Indoor scuba place for a beginner?

honestly if you're near sukhumvit, go check out ocean pro at asoke. they have a 4 meter deep indoor pool right in the shop, real chill vibe for beginners. they do padi courses too, i think the open water referral is like 14k but includes gear rental which is nice. the staff there are super patient, i saw them teaching a scared kid once and they didn't rush at all. just text them on line first, their pool gets booked up fast on weekends

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yeah there's a few spots but the most convenient for a beginner is probably sea walker at central world. they got a big indoor pool setup and do padi open water referral courses, so you finish the classroom and confined water dives there then do your open water dives on a trip to pattaya or koh chang later. it's on the 6th floor of the mall, kinda weird but works. think the course is around 12-15k baht depending on what you bundle. if u want something more stripped down, dive supply in ekamai has a smaller pool but they're solid too. just call ahead, most places only run classes on weekends unless you book private

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there's also bangkok scuba divers over on rama 9, they have a nice heated indoor pool which is nice cause the water in some of those mall pools can get chilly. their open water referral is around 13k and they're pretty flexible with scheduling, even do weekday evenings if that works better for you. one thing i like about them is they keep class sizes small, like max 4 students per instructor, so you get more attention than some of the bigger operations. just hit them up on line, the owner p'boon is pretty responsive

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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