Best snorkeling (and lesser extent diving) post bleaching?

[blix]

Hi everyone,

Trying to finalise holiday locations for trip mid March.

We land in Krabi. My wife snorkels and I dive.

Was wondering what the best snorkeling islands (and dive to lesser extent) given the bleaching which seems to have spread to the most desirable areas.

I had been considering Similan/Surin, phi phi, Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe and Koh Tao.

Are any of these less affected by bleaching? Any unbiased knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[stevenl]

You will at certain sites find some bleaching in shallow areas. But not to a very big extend, and there are no sites I would recommend not to go to due to bleaching.
Koh Tao though is on the other side of Thailand, and IMO not worth the effort for fundivers.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Koh Lanta is great for diving and snorkelling - snorkellers can join dive boats to Koh Ha and Phi Phi sites, and there are also snorkelling specific trips to the 'four islands', including the Emerald cave.

 

[Buadhai]

You might consider a day trip to Koh Rok:

https://goo.gl/maps/FUSYZEiHAAR2

My wife and I spent a day there before she learned to scuba. Although it gets very crowded mid-day, there's plenty of room for lots of snorkelers. The lagoon is deep enough that it doesn't get messed up by errant day trippers, but it's shallow enough that you can see nice stuff. When we were there the water was spectacularly clear (YMMV) and we had a wonderful time. I think that snorkeling experience is what persuaded my wife to learn to dive.

We also did a day snorkeling trip to Koh Ha, one of my favorite dive spots. It was also very nice. Photos of Lanta, Koh Rok and Koh Ha here:

Out and About Thailand: Christmas in Krabi