Krabi hotel and dive recommendations please?

[Bubblesong]

We want to have a couple nights in Krabi mainland, and days diving, plus hiking? My son is not a diver, but likes hiking straight up steep mountains for views, plus other sporty stuff like kayaking.
Any specific hotel and small boat dive shop?

 

[Centrals]

@Bubblesong
Krabi Province is well known for rock climbing. And there are many walking trails to suit all levels as well.
Ao Nang is probably better as the base for hiking and scuba diving. Unfortunately the town is very touristy.

I had stayed at Krabi Town recently and it was great after a relatively long diving trips(Koh Lanta + Koh Lipe).
There is regular "songthaew"(white colour) from Krabi Bus Terminal via the town to Ao Nang.

 

[Bubblesong]

Please let me know what hotel you stayed in or would recommend in Krabi?

 

[Centrals]

Please let me know what hotel you stayed in or would recommend in Krabi?

Harvest House in Ao Nang and was good(pre Wuhan Virus time).

 

[Bubblesong]

We ended up in Krabi Front Bay Resort because my son wants to see night markets and prefers towns to beaches. I have booked a dive trip through hotel for $3000 which I know is a lot, but don’t see any other dive shops in vicinity. Mike wants to see Tiger Temple and Monkey hike and ATV, etc. so there are some great tours we can take that do a little of several activities for him.

 

[Centrals]

@Bubblesong
How was the diving condition in Kho Tao when you were there recently?
I am going to Koh Chang, much further north in Bay of Siam, in early Mar and my recent experiences on Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe were NOT that great.

 

[Bubblesong]

Koh Tao was wonderful, great viz, schools of batfish, many big Nudibranchs, and NOT tons (by weight) of plastic on beaches. I did not see any jelly fish.
In contrast, i went to Krabi on other side of peninsula, dove near some tiny island and while there were cool things spotted, a seahorse, a cuttlefish, a cornet fish, schools of small fish, but near rocks, not out over dead coral bad viz 10feet(?) due to high wind waves and jellyfish everywhere, lots people stung.
I did not go to PhiPhi that people say is great, but Andeman sea just a windy place so likely similar and with the jellyfish
When i go back to Thailand, going straight to Koh Tao.

 

[Centrals]

Koh Tao was wonderful, great viz, schools of batfish, many big Nudibranchs, and NOT tons (by weight) of plastic on beaches. I did not see any jelly fish.
In contrast, i went to Krabi on other side of peninsula, dove near some tiny island and while there were cool things spotted, a seahorse, a cuttlefish, a cornet fish, schools of small fish, but near rocks, not out over dead coral bad viz 10feet(?) due to high wind waves and jellyfish everywhere, lots people stung.
I did not go to PhiPhi that people say is great, but Andeman sea just a windy place so likely similar and with the jellyfish
When i go back to Thailand, going straight to Koh Tao.

Thank you very much.
I hope this year is the exception on Andaman's side. Strong wind limited the sites available in Koh Lipe. Cold water, jellyfish and poor vis in Koh Lanta. It was an unforgettable trip for the wrong reasons.
Perhaps next yr, Feb to Mar, I should plan a longer trip to cover all three areas with minimum back trekking.

Cheers.

 

[David Martel]

Koh Tao was wonderful, great viz, schools of batfish, many big Nudibranchs, and NOT tons (by weight) of plastic on beaches. I did not see any jelly fish.
In contrast, i went to Krabi on other side of peninsula, dove near some tiny island and while there were cool things spotted, a seahorse, a cuttlefish, a cornet fish, schools of small fish, but near rocks, not out over dead coral bad viz 10feet(?) due to high wind waves and jellyfish everywhere, lots people stung.
I did not go to PhiPhi that people say is great, but Andeman sea just a windy place so likely similar and with the jellyfish
When i go back to Thailand, going straight to Koh Tao.

I cannot overstate my disagreement with what you say about Koh Tao vs Lanta. Koh Tao is a scuba cert dive factory with nearly 100 dive shops pre covid and likely that number now. The sites have ten to thirty boats hitting them each and every day and you feel that. There will be swarms of divers hitting the better sites in waves. Most have under ten dives. Enough poor divers that through carelessness and lack of experience have devastated coral and sent palagics away decades ago. And there are an equal number of snorkelers at most of the dive sites. I have been to Koh Tao multiple times for very specific reasons. I do like Koh Tao's vibe and nightlife, the people are all divers, everywhere. It is where my early teen age sons got there fins wet. Back then, with multi dive package discounts etc, dives with equipment were around $25 each and it gave me a chance to get their dive count up from 10 to 35 before we left. The boys became competent beginner divers and got locked in on the basics. But I would not consider anything I saw there to be above a 5 on a scale to 10, ever. I do not like the massive funnel of hundreds of divers arriving at Mae Head pier each and every morning in the back of pick-up trucks. You must then climb over, though, and around the twenty or thirty dive boats leaving in the mornings. Visibility can be acceptable, you mention that, but it is not reliable and has a reputation of low vis. And for you Nudi branch seekers, that is what you resort to do when there is not much else to see. I have personally witnessed two divers miss seeing a spectacular Oceanic Sunfish, (aka molo molo) while searching for nuidis) during a dive in Crystal Bay in Lombok Indonesia, I digress. No, Koh Tao is not a winner here. I used it to get cheap diving and practice. Recent posts here say the prices have gone up considerably, if true, that is an issue from my perspective as this is low caliber diving. What Koh Lanta can offer is on a completely different level. Considerably better in every way possible. Less divers, more bio diversity, far less beginners. And visibility is always a factor in Thailand, certainly not better in the gulf of Thailand/Koh Tao. Koh Lanta is surrounded by open ocean and vis is better on average. I have collectively spent ten days on Koh Lanta. See next post....

 

[David Martel]

Regarding Koh Lanta. First of all, some context. My perspective comes from ~300 dives, I am rescue/deep/nox cert. Maldives, Red Sea, Indonesia Malayasia, Carribean, Philippines. Land based and live aboard. I visited first time in 2022, I was not expecting much and had a few extra days in Thailand and wanted to give the Adaman side of Thailand another chance after a disappointing over-crowded Similan live aboard experience years back that featured multiple boats dropping 60 to 100 divers into the water at the same time. What I found at Koh Lanta was unexpectedly good diving (for Thailand). First of all, you likely won't be diving Koh Phi Phi) from here. Those lean toward beginner divers punching their Phi Phi ticket. Crowded and not the best. The real dive sites reached from Lanta, the ones that get the dive crew interested are a good distance south. As in 1.5 hours south, Far far south of overcrowded Phi Phi. The dives sites reached by the good shops are at locations such as Ko Rok Noi, Koh Rok. My log book has entries from Hin Muang (30+ meters vis) Manta Ray on entry, thousands of fish carpeting rocks, jack tuna attacking huge balls of bait fish, great topography. (and then a few days later, low vis, high current on a repeat dive). Hin Daeng, 30 meter vis, drift dive looped entire pinnacle, heavy schooling of bait fish, massive chevron barracuda. I can suggest Blue Planet Divers on pier (has limited accommodations onsite cheap), Nice Dive (fantastic high speed catamaran), private pier, but not busy enough to go out every day. Pheonix Divers, busy, European clients heavy. There are other dive shops but those stand out among the ones I would be looking at. Nox available, groups divers by experience. I don't think you guys putting down Lanta ever tried any of these dive site or dive shops. You keep mention Phi Phi, well that is not the place to go after and you are not diving the better sites to the south.