Koh Lanta, Phuket, Phi Phi or Koh Tao?

[MM93]

I'm travelling with 2 relatives (both novice divers with 10 dives each) to Thailand in Dec 2018/Jan 2019. We want to do 2 or 3 days of diving in a spot that is good for novices, ideally in somewhere that is not completely overrun with party animals and other tourists (2 of us are in our 50s, the other is 20). I've dived around Koh Tao and Koh Lanta 7 years ago but wondered if anyone had more recent experience and would recommend one place out of Koh Lanta, Phuket, Phi Phi or Koh Tao. I was thinking of Phi Phi but have just read an article slamming Phi Phi in general saying that it's been ruined as an island so am assuming that the diving will have suffered too but would welcome hearing from anyone who's been recently to any of these places for up to date insight. One of our party is an environmental scientist so I need to pick somewhere that she won't be horrified by, many thanks.

 

[UFOrb]

We love Lanta. Last time we were there in 2014 we stayed on Klong Dao Beach with it’s wide white sand beach and safe swimming for kids. There are a good selection of bars and restaurants all along the beach, which are a great place to enjoy the evenings.

We visited Phi Phi in 2015 and were shocked by what has happened to Ton Sai after previously visiting many years ago. It’s completely overdeveloped and I saw many of the type of tourists I’d rather avoid. I would not stay in Ton Sai bay, although Long beach may be ok. We stayed on the east side of Phi Phi at Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort (Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort), which was lovely, with nice rustic bungalows available right on the beach. They had a little dive shop when we we there but it’s not shown on their website now, although I’m sure they could arrange a couple of trips for you via a dive shop elsewhere. There are several other resorts on the east coast of Phi Phi that look nice too.

We’ve never visited Koh Tao, but from what I’ve heard/read, the dive sites tend to be overcrowded and mainly not in good condition.

This website has some very useful info: Thailand travel guide & advice for your next visit