Koh Lipe, Koh Phi Phi late October/early November 2026

[Bookworm11]

Hi. I've been to Thailand before and dove on Koh Tao and Koh Phangan for about three weeks two years ago. I am thinking of going to dive at Koh Lipe and Koh Phi Phi in 2026, but I can't go before Spetember, and I understand that isn't a great time to go. Is it best to wait to the beginning of November fo rthe best weather? I would be flying from JFK, so I imagine the easiest way is to fly into Phuket. I have my AOW and have around 240 dives. I would be diving along, and I'm a single woman. Anyone have any dive shop suggestions? I'd prefer being able to dive with other advanced divers, and in groups no bigger than four. i also like staying near or at the dive shop, but not spending hundreds of dollars, and as I am diving solo, I don't want to do a liveaboard. I have a month or so to play with, so if there are other areas to go dive, that would be good to know. I have no interest in staying in Phuket at all. Thanks! I also thought about diving in the Sea of Cortez, but thought the diving in Thailand may be better at this time of year. If I do that, I would go stay in La Paz, and Loreto, and a bit in Cabo. I don't want to go to Sorocco. Thanks!

 

[Centrals]

The arrival time of the flight at Phuket is the only reason that I have to stay overnight on the island.
Koh Phi Phi + Koh Lanta + Koh Lipe. But need to check the opening time of the respective Marine Parks. There is ferry connection from Phi Phi to Lanta. There are two options from Lanta to Lipe: Speed boat which takes 3hrs on flat sea. Alternative route is land & sea transfer via Pakbara and the speed boat journey is only about an hr to Koh Lipe. But a lot longer in total travelling time.
I would leave out Koh Phi Phi and concentrate on the other two.
From my own experiences, small group is the standard on both Lanta and Lipe. Diving at Lanta is expensive as the sites are far so big boat is required. But in Lipe, most sites are quite near so long tail boat is used but a few operators also use big boat.
Andaman Dive Adventure or Lanta Divers in Koh Lanta. The boats from Lanta Divers are slightly more comfortable and they have their own speed boat to go to Hin Daeng/Muang. Adang Divers in Koh Lipe.

 

[Bookworm11]

Thanks! And is the beginning of November a good time to go? I liked the idea of going to Kho Phi Phi just to avoid 2 hour boat rides. And yes, I understand I may be forced to stay in Phuket because of transit. I may be forced to stay overnight on the way to and from Phuket as well.

 

[Centrals]

I will let you know if the beginning of Nov is the good time to visit Lanta and Lipe after I have done the trip in early Nov this yr. I would prefer to go later of the season but could not resist the temptation of cheap flight offered by our local airline. Sucker!
You can catch a public van from Bus Terminal 1 in Phuket Old Town to Krabi Bus Terminal and then another van to Koh Lanta. The ferry ride is pretty short.The van will drop you off at most resorts on the west coast of the island.
Speed boat transfer from Lanta to Lipe is seasonal ie high season and usually from Nov onward.
"Staying on Phi Phi to avoid the 2hrs boat ride"! Can you elaborate it a bit more?

 

[JonnieB]

Yes I'd wait to Novenber...the Andaman Sea diving season starts mid-October to early November bit it varies; like this year, we had storms and rough seas into mid-November. But most years, November should be good. If flying from the east coast, Qatar or Emirates is probably best as they have flights to Phuket from their hubs in the Middle East. Other options are Singapore Air and maybe Finnair. Another option is any flight that gets you to Bangkok and then an hour flight to Krabi and short ferry ride to Phi-Phi. You can also do it in reverse...Bangkok-Hat Yai-Pak Barra- Lipe-Phi-Phi. Combined van ferry tickets can be purchased in Bangkok or Phi-Phi.

Ko Lipe National Marine Park is the best diving in Thailand IMO. It's way down south near the Malaysian border in Satun province. I don't think there's any ferry from Phi-Phi to Lipe at the moment so you have to return to Krabi and then take a four hour van ride to Pak Barra to catch a speed boat to Lipe (about 1.5 hrs). On Lipe, I'd recommend Adang Divers or Castaway Divers...both on the beach from where you will be diving. Castaways is a locally owned outfit by a passionate UW photographer if you wanna support a local business. Both have inexpensive basic Bungalow type rooms on property.

Ko Lipe is a very small island (can walk one end to the other in under 30 minutes) and November is start of high season so get your accommodation reservations locked in early. I really like The Nest guesthouse, run by a lovely Thai lady and The Chic Guesthouse. Both have single sex dorms and private rooms.

 

[Edward3c]

Hi,

I fly into Bangkok rather than Phuket. Get the early flight to Hat Yai than transit minibus to Pak Bara Pier for the high speed ferry to Ko Lipe, arriving around 14:00. I’ve always bought a combined ticket from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport (MK) direct to Koh Lipe. There is a free transit bus between the two airports.

I’ve dived with Keiritas, DJL and Koh Lipe Diving.
* Keiritas is single female dive and yoga operator, see Keirita’s Yoga Koh Lipe – Daily Yoga, Scuba Diving or custom packages
* DJL is a satellite of the Koh Tao operation, but caters for small numbers, see Davy Jones' Locker Diving Koh Lipe – Davy Jones' Locker Diving is a PADI 5-star IDC center, established in 1996, offering personalized diving experiences on Koh Lipe.
* Koh Lipe Diving runs large boats with 4 divers to a guide, great for large groups. I was with a dive club from Penang, see PADI 5-Star IDC & TecRec Diving Center | Koh Lipe

I now use Booking.com for accommodation, but then I don’t like roughing it.

As @JonnieB said, you can walk from one end of the island to the other in around 30 minutes.

DM me if you have specific questions.

 

[JonnieB]

Hi,

I fly into Bangkok rather than Phuket. Get the early flight to Hat Yai than transit minibus to Pak Bara Pier for the high speed ferry to Ko Lipe, arriving around 14:00. I’ve always bought a combined ticket from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport (MK) direct to Koh Lipe. There is a free transit bus between the two airports.

I’ve dived with Keiritas, DJL and Koh Lipe Diving.
* Keiritas is single female dive and yoga operator, see Keirita’s Yoga Koh Lipe – Daily Yoga, Scuba Diving or custom packages
* DJL is a satellite of the Koh Tao operation, but caters for small numbers, see Davy Jones' Locker Diving Koh Lipe – Davy Jones' Locker Diving is a PADI 5-star IDC center, established in 1996, offering personalized diving experiences on Koh Lipe.
* Koh Lipe Diving runs large boats with 4 divers to a guide, great for large groups. I was with a dive club from Penang, see PADI 5-Star IDC & TecRec Diving Center | Koh Lipe

I now use Booking.com for accommodation, but then I don’t like roughing it.

As @JonnieB said, you can walk from one end of the island to the other in around 30 minutes.

DM me if you have specific questions.

Davy Jones Locker just had one of their boats in Koh Tao catch fire, killing a diver who was trapped in the loo.

 

[Centrals]

There are two main beaches in Koh Lipe: Pattaya and Sun Rise.
Make sure the diving operator that you picked is near to the hotel you are staying.

 

[Bookworm11]

I don't like roughing it, but I don't need 4-5 star accomodations either. I am now the highest star you can be on Booking.com, so that is helpful. Yes, I will make sure that my accomodations are close to the dive shops I end up picking. Thanks for all the helpful advice provided. I figured I was stuck flying into Phuket, but I've now been given alternatives. I've found a Cathay Pacific flight going through Hong Kong that works pretty well assuming the schedule stays the same in 2026, but that's a big if. I had an AMAZING visit to Thailand previously, and found the Thai people were the most polite people of any country I've been to, and I've been to alot! I think I am pretty settled into my choice here, and look forward to going to Thailand in 2026. I will save the Phillipines and the Sea of Cortez for later years.

 

[Edward3c]

Davy Jones Locker just had one of their boats in Koh Tao catch fire, killing a diver who was trapped in the loo.

They don't use that type of boat in Koh Lipe; Koh Lipe Diving do.