General Thai dive areas and conditions?

[String]

Im looking at going to Thailand in a month or so when the season here ends so just asking for general information on the common dive area, the sort of diving they offer and what the above water activities are like.

For example, im aware Pattaya has lower vis than other areas and so on and that sort of information would be nice to help me decide where to actually go. Coral and vis in the usual areas? Are there wrecks ? Things like that.

In short, any information to help me pick where to go would be nice!

 

[limbo]

Hi String,

You'll be kind of inbetween seasons here. In the Gulf, the monsoon is about to start and at the Andaman side, their good season is about to begin.

The Gulf's rainy season can be late and conditions around Koh Tao may be really good but there's no guarantee.
In the Andaman Sea, Phuket, Krabai, Kao Lak, the viz improves but it's hard to say when it will hit prime.

In general, your best bet will most likely be to go to the Andaman side and take a live aboard to the Similans. There's a few operators on the board who reside on that side, try or wait for Ringo to drop by for Phuket or Bubble Junky for Koh Lanta.

Happy diving!

 

[divingguru]

Hello,

I would recommend Phuket. Although the weather can be a little wet from time to time, it is a good time of year for diving. The dive boats are less busy, and the visibility is generally very good 15-20 meters most days. Phuket has a wide variety of dive sites available.

Racha Yai - provides a nice easy dive site with gentle sloping reefs and good visibility.
Racha Noi - Great site for deeper dives with current, good place to see larger fish and pelagic.
Phi Phi Island - Great place for marine life, stunning above and below the waves
King Cruiser - great wreck dive, with enormous amounts of marine life
Shark Point - Beautiful soft coral reef made up of 5 pinnacles, leopard sharks and rays
Koh Doc Mai - Great for macro diving and drift diving, sea horses and pipe fish are abundant.
Similan - Although not in season, can still be great at this time of year, less divers and still good conditions.

I live and work in Phuket, and this is my favorite time of the year to dive. I am off to Racha Yai today to do a Deep Diver course with a friend of mine.

Hope this information was useful. Please don't hesitate to get in touch for any more information.

Have a good day

 

[stevenl]

In October the weather is unpredictable, whereever you go. It is a month of change because the wind changes direction.

In general the diving in the Andaman Sea is nice year round, so in that respect no problem. For wrecks I would recommend Pattaya, for good reef diving with moderate to good vis year round the Andaman Sea.

Alex missed BTW the best divesite in the area: Anemone Reef, abundance of fish and other marine life, really very pretty. Also excellent diving: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, accessible by daytrip and liveaboard from Phuket, by daytrip from Koh Lanta, Phi Phi and Krabi.

 

[String]

Cheers for those replies.

For what its worth im looking at going in November and staying for quite a while hence wondering what areas to pick for November and maybe another few months.

 

[hadgini]

I did a liveaboard trip to the Similans and it was far and away the best diving I did in Thailand. November should be OK as the season is starting. I've dived on the gulf side as well. It is a fun place to visit and hang out, but the diving doesn't compare. Hope that helps...

 

[Batfish]

November is good for the Andaman Sea (normally - last year was a bit wet) - so diving around Similan Islands, Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta all good. High season on the west coast stretches from November - April. If you are around for a few months.... Similan Islands tends to be better (stable weather, more chance of big fish) later in the season (February - April).

 

[Christian]

My top five (all in Andaman Sea):

1. Richelieu Rock (Surin Islands)
2. Hin Mouang (off Lanta)
3. Elephant Head (Similan)
4. Kho Bon (Similan/Surin)
5. Hin Daeng (Lanta)

I'll have to put in a reservation for Hin Mouang, as it was affected by cold water upwellings this spring. Roumors say there has been tremendous recovery, but, as I said, a reservation...
So to you will need to do a long liveaboard to take them all in or go on several/visit different places. But luckily Thailand is very easy and fairly cheap to travel in. I'll be on Lanta in january.

cheers

Christian

 

[Quero]

If you are coming in November and staying a while, start out on the Andaman side, maybe getting to the southern islands first, including Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, Koh Ha, as well as the local Phuket sites. Then move north to Khao Lak for diving around the Similans and northwards all way to Richelieu Rock. Keep in mind that mid-December to mid-January is our high peak season and the liveaboards are in the most demand at that time. They do sell out. There are also daytrips out of Khao Lak to some of the Similans sites, and even as far as Richelieu Rock.

If you are interested in wrecks, go to Pattaya at some point. We don't really have excellent wreck diving on the Andaman side.

Last season we had relatively low vis for much of the season in the Andaman, in part due to a naturally occurring red tide, but there were benefits to that as well since it was a particularly good year for the big animals that feed on plankton.

Our diving is overwhelmingly from boats--liveaboards, large daytrip boats and speedboats. We don't have a lot of shore diving options. We have a large variety of marine life, including hard corals of many types, soft corals, masses of reef fish, some pelagics. Sites are sometimes mainly granite bouder formations and sometimes limestone. Each has its charms.

Outdoor topside activities include rock climbing on the karst cliffs near Krabi, sea kayaking in Phang Nga Bay, trekking/hiking in the jungles of the national parks, sailing around Phuket.

 

[Zeamonkey]

Just got back to Lanta and started diving for the season. Dive conditions: I'll be posting a divereport for underwater and topside conditions on my website throughout the season: ZEAMONKEY PRODUCTIONS :: OUR DIVE BLOG
Enjoy!