End of May trip to Phuket - Staying At Patong...Need bunch of help/advise

[sapix_]

Hey Guys! thanks for all the advise/tips/comments/help you can provide to me beforehand.

I am traveling to Thailand on May 2010 on a family trip (which means no liveaboard allowed since wife/parents don't dive) and we are going to be touring around couple countries. I was able to accomodate phuket after satisfying everybody's wishes for destinations and based on what I've heard on several places but I honestly do not know ANYTHING about the area; I chose Patong based on hours of reasearch on reading reviews and comments so I can leave the family happy and comfortably located in a nice place before I can escape for some diving so that was not an option I guess .

I need to know where, when, how and who to deal with while in Patong Beach; I will be there for 7 days the last week of May and I want to do as much diving as I can BUT it has to be a DAY DIVE only, I can't leave the family alone for over 24 hours!! ; I am pretty flexible on driving few miles if needed and worthed for a good dive, so what are my options?? Better if you could tell me:

1. Name of the place
2. Distance from Patong
3. Price of a dive
4. Kind of dive (reef, wreck, etc)
5. Recommendation of a dive shop
6. Any other tips/recommendations/insiders abut the area.

Please, feel free to write as much as you can, I love to read from experienced people and I greatly appreciate all your input. Thanks again and have a wonderful week!

Paulo

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi Paulo,
Just a quick one as you are probably going to get a lot of advice.
Daytrip boats leave from Chalong Pier in the south - about 25 minutes drive from Patong Beach. Then the dive sites are about one hour or longer away by boat.
There is something for everybody - wreck, wall and reef.
Prices start from arround 2,200 Thai Baht plus equipment.
If you can only do one day, my favourite is Aneanome Reef, Shark Point and Koh Doc Mai on a three dive day but check on the conditions as they can be a little unpredictable in late May.
Have a look here for more information on Phuket daytrips.
Come and see us in Patong after you arrive to get the latest on the dive conditons.

 

[beaner]

I agree with OnTheSpot... the Anenome Reef, Shark Point, Koh Doc Mai itinerary is the most enjoyable.
King Cruiser Wreck I always find to be murky and not so interesting. Millions of Lion Fish but not much else. Bah, I'm exadurating but really can't find anyone who just *loves* it. If you're really into wrecks, do it so you can say you have I guess. If not, give it a pass.

 

[sapix_]

Thanks a lot!! I will be allocating like 3-4 days of diving so I have plenty of time to go to different places. I love wreck diving as long as the wreck is a good one, not a 19' sea-ray! LOL!!! so I should go south of patong then? Based on the map, looks like phi phi is in the other side of the island, correct?? Any good place to go around there? How far is Patong from the other side of the island (phuket town)??

 

[Quero]

Paulo, you won't need to worry about driving to get to the jump-off point for daytrip diving since the only place you'd have to drive to from Patong would be Khao Lak, and by May the daytrip diving has essentially come to an end. There's also no need to use a Patong-based booking agency or dive operator since the boats all leave from Chalong Bay, and the operators offer transportation from all the major tourist beaches in the southern end of the island, including Patong.

With 4 days of diving available, you will be able to cover just about all that daytrip diving offers from Phuket/Chalong Bay, including the already mentioned Shark Point/Anemone Reef/Koh Doc Mai trio (or substituting the King Cruiser wreck for one of the dives), Koh Bida Nok and Koh Bida Nai (at Phi Phi), Koh Racha Yai and Koh Racha Noi. The difficulty is in putting the dive itinerary together since generally speaking, in order to do all of those destinations you usually need to dive with more than one operator. A good agent can work it out so that you go to the greatest variety of dive sites while keeping repetition to a minimum. Feel free to drop me a line if you'd like a sample itinerary.

 

[lord khram]

Dont know a massive ammount about diving Phuket.
But if you only want day trips my advice would be to just turn up and talk to some shops and see what they have to offer. No need to pre book, I dare say most will be able to take you diving any day you like.
As most resorts in Thailand there are loads of DC's to chose from and maybe easier for you to chose one you like when you are actually there rather than relying on website information alone.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[penguintom]

Dont know a massive ammount about diving Phuket.
But if you only want day trips my advice would be to just turn up and talk to some shops and see what they have to offer. No need to pre book, I dare say most will be able to take you diving any day you like.
As most resorts in Thailand there are loads of DC's to chose from and maybe easier for you to chose one you like when you are actually there rather than relying on website information alone.
Enjoy your trip.

Good advice I think.
Given my recent experiences I would never commit to a lengthy spell with a particular shop without trying them out first.
Do one day, If you are not satisfied just move on. I was offered all sorts of things such as 'do 4 days diving and get 1 day free'. I am so glad I didnt take up the offer.

 

[sapix_]

Great advise!! thanks a lot! what's the average price you guys have paid for a trip? Is it the usual two-tank trip? what about night trips? anything available?

 

[stevenl]

Count on 3,500 baht for 2 dives Racha Yai, a bit more for 2 dives Racha Noi or Phi Phi area.

For 3 dives: 3,700 baht in the Shark Point area (all including rental equipment, transfers from hotel to boat and back, breakfast and lunch, etc.).