Less-tourist but wonderful diving Thailand in Dec/January. (LOB Thai vs. Burma?)

[Ashantiashanti]

Heya all! I need some advice for my next dive trip.
I want to plan a trip to Thailand for my family and myself in Dec/January, ca. 2-3 weeks.
We're looking for a less tourist crowded area with accommodation by the sea where snorkel
trips can easily be accessed (even better if there are "house reef" areas.) It can be a resort
or a rented house or a lovely small guest house.

Then some of us would love to do some diving too. So dive access should be there as well - does
not have to be a house reef, can also be a short drive. Whether it should be day trips or a LOB,
I am not sure, depends on the possibilities and value.

If we do the LOB option, then I am not sure
if it should be a Similans/Surin trip or a Burma trip - how do these two areas compare? Another
family member is also interested in being certified with OW, so that will also be taken into account.

Looking forward to reading your recommendations!
Cheers

 

[stevenl]

Check out (little) Koh Chang.

 

[Quero]

I spent some time on an island near Kuraburi that sounds pretty perfect for you if I'm reading your needs correctly. There's a very nice resort on the island with lovely multi-bedroom houses right on the beach and a small dive shop nearby. If you want to cook at the house (recommended at least for breakfast and snacks/sandwiches, etc. so that you don't need to have all your meals at the resort restaurant), make sure to do some shopping in Kuraburi before getting the boat over. It takes a rather long time to travel by boat between Kuraburi and the island, and therefore going shopping requires a fair amount of logistical planning! I didn't try the snorkeling there, but I recall hearing that it was possible to go out in a dinghy or a longtail to close-by areas where there was interesting marine life. This is not a low-budget sort of place, though there are backpacker-style beach bungalows nearby. I can dig up some contact info if you're interested--just let me know.

 

[Ashantiashanti]

Quero, please do send me some more information about Kuraburi, both the budget and the resort!
And from my google map search Kuraburi seems close to Khao Lak, where we could hop on a LOB to Surins + Similans.

stevenl thanks for the suggestion - to me it seems a bit too isolated, and from quick scans of dive reviews; it's not some of the best Thailand has to offer? (correct me if I'm wrong please.)

 

[Quero]

I'll dig up what I've got for you and send it on. Kuraburi is further north than Khao Lak, and yes, you could get a liveaboard to the Similans and Surins, but also you can just do daytrip dives to the Surins (including Richelieu Rock) right from that island since it's relatively close. You could also go a little more north to Ranong and find a couple of liveaboards departing from there.

Quero, please do send me some more information about Kuraburi, both the budget and the resort!
And from my google map search Kuraburi seems close to Khao Lak, where we could hop on a LOB to Surins + Similans.

stevenl thanks for the suggestion - to me it seems a bit too isolated, and from quick scans of dive reviews; it's not some of the best Thailand has to offer? (correct me if I'm wrong please.)

 

[stevenl]

Quero, please do send me some more information about Kuraburi, both the budget and the resort!
And from my google map search Kuraburi seems close to Khao Lak, where we could hop on a LOB to Surins + Similans.

stevenl thanks for the suggestion - to me it seems a bit too isolated, and from quick scans of dive reviews; it's not some of the best Thailand has to offer? (correct me if I'm wrong please.)

Yes, you're wrong, from Koh Chang Richelieu Rock (the best Thailand has to offer) and Surin Islands are within daytrip distance. There are 2 Koh Changs, 1 in the Gulf of Thailand about which you'll find lots of information, and little Koh Chang in the Andaman Sea which is far less known.

It could even be Quero is talking about Koh Chang, but for some reason she is refusing to mention the name of her island here. Strange, since not only the OP but also others can profit from information.

 

[Ashantiashanti]

Yes, you're wrong, from Koh Chang Richelieu Rock (the best Thailand has to offer) and Surin Islands are within daytrip distance. There are 2 Koh Changs, 1 in the Gulf of Thailand about which you'll find lots of information, and little Koh Chang in the Andaman Sea which is far less known.

It could even be Quero is talking about Koh Chang, but for some reason she is refusing to mention the name of her island here. Strange, since not only the OP but also others can profit from information.

Ah it seems that I found the one in the Gulf of Thailand instead of the one in the Andaman Sea. Will do some more research!