Marcia blowing a kiss
Photo: Peter S

"Marcia was great.

I booked my dive trip through her company Gekko Scuba Divers. She organized everything for me--the diving as well as the excellent accommodation. I hadn't been diving in a long time and I only had one free day, so even though I arrived late in the evening at Phuket, she made a special effort to do a refresher class for me in the pool that same night so that I would be ready for a day of boat diving the next morning. We had a lot of fun together!"

Peter S., Sargans Switzerland

"I learn lots of things in a way which I really enjoyed, thanks to Marcia!

On December 2007, my family and I went to Phuket to dive. This was my first time diving/bubble making in the ocean and I am really excited! When we were arrived at the airport, a lady named Marcia came to pick us up. She is suppose to be my instructor. Marcia was really nice and she was really helpful too. After we arrived in the hotel, me and my family had to get ready because after this we are going to Marcia’s pool so I could practice bubble making, before I could go in the ocean. When we got there, I was amazed because her school was beautiful, in fact it’s PERFECT! Her garden was like a jungle without harmful animals (of course). She even has a pond with a little bridge and with fishes in it! Just in front of the pond was the medium sized pool. It was pretty deep. In the pool, we practiced how to clear our mask. After that we swam around the pool. The next day, I was terribly excited! When we were at the diving place, Marcia said that we should start at the sandy part first, so I can learn my buoyancy (so I won’t sink and I won’t keep on going up and down). Marcia taught me by doing it in a really fun way; by throwing and catching a torpedo, by passing and receiving a flying saucer and last but not least, by going through hoops! It was really fun! After playing with the torpedo, the flying saucer and the hoops, Marcia and I started to swim to the colourful corals. We saw lots and lots of different kind of fish. The most common one is the Moorish Idol. Marcia brought this water proof card with her, which shows different kind of fish. She showed me on the card some of the fish that we saw. When we finished diving, Marcia gave me a log book so every time I finished diving, I could write what I saw. This way, I could learn different kind of creatures that lives in the ocean which always makes me happy! Every single day before I could see the corals and the fishes, Marcia and I always go to sandy part first and play with the torpedo, the flying saucer and the hoops to practice my buoyancy and it was always fun!"

Melati (age 9), Sultanate of Brunei

Melati playing buoyancy game
Photo: Melati's mom
(while snorkeling)

"Marcia handles everything…

…all you have to do is show up. There are many opportunities to learn scuba diving in Phuket, but I recommend a private instructor. Some people get a bit anxious wearing 40 lbs of gear plus a wetsuit and mask. Also, diving can be a blast but it is a sport to be taken seriously. Learning in a group might work for skiing but when it comes to being able to breathe underwater there's no margin for error. For these reasons having your own personal instructor is the best way to go, and in Phuket I suggest GEKKO SCUBA DIVERS. Your private instructor will be Marcia and she is not only an extremely accomplished diver but she's also an amazingly sharp and patient teacher.
Oh, and she's a blast to be around!"

Russ B., Washington DC USA

"I definitely hope to dive with Marcia again.

All in all, the trip was beyond fantastic. Three days of diving were nowhere near enough. Marcia was phenomenal. She is the sole proprietor of Gekko Scuba Divers, and is an instructor who occasionally hires out as a guide (essentially Discover Local Diving dives). She seriously worked the planning, trying to make sure I had the best possible trip. Hopefully next time I'll be able to do a liveaboard to the Similan Islands." (See Kalani’s full trip report and more of his photos!)

Kalani P., California USA

Over/Under at Banana Bay
Photo: Kalani P.

"For me, there was a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ Gekko Scuba Divers!

Marcia really listened to me and adapted to my schedule even though it changed twice and she had to secure spaces on a boat on a short notice! She helped me be as successful as possible. She knows the dive sites really well and I left not only a much better diver but a more confident one!"

Laetitia G., Advanced Open Water student, San Francisco USA

An unusual nudibranch from Phi Phi
Photo: Lowell T.

"It was fabulous!

I had Marcia book all of my dives. This only happened after quite a few e-mails so she could learn about the type of diving I wanted to accomplish. She then chose the dives based on this. First, a bit about prices. The actual prices I paid for the dive trips were no more expensive than if I had booked the trips myself. The only extra cost I chose to incur was hiring her as a dive master each day. The benefit of this ended up being huge. I had one single dive buddy (Marcia) for the entire four-day thirteen-dive trip. If I had just booked the dives and gone alone, I probably would have been in five or six different groups of divers by the end of the weekend, trying to go slow as I take pictures and then rushing to catch up. Instead, I got to dive as I learned in Puget Sound. With a dive buddy. We created our own dive plans. Then we dived them. And Marcia knows the sites well enough to spot some pretty cool things. My trip to Phuket remains one of the highlights of my SCUBA diving!" (Check out Lowell’s full trip report and more photos!)

Lowell T., Pattaya Thailand
(by way of Seattle Washington)

"All around everything was exceptional.

I had a trip to Thailand planned, and I wanted to visit Phuket. I got really lucky when I found Marcia on one of the scuba boards. I was looking to get a Rescue Cert through PADI, and over the course of several weeks we tailored a scuba vacation adding a few fun dive daytrips and a liveaboard trip around my crazy vacation schedule. I'm an overseas contractor working in Iraq and communication with Marcia was easy because she was always available to answer my questions online before I got to Thailand on my R&R.
     I never would have imagined that I would have found such a wonderful instructor--in every way professional. She met up with me at the hotel and we did some intense studying for a Nitrox course to prepare me for the livaboard. I would have to say that she is a very patient instructor and she is thorough. I have seen other teachers teach the Nitrox course after the fact and there is nothing like the personal training that you can get from her.
     The Rescue diver cert was extremely challenging and she dedicated those days to teaching me in her pool and on a beach where there were no interruptions and our "victim" was a big 250lb man. Normally I would never expect to be able to rescue someone like that being as small as I am but Marcia taught me several valuable techniques on how you can overcome a victim's size and help them in emergencies. I was so happy that she put all into this class and made it a challenge that I am surprised I was able to make it through! What I learned was impeccable and I use everything she has taught me.
     All in all, Marcia is a well rounded diver in all aspects of the field and shows a kind of professionalism that is valuable and rare in dive instructors."

Sharmila P., Michigan USA

The turtle that swam up
to rub noses with Sharmila
Photo: Marcia

"I would not hesitate to work with Marcia again.

I was looking for a booking agent in Thailand for a liveaboard trip but had no idea who to work with. After doing a lot of Web searches I found that Marcia's name came up quite frequently, and only with positive comments so I contacted her to arrange a trip. I was not disappointed; Marcia was a great agent and went well out of her way to arrange everything for us and to make sure we had a successful trip."

Clark A., California USA

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