Going on a 2 week diving trip to Thailand, need recommendations!!! PLEASE

[ocean.mirage]

I am going to Thailand at Christmas and into the new year for 2 weeks diving, I have no Idea on where to start looking into diving, My brother is going with me and he is on a budget. So we want to dive with larger animals, preferably see some, Manta's, Dolphins, and most importantly sharks. I don't know if there is anywhere you can see tigers or bulls, but that would be a dream. I am looking for a place to stay on the ocean, a resort would be cool if there are any decent ones, and Somewhere easy to access from the airport would be good. If you have any recommends, please recommend how to travel there too if there is a particular bus or shuttle service, etc... that is easy. Thanks ahead of time, I appreciate any info, it saves me a ton of time looking around online.

 

[vladimir]

I have been lucky enough to see mantas, a few whalesharks, a lot of leopard sharks, occasional gray reef sharks, and whitetip and nurse sharks, of course, in Thailand. That said, it's not the location that I would select if my primary goal was seeing sharks.

 

[farsidefan1]

Mantas, dolphins, and sharks sharks sharks? Sounds like Palau.

 

[aquamarin]

From personal experience (so there might be more):

Manta's: Similan Islands, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock
Diving with dolphins: hm...haven't hear of any Thai places
Bull sharks: Koh Tao
Other types of sharks: Phi Phi, Phuket, Similans, Tachai, Richelieu Rock
Decent resort on the beach (close to above dive sites): Khao Lak (for Similans, Tachai, Richelieu), Phuket, Koh Samui
Easy access to airport: Phuket, Khao Lak, Koh Samui

Obviously, I would recommend a stay on the ocean (i.e. live-aboard). Saves you money (accom and food is included), saves you time - i.e. you can do 4 dives per day, because you don't have any transport time to the dive sites. Plus you see more dive sites. Plus you meet some really cool people

But........this is just my personal opinion
Karin

 

[stevenl]

Best diving is in the Andaman Sea, and you'll get the best of of it there if you do a liveaboard. That will also give you the best chance of manta rays, sharks, etc.

 

[Quero]

Keeping in mind that the ocean is not a zoo and so there's no real guarantee of particular animal sightings, you may see mantas and sharks in the Similans and Surins, and you will likely see other kinds of pelagic sea life as well such as barracuda, treavally, rainbow runners, etc. You may also see large fish like napoleon wrasse.

In order to save money on land transfers, you can either stay on Phuket--which will entail a less expensive taxi transfer from the airport to your lodgings--and choose to work with businesses that offer transfers to Khao Lak for your boat trip at little or no additional charge, or you can get a shared-ride transfer from the airport to Khao Lak and stay somewhere up there. In my opinion, the choice will depend on what kind of dive trip you want--if you want daytrips, it's best to stay at Khao Lak so that you don't add hours each day in transfer time. But if you want a liveaboard trip, a different choice might make more sense for you.

 

[limbo]

There's also a good chance of spotting manta ray's at Hin Deang/Hin Muang with day trips leaving from Koh Lanta.
As Quero however mentioned already, there's no guarantee on spotting anything!

 

[Quero]

Limbo is right to point out the attractions of Lanta on the Andaman coast, and I might add, other areas even further south, such as Koh Lipe. With two weeks for diving, it's likely you'll spend a good portion of it diving in the Similans and Surins, but you would also have plenty of time to explore other places, like Lanta, and perhaps Lipe. If I had two weeks to dive in Thailand's Andaman Sea, that's probably what I'd do.

 

[Gilesphuket]

For cheap accommodation in a lovely location near to the beach in Phuket try looking into guests houses based down in the Naiharn area . They are not right on the beach but within a short walking distance , perhaps check the 'Lonely Planet Guide to Thailand' or 'Trip Advisor' as a good place to start looking if this is an option you think may work well . This part of the Island remains largely unspolit yet is only a stones throw from great restaurants and nightlife on beaches such as Kata Beach . You would also be only a 10 - 15 minute minibus transfer to Chalong pier which is wehere all the diving day trips leave from in Phuket . If you did stay in Phuket and are looking to see larger marine life you should think about a trip to Racha Noi . I have seen many Manta Rays here over the years and unlike some of the other dive sites in the area it rarely sees many divers here on a daily basis .