Diving in Ko Lanta

[Powderfish]

I'll be going over to Thailand for the X'mas/New Year period and am looking to go diving in Ko Lanta for a couple of days. For anyone that's been there before, can you give me some tips? I've found a couple of dive operators but they seem a little expensive! I'm on quite a tight budget so will need to find low-cost accommodation as well.

Also, which dives sites are a 'must'. I've only got a couple of days so I won't be able to do as much diving as i'd like.

Cheers & Thanks!

Happy Diving,....

 

[Quero]

Must do dives, IMO:

• Hin Daeng/Hin Muang (be prepared for a higher priced trip to these sites due to their distance)
• Koh Haa group

When you check out dive operators, see if they offer multi-day discounts. That can cut the cost some. Dive ops on Lanta can also suggest low-cost accommodations.

 

[mgmonk]

Koh Ha for sure!!! If you're experienced, and in the right group, ask to to into the cathedral at Koh Ha Yai. Also hit Koh Ha One. All 5 (or 6 if you count the rock pinnacle) islands are great. The Lagoon between 2,3,and 4 makes for great shallow dives, and 1 and Yai (or 5) make for great advanced dives.

Of course, as Quero says, Hin Deng and Mueng (Red Rock and Purple Rock) are great, but they are subject to wild variations in current and viz (as are all deep remote sites, nah?)

Most ops do one dive on each, but when I worked there, my best days were double dives at Deng. That's where I saw most Mantas, as well. Good Macro too....

I love Lanta. As a customer and an ex-employee.

Have fun.

(oh... PM me if you want personal references)

 

[Bubble Junky]

There's been great manta sightings at both Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and at Koh Ha recently.......

Check Blue Panet Divers out, and for accommodation I'd recommend Lanta Marina resort, at the southern end of Long Beach (Phra Ae area).....

 

[limbo]

Lanta has some good diving to offer, the top notch sites have been mentioned a few times already; Hin Daeng and Hin Muang as a day trip for the Mantas, recently there was some Manta madness, see my dive blog and the other site is Koh Haa, where besides Mantas a few Blotched Fantail sting rays keep visiting.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Stout]

It's unfortunate but the words "budget", "diving" and "Koh Lanta" no longer go together.

When I crunch the numbers, I figure my diving dollar is better spent elsewhere in the world. For what I'd be paying to dive Lanta, and for budget accommodation I'm doing 3-4 dives a day and living like ( non-aircon ) royalty in the Bay Islands.

Well at least I hope I will be.

I'll second Blue Planet, I dove with them in January. A good operation, friendly, clean, they pick you up at your bungalow and drop you off at the end of the day. The food sucks though.

I stayed at the Thai house, 900 THB/night, anyone remember when those sorts of bamboo bungalows used to go for 300 ? Also clean, well staffed, nice owner, and what I'd call BS free.

As far as I can tell, Lanta, and the rest of southern Thailand has shifted their focus to the one or two week all inclusive type tourist leaving us budget types out in the cold. Fair enough, if they can get it.

 

[Midget]

Stout, I too have been shocked by the prices I'm seeing to dive near Koh Lanta.
When did Thailand get so bloody expensive?! I did a LOB in the Similans in '01. While it was decent and worth the cheap cost then, there is no way it is worth what they are charging nowadays.

I'm wondering, will Koh Lanta even be worth a side trip for a few dives next September?

 

[Quero]

Thailand got "so bloody expensive" for you (coming from the US) when the USD entered into free-fall. Since I've been living here (6 years), the dollar has depreciated at least 25%, and since 2001 when you did your LOB, it has dropped 34%. In all fairness, Midget, the blame is not to be laid at the feet of Thailand's dive operators. Surely you don't expect us to drop our prices (which have risen only modestly in these six years, mainly due to fuel costs) because the foreign exchange rates are making it more expensive for you? Believe me, I wish it were otherwise, but please, don't lash out at us for something we have no control over whatsoever.

 

[h90]

Thailand got "so bloody expensive" for you (coming from the US) when the USD entered into free-fall. Since I've been living here (6 years), the dollar has depreciated at least 25%, and since 2001 when you did your LOB, it has dropped 34%. In all fairness, Midget, the blame is not to be laid at the feet of Thailand's dive operators. Surely you don't expect us to drop our prices (which have risen only modestly in these six years, mainly due to fuel costs) because the foreign exchange rates are making it more expensive for you? Believe me, I wish it were otherwise, but please, don't lash out at us for something we have no control over whatsoever.

Same same with Euro...
1 Euro was around 50 Baht now it is around 40 Baht.
That is a 20 % price increase.
I have the feeling that many things got more expensive in THB as well.

 

[Stout]

Midget, I figure it's still worth it for a couple of days diving. The only real "budget" option that I can find is Koh Tao and when you compare the prices there for a couple of days to Koh Lanta, the extra (roughly) 50% you'll be spending on Lanta is worth it for the superior underwater environment.

Where Koh Toa gets cheap is when you buy a whole bunch of dives or find a smaller operator who's willing to undercut the larger ones in order to gain market share. I found a guy doing 500 THB dives, no minimum. It was 500 whether you did 1 or 100 dives and he was good.

There's a philosophy I've seen expressed over on Thorntree that has it that since there's "less" tourists visiting Thailand than in years past, Thailand has raised it's prices to maximise the profit off of those that are still coming. One big boost to Thailand tourism i heard people discussing was these direct flights from major cities in Europe to Bangkok. A real plus to people travelling with children.

But sitting here with a pile of cash and an internet connection, Thailand is no longer the default destination for a dive trip, maybe I should take up sex tourism instead , For what southern Thailand is charging I can go anywhere in the world, pretty much.

That cost of fuel thing is so 2008 however I see some Lanta operators still charging it eg. Palm Beach Divers.

I have the feeling that many things got more expensive in THB as well.

I would agree, but just when discussing the south. I didn't notice much of an increase in either Bangkok or the North. Except for the taxi prices on Tao, 200 THB for 1.5 km, I'd rather walk.