Diving in Thailand

[birdie_the_bird]

Best should be Similan/Surin/Richelieu. Then check: http://www.seadragondivecenter.com/.

From Phuket you might better visit Ko Racha; Jungle Bungalows Dive Station if that still exists.ut:

 

[nickjb]

LOL

 

[cmdasia]

Sea Dragon has very cheap prices - when you see their boat you will realize why - pray for calm seas! If anybody is here at the moment a trip to TapLamu will show you the all the Khao Lak boats and a lot of the "Phuket" boats as a few of htem moor there out of season.

Personally I do not think they qualify for the term "liveaboard" as we all picture it in our minds - you would not so much LIVE as you would live.

Definitely for the adventurous and not those who prefer soft toilet tissue.

 

[animian2002]

neosw once bubbled...
Do check out Dive Asia Phuket at www.diveasia.com. They have daily trip out as well as Liveaboard to Phuket and Burma Banks.

Mention Living Seas to them and they will know who recommend you.

cheers!

just curious, how much did u pay for a trip there , rough figures will do

Thks in advance

 

[Batfish]

Liveaboard prices here in Phuket vary from $400 US for 4 day/ 4 night tour up to well over $1,000 US. The very top boat must be the Ocean Rover which runs long tours up to Burma and is super top class and not cheap!

There are good boats in the 400 - 700 dollar range for a Similan and Surin Islands tour. Beware of old wooden crates. Some of the boats which have been running for some years and have developed a "name" are overpriced, but may have more experienced crew and dive staff.

Remember - whatever you pay, the dive sites are the same, so it's really a matter of what you require from the boat. Check such information as number of divers, number of bathrooms, boat size, etc.

Happy Diving and enjoy Thailand


Liveaboard Diving in Phuket

 

[chiara]

If you want to give the Krabi coast a try, go to Ao Nang, Easy Divers and ask to dive with King.

He is possibly the best buddy I ever encountered.

He's a young Thai Assistant Instructor, his English might be somewhat limited, but he's a great diver and a great friend.

I can't find details at the moment, but if you PM me, I'll try to find them by Monday.

 

[animian2002]

chiara once bubbled...
If you want to give the Krabi coast a try, go to Ao Nang, Easy Divers and ask to dive with King.

He is possibly the best buddy I ever encountered.

He's a young Thai Assistant Instructor, his English might be somewhat limited, but he's a great diver and a great friend.

I can't find details at the moment, but if you PM me, I'll try to find them by Monday.

how's krabi???kind of interested in trying

 

[Juv]

Krabi is absolutely a nice province, with many stunning lanscape that you might have seen from the movies - i.e. "Koh Phing Kan" in James Bond's The Man with the Golden Gun and "Maya Bay" in The Beach.

About diving, there're many dive operators at Koh Lanta Yai (the main island in Lanta Marine National Park), Ao Nang Bay and Railay Beach that offer both local reefs and islands diving around which you can enjoy wrecks, caves and exciting swimthrough. I went diving there last year with Blueshark Divers on a special diving package and I really love it.

You can check these links below to learn more about Krabi.

http://www.krabiholiday.com
http://www.kolantabeach.com/divepackage.htm
http://www.railay.com/railay/diving/diving_intro.shtml

Don't forget to check CNN Weather Report before planning your trip. It's monsoon season here - flooding in many provinces of my beloved country. Best time to dive the Andaman is December to early April.

Hope you'll have a great vacation and welcome to Thailand

 

[chiara]

The first time I went to Krabi was last year on the last week in October, lovely weather, sunny and warm, not particularly humid.

Second time was in May, full monsoon season, forget about it!

Most of the dives you do from Phuket are the same you do from Ao Nang, but it's so much quieter in the Krabi area.

Phuket was a huge disappointment, but at the time I had no choice but to spend one week on Phuket if I wanted to stay in Krabi (package tour).

 

[Jean-Paul]

Thanks for the info on Krabi, I'm going there for four weeks leaving in the end of november this year.

The last week we are taking a liveaboard trip with South East Asia Liveaboards (S.E.A.L) sailing from Phuket.
I've dived with these people before when I worked in Thailand as a product developer for a Dutch (dive) travel organisation.
Great boats (sailing vessels), small groups (about 7-8 people). good food and excellent service. They offer all kinds of packages like an Adventure package to the Mergui Archipelago, Burma banks etc.
Diving Myanmar (Burma) and the Similans where and still are among my favorite divesites.
I've got to know the owners( Frost family) as professionals with lots of experience diving in Asia.
You should check out their website at http://www.sealiveaboards.com

If you travel around and have enough time, visit Koh Tao she is indeed a Jewel in the Sea of Siam. The diving is not as spectacular as in the Similans, Surin or Burma but the atmosphere is great. I've worked on the Island and almost everything on the Island is about diving.
I would visit Scuba Junction at Sairee beach. They make you feel more than just a customer (booking office is situated in Mae Haad the place where you arrive with the boat)

Keep wet