Question Diving in Thailand this December

[sswille54]

I will also be in Thailand for 3 weeks in December. First week on a Liveaboard. The second week in Phuket diving King Cruiser wreck one day and Phi Phi another day. Third week will be diving wrecks out of Pattaya. If you need a dive buddy and would like to join let me know.

 

[Centrals]

I will also be in Thailand for 3 weeks in December. First week on a Liveaboard. The second week in Phuket diving King Cruiser wreck one day and Phi Phi another day. Third week will be diving wrecks out of Pattaya. If you need a dive buddy and would like to join let me know.

I hope your group is the only one diving the tiny King Cruiser wreck.
The best wreck out from Pattaya is USS Lagarto but that is Trimix range (70m).
And you are too late for the famous "Vertical wreck".
I am pretty sure you won't be allowed to dive HTMS Sukhothai wreck out from Prachuap Kiri Khan(nice little town to visit). 24 bodies were recovered but another 5 was never found.

 

[diveUAE]

I'm heading to Thailand on a trip with a family member and will be in Koh Lanta for a couple of days. I'm hoping to dive there for a day before going to the mainland. My time with my family member will end in Bangkok, and I was thinking of flying somewhere to dive for a few days before leaving the country. (I've already been to Bangkok a few times and would much rather dive than stay there.) Sadly, I get seasick, so I'm not contemplating a live aboard (and I'm really short on time), but would love to do day dives for 2-3 days. Should I go back to Ko(h) Lanta since I've heard the diving there is good, it's safe (I will be travelling solo at that point), and it's not overrun with tourists, or what do people recommend?

I've read some comments about Koh Lanta vs. Koh Lipe vs. Koh Phi Phi...

I really don't have that many days, so I'm pushing it... but I really do want to see if I can make something work.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

If you're prone to seasickness then the day boats from Koh Lanta might not be the best for you - I haven't been, but from what I found out it's at least 30-45 min to the dive sites. Of course it's up to you, but do look into the boat types - maybe some are better for you than others As someone, who's always the first in the water and the last out, just because I normally do not get seasick in the water I do sympathise with the no LOB, but funnily enough I've rarely been seasick on a LOB, so maybe look into a (very short) LOB for your last part of the trip? They depart from Phuket or Khao Lak, and it's possible to do 2n/3days of diving.

We did not like the diving from Kata Beach, but only did 2 dives with Rumblefish, they gave us a very new guide, who was not able to find anything interesting - the things we did see, like 2 mating cuttlefish and some nice nudies, I found - on the other hand his under water navigation was flawless and he got us in/out of the water exactly where we needed to be.

Enjoy Thailand-

 

[noserider]

I've read some comments about Koh Lanta vs. Koh Lipe vs. Koh Phi Phi.

Right, so if you’re thinking of going to Koh Lipe—beautiful place!—you really need to check with the operators first. Apparently, the best sites might not be open, which is a bit like going to a bakery and finding out the scones have gone on holiday. I read somewhere or was told by someone—I can’t remember if it was a brochure, a bloke in a hammock, or a particularly judgmental seagull—that Stonehenge, yes, Stonehenge of all places, along with a couple of others, weren’t opening until early January 26.

I was actually considering going in November, but I decided against it because, well, the Philippines has some rather fancy wrecks, and you know how it is, you see a coral-encrusted ship and suddenly all other decisions seem trivial.

And before anyone asks, I didn’t choose not to go because I knew a man from Sai Ying Pun would be there, although it might have been fun to meet him.

 

[ilovecolours]

It doesn’t matter where your traveling to, it will take a day out of you holiday each way from/to Bangkok.

For K Lipe, I fly (old airport), van than ferry.
For K Tao, I VIP bus (overnight) then ferry.

Never been to Phuket, flights from the U.K are cheaper to Bangkok.

This is a really good point. Thanks so much. I'm so short on time that it may not be worth visiting an island for now, even though the diving sounds AMAZING.

 

[ilovecolours]

Right, so if you’re thinking of going to Koh Lipe—beautiful place!—you really need to check with the operators first. Apparently, the best sites might not be open, which is a bit like going to a bakery and finding out the scones have gone on holiday. I read somewhere or was told by someone—I can’t remember if it was a brochure, a bloke in a hammock, or a particularly judgmental seagull—that Stonehenge, yes, Stonehenge of all places, along with a couple of others, weren’t opening until early January 26.

I was actually considering going in November, but I decided against it because, well, the Philippines has some rather fancy wrecks, and you know how it is, you see a coral-encrusted ship and suddenly all other decisions seem trivial.

And before anyone asks, I didn’t choose not to go because I knew a man from Sai Ying Pun would be there, although it might have been fun to meet him.

Oh wow. I hadn't even realized that was a possibility! Thank you for the heads up!

 

[ilovecolours]

If you're prone to seasickness then the day boats from Koh Lanta might not be the best for you - I haven't been, but from what I found out it's at least 30-45 min to the dive sites. Of course it's up to you, but do look into the boat types - maybe some are better for you than others As someone, who's always the first in the water and the last out, just because I normally do not get seasick in the water I do sympathise with the no LOB, but funnily enough I've rarely been seasick on a LOB, so maybe look into a (very short) LOB for your last part of the trip? They depart from Phuket or Khao Lak, and it's possible to do 2n/3days of diving.

We did not like the diving from Kata Beach, but only did 2 dives with Rumblefish, they gave us a very new guide, who was not able to find anything interesting - the things we did see, like 2 mating cuttlefish and some nice nudies, I found - on the other hand his under water navigation was flawless and he got us in/out of the water exactly where we needed to be.

Enjoy Thailand-

You may be right that in a calm-ish area, the liveaboards may be better than anything I take just for a day dive. One of these days, I will be brave and try a short trip!

 

[ilovecolours]

There are day boats going to Koh Phi-Phi and Koh Haa from Lanta. These are both national marine parks and great sites to dive. Any scuba shop on the island can arrange a trip for you...just pick one near your hotel. As for the end of your stay, yes, you could fly back to Krabi and drive to Lanta. You could also fly to Phuket and do day trips from there to local sites like the Racha Islands, King Cruiser wreck, Shark Point, and Koh Doc Mai, all nice dives. Get a hotel on the southern part of the island (Chalong, Rawat, or Kata Beach) for easy access to the boat pier in Chalong. Another option is to go to Pattaya, a two hour drive south of Bangkok and dive the local sites there. It's nowhere near as good diving as the Andaman Sea but it is very accessible from Bangkok. In Pattaya, I'd recommend Copperfin Scuba or Pattaya Scuba Adventures.

Hi @JonnieB , I'm just looking into Pattaya and found the website for Pattaya Scuba Adventures but not Copperfin Scuba. I did see Copperband Scuba Academy. Google's AI seems to think Copperfin Scuba is also known as Copperband Scuba Academy, but I figured I'd ask. Even though, I know @Centrals will be disappointed by my choices, I'm looking into Pattaya because I'm really so short on time... I'm sure the places you mentioned are INCREDIBLE. Still, given my limited diving experience (compared to all of you!), limited time in Thailand, and my seasickness, I'm sure I'll be thrilled with whatever I see in Pattaya. It will only make me more eager to come back and see those sites in the future.

 

[Centrals]

@ilovecolours
It is your holiday.
Make sure you are staying close to the operator.

A dive center near me PADI 5 STAR IDC center British family run.

A dive center near me. Real Divers, Pattaya Thailand. We run dive trips from our 12 metre speedboat 9.30am to 3pm wreck and coral diving.

www.real-divers.com

I had made TWO supposed to be diving trips to Pattaya in different time of the year but never ever got my hair wet except taking shower in my hotel bathroom. This operator would not take me out because of the adverse weather and they were very honest.
There are a few old posts on this operator.

Have a nice holiday in Thailand.

 

[JonnieB]

Hi @JonnieB , I'm just looking into Pattaya and found the website for Pattaya Scuba Adventures but not Copperfin Scuba. I did see Copperband Scuba Academy. Google's AI seems to think Copperfin Scuba is also known as Copperband Scuba Academy, but I figured I'd ask. Even though, I know @Centrals will be disappointed by my choices, I'm looking into Pattaya because I'm really so short on time... I'm sure the places you mentioned are INCREDIBLE. Still, given my limited diving experience (compared to all of you!), limited time in Thailand, and my seasickness, I'm sure I'll be thrilled with whatever I see in Pattaya. It will only make me more eager to come back and see those sites in the future.

Sorry my bad...it's Copperband Scuba. I should remember as they currently have my reg for service The diving along the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand doesn't compare to the West Coast (Andaman Sea) or even Gulf of Thailand (Koh Tao), but it not so bad. You'll see plenty of the usual reef fish, maybe a turtle or two, and some nudis. The biggest Marble Ray I ever saw was during a Pattaya dive.. The coral reefs are pretty rough, but hey, your in shallow water down stream from a city of over 10 million people, and close to the industrial area of Rayong. As you note, time is a major factor, and diving Pattaya you don't have to factor in extra no fly days.