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Diving is an extremely safe sport as long as you dive with a realistic and conservative plan in an environment that suits everyone's level of skills. However, the very act of diving in the ocean does come with a certain amount of risk. At Hoboya Similan, to provide fun and safety, each and every member of staff is always aware of safety and looks after their customers in line with the procedures below.
At Hoboya Similan, we guide 4 people in one group underwater (max. 6 people in peak season). A small number allows the guide to pay attention to each customer and provide a full service by understanding everyone's requests and skill level. Those who aren't confident with their skills or require support can also have a private guide so they can enjoy diving at their own pace while receiving support and advice. This can also help to improve skills.
The most important role of an underwater guide is managing the safety of his or her customers. Hoboya Similan employs specialist staff with plenty of experience, who know every detail about the ocean surrounding the Similan Islands. It goes without saying that they have a deep knowledge of the ocean and top level diving skills, but they are also very good at languages and can communicate smoothly with the captain and ship crew. After accurately evaluating conditions at sea and the situation of each customer, they'll draw up diving plans that take full account of fun and safety. Underwater they'll pay attention to each customer and offer support and advice as required.
Diving off the Similan Islands involves diving to relatively deep depths for a maximum of four times per day. To enjoy diving safely and efficiently, all dives will be multi-level diving with a dive computer. Each customer's dive profile, including depth, dive time and speed of ascent, differs slightly even though they are diving in the same group. Even though there is only the slightest difference in one dive, the more you dive the more these differences are likely to accumulate and become even bigger. At Hoboya Similan, we ask all customers to use a dive computer for the thorough prevention of decompression sickness. Those who do not have one will be able to rent.。
Diving off the Similan Islands involves frequent visits to sites with attractive marine life at relatively deep depths. Almost all dives go beyond the maximum depth of 18m that Open Water divers can dive to. We recommend that customers joining our cruises with just an Open Water certification take an Advanced Open Water or Adventure Diver course to learn what to be aware of when diving to deep depths and enjoy diving without a depth limit. These courses can be taken during the dive cruises (must book in advance).,
During our dive cruises, customers dive a maximum of 4 times a day to relatively deep depths. By using a Nitrox tank that contains gas with a higher oxygen concentration than normal air (=low nitrogen concentration), you can reduce the amount of nitrogen that your body absorbs and reduce the risk of decompression sickness as a result, when diving with the same dive profile. At Hoboya Similan, we recommend that all our customers dive with a Nitrox tank. We also offer the Enriched Air Diver specialty course on board our ships (must book in advance).
Gear that isn't the right size, or any problems with gear, can cause stress underwater. At Hoboya Similan, we provide new rental gear in plenty of different sizes. In addition to regular overhauls, our experienced staff check the condition of gear before renting it out and provide it to their customers with plenty of confidence. Customers can also rent safety equipment such as SMBs and dive computers.
All diving boats used by Hoboya Similan are always equipped with a first aid kit, breathing equipment and emergency oxygen bottles. They also have an Emergency Assist Plan, a guide on how to respond when an emergency occurs. It covers search procedures, first aid procedures and transportation to a hospital with decompression chambers etc. Hoboya Similan has also taken out accident assurance of 100,000 bahts, the maximum coverage amount. We recommend that all customers joining our tours take out their own accident insurance as well, with enhanced warranty information.