stevenl
Contributor
Songkran at Similans will be the same as other days at Similans. Just a bit of water throwing.
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
Well since I'll presumably be wet anyway that does not seem an issue!Songkran at Similans will be the same as other days at Similans. Just a bit of water throwing.
All the dive sites in Thailand, including all on the Andaman side are "mass tourism" sites. It's what Thailand does. At most sites, there will be 5-10 other boats there with you. If you want relaxing uncrowded dive sites and great open water stuff, go to Bali or the Philippines.Thanks for the responses. I've done a bit more research and seems some dive sites at least are 'super crowded'. Does anyone know of any boats that try to avoid the crowds? I have no joy in diving with large groups of divers from multiple boats with varying levels of buoyancy control...
I should also point out my 'bigger things' is not actually limited to mantas and whale sharks. Whale sharks actually hate me. Everytime I've gone looking for one they have all left the ocean it appears. I've done a number of manta dives so don't 'need' to see them again (although I shan't complain if they appear). By bigger things really I means sharks, turtles (especially turtles, give me all of the turtles, I really, really love turtles), bumphead parrot fish, Maori wrasse sort of big... Large schools of fish etc. are also very welcome. Mr PH has a weird obsession with morays...
I know I'm looking for quite particular things and do appreciate your assistance.
Sorry, clearly incorrect information.All the dive sites in Thailand, including all on the Andaman side are "mass tourism" sites. It's what Thailand does. At most sites, there will be 5-10 other boats there with you. If you want relaxing uncrowded dive sites and great open water stuff, go to Bali or the Philippines.
Please don't tell me about diving in Thailand...I've been diving and living in the country for 20 years and I am NOT associated with the dive industry in any way other than being a paying customer. ALL the popular dive sites visited by daily and liveaboard operators WILL have 5-10 or more boats at the site throughout the day. The only exceptions being if you are doing a liveaboard and the boat mores on the site overnite and therefore you're there before the daily boats arrive at least for the morning dive you'll have the site to yourself or you charter one's own boat and go to out of the way dive sites in the Gulf like Ko Lipe or Lanta/Trang on the Andaman side.Sorry, clearly incorrect information.
At the OP, I was recently on Deep Andaman Queen, and the tourleader managed to avoid the other boats at nearly all dives. And looking at how Steve operated, he seems to manage that most of the time.
Well, apparently it is necessary to tell you about diving in Thailand.Please don't tell me about diving in Thailand...I've been diving and living in the country for 20 years and I am NOT associated with the dive industry in any way other than being a paying customer. ALL the popular dive sites visited by daily and liveaboard operators WILL have 5-10 or more boats at the site throughout the day. The only exceptions being if you are doing a liveaboard and the boat mores on the site overnite and therefore you're there before the daily boats arrive at least for the morning dive you'll have the site to yourself or you charter one's own boat and go to out of the way dive sites in the Gulf like Ko Lipe or Lanta/Trang on the Andaman side.
Must be **** sites.Well, apparently it is necessary to tell you about diving in Thailand.
I am really glad my experience is completely different from yours, since there are many relaxing uncrowded divesites. On my most recent liveaboard trip to Similans etc., beginning of January so peak season, on a few of the dives there were divers of one other boat in the water, on the other dives no other divers. Just the one dive we got caught out with divers from if I recall correctly 4 boats at the same time.
On local daytrips we quite often have the site to ourselves.
As is that dive clubI have to agree with Steven. There are plenty of uncrowded dive sites in both the North and South Andaman and the Gulf. It is true that some (but not all) of the well-known dive sites are crowded at times, but that is partly due to the fact that customers demand to visit these sites.
I just had a look at the photos I took of a South Andaman trip in January of 2018. Of all the many surface photos that I took of that trip, I see exactly one other dive boat and that was in the evening at Koh Ha. We spent an entire day at Hin Khao and didn't see one other dive boat at this magnificent site.
I did a Losin trip in September last year. At most, there were two other boats; this at one of Thailand's most spacious dive sites.
On the other hand, when I look at photos of a North Andaman trip last April, I see lots and lots of other boats at Richelieu Rock; one of the most famous and most visited dive sites in Thailand.
It is extremely misleading to say "All the dive sites in Thailand ... are 'mass tourism' sites."
If that's what you experience then maybe you're diving with the wrong boats.
BTW Jonnie, the link in your signature (damnam.org), is dead.
Yes, way to go.Must be **** sites.