Blue Guru Dive Centre
Blue Guru Dive Centre
4.5
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Provide Surin Islands Day Trip & Multi Day Snorkeling Tours and Similan Islands Scuba Diving Liveaboards.
Phang Nga, Thailand
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
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Liam548
Barnsley, UK217 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We contacted Christopher Williams after a friend had done a similar trip to the Surin Islands a few months ago (overnight stay and snorkelling trip to the National Park).
We had never been before but Christopher Williams and the Team at Blue Guru guided us perfectly through the booking procedure will all the information we needed in a clear and easy to follow format. This was all done in the UK prior to even arriving in Thailand and meant we had zero worry or stress about the trip. Emails were answered so promptly and politely I can honestly say that many companies could learn Customer Service from Blue Guru!
The two days were a delight and we would definitely reccommended Blue Guru to friends and family. Thank you so much for helping us create some fantastic memories.
Liam and Katherine Sandie
(UK)
We had never been before but Christopher Williams and the Team at Blue Guru guided us perfectly through the booking procedure will all the information we needed in a clear and easy to follow format. This was all done in the UK prior to even arriving in Thailand and meant we had zero worry or stress about the trip. Emails were answered so promptly and politely I can honestly say that many companies could learn Customer Service from Blue Guru!
The two days were a delight and we would definitely reccommended Blue Guru to friends and family. Thank you so much for helping us create some fantastic memories.
Liam and Katherine Sandie
(UK)
Written 21 January 2020
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.
Katri K
46 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Absolutely amazing experience in the Surin islands (2n3d) from the start. We booked the trip through Blue Guru and the informing was exceptionally profound. We had the detailed info before the trip and they aswered to any questions very quickly by e-mail.
The trip itself was also excellent. Everything was very well organized, staff was very friendly and took a good care of their customers. Food was great. Place is gorgeous (both above and beneath the sea level). I highly recommend to choose Blue Guru if you’re planning a trip to Surin Islands. Thank you so much!
The trip itself was also excellent. Everything was very well organized, staff was very friendly and took a good care of their customers. Food was great. Place is gorgeous (both above and beneath the sea level). I highly recommend to choose Blue Guru if you’re planning a trip to Surin Islands. Thank you so much!
Written 18 February 2020
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.
Jeremy
3 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
We booked a 3 day and 2 night tour to the Surin Islands with Blue Guru. Before the trip, Chris gave us excellent information by email. He always responded quickly to our emails and was very keen to accommodate our requests.
The stay on the islands was wonderful. The snorkeling trips were great. In the afternoon, after the day tourists have left, there are practically no people left on the island. We would also recommend staying in a bungalow. Thank you very much ☺️
The stay on the islands was wonderful. The snorkeling trips were great. In the afternoon, after the day tourists have left, there are practically no people left on the island. We would also recommend staying in a bungalow. Thank you very much ☺️
Written 26 January 2024
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.
Tam N
2 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
This tour should have been a half day. The snorkel spots are amazing but you don’t get anywhere near enough time at them and you spend most of the day waiting around.
The 1 day group trip itinerary we did was:
1 hr drive transfer, 1 hr boat transfer, 40 mins at the Moken village with no info about the people/culture, 45 min snorkel, 2hrs lunch which is about 30 mins buffet then 1.5hrs waiting around, 45 min snorkel, 45 min snorkel, 1hr boat transfer, 1 hr drive transfer.
So total 2.5hrs snorkelling out of 10hrs.
The staff are polite but they don’t provide any info at all about the islands, the wildlife or what you’re doing next. For most of the trip you feel like a mild inconvenience. The food is horrendous: even when you have low expectations it is worse.
Given the cost of the trip there are several things that you would expect to be provided as a minimum e.g. good informative service, edible food, well-planned itinerary.
However, all the surin island providers follow this type of full day itinerary for about the same price so there’s not much real competition .
The 1 day group trip itinerary we did was:
1 hr drive transfer, 1 hr boat transfer, 40 mins at the Moken village with no info about the people/culture, 45 min snorkel, 2hrs lunch which is about 30 mins buffet then 1.5hrs waiting around, 45 min snorkel, 45 min snorkel, 1hr boat transfer, 1 hr drive transfer.
So total 2.5hrs snorkelling out of 10hrs.
The staff are polite but they don’t provide any info at all about the islands, the wildlife or what you’re doing next. For most of the trip you feel like a mild inconvenience. The food is horrendous: even when you have low expectations it is worse.
Given the cost of the trip there are several things that you would expect to be provided as a minimum e.g. good informative service, edible food, well-planned itinerary.
However, all the surin island providers follow this type of full day itinerary for about the same price so there’s not much real competition .
Written 6 May 2024
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.
Chris and Caroline
1 contribution
Jan 2020
Christopher Williams was very helpful, thoughtful and on the ball when it came to organising our three day trip to the lovely unspoilt islands - great snorkelling. He will look after you with any wide ranging advice on Thailand. All good!
Chris and Caroline
Chris and Caroline
Written 18 February 2020
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.
Anna I
Opole, Poland3 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Very professional service. We received answers to any questions sent by e-mail almost immediately. The trip itself was also well organized. Everything on time. Snacks and drinks are always available on board. Lunch on the island is delicious and very plentiful. The island data is total bullshit! The most popular place in Thailand! Crystal clear water, peace and quiet. We saw dolphins along the way. Overall, the trip is worth every penny!
Written 15 April 2024
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.
Robert B
Perth, Australia1 contribution
Oct 2014 • Family
On the advice of friends, and assisted by the ever helpful Chris of Blue Guru, we booked a six night family holiday with Mr Chuoi at his Bar and Hut. What a wonderful experience it was. It’s not a holiday for the pampered but if you love relaxed simplicity, fantastic beaches, exquisite Thai food, cold beer, great company and a (slightly unconentional) Host and his people to whom nothing is a problem, this is for you. The children were safe and never bored, even enjoying the experience a couple of days of warm, drenching monsoonal rains, as our stay was just outside 'high season'. Even getting there and back from Phuket was part of the adventure.
Robert, Patricia and the Children - Perth West Australia
Robert, Patricia and the Children - Perth West Australia
Written 13 October 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.
Thank you very much for your review. I am very glad that you had a positive experience at Mr.Chuoi's on Koh Phra Thong.
We were also glad to help in our limited way even though it was the wrong time of year to dive with us.
I will pass on your appreciation to Mr.Chuoi and let him know that he really should set up his own Trip Advisor page so he can be rated independently.
Safe Travels :)
Chris
Written 25 October 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nicoline E
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1 contribution
Apr 2014 • Friends
We, two late-20-year-olds from Amsterdam, had the best diving experience with Blue Guru at Koh Phra Thong and Richelieu Rock. We arrived at Phuket airport straight from Amsterdam the 13th of April 2014. Chris, the owner of Blue Guru, arranged everything from there. We were picked up by a taxi and stayed one night in Kuraburi on the mainland. The next morning we were personally picked up by Chris and he dropped us off at the pier to head of to Koh Phra Thong by longtail boat. The island is a true paradise! The staff of Horizon Beach Resort (where we stayed) was awaiting us and in the afternoon we met our dive instructor Juriaan and the diveschool Manager Ilona. The Blue Guru staff is very friendly, professional, helpful and good fun. We did our advanced open water course, some offshore dives including an amazing wreck dive, and went on the Richelieu and Surin trip, a must do! Never seen such beautiful coral and that many fish in one place. Blue Guru takes care of everything, you don't ever have to worry about equipment, drinks, food, everything is taken care of at all times.
After a week we had to leave, but we missed everything instantly, which is why after 4 days we decided to go back. We emailed Chris and he immediately arranged everything again for us. We had again the best 7 days at Koh Phra Thong and enjoyed the Richelieu trip for the second time just as much as we did the first time. Thanks to the best dive staff: Ilona, Richard, Juriaan and Tyler, and the owners Chris and Helen; because of you guys we had two unforgettable weeks!
After a week we had to leave, but we missed everything instantly, which is why after 4 days we decided to go back. We emailed Chris and he immediately arranged everything again for us. We had again the best 7 days at Koh Phra Thong and enjoyed the Richelieu trip for the second time just as much as we did the first time. Thanks to the best dive staff: Ilona, Richard, Juriaan and Tyler, and the owners Chris and Helen; because of you guys we had two unforgettable weeks!
Written 9 May 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.
Wonderful! What a lovely review to finish of our diving season. Thank you very much for that.
It was a pleasure to meet you both and am so glad you enjoyed your stay on Koh Phra Thong and your diving with Blue Guru......so much so that you returned to us for more diving within the same holiday :)
I am only sorry I did not get to say goodbye in person. Our end of season karaoke night left me a little worse for wear ;)
Best of luck and we hope to see you again.
Written 8 June 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
OceanHelsinki
Helsinki1 contribution
Blue Guru Dive Centre services now located to Golden Buddha Resort on Koh Prang Thong Island was big disappointment. We had booked and paid snorkeling trip to Surin a month prior to the travel as requested and informed Blue Guru on the dates staying on the island and prereffed days for snorkeling. Once we arrived to the island it seemed that there is no trip to Surin on the days we are staying. Once discussed again with Blue Guru they promised to organize a trip on our last day but the night before the trip we were informed that the speed boat was broken. We don't know whether this was true or not but suspected that they did not have enough customers and therefore lied to us. In the end, we did get our money back, but it is not good customer service to ask the customers to book and pay before hand and travel to an isolated destination where to find out that no trip takes place at all.
If you dream about Surin trip it is strongly recommended to take a trip from Koh Lanta or other places where there is more competition. If you just want to enjoy the quitness of nature and trip to Surin is not the thing you have waited for weeks, then Goldeb Buddha is place for you.
If you dream about Surin trip it is strongly recommended to take a trip from Koh Lanta or other places where there is more competition. If you just want to enjoy the quitness of nature and trip to Surin is not the thing you have waited for weeks, then Goldeb Buddha is place for you.
Written 18 March 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.
We would like to apologise to the guests for the cancelled trip to Surin Islands. This was absolutely beyond our control. We hire a speedboat for this trip and we were informed the night before the trip that the speedboat was broken. The alternative speedboats were in use in this instance.
Once we have committed to a trip we NEVER cancel due to low numbers. Because of this we have run at a loss on several occasions because our commitment to customer service outweighs the financial loss.
Koh Phra Thong is an isolated location with limited numbers passing through. This is part of its charm as we have amazing exclusive beaches. It can also make running trips to the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock a logistical feat. Nevertheless, we have been highly succesful with our trips this last season. We have had to reschedule dates on a couple of occasions and at the start of the season we made alternative arrangements for some divers visiting the island. But it is only these guests (from this review) who did not get their trip and for this we are sorry.
I think this client means Khao Lak as opposed to Koh Lanta as an embarkation point for Surin Islands trips. I am afraid to say that in both cases the client has been misadvised. There are no trips running to the Surin Islands either from Khao Lak or Koh Lanta. The main embarkation point is Khuraburi. There are departures from Khuraburi on a regular basis but occasionally during the season these are subject to cancellation either due to weather considerations or technical difficulties with boats.
Whilst a strong negative emotion can make a poor review sound more harsh than maybe is warranted, I do sympathise with any guest who does not feel they received the service they deserved. There are only two elements to this review to which I object and make me feel sad. They are
a) that we lied to the client
b) the insinuation in the statement 'in the end we got our money back.' This has the suggestion that it could have been otherwise. The actuality is that we did not provide a service and therefore the customer gets a full refund.
I hope that these people have better luck in their travels in the future and again I apologise for the disappointment of not being able to visit the sensational Surin Islands.
Chris
Written 8 September 2010
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
marty_travel_83
Stratford-upon-Avon, UK36 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
I did a day trip called Andaman Offshore and Phra Thong Wreck. There were two dives - one on coral and the other on a wreck. The two dives plus equipment rental cost £117 (about $160, at current exchange rates). In my experience diving in the florida keys, the Red Sea, Malta, and Saint Lucia,this is markedly more expensive than an average two-tank day.
Of course, I can see how diving on a nearly-deserted island could be more expensive than where there is more infrastructure. I am sympathetic to that.
And in the company's defence, part of the extra cost is to reflect the fact that there were only a maximum of four people on my dives. I've never had the pleasure of such a private dive; that was very cool.
I'd also praise Blue Guru for the quality of its kit - new Oceanic BCDs in good nick, tidy regs, and nice shortie wet suits (rental wet suits are often grim).
But the dive sites were below average, frankly. The reef dive was just a few lumps in otherwise barren sand, and there wasn't much to see on the wreck. They were some of the least interesting dives I've been on. Transport to the site was on a RHIB, so very basic and quite uncomfortable at times (and, to be cynical for a moment, it may be that the RHIB is the reason why the dives are maximum 4 people, not a desire to give a personalised experience).
I'm *not* saying I'd never dive with them again. After all, when you stay at Golden Buddha Resort, Blue Guru is the only game in town. And I never felt unsafe - that's critical to point out.
But on the whole, I felt like I'd paid more than average for a trip that was of less than average quality. Perhaps the Similan, Surin, and Richelieu trips are better.
Of course, I can see how diving on a nearly-deserted island could be more expensive than where there is more infrastructure. I am sympathetic to that.
And in the company's defence, part of the extra cost is to reflect the fact that there were only a maximum of four people on my dives. I've never had the pleasure of such a private dive; that was very cool.
I'd also praise Blue Guru for the quality of its kit - new Oceanic BCDs in good nick, tidy regs, and nice shortie wet suits (rental wet suits are often grim).
But the dive sites were below average, frankly. The reef dive was just a few lumps in otherwise barren sand, and there wasn't much to see on the wreck. They were some of the least interesting dives I've been on. Transport to the site was on a RHIB, so very basic and quite uncomfortable at times (and, to be cynical for a moment, it may be that the RHIB is the reason why the dives are maximum 4 people, not a desire to give a personalised experience).
I'm *not* saying I'd never dive with them again. After all, when you stay at Golden Buddha Resort, Blue Guru is the only game in town. And I never felt unsafe - that's critical to point out.
But on the whole, I felt like I'd paid more than average for a trip that was of less than average quality. Perhaps the Similan, Surin, and Richelieu trips are better.
Written 28 February 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.
I'm going to Phuket next week & I was wondering if I could take a snorkeling or diving tour to the Similn islands, that leaves from Patong. Also, is it possible to see sharks, sea turtles & whale sharks, & other sea animals besides fish while snorkeling? Or it's only through diving where you can see sea animals besides fish?
Written 17 February 2019
All diving liveaboards to Similan Islands depart from Khao Lak (about 1 hour north of Phuket airport) - see Blue Guru's liveaboard webpage for itinerary options. You may see turtles whilst snorkelling. Sharks are usually seen more when diving. Whale sharks & manta rays are rare but this is the best time of year to spot them. If you want to increase your chances of seeing them, you should join a dive trip including Richelieu Rock, Tachai & Koh Bon. If you just want to snorkel, then you could consider a 3d2n snorkelling trip to Surin Islands where there are potential chances seeing juvenile blacktip reef sharks and hawksbill & green turtles. Details can be seen on Blue Guru's snorkelling webpage. Of course, do bear in mind that no marine life sightings can be guaranteed, as trips are in nature not an aquarium.
Written 18 February 2019
We'd like to dive with Blue Guru but we can only find liveaboard trips on the website. Do you do day trips from Koh Pra Thong?
Written 28 May 2018
Blue Guru can no longer offer diving day trips from Koh Phra Thong because the new owner of Horizon Eco Resort stole their dive centre buildings. They can however still arrange diving packages including a liveaboard trip, transfers and accommodation at the superior Moken Resort on Koh Phra Thong. Submit an enquiry via the liveaboard page of the website for a tailor-made package.
Written 29 May 2018
We are considering staying at the Nangthong Bay Resort and want to go snorkeling. Are you close to this resort? Do you take folks snorkeling? All the reviews only mentioned diving. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
Written 25 May 2015
Blue Guru Diving has snorkelling packages too -- check their website. My husband doesn't dive so when we go on their offshore trips, I sometimes do a combination snorkel + package trip so I can spend time underwater with my husband too.
Nangthong Bay Resort isn't near Blue Guru Diving unfortunately.
Written 25 May 2015
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