OP
I keep seeing stuff about whale sharks... Where are they Dec-Jan, and what are my actual chances of seeing them if I go?
Advice for a Christmas dive trip to Thailand
- Thread starter divemaster86
- Start date
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Bowmouth
Contributor
Divemaster86,
Whale sharks are seen year-round in Thai waters, both in the Gulf (East Coast) and the Andaman Sea (West Coast). December and January are best for diving the Andaman Sea.
There can never be a guarantee that you will see a whale shark on your trip though; you'll have to be lucky and at the right place, at the right time.
Some of the "better" places to see whale sharks (and manta rays) in the Andaman Sea are: Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang.
But they are also seen on day trip dive destinations like Racha Yai, the King Cruiser Wreck, Phi-Phi Island, the Tin Dredge wreck off Khao Lak and even in Krabi.
Again; do not count on getting to see one while you're here. But maybe you will get lucky and then seeing one is a very big bonus...
OP
Anyone have a good recommendation for a resort in Khao Lak? I would prefer it to be ocean front with easy access to dive operations. Natural looking would be great. Internet and close to town is a plus. I would like to keep it under 4,000 Baht a night. I was looking at "Khao Lak Resort," but not sure if there are better options out there.
dadathewitch
Registered
If you have 2 week.. I'd like to suggest you to dive at Similan Islands. Eventhoght that time is full of tourist but not that much that you have been told. Booking Livaboard Trip is ideal. You'd experience fantastic dive on 4 days-4 nights on board. 14 dives including night dives and everyday in the ocean.
Wish you have a great holiday
Wish you have a great holiday
dadathewitch
Registered
TRUE!!! you have 0-100% to see one!!!
dadathewitch
Registered
If you have 2 week.. I'd like to suggest you to dive at Similan Islands. Eventhoght that time is full of tourist but not that much that you have been told. Booking Livaboard Trip is ideal. You'd experience fantastic dive on 4 days-4 nights on board. 14 dives including night dives and everyday in the ocean.
Wish you have a great holiday
Wish you have a great holiday
divemaster86, you are wise to extend your stay in Thailand to 3 weeks if you want to do touring up north, spend some time in Bangkok as well as do some diving.
For your time in Khao Lak, if you think a liveaboard will not appeal to your husband, it is perfectly possible do some daytrip diving by speedboat to the Similans and beyond. No, you won't visit as many dive sites that way because you will be more limited in the number of dives you do by daytrip, but you can get a very good idea of the marine life. Don't worry too much about finding a resort in Khao Lak with easy access to the dive ops since they will go collect you from your hotel and take you to the boat. Khao Lak isn't a huge place, so even if you stay away from the main town, getting around to restaurants, etc., in the evenings would be a question of getting a tuk tuk out of the resort.
On Phuket, when researching a place to stay, be aware that you may be required to pay for the "gala" dinners on Christmas and New Year's Eves, and that these can be quite pricey. You should make sure to inquire about this so that you don't have any surprises!
Regarding your flights, you may want to look into the Discover Thailand travel pass that Thai Airways offers. It's three segments for a fixed price. You book it yourself directly with the airline. You could go 1) BKK - CMX 2) CMX - HKT 3) HKT - BKK.
Hope that helps!
For your time in Khao Lak, if you think a liveaboard will not appeal to your husband, it is perfectly possible do some daytrip diving by speedboat to the Similans and beyond. No, you won't visit as many dive sites that way because you will be more limited in the number of dives you do by daytrip, but you can get a very good idea of the marine life. Don't worry too much about finding a resort in Khao Lak with easy access to the dive ops since they will go collect you from your hotel and take you to the boat. Khao Lak isn't a huge place, so even if you stay away from the main town, getting around to restaurants, etc., in the evenings would be a question of getting a tuk tuk out of the resort.
On Phuket, when researching a place to stay, be aware that you may be required to pay for the "gala" dinners on Christmas and New Year's Eves, and that these can be quite pricey. You should make sure to inquire about this so that you don't have any surprises!
Regarding your flights, you may want to look into the Discover Thailand travel pass that Thai Airways offers. It's three segments for a fixed price. You book it yourself directly with the airline. You could go 1) BKK - CMX 2) CMX - HKT 3) HKT - BKK.
Hope that helps!
We stayed at the Khao Lak Sunset Resort when we first came to Khao Lak and loved it.
We do the perfect combination for divers and families with our overnight trips out of Ao Nang. Then later we can transfer you over to Khao lak for that speedboat trip, and that's the only way to go for day trips, as with the slower boats, you spend more time cruising rather than diving or snorkelling.
We do the perfect combination for divers and families with our overnight trips out of Ao Nang. Then later we can transfer you over to Khao lak for that speedboat trip, and that's the only way to go for day trips, as with the slower boats, you spend more time cruising rather than diving or snorkelling.
OP
So here is the tentative schedule we are thinking as of now:
Dec 18 - Dec 20 - Bangkok
Dec 20 - Dec 23 - Chiang Mai
Dec 23 - Dec 31 - Khao Lak
Dec 31 - Jan 4 - Phuket
Jan 4 - Jan 8 - Bangkok
We keep hearing Phuket is really fun on New Year's Eve, so I think we are going to look into staying there and also doing some dives from there as well. Any resort recommendations that will be easy to dive from and are close to the New Year's festivities?
Quero - For flights on Thai Airways I was looking at a "multi-destination trip" on the website which came up as 25,190 THB for 2 people for the dates above. Is there a specific place to go to book a "Discover Thailand travel pass" that is cheaper?
Katdiver - Thanks for recommending Khao Lak Sunset Resort! They have availability and the price seems more reasonable (plus, they offer an early booking discount of 10%). Now I need recommendations for dive operators in the area that offer day trips to the best sites.
By the way everyone in Thailand, I don't mind you sending me personal messages advertising your operations/resort. In fact, I appreciate the information, so go ahead
Dec 18 - Dec 20 - Bangkok
Dec 20 - Dec 23 - Chiang Mai
Dec 23 - Dec 31 - Khao Lak
Dec 31 - Jan 4 - Phuket
Jan 4 - Jan 8 - Bangkok
We keep hearing Phuket is really fun on New Year's Eve, so I think we are going to look into staying there and also doing some dives from there as well. Any resort recommendations that will be easy to dive from and are close to the New Year's festivities?
Quero - For flights on Thai Airways I was looking at a "multi-destination trip" on the website which came up as 25,190 THB for 2 people for the dates above. Is there a specific place to go to book a "Discover Thailand travel pass" that is cheaper?
Katdiver - Thanks for recommending Khao Lak Sunset Resort! They have availability and the price seems more reasonable (plus, they offer an early booking discount of 10%). Now I need recommendations for dive operators in the area that offer day trips to the best sites.
By the way everyone in Thailand, I don't mind you sending me personal messages advertising your operations/resort. In fact, I appreciate the information, so go ahead
You'll like the Sunset Resort! We book our divers onto Sea Dragon for liveaboards, sorry I don't have a recommendation for speed boat operator as yet. I tend to stick to tried, tested, reliable and I've dived with them! As you can imagine most of my diving now is from Ao Nang southwards!
No need for a PM at this point, just click on the link in my signature to see what we're all about.
Cheers,
katdiver
No need for a PM at this point, just click on the link in my signature to see what we're all about.
Cheers,
katdiver
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