Help with planning trip to Thailand/Malaysia in May

[xreflux]

Hi, I'm planning to go to Thailand/Malaysia in May, sometime between May 12-May 30.
I've been reading as much as I could but I have a few questions hopefully you can help me with in helping decide on a dive site.

Before the questions: here's a few details.
-I'm allocating maybe 4-5 days for diving/snorkeling on this trip.
-I'm considering trying to see two regions (phuket area, gulf, etc.) if possible [reasonable?]
-I don't know if I count as a newbie, only 13 dives over a few years to my name, though I'm comfortable in the water (if that counts for anything, hah)
-I'm not a rich guy, so cheaper the better concerning the costs for diving. I'm hoping to hit something like $40 per dive (including equipment rental) [is that even reasonable?], unless I do a liveaboard, in which case, I'll adjust my numbers to reflect lodging and stuff.
-I will be in penninsular Malaysia in addition to Thailand, so I'm considering sites there as well. I didn't know if this was the right forum to ask comparison questions between the two regions.

So, onto the questions.
1. Is it reasonable to try to do the Similan/Surin islands at this time? Since I don't have much time on this trip, am I running the risk of random bad weather sucking up all the good diving time?

2. How does Pulau Redang or other sites in peninsular Malaysia compare with the dive sites in Thailand. Even though its crazy expensive for me, a friend does want to meet up there for the resort, I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth it dive/snorkel wise, or would the money be better spent at a Thai site?

3. If it comes down to Phuket area or Ko Tao gulf area, which would be better in late May. I don't mind crowds, I'm more sensitive to seeing cool things and at not to high of a cost. I'm trying to factor in weather also (since I won't have a lot of time to lose if I loses days of diving to weather).

Thanks for the info. Sorry for the tons of questions. I tend to overanalyze things.

 

[Quero]

Welcome to the forum!

1. Similans in mid-May--this is iffy. There may still be some boats with scheduled trips despite the fact that the parks will be officially closed for the season on May 1. Of the boats with scheduled trips, very few will actually confirm the trip. Quite often these trips don't attract enough divers to break even and then they get cancelled. Additionally, even confirmed trips are at risk of cancellation due to sea conditions. If you really want to try for a Similans trip in May, my suggestion would be to get here first and then check to see if any boats are actually planning on going out. You might get lucky! I've had divers on May LOB trips before (after US university end of term, for example).

2. Comparing Redang and Thailand--Redang is very nice. For comparisons, you need to specify what part of Thailand you are wanting to compare. Redang is not as impressive as the Similans, but nicer, in my mind than Koh Tao. What resort are you thinking of for Redang? Not all of them are crazy expensive! Given a choice of peninsular Malaysia dive areas, my personal favorite is Pulau Tenggol. There are low-budget accommodations on that island (in fact, really too basic for my liking, but you can't beat the price!)

3. Comparing Tao and Phuket (the eternal debate)--The weather is likely to be better in the Gulf in late May than it is in Phuket. But regardless of the weather, I find the diving from Phuket more interesting overall than the diving from Tao, though there are a few very nice dive sites in the Gulf. It is quite rare for us to lose a day of diving from Phuket. We can count the number of days of canceled dives that take place over a whole year on just one hand. If it rains, we dive in the rain.

Hope that helps!

 

[xreflux]

hey, thanks for the response.

concerning comparing redang to thailand.
i guess, how does redang compare to phuket area?

also, the resort we were thinking of was Laguna Redang, and I've broken the pricing down in the package (for what things are worth for me), to about $45 per dive + $10 per dive rental equipment. i thought that was a little high, but then again, it IS a resort. (total 3D2N dive package was like 658RM). Is that what I should be expecting for diving in redang or are there cheaper options? What should I expect in pricing in Phuket? (per dive + rental?) Normally the only luxury I'm interested in A/C.

Once again, thanks for your help.

 

[Quero]

Redang and Phuket have very different vibes. From Phuket you dive from big boats and get lots of pampering; dive sites are somewhat distant, and you stay out all day. From Redang you dive from little boats in bigger groups, go out and back from the beach for each dive, and visit sites that are quite nearby. These islands are in different oceans, so there are differences in marine life, but both are nice. I personally like the diving from Phuket more because there is a wider variety of dive environments, with sloping reefs, walls, pinnacles, etc. whereas Redang is pretty much all sloping reefs.

Laguna Redang is one of the three most expensive on Redang. It's possible to get less expensive accommodations and diving. I don't know how you are breaking down the Laguna prices, but a 3d/2n package usually includes 5 dives, so it looks to me like you are including your accommodations/meals cost in the calculation. It's not really fair to say that dives cost $45 when that amount also includes your room & board. If RM 658 includes 5 dives, gear, transfers, meals, and room, it looks like a good deal for that quality of resort. Generally you can expect one-off dives with the dive center's gear to come out to about RM 80/dive, but this doesn't include accommodation. Package prices are less.

For price comparisons between Redang and Phuket, it is more expensive in Phuket. Here we don't have all-inclusive resorts like those on Redang. You will pay separately for your accommodations, meals, and diving. Accommodations in May are at their lowest prices, eating is pretty cheap here, and diving--well you can expect to spend between $45 and $60 per dive, including equipment, for daytrips from Phuket.

 

[Bowmouth]

If you are going to Pulau Redang than the better dive sites are at Turtle Bay and Pulau Lima.
My personal favorite is the South-East point of Turtle Bay where a fairly steep ridge covered in soft, leather, hard, whip and wire corals drops down to about 27 meters and often has excellent fish-life.
It's also a good place to spot turtles and nudibranchs and I have been fortunate enough to have seen whale sharks and guitar sharks there as well.

 

[Quero]

My personal favorite is the South-East point of Turtle Bay where a fairly steep ridge covered in soft, leather, hard, whip and wire corals drops down to about 27 meters and often has excellent fish-life.

I once saw a baramundi cod there. Got a very poor photo of it, but it's such an unusual find that it remains one of my favorites.

 

[Bowmouth]

I once saw a baramundi cod there. Got a very poor photo of it, but it's such an unusual find that it remains one of my favorites.

Yes, I've seen the barramundi cod (pokadot grouper) there as well! It's indeed a fish we do not often see when diving here in Thailand or off the coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
I can only think of Koh Torinla at the Surin Islands as a place where I've had frequent barramundi sightings.

There's lots of juvenile barramundi's in Lembeh Straits though....

Another unusual species I've seen at Pulau Redang is the Sailfin Snapper. I don't
think I have seen that fish anywhere else.

 

[lord khram]

 

[Bowmouth]

We're still (sort of) discussing the Pulau Redang dive sites where the IP possibly wants to go to....

 

[MarkWebster]

Koh Tao is pretty good in Late May. It is low season so prices are much cheaper but also fantastic weather and less chance of rain that time of year (Rainy season is in November).

If you are doing multiple dives, you can expect to pay 700 baht per dive including equipment on Koh Tao. If you are just doing a few, this may increase to 1000 baht. You might also get discount accommodation if you are fun diving at some places.