Over Ons

De eigenaren en managers van de Padi duik school (Palm Beach Divers) zijn Lars & Lisa, een Deens en Nederlands koppel. Wij hebben meer dan 7 jaar ervaring elk als Padi duik school managers, Padi scuba duik instrukteurs en Padi dive masters.

We hebben over de hele wereld gezocht naar een unieke plek voor duiken en om te wonen, en deze gevonden op Koh Lanta !

We bieden de PADI duik cursussen aan in het Engels, Duits, Nederlands, Deens, Sweeds, Noors, Frans, Spaans, Maleis, Thaais en Japans.

Wanneer je leert om te duiken, dan zijn er essentiële veiligheids- en praktische duik oefeningen om te leren. Wij vinden het belangrijk dat jij leert in een taal, waarin je je zeker voelt om te communiceren, zodat je de beste kansen hebt om plezier te hebben en de duik cursus met succes te beëindigen.

Video over onze Padi Duik school, Palm Beach Divers

Palm Beach Divers is een Go Eco Operator en Green Fins Member en wij doen derhalve dan ook meerdere malen per jaar een beach clean up, hebben een mooring boei programma, een trainings programma voor lokale Thaise mensen, gescheiden afval en bieden Haai AWAREness duik & snorkel Distinct Specialiteiten Programmas aan..

Iedere certificering voor een Padi Cursus of AWARE cursus krijgt vanaf heden een haai op hun certificerings kaart, wat betekent dat 10 US Dollars van elke cursus (voor iedere student) naar het AWARE project tegen “shark finning” gaat en om haaien te beschermen en onderzoek te doen naar haaien in Asia Pacific Area.

Help ons om Koh Lanta schoon te houden, door mee te werken aan de geen-plastic tas actie en help ons om meer haaien te houden in onze onder water wereld, door het project “het jaar van de Haai” te steunen. Doe mee met de Haai Duiker en Snorkelaars Cursussen en ervaar veel plezier & avontuur !

In 2006 en 2008 heeft Palm Beach Divers de Environmental Achievement Award van Project AWARE gekregen. Wij zijn er trots op dat project AWARE onze projecten voor een beter milieu en natuur herkent en hopen ons bedrijf nog natuur vriendelijker te maken in de toekomst.

Palm Beach Divers heeft erkenning ontvangen als Professionele zaak van Aqualung, door Aqua Master en Aqualung samen en is nu een van de Aqua Lung Partner Centers in Asia.

Door dit kunnen we u een betere klanten service geven, door nieuwere apparatuur in de zaak te hebben, door beter getraind personeel te hebben, die u beter kan informeren over technische en verkoop kenmerken voor Aqualung apparatuur en door betere prijzen en pakketten te bieden.

In April 2009 kreeg Lisa van Padi Asia Pacific de Zilveren status als Padi Course Director, omdat ze meer dan 35 Padi Professionals succesvol heeft getraind in 2008 !

Degelijke duik trainingen en lol in jouw eigen taal ! Kom met ons duiken !

Zie het verschil van een gezellige en relaxte duik trip met ervaren Padi gidsen. Heb een betere duik vacantie !

We zijn er trots op dat we onze ervaren Padi duik personeel weer bij ons aan het werk hebben voor dit seizoen. Zij zijn allen PADI Professionals, getraind in Eerste Hulp en zij kennen ons lokale duik gebied erg goed. Wij houden graag onze duik groepen klein, de sfeer relaxt en de duik training persoonlijk, zodat u de beste service krijgt. Onze Padi scuba duik instrukteurs en Padi Dive masters zijn verzekerd en hebben werk vergunningen en toestemming van de regering om hier te werken.

Ons”dieren leven”:

Our shop cats: Huffel, Lady, Sikao & Gerd / Evil (missing in this picture), Keiko & Tomy.

Hun favoriete plekje: de bank.

Hun favoriete eten: kattevoer

Hun favoriete hobbies: slapen, massage en eten.

Geen zorgen, ze leven normaal buiten (als je allergies bent voor katten) en ze zijn kind veilig ! Lady is de oma en moeder van vele katten hierop het eiland. Keiko (Levke’s cat) & Tomy zijn broers en zijn genaamd naar onze vroegere Japanse Divemaster en Instructeur. Huffel is de slimste kat, hij denkt dat hij een hond is en kan volgen, zitten en aanvallen…Sikao (naam betekent wit) is compleet wit en zoals vele witte katten, heeft hij bijna geen gezichtsvermogen en is bijna doof.

Some of our staff:

Lisa Bier is the Silver Padi Course Director and one of the owners of Palm Beach Divers. Originally from Holland, Lisa teaches in Dutch, English & German.

Favorite diving: wreck , shark and deep diving.

Favorite teaching: people who are scared, help them to overcome fear.

Working in diving since: 2001

Diving Experiences in: Thailand, Holland, Australia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Cuba, California (USA), Bonaire, Saba, Gozo, Malta, France, Malaysia and St Maarten. Prefers warm water diving and nice fish.

Lars Thomsen is one of the owners of Palm Beach Divers, a dive instructor and technician. Right now Lars is building a new boat (name boat: Lila). Lars is Danish and teaches in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian & English.

Favorite diving: under water videografy & deep dives

Favorite teaching: Advanced Courses & children

Working in diving since: 2001

Diving Experiences in: Thailand, Australia, Honduras, Saba, Gozo, Malta, France, Malaysia and St. Maarten.

Lee Johnson is Shop Manager, Emergency First Response Instructor and Divemaster for Palm Beach Divers. If you need any information about diving, snorkeling, courses, parties or where to find what on the island,please check it with him. Lee is from England and did all his Padi Courses with Palm Beach Divers.

Favorite diving: Deep diving on Hin Daeng and Hin Muang

Favorite teaching: Scuba Reviews and Refreshers

Working in diving since: 2005

Diving Experiences in: Thailand & Bali (Indonesia).

Claus Wolfert is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and has several Padi Specialties, he can teach. He originates from Germany and speaks German, English and Thai. Claus has lived on Koh Lanta for the past 10 years and feels really at home here.
Favorite diving: Tropical oceans, could be a lake as well.
Favorite teaching: PADI Rescue Diver Course, is a lot of fun and you learn a lot about yourself !
Working in diving since: 1997.
Diving Experiences in: Cuba, Venezuela, Dom. Rep., Curacao, Spain, Crete, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Bali, Philippines, Austria, Germany and Thailand.

A is the nickname of Thawatchai Janpeng, who is originally from Surattani in Thailand. A is our most experienced Divemaster (we have customers coming back for him) and under water videografer (see video’s on the index page). A has been working with us since 2005 and has been diving in this area for about 6 years.

Favorite diving: Looking for ghost pipe fish or whale sharks on Hin Daeng or recovery diving. Finding macro life for divers on Koh Ha.

Favorite teaching: Under water videografy

Working in diving since: 2003

Diving Experiences in: Thailand (Similan Islands, Koh Phi Phi area, Koh Lanta & Koh Chang).

Dear is a Padi Master Scuba Diver Trainer and doing his IDC Staff Instructors Course with Palm Beach Divers. Dear’s real name is Uthen Junoi and no he is not Japanese, he is from Bangkok in Thailand. Dear studied Marine Science at the Bangkok University.

Favorite diving: underwater Navigation, sharks (prefer whale shark), AWARE and clean up projects and anything to promote diving more for Thai people.

Favorite teaching: not possible yet, but to teach Korean women to dive (Dear does not speak Korean yet).

Working in diving since: 2004

Diving Experiences in: Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Pan, real name: Noppanat Adsen, is a Padi Instructor for Palm Beach Divers and he holds instructor specialities in Nitrox and Emergency Oxygen Use Provider. Pan is originally from Petchaburi in Thailand, close to Bangkok. He studied Marine Science at Bangkok’s University.

Pan can do strange things with his hands (they are made for Thai dancing we think) and he has made it his life calling to make people happy !

Favorite diving: sharks, impossible to find micro life, AWARE and clean up projects

Favorite teaching: Under water Naturalist or Fish Identification and anything with fish.

Working in diving since: 2008

Diving Experiences in: Thailand.

Iep, real name: Suratchai Kaowchuew is from Koh Lanta and is Padi Dive Master with Palm Beach Divers. Iep is an expert at finding whalesharks (even when divers are not paying attention) and is very good at snorkeling and doing water things with children. He and his whife (Ja) have 2 children themselfs (see next picture): Hiseesun and Haseesun . He is also an excellent carpenter.

Favorite diving: Koh Ha Cavern, sharks, manta’s, sea horse and whalesharks.

Favorite teaching: children and water

Working in diving since: 2005

Diving Experiences in: Thailand (this area).

Ja, real name: Benjawan Sengsawan, is Iep’s whife and she cleans with Palm Beach Divers, she also buys in grosaries, goes to Social Security and tax offices, helps with unloading and is very sweet anyways. She recently started with her Open Water Diver Course and she will need another 2 dives (and do swimming) before she can finish this course.

She is the girl sitting with the little child on the picture (Christmas Eve).

Captain Bang Nui, is our oldest boat captain and technician. The discussion is wether he is 74 or 84 years old (we know he was fighting in both wars), because his identification card says “-” where the birthday needs to be. For sure he is the most experienced boat captain in this area of Thailand, he has been sailing all his life.

Unfortunately Bang Nui ‘s health is not allowing him to learn to dive, but he seems to be oke with snorkeling, swimming and kayaking… !

Bang Nui likes to talk to all the fishing man on the radio and keeps us posted on whaleshark sitings. There is a Lanta tail that Bang Nui hasglue under his feet, like the gekko’s have, when they walk on the ceiling, because he has the biggest feet of any Thai person and never falls of the boat !

His favorite trip of the year: is with Children of the Forest (the Myamar Children, that come here once a year).

Favorite hobby: throwing banana’s at Paul (English not Scottish Paul).

Favorite new things: he has a very nice new helmet for his motor bike and glasses for his eyes. Please tell him he looks much younger and prettier with them on. This year he had another motorbike accident, because he drove into a cow.

Captain Tee, real name: Supachai Melam . He is our boat captain and technician and make sure out boats are oke, in good state,clean and porperly maintained. He also knows some dive locations by feeling (these are not dive sites, but fishing sites) and by staring into the open ocean.

Watch out: his English is improving a lot !

Favorite Music selection: at this point (after we put Madonna “music” and Abba to rest…): Scorpions.

Captain Tee is also a Padi Open Water Diver and we are doing his Advanced Open Water Course now (he is not too happy about the deep dive yet or sharks or manta’s for that matter, so we have to work a bit on that).

Life would be perfect if the fish would dive with Captain Tee first and then jump out of the water into his curry (unfortuntely life can not always be perfect, Captain Tee…)

Supachai Maneewong is actually his real name: Supachai is from Isan in Thailand (close to the Laos border) en is Padi Dive Master, snorkel master and boat boy with Palm Beach Divers. Supachai is very good with children and has a smile for everyone and great stories. He speaks some Japanese.

Favorite diving: Leopard sharks.

Favorite teaching: children and water

Working in diving since: 2006

Diving Experiences in: Thailand (this area).

NongTee, real name: Pornsak Panpun is from Petchaburi in Thailand. Nongtee is married to Kei and has a just born daughter. NongTee is ourtechnician, glassfiber expert (boat builder) and boat boy. He helps all the divers and sometimes even goes snorkeling with some people. He can fix anything and is really handy on boats.

Working in diving since: 2005 and working on boats even long before this time.

All our diving equipment is still new and is maintained and serviced yearly. Our air is tested one time per half year and we have a new compressor: a ColtriSub (bought in 2007). Our diving tanks are visual inspected 1 time per year and are pressure tested one time after each 5 years.

We have Aqualung BCD’s, Regulators and Masks, Cressi Fins, US Divers fins,PSI Wetsuits and Tribord Wetsuits for our customers to use when diving. We also have a large retail selection from many well-known diving brands if you are interested in buying your own diving equipment. Both our diving boats are well maintained and fully equipped with GPS, Radio and Medical Station.

We have a special offer if you would like to buy your own gear with your diving course. Normally all our divers get a 10% discount on small items (mask, fins, snorkel, slates ec) and a 5% discount on big items (bcd, computer, regulator, wetsuit ed). If you buy all your own gear and use them during your Padi Coursewith Palm Beach Divers, you will get a package equipment price, which is a 15% discount on the retail price !!!

We have special womens packages and children packages.

ORDER YOUR EQUIPMENT PACKAGE, BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK AND SENDING THE EMAIL TO US.