HELP In choosing which Thailand island for fun dives.......

[Buadhai]

My wife and I just finished four days of liveaboard diving in the South Andaman. Conditions were great. Flat seas, mostly clear skies, good visibility and not much current at any site. IMHO, the South Andaman is currently the best place to dive in Thailand. The biota is in good shape and there are not very many other divers. Out of 15 dives we only had one where we had to contend with divers from another boat. (The site was Hin Daeng and the other boat was the Venus Marina.) We dove Koh Ha, Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and Tarutao NP (Lipe and vicinity).

For the foreseeable future we plan to do all of our diving in the South Andaman or Southern Gulf (Koh Kra and Losin).

I too avoid Koh Tao. I've never had a good day of diving there.

 

[emjaty]

Thanks Buadhai. Where did you embark on your liveaboard and what company and boat did you go on?

 

[Buadhai]

Thanks Buadhai. Where did you embark on your liveaboard and what company and boat did you go on?

The boat is the Tapana Catamaran. We departed from Ratsada Pier in Phuket, not far from Phuket Town. The cost was 30K baht (about US$900) for 15 dives, five nights on the boat in a cabin with an en suite toilet.

But, this is a Thai-owned boat marketed to Thai divers. I was the only Westerner on the boat. So, perhaps not appropriate for your plans.

Photos on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/mvtapana

 

[emjaty]

Thanks!

 

[drbill]

Although I was in Thailand for a month (thanks to a lovely Dutch dive master), I only dove Koh Tao and Koh Phi Phi. I did enjoy both, but wish I had gone to the Similans on a liveaboard as well.

 

[lord khram]

West Coast every time. Without question the best diving Thailand has to offer all year round.
Koh Tao does have a couple of good dive sites, but the remainder are mediocre at best, visibility is also nothing like you will get in the Andaman and boats are general overcrowded. Having said that KT is by far the cheapest place to dive in Thailand. Also depending on what you are looking for from your holiday, KT is simply not for everyone, many will tell you what a great place it is, I have been several times to try the diving and don't particularly like the place, couple that with the standard of diving, I can see no reason to visit KT again when the Andaman sea is so close.