marcus8
Contributor
Hello, very experienced photog diver here, but a complete newbie to Thailand diving/travel. I'm planning a trip with friends to Pattaya in mid March for some golf and fun. But none of my friends dive and I'd like to get away for 5/6 days to see the best coral and marine life Thailand has to offer. I don't mind getting around on my own, or finding new friends to dive with. My questions are many, even after scouring through a few pages of this forum and google mapping the crap out of the place.
For one, where would you recommend the best diving for a photographer? I see the water off the Andaman Sea appears to get the most activity, obviously Phuket a serious possibility. Would you recommend staying in Phuket, or should I move around up and down the coast? I may well never get back to this region so I'm rather intent on seeing as much as I can. I'll be partying probably too much in Pattaya so a quiet setting would probably be welcome in terms of where to stay. Thoughts?
Secondly, travel between Pattaya and the Andaman coastline. It appears to be a considerable distance. What is the best mode of travel? I only have a couple weeks total, so don't want to spend a ton of time moving around or sight seeing in between. Though saving as much money as possible is also a consideration.
Accommodations? I'm definitely open to recommendations on where to stay though I know this will depend on where I decide to dive. I guess I'm assuming Phuket for part or all of it, then maybe one other location north? I'll be traveling alone for the dive portion of the trip, as mentioned, so basic, budget-minded, near restaurants but not overly party crazy areas sound good to me.
Lotta open ended questions, I realize that, but just starting this process. Thanks for your consideration.
Mark
For one, where would you recommend the best diving for a photographer? I see the water off the Andaman Sea appears to get the most activity, obviously Phuket a serious possibility. Would you recommend staying in Phuket, or should I move around up and down the coast? I may well never get back to this region so I'm rather intent on seeing as much as I can. I'll be partying probably too much in Pattaya so a quiet setting would probably be welcome in terms of where to stay. Thoughts?
Secondly, travel between Pattaya and the Andaman coastline. It appears to be a considerable distance. What is the best mode of travel? I only have a couple weeks total, so don't want to spend a ton of time moving around or sight seeing in between. Though saving as much money as possible is also a consideration.
Accommodations? I'm definitely open to recommendations on where to stay though I know this will depend on where I decide to dive. I guess I'm assuming Phuket for part or all of it, then maybe one other location north? I'll be traveling alone for the dive portion of the trip, as mentioned, so basic, budget-minded, near restaurants but not overly party crazy areas sound good to me.
Lotta open ended questions, I realize that, but just starting this process. Thanks for your consideration.
Mark