and second never happen to me that Dive center requested. They claimed for checking my last dive. I told them was 4 months ago, they didnt listening to me!)
Pls note I regularly had my Dive Licence with me! There was no way to persuade instructor to fix the problem, I ask to bring me in the shallow water to see my skill, this I thought could be a reasonable way to fix the trouble: NO WAY.
Moreover, at the end of the story, I only get HALF of my money back: they claimed I wasted dive-master half day (yes, maybe to write down my name on the paper, this is the only thing he did for me!)
So, they waste my time (I woke up at 6.00 am to dive), they waste my money (I paid half amount for NOTHING).
My recommendation?! Guys, go to PURA VIDA Dive Center!!! No trouble.
Written February 25, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
In answer to your review:
Firstly the day before your dive when you checked in at the dive centre, you were asked to produce your certification card and log book! The certification is to prove you are a certified diver; the log book is proof of your diving history.
You said you had dived recently, to which you were asked again to produce your log book to confirm this! You told the staff member that you would bring it and with you tomorrow before the dive, this was noted on our schedule board for that mornings dive, so that the staff member taking you diving could confirm everything was as it should be.
Our dive centre has had the policy for many years now that any certified diver needs to have proof of their last dive within the past 6 months, this is to help protect the coral reefs of Koh Tao from damage from divers who do not dive regularly and may have buoyancy issues because of this. It also means that all our divers can have enjoyable dives without having to worry that their dive buddy is all over and not in control.
The dive staffs starts their work as early as 5:45am to prepare your equipment, your tanks and have everything loaded on to the boat before you arrive. You arrived without your log book as requested, so the staff member had to refuse your dive trip on issues which had been explained to you the previous day!
The shop staff offered to take you for a refresher from the beach (standard policy for those divers that have no proof of their last dive or have not dived in the past 6 months) but you refused! Your argument being that you had dived 40 to 50 times and a little over 4 months previously!
We find this strange as you had put on your check in sheet, the form you filled in when you first came to the dive centre. That you had dived 10 times and were open water certified.
All our customers pay for their dives prior to diving because, tanks are filled for them, equipment is readied for them, not just the dive staff are at the dive centre but, the longtail driver, the boat captain and the boat boy are all waiting for them.
If the diver does not show up, or neglects to bring their log books (certification can be checked online) as proof of their diving history then they lose part of the payment they have paid because people do not work these long hours for free!
You would of paid for your flight to Thailand? If you arrived at the airport without your passport, would the checking desk allow you to board the plane? Would you of been given a full refund for your mistake?
Thank you for your negative review to appease your mistakes.
Please be warned that not all dive centres care for the environment, standards or safety of their customers as we do!
All staff at Scuba Junction wish you happy diving!!
Written March 5, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
hereandnow16
Sydney, Australia1 contribution
Jan 2011
I had high hopes for Scuba Junction, but after diving with them, I think it's only fair for people to know the truth about this overhyped dive shop. First of all, the management is useless. One of them waltzed in from yoga, and headed straight out to sun tan on the front deck area while her staff was flustered to deal with all the customers. The other manager, a man, was extremely rude and unknowledgable, asking us to ask someone else for information! The instructors seem good, but their divemasters are uninspired - and with management like that, I know why! They were worked way too hard, unappreciated and I even heard the female manager talking rudely to her staff in front of customers! This is one of the more expensive dive shops - trust me, don't waste your time. It is poorly run by management, and the staff are not happy. This made for a really crappy dive with my husband, and an overall disappointing experience.
Written January 30, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dinha_et_Erick
Paris, France38 contributions
Summary:
I do not recommend it, mainly because
- there is no spirit in this dive center. On the boat there is no real exchanges. If a dive master shares ideas or something he/she has seen underwater, it is with another dive guide, seldom with a customer.
- When you arrive in the dive shop or when you board the boat, only your assigned guide greets you, the other staff members ignore you, even if it is the second or third time they see you.
- The dive guides do not really know their dive sites, they gave us the feeling that they were discovering the sites with us.
- When our guide asked the deck man to prepare the safety tank so that, if someone needs extra air during the safety stop they can rely on it. The deck man refused! And nobody had anything to say to that. I was really dismayed even shocked. How could you trust staff so badly trained ?
Our first contact with Scuba junction was through e-mail and was quite good. There manager, Natalie, gave us many useful information. When we gave her our holiday program she made no remark and even offered to pick us up at the ferry when we arrived.
They requested us to pay a deposit. It is not very common for dive centers, but I did it several days before we start our holidays.
When they got the deposit I began to ask, in return, more precise commitment from them. And this is when the problem began:
she wrote me that they were not working on April 14, the first day of our program
When I asked confirmation that, as she proposed, they will pick us up at the ferry, as she proposed in one of her e-mail, she gave me obscur reasons to explain that they cannot.
For the pick up I managed with the resort. For the April 14 afternoon dive, I complained and, after two days she wrote that it is ok and there would be dive trip this afternoon.
During our epistolary exchanges I have asked several time what is the distance between the dive centre and the resort, and she never answered.
I should have heeded all these warnings, but......
When we arrived at the dive center, our first impression was : chaos.
There were people everywhere, it was noisy. There was this lady, apparently from the staff, who was shooting, shooting. We thought that something had happened, a problem, a catastrophe. No, it was just her normal way of expressing herself. I guess some people like that, we don't.
They made us feel like a Klingon at a Romulan wedding party, if you see what I mean.
A young man came to inquire what we needed. It appeared that he was our dive guide to be. He was nice, really trying to help and to make us confortable in this hectic noisy ambiance.
The following day, when we came to dive, it appeared that our dive guide was a young lady! That says about their organization!
The guide was a young dive master who had started her dive master course 6 months before. She was enthusiastic, her briefing was well done. She was more focus on the life we could see than on the topography, but everybody has his/her preferences.
Under the water she showed herself eager to share, even if the dives were not really full of diversity.
Our first dive we started on “red rock” and finished in the “japanese garden”.
The visibility was not that good, around 10m. We saw a small turtle a medium size barracuda and few blue spotted rays.
The second dive was on the “twin pinacles” (which are three by the way). Nothing deserves to be noted about this dive except the fact that were more divers than people at peak hour in the subway.
The second day we dived in “Southwest pinnacle” and then in “Shark island”. Both dives were much more interesting than the previous day. But nothing was really exceptional. We have seen one or two blue spotted rays, some batfish, a scorpionfish
Scuba Junction have a local made boat. It is not really adapted to dive trip, very slow and not comfortable at all, especially during the surface interval between two dives : there is a canopy, so part of the deck is protected from the sun. But with all the tanks equipped set on there, it is impossible to find a shady place where to rest. At least, the boat is clean. During the morning dive trips, there are less customers so it easier to find a place to rest on the boat. But they request you to be in the centre at 0700 for that.
The snack they provide is very cheap : old biscuits, pineapple not ripe, cheap tea and coffee. The cups are either not cleaned regularly or so old that they are stained by the numerous beverages they have seen.
If you have dived in Asia, particularly in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, you have noticed that the dive centres usually offer a full service. On some diving boat you are literally pampered. They take care of your gears, set them on your tank, help you to put the BCD on, help you on the boat, give a hand to remove your gears after the dive etc...
Here, in Scuba Junction, the dives were a little bit cheaper than other places, but it was more on the “do it yourself” side.
We had to geared our tank ourselves. After the first dive, you have to swap tank yourself.
The “diving boat” cannot come to close to the shore. So they shuttle the customer from the beach to the boat with a typical Thai long tail boat. When we came back after the two dives, they send the long tail boat to fetch the customers, the staff and the equipment.
I would have expected them to take care first of the customers and then to send back the long tail to fetch the equipment. Instead they had us waiting for more than 20 minutes for them
to unload the long tail boat of the full tanks,
to load the long tail with the equipment,
to load the long tail boat with the empty tanks
Then, when we arrived ashore they asked the customers to help to unload the boat and to bring the stuff to the centre. Since we paid the same price as almost everywhere in Thailand, I wonder why they do not have more deckhands.
If, like me, you have been trained the military way, then you will get this hint of nostalgia which might help you to accept it. Otherwise you will not find this amusing, not at all!
Erick
I do not recommend it, mainly because
- there is no spirit in this dive center. On the boat there is no real exchanges. If a dive master shares ideas or something he/she has seen underwater, it is with another dive guide, seldom with a customer.
- When you arrive in the dive shop or when you board the boat, only your assigned guide greets you, the other staff members ignore you, even if it is the second or third time they see you.
- The dive guides do not really know their dive sites, they gave us the feeling that they were discovering the sites with us.
- When our guide asked the deck man to prepare the safety tank so that, if someone needs extra air during the safety stop they can rely on it. The deck man refused! And nobody had anything to say to that. I was really dismayed even shocked. How could you trust staff so badly trained ?
Our first contact with Scuba junction was through e-mail and was quite good. There manager, Natalie, gave us many useful information. When we gave her our holiday program she made no remark and even offered to pick us up at the ferry when we arrived.
They requested us to pay a deposit. It is not very common for dive centers, but I did it several days before we start our holidays.
When they got the deposit I began to ask, in return, more precise commitment from them. And this is when the problem began:
she wrote me that they were not working on April 14, the first day of our program
When I asked confirmation that, as she proposed, they will pick us up at the ferry, as she proposed in one of her e-mail, she gave me obscur reasons to explain that they cannot.
For the pick up I managed with the resort. For the April 14 afternoon dive, I complained and, after two days she wrote that it is ok and there would be dive trip this afternoon.
During our epistolary exchanges I have asked several time what is the distance between the dive centre and the resort, and she never answered.
I should have heeded all these warnings, but......
When we arrived at the dive center, our first impression was : chaos.
There were people everywhere, it was noisy. There was this lady, apparently from the staff, who was shooting, shooting. We thought that something had happened, a problem, a catastrophe. No, it was just her normal way of expressing herself. I guess some people like that, we don't.
They made us feel like a Klingon at a Romulan wedding party, if you see what I mean.
A young man came to inquire what we needed. It appeared that he was our dive guide to be. He was nice, really trying to help and to make us confortable in this hectic noisy ambiance.
The following day, when we came to dive, it appeared that our dive guide was a young lady! That says about their organization!
The guide was a young dive master who had started her dive master course 6 months before. She was enthusiastic, her briefing was well done. She was more focus on the life we could see than on the topography, but everybody has his/her preferences.
Under the water she showed herself eager to share, even if the dives were not really full of diversity.
Our first dive we started on “red rock” and finished in the “japanese garden”.
The visibility was not that good, around 10m. We saw a small turtle a medium size barracuda and few blue spotted rays.
The second dive was on the “twin pinacles” (which are three by the way). Nothing deserves to be noted about this dive except the fact that were more divers than people at peak hour in the subway.
The second day we dived in “Southwest pinnacle” and then in “Shark island”. Both dives were much more interesting than the previous day. But nothing was really exceptional. We have seen one or two blue spotted rays, some batfish, a scorpionfish
Scuba Junction have a local made boat. It is not really adapted to dive trip, very slow and not comfortable at all, especially during the surface interval between two dives : there is a canopy, so part of the deck is protected from the sun. But with all the tanks equipped set on there, it is impossible to find a shady place where to rest. At least, the boat is clean. During the morning dive trips, there are less customers so it easier to find a place to rest on the boat. But they request you to be in the centre at 0700 for that.
The snack they provide is very cheap : old biscuits, pineapple not ripe, cheap tea and coffee. The cups are either not cleaned regularly or so old that they are stained by the numerous beverages they have seen.
If you have dived in Asia, particularly in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, you have noticed that the dive centres usually offer a full service. On some diving boat you are literally pampered. They take care of your gears, set them on your tank, help you to put the BCD on, help you on the boat, give a hand to remove your gears after the dive etc...
Here, in Scuba Junction, the dives were a little bit cheaper than other places, but it was more on the “do it yourself” side.
We had to geared our tank ourselves. After the first dive, you have to swap tank yourself.
The “diving boat” cannot come to close to the shore. So they shuttle the customer from the beach to the boat with a typical Thai long tail boat. When we came back after the two dives, they send the long tail boat to fetch the customers, the staff and the equipment.
I would have expected them to take care first of the customers and then to send back the long tail to fetch the equipment. Instead they had us waiting for more than 20 minutes for them
to unload the long tail boat of the full tanks,
to load the long tail with the equipment,
to load the long tail boat with the empty tanks
Then, when we arrived ashore they asked the customers to help to unload the boat and to bring the stuff to the centre. Since we paid the same price as almost everywhere in Thailand, I wonder why they do not have more deckhands.
If, like me, you have been trained the military way, then you will get this hint of nostalgia which might help you to accept it. Otherwise you will not find this amusing, not at all!
Erick
Written April 22, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joannanelson
Vientiane, Laos44 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
We chose Scuba Junction as we had heard that they were small and friendly. We were extremely disappointed and would not recommend them. My friend and I are advanced divers and having lived in Asia for the past few years, have dived at many different places. We signed up for a night dive. (It was the second time I was to do one and the first time for my friend). Therefore she had to pay extra for an instructor. We turned up at the shop 30 mins before the dive as requested. We were asked to take a seat outside. Our instructor returned from a dive and asked if anyone had given us equipment to which we replied no and that we had been asked to wait only. Another member of staff then said that we had only just arrived to which I informed him we had been waiting for the last half hour. He simply glared at us and did not apologize for the error. The instructor's briefing was shockingly bad and he only showed us a map of the dive site when I asked. He did not tell us what to look out for and nor that we would do a swim through (on a night dive!!!). Whilst on the dive, he swam off too quickly (despite it being my friend's first time diving at night) and when I got confused with my signals (it was different to what I had been taught previously), he got aggressive underwater and pointed at his head, indicating that I should think. Need less to say, I felt very stupid and somewhat panicked. I was close to tears when I ascended.
Our original night dive got postponed due to bad weather. We were reluctant to do it on the following day as we were going on a boat trip and wanted to enjoy a few beers. We were told not to worry and that it was fine to have a few beers before the night dive. This completely contradicts everything that I have been taught. (We did of course not drink before the dive).
I was asked to set up my equipment before the dive. Now, I have not done this since I did my advanced diving certificate 18 months back. Where I have dived (quality 5* Padi centers) have always informed me that I am on holiday, I should relax, enjoy the dive and they would do it for me. When I asked for assistance, the same rude instructor asked me where on earth had I dived where I had not had to set up my own equipment and again made me feel very stupid. At this point, I think I should mention that he had only ever dived at Scuba Junction in Ko Tao. We also had to carry the equipment off the boat and clean our own equipment afterwards (again something I have not done since passing my open water) and when I asked for assistance, I was again made to feel stupid.
The dive boat itself was rather run down. There was no shampoo to clean my mask. There was no boat briefing. I asked if there was water on the boat and the instructor told me it was probably best to bring my own.
We also did 2 fun dives with a dive master who was a lot more friendlier. Despite only having dived in Ko Tao also, she was very good underwater and assisted us with our equipment setting up. I was a bit surprised when she disappeared straight after returning to the dive shop to have her lunch whilst we were left to clean our own equipment. Again, I needed some assistance and my friend who was doing her open water there guided me through what to do!!!!!! I was also surprised to find the dive master smoking whilst we filled in our log books.
My friend who did her open water also had a very negative experience but I'm sure that she will also share her thoughts.
Our original night dive got postponed due to bad weather. We were reluctant to do it on the following day as we were going on a boat trip and wanted to enjoy a few beers. We were told not to worry and that it was fine to have a few beers before the night dive. This completely contradicts everything that I have been taught. (We did of course not drink before the dive).
I was asked to set up my equipment before the dive. Now, I have not done this since I did my advanced diving certificate 18 months back. Where I have dived (quality 5* Padi centers) have always informed me that I am on holiday, I should relax, enjoy the dive and they would do it for me. When I asked for assistance, the same rude instructor asked me where on earth had I dived where I had not had to set up my own equipment and again made me feel very stupid. At this point, I think I should mention that he had only ever dived at Scuba Junction in Ko Tao. We also had to carry the equipment off the boat and clean our own equipment afterwards (again something I have not done since passing my open water) and when I asked for assistance, I was again made to feel stupid.
The dive boat itself was rather run down. There was no shampoo to clean my mask. There was no boat briefing. I asked if there was water on the boat and the instructor told me it was probably best to bring my own.
We also did 2 fun dives with a dive master who was a lot more friendlier. Despite only having dived in Ko Tao also, she was very good underwater and assisted us with our equipment setting up. I was a bit surprised when she disappeared straight after returning to the dive shop to have her lunch whilst we were left to clean our own equipment. Again, I needed some assistance and my friend who was doing her open water there guided me through what to do!!!!!! I was also surprised to find the dive master smoking whilst we filled in our log books.
My friend who did her open water also had a very negative experience but I'm sure that she will also share her thoughts.
Written June 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DanielvdFlier
Utrecht, The Netherlands13 contributions
Sep 2015 • Couples
We are two AOW divers. All the gear and stuff is in perfect order, the boat is fine. But all together it was just a weird vibe. There were no instructions once we were on the boat, everybody was just setting up gear and being very proud of how fast they were. It felt like everybody was really trying to be the coolest person on board but in fact it created a really weird vibe on board. Our guide was very sweet though and she tried to make the best of it. The dives we're great but on board it felt like every man for himself. We did two dives and then returned, slightly dissapointed because usually everybody on board is so nice and friendly and it's an allround fun day. This wasn't.
Written September 30, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to write this review, it is important to know the good and bad things about my dive centre.
I am quite shocked and disappointed as we always make sure that we are super organised, we make sure that when everyone is on the boat before we leave that a roll call is made, then once on the boat a boat briefing is made then lastly a dive briefing.
I find it quite hard to believe that you felt so uncomfortable and so confused as to what is going on, also we have four people max in a group so that things run smoothly and in an organised way.
I will make sure that everything is in place and that everyone is doing theirs jobs in a professional manner, maybe you can personally email me with more details so that I can see what happened that day.
Again I hope that you can continue to dive and enjoy the underwater world.
I know that my team work hard, work well together and this is all very surprising to me but again i will find out what happened that day.
Thanks for your review
Written October 1, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Similans9
Nottingham4 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
Our UV night dive experience was excellent! My girlfriend and I are both divemasters and loved our first UV night dive. The instructor (I think his name was JT) was very knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm. The reason however for the 'poor' rating is due to the apathetic- bordering on rude- behaviour of one of the managers. He doesn't seem to have grasped the concept of customer care and as a result I would not be in a hurry to hand over any more money to Scuba Junction based entirely on the first encounter we had with him in the dive shop. He should learn from his Instructors and muster some enthusiasm for the people that walk through the door and keep him in a job- even if it means he has to fake a smile!
Written October 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BGcat
Kidderminster, UK89 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
We pre-booked for a fun 1 day 'Discover Scuba' session as we'd never dived before and purposely went to Koh Tao for this experience. We pre-booked and paid upfront, also choosing to stay at their cheap accommodation.
Upon arrival we were dropped at Sabai Sabai which is a good 15 minute walk (maybe more) from the office and was shocked with what we found. Our bungalow hadn't been cleaned since the previous customers - and clearly hadn't been for a long time. Cobwebs, rubbish, unmade bed, layer of dirt everywhere! Furthermore we went into the bathroom and was greeted by a HUGE wild iguana with stripes running round! We noticed a huge hole in the wall which is clearly how it go it. The place was disgusting, no mosquito net, full of holes, dirty and falling apart. Not impressed.
We asked to move to their Cabana accommodation which was slightly more expensive but much closer. This was ok, a tiny shack with a bed that just about fits. After a terrible nights sleep we left to find our own accommodation. Not acceptable really.
When it came to our diving day, on board the boat we were not impressed at all with the attitude of the divers. We were the only 'beginners' that day and all the other people on the boat worked with Scuba Junction, but were doing different advanced courses. We were either completely ignored or told we were in the way. We felt like we'd gatecrashed a group of friends on a fun day out and they clearly didn't want us there. Didn't excatly put us at ease.
After a good skills session and 1st dive with our instructor we enjoyed that main part of the experience. However I must note the instructor wasn't as thorough as should of been, forgetting certain things and making mistakes (I had to keep asking questions because she hadn't previously explained - or explained incorrectly.) I understand she's been diving for 7 years so it is forget these things that come naturally to her. But perhaps she's needs to remember to 'teach' beginners better.
Anyway the main issue I have with this company is what happened next: Once back on the boat we moved location and our instructor clearly said "ok guys want to go back in for a 2nd dive?" Of course we said yes. And it was amazing, joining the others in a particularly good spot.
However back on the boat AFTERWARDS on the way home, our instructor turns to us and says "you know that 2nd dive is another 850 baht right?". We couldn't believe it and actually thought she was joking!! But she wasn't and said someone should of told us. I was furious as no one had said anything about this and it wasn't written or signposted anywhere. No paperwork we signed or anything said this! We felt completely betrayed and was so angry, as I wouldn't have done the 2nd dive if we'd known we had to pay more! The whole ride back was so uncomfortable and it totally took away from the dive experience.
Back at the office, after a difficult intimating discussion with the manager (who was clearly very angry) he said we didn't have to pay THANK GOD! And we are grateful he didn't push too hard, insisting we pay. And said he would have words with the staff. I got the impression this wasn't the first time this happened. After this he walked off, and we left the office with not even a goodbye from anyone. Really left us with a bad taste in our mouths.
We stayed on the island another week and after talking to people about Scuba Junction, it doesn't have a great reputation to those living & working there. Not surprising.
Overall: There are so many dive places on Koh Tao - don't use this one.
Upon arrival we were dropped at Sabai Sabai which is a good 15 minute walk (maybe more) from the office and was shocked with what we found. Our bungalow hadn't been cleaned since the previous customers - and clearly hadn't been for a long time. Cobwebs, rubbish, unmade bed, layer of dirt everywhere! Furthermore we went into the bathroom and was greeted by a HUGE wild iguana with stripes running round! We noticed a huge hole in the wall which is clearly how it go it. The place was disgusting, no mosquito net, full of holes, dirty and falling apart. Not impressed.
We asked to move to their Cabana accommodation which was slightly more expensive but much closer. This was ok, a tiny shack with a bed that just about fits. After a terrible nights sleep we left to find our own accommodation. Not acceptable really.
When it came to our diving day, on board the boat we were not impressed at all with the attitude of the divers. We were the only 'beginners' that day and all the other people on the boat worked with Scuba Junction, but were doing different advanced courses. We were either completely ignored or told we were in the way. We felt like we'd gatecrashed a group of friends on a fun day out and they clearly didn't want us there. Didn't excatly put us at ease.
After a good skills session and 1st dive with our instructor we enjoyed that main part of the experience. However I must note the instructor wasn't as thorough as should of been, forgetting certain things and making mistakes (I had to keep asking questions because she hadn't previously explained - or explained incorrectly.) I understand she's been diving for 7 years so it is forget these things that come naturally to her. But perhaps she's needs to remember to 'teach' beginners better.
Anyway the main issue I have with this company is what happened next: Once back on the boat we moved location and our instructor clearly said "ok guys want to go back in for a 2nd dive?" Of course we said yes. And it was amazing, joining the others in a particularly good spot.
However back on the boat AFTERWARDS on the way home, our instructor turns to us and says "you know that 2nd dive is another 850 baht right?". We couldn't believe it and actually thought she was joking!! But she wasn't and said someone should of told us. I was furious as no one had said anything about this and it wasn't written or signposted anywhere. No paperwork we signed or anything said this! We felt completely betrayed and was so angry, as I wouldn't have done the 2nd dive if we'd known we had to pay more! The whole ride back was so uncomfortable and it totally took away from the dive experience.
Back at the office, after a difficult intimating discussion with the manager (who was clearly very angry) he said we didn't have to pay THANK GOD! And we are grateful he didn't push too hard, insisting we pay. And said he would have words with the staff. I got the impression this wasn't the first time this happened. After this he walked off, and we left the office with not even a goodbye from anyone. Really left us with a bad taste in our mouths.
We stayed on the island another week and after talking to people about Scuba Junction, it doesn't have a great reputation to those living & working there. Not surprising.
Overall: There are so many dive places on Koh Tao - don't use this one.
Written April 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi will be arriving in koh Tao tomorrow and looking to do a refresher course. Have an advanced open water cert but haven't dived in a good few years. Just wondering what the price would be 😊 thanks Amy
Written June 14, 2018
Hi, around how long does the basic open water certification take to complete/ how long time should I allow here?
Written April 16, 2018
It took us 2 days out there but we did the theory and the basic pool stuff in England so we didn't have to waste sunshine time on holiday. Worth going to the padi website to find out about the theory because that's the dull part that you'll want to get out of the way before you go - and perhaps email Scuba Junction to see what they suggest.
Written April 16, 2018
emilyrowe04
Toronto, Canada
If I am planning to spend a week and do the Open Course and Advanced Course in May, how far should I book in advanced?
Written February 10, 2016
Hello it is high season maybe you can email me via my website and I'll send you everything you need :)
Written February 21, 2016
Can you sell me a mask with my eye prescription lense? How long would it take to get in and about how much would it cost?
Written October 19, 2015
Hello yes but we would need you to come to Scuba Junction to fit the mask to your face and also to order the correct lenses.
If you are diving with us in the future we stock all lenses for all prescriptions, this way you can borrow before you buy, hope that helps, Natalie
Written October 27, 2015
I'm trying to get certified to be a scuba diver can I get it done here? My 4 girlfriends want to do it to. I'm staying In Kampala beach in Phuket until sept 18 but I'm willing to travel if someone can help with the transfer, so please let Me know ASAP
Written September 15, 2015
Hello there, good morning, yes you can, do you want to email me via my SJ website or even my facebook pages for Scuba Junction and I can send you all the relevant information for this exciting diving course. Hope that helps, Natalie
Written September 16, 2015
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