Thailand

Post your questions (and answers) about dive excursions abroad here.
Post Reply
User avatar
deep diver
Pelagic
Posts: 908
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:49 am

Thailand

Post by deep diver »

Has anyone out there ever gone diving in Thailand that would like to give me some information about dive sites, where to stay and what time of year is the best to go for vis and critters?
Tossing around the idea of going sometime within this year or beginning of next.
It's a good day.... nobody died!
User avatar
Huskychemist
Dive-aholic
Posts: 262
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:11 pm

Re: Thailand

Post by Huskychemist »

I lived there for three years and would be happy to share some of my insight. The 'local' diving I did near where I lived wasn't all that great, but I made it down to Phuket - and surrounding areas - and the better diving in Thailand for a few trips.

I have a contact in Thailand that could help also. Maybe PM me if you're interested.
Happy Diving!

Lowell, aka Huskychemist

http://scuba.huskychemist.org
wedivebc
Hi, I'm New To NWDC!
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:38 pm

Re: Thailand

Post by wedivebc »

deep diver wrote:Has anyone out there ever gone diving in Thailand that would like to give me some information about dive sites, where to stay and what time of year is the best to go for vis and critters?
Tossing around the idea of going sometime within this year or beginning of next.
I have done a liveaboard in Khao Lak with a company called Sea Dragon that was outstanding in all repects. The Similan Islands are spectacular and my only regret is we opted not to do the extra day at Richelue Rock

I also did a technical liveaboard in the Gulf of Thailand which was incredible. Recreational diving around Kho Tao is OK but there are tons of deep wrecks in the Gulf if that's your gig.
User avatar
deep diver
Pelagic
Posts: 908
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:49 am

Re: Thailand

Post by deep diver »

[/quote]I have done a liveaboard in Khao Lak with a company called Sea Dragon that was outstanding in all repects. The Similan Islands are spectacular and my only regret is we opted not to do the extra day at Richelue Rock

I also did a technical liveaboard in the Gulf of Thailand which was incredible. Recreational diving around Kho Tao is OK but there are tons of deep wrecks in the Gulf if that's your gig.[/quote]

What time of year did you go? What was your average vis? I'll check out Sea Dragon... I have been looking at some of the liveaboards and would like to split our time between liveaboard to get out to the farther islands that might not be as crowded and then do some travel above water too. I'm not real big on wrecks unless they have been down a long time and have lots of life. Did you stay at any resorts that you liked?
thanks,
Dale
It's a good day.... nobody died!
User avatar
Ken G
I've Got Gills
Posts: 1486
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2006 10:07 pm

Re: Thailand

Post by Ken G »

deep diver wrote:Has anyone out there ever gone diving in Thailand that would like to give me some information about dive sites, where to stay and what time of year is the best to go for vis and critters?
Tossing around the idea of going sometime within this year or beginning of next.
I lived there for a number of years and have been diving all over. Thailand is fairly seasonal in regards to diving although its possible to dive year round a lot depends on where you had in mind. If I was to go again it would be the Similan Islands around Dec-March. Great vis and loads of critters of all sizes. Last trip we did a live aboard called the M/V Diverace. Highly recommended. Let me know if I can answer and particular questions you have.

Cheers,
Ken
User avatar
wicked
Hi, I'm New To NWDC!
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:07 pm

Re: Thailand

Post by wicked »

I still live in Thailand and work in diving - originally from PDX but moved on to some warmer waters :)

For an experienced diver, the Gulf of Thailand only has a couple of worthwhile dive sites, and they are often crowded with beginning divers.

The Andaman coast has a couple good options: Similan Islands/Richelieu Rock and Hin Daeng/Hin Muang. As the latter two can be done in one or two days, that's an easy add-on to any itinerary. The Similans and Richelieu provide some great options fro critters (my passion also). These are part of the National Park system and only open from November to end of April each year. Due to being 50km offshore, there is no runoff and vis is pretty much 60ft+ year round. The smoothest seas and lots of Mantas is February. However - the best critter time is November! This is right after the monsoons and they are most numerous.

Khao Lak is the closest point of land to the Similans and is a well-established resort area. This makes it great for both liveaboards and daytrips. It also makes quite a great base for exploring and for the non-divers. Khao Sok is an incredible place (also lake diving!). Very few schools pay attention to the local dive sites - but we have a couple great wrecks that are just teeming with macro. This last year we discovered a great muck dive as well.

I usually work on the daytrips as I have children, so don't like to spend too much time away...but liveaboards are usually the best way get all the sites in one go.

I still live here in Thailand, so if you need any further details - don't hesitate to ask!
http://wickeddiving.com
Similan Islands and Komodo National Park
User avatar
deep diver
Pelagic
Posts: 908
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:49 am

Re: Thailand

Post by deep diver »

Thanks for all the great information. We are doing our research and hope to decide which place will work best for us. Looks like a lot of great places.
It's a good day.... nobody died!
KirkT
Getting To Know Folks
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:59 am

Re: Thailand

Post by KirkT »

I've been to Phuket and Bangkok about ten years ago before I got into diving. It was a really great trip and one that I'd like to take again, only this time I'd like to go on some dives too. Are the Similan Islands habitated or are they empty?
What medical travel insurance plan is good for international diving?
User avatar
spatman
I've Got Gills
Posts: 10881
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 7:06 am

Re: Thailand

Post by spatman »

wicked wrote:I still live in Thailand and work in diving - originally from PDX but moved on to some warmer waters :)
welcome to the site, wicked! and thanks for a very informative post.
Image
User avatar
inflex
Avid Diver
Posts: 75
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 12:35 pm

Re: Thailand

Post by inflex »

As others have mentioned, Similans is probably the premiere place to dive in Thailand. Vis is almost infinite (150-200+) and there are all sorts of stuff to see both big and small. It's a little beat up from all the popularity and destructive fishing, and in fact, some popular dive sites were closed by the government. However, that's still the place to go for diving.

Couple other areas are the Phi Phi islands and Hin Daeng/Muang. All these sites surround Phuket and are ideally done with a well-respected liveaboard (might be able to find a liveaboard that will do all of these sites).

Alternatively, you can take a ferry to get to Phi Phi islands or Koh Lanta (for Hin Daeng/Maung) from Phuket. All of the above areas are great for diving and beaches (and beach parties :)).

Make sure you do your research on your prospective liveaboard before booking. Many don't know what they're doing and are flat out unsafe.

Couple I can recommend out there are White Manta and the Oriental Siren (World Wide Dive and Sail). I've done several trips with with WM (actually on their sister ship the Black Manta, but that seems to be exclusively for expensive Indonesia trips now), and I just got back from the Philippines with a WWDS liveaboard.

As for non-diving and "beach" touring, the only recommendation I have is to spend a couple days in Bangkok. There's a lot of beautiful temples and culture to be experienced. Just make sure you pick a hotel that's very close to an MRT station. Cabs and other ground transport are completely useless due to traffic. I would recommend a maximum of 2 full days in Bangkok if you're the go-out and hit all the attractions type. The noise, congestion, heat, and general environment about the city really isn't pleasant and wears you down.
Post Reply