Koh Lanta - Dive Site Difficulty

[ScubaSteve]

I leave for Thailand in 29 days now and am planning to get 5 or 6 days of day trip diving in wheile I am there. This will be happening on Koh lanta as that is where most of my time is being spent.

I am an avid diver capable of comfortably and safely diving in most conditions but my GF is a newer diver and is not comfortable on deep dives (70+ feet), strongish currents or rough seas. My question is this. Are there decent dive sites that my GF will be able to dive at or am I forced to choose?

As an aside, anybody else from SB going to be on the island (Koh Lanta) from Nov. 19th to Dec 2nd?

 

[UnderwaterAsia]

Steve,

There are plenty of sites that you can get to and both enjoy. Ko Haa has great diving and most dive centres on the island also visit the Bida Islands and other sites around Ko Phi Phi. All these sites can be dived and enjoyed by novice and experienced divers alike. Pretty much the only sites that are dived regularly that are out of bounds for your girlfriend are Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, but maybe they are worth getting a day-pass to go on your own.

I live on Lanta, so PM me if you need any more specific recommendations.

 

[watboy]

Koh Ha Lagoon by far the best place for beginners. It means 5 rock (though there are 6). Koh 2,3 & 4 form a sheltered lagoon, with a nice sandy beach you can snorkel to on Koh 3 during low tide, lagoon filled with coral and 4-5 meters in depth. Usually, boats will moor in the lagoon, where divers enter, then from there they can go out and take a tour around Koh 2 and 4 where depth gradually slopes down to 24 meters. Plenty too see at 12-18meters, no need to go deep. Its a great place to see coral fish, turtles and barracuda, and small stuff like harlequin shrimp, sea moth and nudi's, but sharks are rare other than the juvenile black tips that can be spotted near the beach. Koh Ha 1 and 5 (yai, the biggest of the chain) are also good places to dive, current can be a little stronger. Also great places to dive are Bida Nai and Bida Nok, I have always seen at least one leopard sharks on those sites. About the only sites you should be concerned about are Hin Daeng/Muang as the currents can be strong and the drop offs go down to 60 meters and there can be some down currents as well. Unfortunately, thats probably the best place to look for whale sharks and mantas. I would do Koh Ha and Bida for the first two days of diving. Beyond that, there's King Cruiser wreck.

I leave for Thailand in 29 days now and am planning to get 5 or 6 days of day trip diving in wheile I am there. This will be happening on Koh lanta as that is where most of my time is being spent.

I am an avid diver capable of comfortably and safely diving in most conditions but my GF is a newer diver and is not comfortable on deep dives (70+ feet), strongish currents or rough seas. My question is this. Are there decent dive sites that my GF will be able to dive at or am I forced to choose?

As an aside, anybody else from SB going to be on the island (Koh Lanta) from Nov. 19th to Dec 2nd?

 

[mgmonk]

Nothing more to add, other than he's dead right. I worked there last winter and dove a customer there years before. There are opportunities for beginners and old timers galore. Koh Ha is one of my favorite spots to DM at in all of Thailand, and I don't particularly like being a DM anymore. I found almost every dive there, as an instructor or a guide, accommodating and fun for everyone on the boat. The Bida Islands are gorgeous as well and don't overlook the dives on the far side of Phi Phi. Maya wall, Palong Bay... all well worth a day out from Lanta.

Have fun there... I did.

 

[katdiver]

Agreed with the comments about Phi Phi, only to add that it can be pretty busy there at times with boats from Phuket, Krabi, Lanta and of course Phi Phi!