Diving in relative peace and quiet in August?

[willitrain]

Hello everyone,
My girlfriend and I have been on the road for about 5 months and will be arriving in Thailand at the beginning of August. We really want to go somewhere quiet for the last two weeks of our trip where we can do some (decent?) diving and escape from the visiting hoard!
I suspect this might be a rediculous request but thought I'd ask anyway. From reading through the threads it looks as though Koh Tao / Samui are definite no no's. And the Andaman side will be in the monsoon with many dive operators closed for the period.
So are there any less visited areas that you know of or can recommend, or islands that take a little more effort getting to, so tend to shake off the mass visitors.
Amy help or tips much appreciated.
Thanks
Will

 

[Arizona]

I think Koh Tao might be perfect! I am not sure what scared you off, but it this may be a better option than you realize. Consider the season and you will find great diving. I like Ban's Resort Cheap rooms with aircon and great diving. You have to take the Seatran Ferry in most instances to get to the good diving if you stay on Samui. That means about a 1.5 hour trip each way before and after your dives. So I would recommend staying one night on Samui to check it out and then spend your time on Tao. You will be within minutes of the dives sites and save a bundle on hotel.

AZ

 

[Bowmouth]

Hello everyone,
And the Andaman side will be in the monsoon with many dive operators closed for the period.

Most dive operators on the Andaman side are open year-round and offer daily dive tours, dive courses and even some liveaboard cruises between May and October.

You may want to try Railay Beach in Ao Nang, Krabi. This time of year it's quiet and you will have a chance to do day diving tours, rock climbing, star gazing and beach hopping.

 

[mislav]

I think Koh Tao might be perfect! I am not sure what scared you off, but it this may be a better option than you realize.

I agree with Arizona on this one. Life on Koh Tao is pretty much what you make it to be. You can live very quietly on Koh Tao for sure.

 

[Bowmouth]

We really want to go somewhere quiet for the last two weeks of our trip where we can do some (decent?) diving and escape from the visiting hoard!

Arizona and Mislav,

Although Koh Tao is quite a nice little island I think we can also agree that it's NOT an island (anymore) that can be defined as "really quiet".
Also, even on the best of days most divesites will have multiple diveboats (same like Phuket, Phi-Phi and Koh Samui) diving the same sites at the same times.
These people really want to go somewhere quiet for the last two weeks of their stay and do some diving as well. Maybe Koh Chang is a good option for them? The diving isn't all that fantastic but it surely is quiet, beautiful and away from all the hoards.

 

[stevenl]

Koh Lanta should also be quiet that time of year, and especially Koh Lipe.

 

[Batfish]

Andaman side will be in the monsoon with many dive operators closed for the period.

Monsoon is nothing to fear! Sure there are some wet days, but it's mostly sunny. We had a few wet ones this week, but dive trips have been out every day and people saw a whaleshark at Phi Phi on Thursday. Almost all dive ops are open year round in Phuket.

 

[willitrain]

Hello there,
Thanks for getting back. My thoughts are with Bowmouth. I had a feeling that Koh Tao would be pretty busy - especially at the dive sites.

What are Koh Lipe or Koh Lanta like? I've never heard of them, which is probably a good thing! And just as importantly what is the diving like?

 

[stevenl]

Kho Lipe might be difficuklt to reach, and probably all diveshops are closed.

But Lanta should be ok, with some shops closed but some open as well. There are some ok sites in the direct vicinity, a few good sites at Koh Haa and Bida islands (Phi Phi), and excellent diving at Hin Daeng and Hin Muang (recovering fast after a problem with the corals). The sites further away will be within reach if the weather cooperates.

 

[Cabbie]

How about Koh Ngai ? It's bit further south but is meant to have some good diving. I've not made it there yet, but could be worth checking out as being a bit quieter than other places.

I dived off Koh Samui and personally don't think a 2 hour trip on speed boat to moor up with 15 other boats is really worth the effort...several people fed the fish