Tour
Guides and Tour Leaders
A
very important part of any tour is the guides and leaders.
It is arguably just as important as the tour destination. Our team creates
a mood that's both serene and exciting. We the most highly skilled paddlers
in all of southern Thailand and possibly all of Southeast Asia.
PaddleAsia
is a small company dedicated to providing you with a very person experience
with nature.
We
are paddlers and nature lovers first and in the paddling business second.
Dave
"Old School" Williams
Dave
Williams, a lifelong naturalist, is an American expat who has lived
in Thailand in both Phuket and Krabi since 1992. Dave is well-traveled
and has lived in New Mexico, Florida, Indiana, Hawaii, and Virginia.
He left Virginia in early 1992 and headed for the tropics.
 He
started paddling in 1978. He has a great deal of experience in both
very serious whitewater and sea kayaking. He has, of course, paddled
extensively in Thailand and in the rivers of Laos.
He is the
only person of all of the tour operations in Phuket who was a hardcore
recreational paddler well before going into the paddling business. PaddleAsia
is his "labor of love."
Dave
is a certified British Canoe Union
Level 2 Coach and the most experienced paddler in Southern Thailand.
Just as important if not more, is the fact that Dave has over 30 years
of experience in both hardcore whitewater and sea kayaking.
 Dave
is also a certified Emergency First Response Instructor, a certified
rescue technician through Rescue 3 International, certified by the prestigious
ITC Outdoor-specific first aid organization, a certified assessor for
the International Award for Young People organization and he is a BCU
certified lifeguard.
He
is a lifelong student of ornithology, geology, biology, botany,
and Eastern Philosophy. He has a very broad knowledge of the birds of
Thailand and a very good working knowledge of the mangroves and other
plants of Thailand. He’s also interested in all facets of seamanship,
oceanography, mountain
biking, survival skills, wild edible plants, and
responsible tourism.
Dave has
been an instructor for many of the guides in other companies as well.
PaddleAsia's all-Thai Staff
Walaporn
"Moo" Jitprathep
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 dirt-poor family and only had six years of formal education.
Her family simply couldn't afford to keep her in school. Still, she
made it a point to keep learning. Moo taught herself English! Not only
is she fluent in spoken English, but she is very good at reading and
writing.
Moo and Dave
have been married since 1993. They live outside of Phuket Town with
daughter Mook ('Pearl' in Thai), granny and their four pampered dogs.
Moo is a guide,
tour leader, cooks at times and helps with trip planning and coordinating.
If Moo is on your trip, you'll be taken very good care of.
To read about
some of the other talented people in PaddleAsia, check out our other
tour leaders page.
Our
Guides
- a huge part of the heart of PaddleAsia
Nipon
"Tom" Pannoi - Lead Guide
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:
"We
had an AMAZING adventure and Tom was EXCEPTIONAL!. I can't believe all
the wildlife we saw, it far exceeded our expectations and was definitely
a highlight of our three weeks in Thailand. Please let Tom know how
much we enjoyed his expertise and leadership and hospitality."
Julie Gieseke,
Khao Sok May 2010
"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!
Penny Cousins
and Jane Mennie (2 satisfied customers) Phang Nga Bay day trip Oct 2007
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
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 (Nipon) 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
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.
 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.
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.
You're never too old
or too young to start kayaking.
It's a gentle sport that suitable for all who have a sense of adventure
and who wish to explore the natural wonders of the world in comfort.
If you can trek, you can paddle! It's that easy.
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