Korean Job Discussion Forums

[diver]

Hi! I run "Scuba In Korea". It is a web-site that tries to bring divers together in Korea. When I started diving in Korea a couple of years ago I found it hard to find shops that had English service, and I found it hard to find other foreign divers.

"Scuba In Korea" is an attempt to bring us divers, and those who want to be divers, together. If you are looking for a dive buddy or dive trips or dive shops, equipment retailers and service centers; check out the site at: www.scubainkorea.com

Before anyone complains, we do offer trips and course and services that cost money. I won't mention them here, because I don't intend this post to be an "ad". I just want to let divers know we are here...And I welcome submissions too. I don't know everything about diving in Korea, so any info you divers out there could give me would be appricated.

Thanks,

Diver (aka Owsi)

By the way: Squaffy...Let up on Mel. She is trying to share a unique experience with others here in Korea. Yes, it costs money...Do you expect it to be free? Mel letting people know what is available in terms of diving is no different than people on this board organizing piss-ups at a local pub...or is the beer free?

[Dr. Buck]

I quit scuba diving in Korea since I found it to be not worth the expense and time.
I decided to save the cash that I would spend weekend diving in cold, murky Korean waters, and put it towards the higher quality diving in South East Asia that comes at a much cheaper cost--a better experience for your dollar.

However, with my own mask, snorkel, wetsuit, fins and speargun, I head out to nearby spots I've mapped out and make a good afternoon of it.

Without the cost of renting scuba equipment, it's a cheap day at the beach and if I'm on target, filets of fish for dinner.

[diver]

While Dr. Buck mat be correct that diving in Korea is more expensive than Southeast Asia, that doesn't mean it is as bad as he makes it out to be. Heck, EVRYTHING is cheaper in southeast Asia...

There are quite a few good diving spots (Jeju being the best...deep diving, soft corals, lionfish, damsel fish, nudibranchs, anemones, box fish, octopi, caves, canyons, swim-throughs...) and it's also based on what you are looking for in a dive site. I have found the diving off of the south coast around Namhae to be pretty interesting (underwater caves and canyons). I found the east coast to be nice too (soft corals, deep diving, octopi). About the only place I would advise against is the west coast because of low vis, but I have even had good dives there.

Here is a review from a friend who dove Hong-Do recently:

June 2003
Hong Do, Chollanam Do
Basically, this small island is a rock covered in sea gull nests and
topped
by a light house. Underwater, the diving is some of the best in Korea.
Depths ranged from 12-20m with no current whatsoever. We experienced
12m+
visibility with water temps at 19 degrees. There were lots of soft
white
corals and surprisingly, scattered bits of hard coral growth. There
are
lots of brightly coloured sponges and interesting kelp beds. The site
has
quite a bit of marine life with shrimps, cuttlefish , moon fish and
several
varieties of damsel fish. Along with the large sea slugs that are
common in
Korean waters, I actually saw a beautiful blue nudibranch. What a
surprise.
That was the highlight of the dive for me. I�ll be back at this site
at
least once more before the end of the year.

Sounds like he enjoyed it...and he didn't even have to kill anything...

So, it depends what you are looking for. The diving in Korea is not the best in the world. I prefer the Philippines myself. But I can't go there for the weekend either. I am continually amazed by the amount of people that have to post that "I have been to blah blah blah, and I have X number of dives and I can say with complete authority that the diving in Korea is terrible and not worth the time..."

In my (professional) opinion, the thing that separates the REAL divers from the pretenders (or the "tough guys") is that real divers usually find something positive to say about every dive. That simple. I have had bad vis dives, but found something really cool that I hadn't seen before on those dives. In my experience, the divers that hate bad vis the most are the ones with the poorest underwater navigation skills.

In the end, you don't have to take Dr. Buck's word for it, or mine. Go out and try it. See what you think,

Cheers,

the diver formerly known as Owsi

[Squaffy]

[Dr. Buck]

It didn't think I knocked diving in Korea that hard.

I think that if you are a hardcore diver, you'll dive anywhere and enjoy yourself. Perhaps you have your own gear, tanks, regulator and all the other trappings. And if I owned my own tank and vest and regulator, I'd be out in Korean waters every weekend.

However, most folks on this board don't have their own dive equipment here and they must rent. Many others don't live near the coast, or near the better dive spots.
So what are the numbers? 50,000 won for rental? Or 100,000 won? And for how long? And how do I get to the off shore islands? For someone in Seoul to cruise down to Cheju/Koje/Namhae/ or the lower Cholla islands, the price tag adds up. How much when all expenses considered? 300,000 won?
Sure, the diving will be fun. Diving is always fun if you love the water.
But then again, if you have plane tickets reserved for Thailand two months away maybe you better save your cash for Phuket . . .

The same goes for skiing in Korea:
In two columns line up any Korean ski resort and any North American resort and compare prices. Almost the same in lift tickets, accomodation, etc. and then consider the quality: Pyeongchang versus Whistler. Muju versus Vail. Yeah, right. No comparison.

Nevertheless, I still go skiing in Korea at least once every year because I like to feel that snow under the ski. And after paying over the Korean cash, I feel slightly shortchanged because I somewhere before I experienced something ten times better for the same price.

Diving in Korea is similar. If you love to dive, go for it. I'm sure you'll like it. I did. It's just that as an outdoorsman, with limited time and money for my recreational pursuits, I prefer to aim for the best value that gives me the best experience.

I like your website and applaud your efforts. Those tide tables are handy, aren't they?

As for the quip, "and he didn't even have to kill anything... "
Yes, I snorkel with a spear and I kill fish with it. I enjoy it immensely. I like the idea that occasionally I can provide a nice fish dinner for myself, rather than going down to the local supermarket and buying a fish that was killed in drag nets by the thousands. Who is more culpable? I'm selective on my shots and only kill what I will eat that day, usually a couple fish. That pales in comparison to what the commercial ships do. It's why Japan apprehends Korea fishing trawlers every other month for sneaking into their waters. The Korean coastal waters have been raped, and raped hard for centuries. That is why you are reduced to diving in shark aquariums in order to see a fish bigger than your leg.


And "is that real divers usually find something positive to say about every dive."
Absolutely. But be honest and give the good with the bad for a fair, balanced statement.

[Bulsajo]

Excellent post, Dr. Buck. I dove Korea once just to see for myself what it was like. For anyone certified and living in Korea, you should try it at least once, but if your choices are limited due to time off/finances I'd recommend Guam or Thailand (Andaman Sea) before Korea. If/When I go back to Korea I'd like to visit Hong-do and try the diving there.

[Squaffy]

Best place I have dived is Eilat - Israel - in the Red Sea. That's where I got all my PADI Certs. SoKo diving suks. Wanna argue the point - try me - might just wreck your business too

[Squaffy]