With its murky sea, narrow, rubbish-strewn beaches and streets packed with high-rise hotels, PATTAYA is the epitome of exploitative tourism gone mad. The town swarms with male and female prostitutes, and plane-loads of Western men flock here to enjoy their services in the rash of go-go bars for which “Patpong-on-Sea” is notorious. Yet watersports facilities here are among the best in the country, and it’s not a bad place to learn to dive, though the reefs off the Andaman Coast are more spectacular. TAT-approved dive shops that run four-day certificate courses (B10,000) and diving expeditions include Dave’s Divers Den (tel 038/221860) on Soi 6, Thanon Pattaya Beach; Dolphin Diving Centre (tel 038/427185) on Soi Post Office; and Seafari Sports Center on Soi 5, Thanon Pattaya Beach (tel 038/429253). Be wary of unqualified instructors and dodgy equipment when signing up at any dive centre.