Recommendations for Thailand

[ahplee]

We are thinking of taking a trip to Thailand early next year sometime between Jan - April and are looking for suggestions.

We have timeshares that are available in Bangkok and Pattaya that we were thinking of using. This will be the first time we visit Thailand.

Can anyone give suggestions of places to stay that are timeshares? Best times to go? and Recommended dive operations? And what are the currents like? My wife doesn't like heavy currents and low vis conditions. And we would be going with two other new divers.

Also is the diving in these areas worth going to halfway around the world for? We would be coming from NY city. We are looking to see soft corals and clown fish and places that have abudant sea life. And any palegics?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[TJO]

Jan - Apr are the best months in Thailand for diving on the west coast (Phuket). I have mainly dived in the Similan and very seldom experienced currents. Similan is well known for its excellent corals. Clown fishes; you can see several species there and I see about 25-100 on most dives You will love the diving there. Better than the carribean. Have fun and smile back to the wonderful Thais.

 

[travelem]

Most Thailand hotels are a lot cheaper than US or Carribean.
Don't use your timeshare in Thailand. Avoid Pattaya if you don't want low vis. Actually I recommend avoiding Pattaya as a toruists too.

Jan - April is the best time in Phuket, Similan regaion. Dive a few days in Phuket and then join the liveaboard to Similan and Surin.

Dive ANEMONE REEF for the clown fishes, shark point for the leopard sharks.
http://www.scubacat.com/english/daytrips/

I also like West Coast Diver and Sea World.
http://www.westcoastdivers.com
http://www.seaworld-phuket.com

http://www.phuket.com/

 

[DiveForLife]

This really is the best time. I've been working in Phuket for 1 year now, and still do a lot of free lance work for differnt companies, so I know quite a lot of them. And I've ben diving in other parts of Thailand as well, and in my idea the Phuket divesites are the best.

If I were you I would stay in Kata Beach or maybe Karon. Both are nice villages with a good choice of restaurants and hotels, but lacks the girls-bar atmosphere from Patong.

Similans are the best for diving, but quite far for daytrips. You can do daytrips, but these are quite tiring. A live-aboard would be better, either only Similans or Similans + Koh Tachai, Koh Bon and Richelieu.
The other daytrips in Phuket are good, but Similans is simply better.

Check out www.sea-bees-kata.com, for daytrips and live-aboards. New, but very friendly and good company.

Have fun.

In case you have some more questions, you can always mail me.

DFL

 

[The Hamburger]

Just yesterday saw about 4 different kinds of anenome fish , lots of soft corals schooling barracuda , Yellow Fusilliers and Sweetlips a Marlin and a fish min. twice the size of the Marlin (which was feeding!)

All this just 2 1/2 hrs drive from Bangkok!

Cheers