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Certified instructor |
Certified |
Certified rescue technician |
Certified |
PaddleAsia is the most highly certified kayaking instructor in Southern Thailand and the most experienced paddler by far!
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PaddleAsia's all-Thai Staff

Moo
was born and raised in Bangkok. She moved to Phuket over a decade ago.
She has a love for life that is beyond words. For some strange reason,
she's always happy...
Moo comes from a very poor family. She could only attend formal school for six years... yet she is now fluent in English and reads and writes it as well! She is a very special individual indeed.
Moo has been on hundreds of kayaking trips and has a very keen safety sense.
Moo and Dave have been married since 1993. They live outside of Phuket Town with daughter Mook ('Pearl' in Thai), granny and their four very pampered dogs.
Moo is a trip logistics guru, planner, guide, tour leader and sometimes a cook. If Moo is on your trip, you'll be taken very good care of.
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Nipon "Tom" Pannoi
Tom
comes from Phatthalung Province in Southern Thailand. He has a degree
in tourism from Ratchapat University, graduating in 1997. He has been
in the tourism industry 1997. CPR, First Aid, Swimming and several touch-up
first aid courses since then.
He loves taking care of people and showing them the wonders of his country. His personality is one of his many strong points. Guests find having Tom lead them to be both fun and educational.
Guest Comment:
"Our guide,
Tom,was an excellent wildlife spotter, and it seemed to me that he took
pride in showing us the environment and
that he enjoyed just being there. There was only one time that I spotted
a bird before he did!"
Walter Davison, Khao Sok, December 2009
Just wanted to send a short note to say that Jane and I had a fabulous
day of kayaking yesterday with our guide, "Tom." He was friendly,
professional, and knowledgeable about the area, flora and fauna. His English
was good and he had a good attitude. Our vegetarian meal was delicious
and abundant. I'll be sure to spread the word about the excellent service
and extraordinary experience your company offers!
Thanks for all,
Penny Cousins and Jane Mennie (2 satisfied customers) Phang Nga Bay day
trip Oct 2007
Another guest Comment:
Our guide, Tom, was brilliant. He was very attentive but not
pushy and just always seemed to say and do the right thing. Moo was also
fantastic and lots of fun, but she also showed us by example how to be
very still and quiet. The bungalows were just awesome and so was the time
we spent on water and on land.
Jackie Spragg - Khao Sok National Park January 2008
Another guest's comment:
Just a quick note to let you know how impressed I was with the recent trip..........I could not get over how well everything was organised and I felt very privileged to have one on one with Tom (Nippon) for the kayaking he was very knowledgeable and entertaining to say the least. The accommodation, food and friendly people all added up to a very memorable time & I'll be back.
Thanks Dave for such a great experience. John Hiscock - Phang Nga Bay November 2007
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Thai
Guides: Kitti and Run
Our
other guides are Kitti (left) and Run (right). Both Kitti and Run have
been in the paddling industry for over a decade. Both have wonderful
personalities with a strong desire to make sure that your valuable vaction
is both safe and extremely fun.
Kitti is from Nakon Sri Thammarak, a big Thai town on the east side of the Malay Peninsula.
Run was born and raised on Ko Yao Noi in Phang Nga Bay. Run is also our mountain biking guide.
Both men are completely fluent in English and both are first aid certified.
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Bang
Hab - Longtail skipper
When we run trips in Phang Nga Bay, Bang Hab (Bang is a polite term for Thai Muslims) is the longtail skipper.
Bang Hab was born and raised on Ko Yao Noi in Phang Nga Bay. They don't come any more "local" than that!
Bang Hab used to be a subsistance fisherman, barely making ends meet. We met him through the Ko Yao Noi Homestay Project and gave him a job looking after our company longtail.
He does a great job, he's always smiling and happy... and he's got a wonderful future with us.
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Tuk Tuk Drivers on Phang Nga Bay Trips
Bang
Lek (left) Bang Mut (right) our tuk tuk drivers on Ko Yao Noi are both
born and raised on the island. Both guys are very nice and they try to
help anyway they can. They are safe drivers and we are glad to have them
on our team.
"Bang" is a polite title for a Thai Muslim.
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Graham Wardle (British) - Our Safety Guru and Educator Par Excellence
Graham doesn't work for PaddleAsia, but we feel he is an integral part of our team as he teaches us so much about safety and BCU standards.
Graham
is an International School teacher at NIST. He lives in Bangkok with his
lovely wife and darling daughter.
For close to three decades he has worked in the field of Outdoor Education, as a coach, manager, senior BCU development officer and teacher.
Graham has paddled, rafted, dived, trekked and climbed in 35 countries. He is a British Canoe Union Level 5 Coach Raft Guide and Rescue 3 Swift Water Rescue Instructor. He holds British Mountaineering Council, rock climbing and mountaineering awards as well as been a keen and avid PADI Scuba Instructor.
Graham has been instrumental in the development of White Water Safety & Rescue techniques in the UK and Europe, along with the development of coach education schemes. His teaching skills and methodology work with both foreigners and Thais equally. Graham has a lot to offer and we try to soak as much of his vast knowledge up as possible.
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Piroum
Chanaakson - jungle survival expert
Khun Piroum is our extremely friendly and knowledgeable jungle survival expert. He has lived his entire life in the jungles surrounding Khao Sok National Park. He knows all of the wild edible and medicinal plants. He's a master at building temperary
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Cabu
If you head down to Tarutao National Park with us, you'll be treated to meeting our local sea gypsy longtail skipper, Cabu. Another former subsistance fisherman, Cabu along with a fellow sea gypsy help run us around the outer islands in his longtail motorboat. He and his helper travel ahead of us to set up our camps too.
Sea gypsies are at the bottom of the pecking order in Thai society and we prefer to find and help nice folks like Cabu whenever we can. Once you meet him you'll see why we hired him to be part of our team.
Unfortunately, due to mass tourism, environmental destruction and too many bars, PaddleAsia no longer offers trips in this formerly stunning national park. If you go down there, please say 'hi' to Cabu and hire him to help you escape from the maddening crowds.
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Pompam
is one of our four dogs. She was left out in the street at a very early
age. She's one of the most darling dogs imaginable. When you pick her
up, she does a wai (the Thai prayer hands). She actually puts
her palms together... how cute is that!
9/71
Moo 3 Thanon Rasdanusorn, Ban Kuku, Phuket 83000 Related
web sites: Mountain
Biking • Thailand
Seakayaking • Birding
in Thailand • Thailand
Eco Tours • Thailand
Adventure tours in Khao Sok Tourism
Authority of Thailand License Number 31/0204
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