Thought I be a bit more specific about the location with this report. Just got back from Phuket last night. I was real pissed that I didn't have time to go to Koh Bon right now. Reports of mantas EVERY dive so much so the divers are pushing them out of the way to get a shot of the occasional whale shark.
Didn't manage to do Koh Bon this weekend but the sites in Phuket are just breathtaking:
- King Cruiser/Sharks Point/Koh Doc Mai - totally awesome. Nudis, **** load of fish with nurse/leopard sharks, barracuda galore. Fantastic visibility up to 20m.
- Phi Phi - bad vis (max 10m) but amazing variety of fish life. Spotted in Bida Nok on a single dive: lobsters, blue spotted rays, banded sea snakes, baby giant moray eels, white tip sharks, hawksbill turtles and mating octopi.
Had dived with Sea Fun previously and they remain my no 1 choice for a daytrip boat out of Phuket. Fantastic outfit, they do not try to overload their boats with a max of 14 to 16 divers. On the trip to King Cruiser, there were only 6 of us and lots of space. With the shop replacing their gear every high season, even the DSDs were outfitted with sparkling new regs and BCD. Food is excellent and the service was tops. Only thing missing is a complimentary beer at the end of the dive.
For Phi Phi, we tried Offspray which operates a speedboat service to the usual sites and the occasional Similians/HD/HM charter. Some hiccups with the transfer but the boat is just awesome. The 3 hour grind to Phi Phi is reduced to an exhilarating 50 min joyride. We were at remote sites and had the whole place to ourselves. Lunch is served buffet style on Phi Phi Island at the 5 star Holiday Inn after which we were at liberty to laze by the free style pool. And they have ice cold Chang onboard after the last dive...
Best of all, the itnerary on the Offspray was flexible enough to allow for last minute accomodations. Such as the 7m whale shark and the pod of three minke whales we spotted on route to Phi Phi. We were in the water in snorkels a few seconds later and I had the shock of my life when a minke whale surfaced right in front of me....
The weather is crazy right now with heavy rains all over the usually dry high season but the seas are relatively flat and the diving is just phenomenal. Its still not too late to get tickets to Phuket now.
Didn't manage to do Koh Bon this weekend but the sites in Phuket are just breathtaking:
- King Cruiser/Sharks Point/Koh Doc Mai - totally awesome. Nudis, **** load of fish with nurse/leopard sharks, barracuda galore. Fantastic visibility up to 20m.
- Phi Phi - bad vis (max 10m) but amazing variety of fish life. Spotted in Bida Nok on a single dive: lobsters, blue spotted rays, banded sea snakes, baby giant moray eels, white tip sharks, hawksbill turtles and mating octopi.
Had dived with Sea Fun previously and they remain my no 1 choice for a daytrip boat out of Phuket. Fantastic outfit, they do not try to overload their boats with a max of 14 to 16 divers. On the trip to King Cruiser, there were only 6 of us and lots of space. With the shop replacing their gear every high season, even the DSDs were outfitted with sparkling new regs and BCD. Food is excellent and the service was tops. Only thing missing is a complimentary beer at the end of the dive.
For Phi Phi, we tried Offspray which operates a speedboat service to the usual sites and the occasional Similians/HD/HM charter. Some hiccups with the transfer but the boat is just awesome. The 3 hour grind to Phi Phi is reduced to an exhilarating 50 min joyride. We were at remote sites and had the whole place to ourselves. Lunch is served buffet style on Phi Phi Island at the 5 star Holiday Inn after which we were at liberty to laze by the free style pool. And they have ice cold Chang onboard after the last dive...
Best of all, the itnerary on the Offspray was flexible enough to allow for last minute accomodations. Such as the 7m whale shark and the pod of three minke whales we spotted on route to Phi Phi. We were in the water in snorkels a few seconds later and I had the shock of my life when a minke whale surfaced right in front of me....
The weather is crazy right now with heavy rains all over the usually dry high season but the seas are relatively flat and the diving is just phenomenal. Its still not too late to get tickets to Phuket now.
