Cant decide!! Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao or Koh Lanta - Wich one to chose!

[KBN]

Hi there

I am going for a month to thailand on the 18 feb. to th 26 marths. I have allready booked a liveaboard ont he 17 marths to Similan and suni, but wanna dive 10 days on one of thise Islands.

I have this info:

Phi Phi: cheap and very good divng BUT OVERCROWED.
Koh Tao: VERY CHEAP DIVING but the dive sites is minor to Phi Phi.
Koh Lanta: Very Good Diving incl theposiibilty for some of the souths bedst divesites, silence, layback area, BUT DIVING IS MORE EXPENSIV.

So then mony is limited, I want some quite place and love backpackers where should I go!!!!

Or is it better to go all the way down to Malaysia to Phentian Islands (wich I have been to at 1999):

Can anyone comment on this one!!!!!

KBN

 

[KBN]

BTW.....if anyone is on the same trail for diving in this area and wanna buddy to limited some iving expenses then dont hesitate to contact me!!!??

I am thinging going to Koh Racha Ray insteed but accomendation is a little bit high out there so need somone to share cost with!!!

KBN

kbn@simplez.dk

 

[Asiandivergal]

Hiya KBN,

Since you are already diving the best dive site of Thailand (Similans), anywhere else you go to will be at best mediocre.

Phi Phi - crowded with tons of backpackers and the diving is ok, though not fantastic, especially if you have already dived Similans. And the accommodation is not cheap - I paid 1,700 baht for a non-a/c room which was so terribly run-down, dirty and smelly. Dont think that kind of room is even worth paying more than 500 baht. But it's a lovely island and if you can avoid the crowds by picking other spots to stay, it's worth a stay.

Koh Tao - i heard from others that this place is overdived.

Koh Lanta - nice diving at Hin Daeng/Hin Muang.

Perhentian is still the best place to go for backpackers, peace and tranquility and great diving. Best of all, everything is cheap. dive season at perhentian starts end Feb/March, so u might just be in time.

 

[KBN]

Been at penhtien in 1999 and it was great....but tehre are other places...see my Ko lipe post LOL

 

[Welshman]

AsianDiverGal has a good point about the Similans.

Never dived Koh Tao but I've heard it is overdived.

The main part of Phi Phi is very crowded but there are some other resorts to the North East coast of the island which are quiet.

Diving off Phi Phi is good and you are close to King Cruiser/Anemone Reefr and Shark Point and not too far to Hin Deng/Hin Muang.

Can't comment on Koh Lanta.

 

[chiara]

If you want to dive PhiPhi why don't you consider staying in Ao Nang?

Nice, cheap and not as overcrowded as Phuket.

As for diving centres, Easy Divers would be my choice, I've been diving with them twice in the last seven months (one weekin October, ten days two weeks ago), the guide, King, who is an assistant instructor, is someone you should meet.

If you want to take a course, Feri is a great instructor.

They usually share boats with AquaVision or Ao Nang Divers, very nice boats and nice food as well.

Don't forget most of the customers are from Germany or Northern Europe, but that's very common in Thailand.

 

[Weezel]

I was in Lang Tengah Island (20mins boat fr Perhentian) and it's very good. 30ft~45ft is where all the best marine life are. There's 2~3 resident Hawksbill Turtle around the resort. Night dive is equally good. Manage to see a pair of sole fish and spanish dancer.

1 x Batu Bulan
1 x Tanjung Nibong
1 x Night Dive (from shore)

Overall I would rate 7.5 out of 10. Good thing about Lang Tengah is less crowded. Best time to go is now till early August.

 

[booga_roo]

I dived Koh Toh in 1998 and it was packed then. Every rock you swam round you would meet at least 5 people coming the other way. Lots of boats carelessly dropping anchors as well. Much smashed coral. Best left well alone.

 

[mattiedread]

I've been there twice in the last two years and I have a couple of comments.

Stick to the Andeman that time of year (for diving), you are in the Monsoon season in the Gulf of Thailand then, and diving in the Andeman is at its peak.

Phi Phi is crowded, but there are definately some off the beaten path places to stay (be careful though, Phi Phi has some *real* divey places). The diving locally around Phi Phi is quite good, I don't know about 10 days of it though. (I've done around 6 or 7 days over two years).

Phuket... well that is prime time and the place has a seedy rep. I've spent two nights there, one in Kata, and one in the big popular beach resort with 'bar girls' everywhere. Putrid sight... but Kata was nice (and, I hear the diving off of Coral Island is quite good for a day or two)... it is easy to get from PP to Phuket or vice versa, although the boats don't run that frequently (once or twice a day... spend the extra $2 for the express boat, you'll save an hour in the crossing... and you go right by Shark Point/Anemome Reef/King Cruiser... all very good dives).

If you would like to go a little more off the beaten path consider heading down toward Lanta which is still not that touristy, inexpensive and diving is just picking up off there. (But, Ao Nang/Krabi is not a place to base a serious dive excursion). From Koh Lanta there easy access to Hin Maeung/Hin Daeng which are the best sites in Thail waters (not Richeleau, Similans have been well travelled recently, there is almost always 4 large boats tied up at Richeleau from the end of Nov-March... sometimes there are 4 others on the outskirts). Whale Sharks and Manta's were spotted at Hin Maueng/Daeng in late November, and the season is generally considered to be Dec-Feb for them. (I was on a dive where a Manta swam with someone for minutes.... my back was to it).

The other option is heading up north towards the boarder with Burma. I have not done this, but someone on my liveaboard had, and was going back. In the norther isthmus, there is a town that everyone jumps to and from Victoria Island, Myanamar (Burma). There are a couple of 'backpacker' liveaboards that head up to the Burma Banks. Paul Lees (who wrote "The Dive Sites of Thailand") told me these were the best sites he had been to in recent years. He told me that in November.

Good luck, have fun. Thailand is a great country. You may want to consider things other than diving (like Angkor Wat, Cambodia, three or four days.. cheap... Cambodia and Viet Nam are both very cheap, but diving is no good).

 

[keralucu]

Where've you been? Good to see you back. I see you had a good trip? I haven't been diving in a couple of weeks... not going till next weekend but am really looking forward to it.

See you around