Recommended dive shops on Koh Lanta?

[Haleyeah]

I am heading to Koh Lanta at the end of November and was looking for a good dive shop to do some diving with. We are specifically looking to do Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Has anyone had a nice experience with any shop in particular?

 

[Edward3c]

I'm hoping to go to Koh Lipe at that time, but if the dive club don't commit soon I'd be interested in joining you. I haven't confirmed flights, accommodation or diving yet.

 

[ahereng]

I have used Kon Tiki diving, and was satisfied with them. I think they have weekly schedules, wich inludes Hin Daen / Hin Muang. Their schedule didn't fit mine when it came to Hin Daeng/Muang, but they provided a DM(Personal guide) and we joined another shop on their boat(Much smaller than Kon-Tiki's boat). We were going to do tech dives on Hin Daeng/Muang, that's why I needed the personal guide.
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang Diving Trips - Kon-Tiki Lanta

 

[richdrogpa]

Dive & Relax. They are pretty good shop, run very efficiently. I did two dives with them on a speed boat to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang pinnacles in February last year and it was perfect. Quick boat ride, professional crew, nice diving, nothing to complain about. Lots to see, very healthy schools of fish and corral, not too strong currents. So far the best sites I've dived in Thailand. (But as much as I like Thailand as a tourist destination, I stopped diving there. The good sites are too far away from shore. It has nothing on Indonesia. Doesn't even compare. Sorry for the OT rant Still, I highly recommend them.

On a side note: Don't be a hero and take the offered dramamine pills if you suffer from seasickness. It's not the ride that'll get you but the surface interval on the bouncing smallish speedboat for one hour between your dives. It can get rougher out there around the pinnacles as they are in the open seas.

Whomever you choose to dive with, make sure you go to the pinnacles on a speed boat... The regular boat would take FOREVER. It really is quite far. Have fun. November should be just the beginning of a new dry season, so call the dive shop a couple days ahead and confirm they already started going there.

 

[MikkelBC]

... It's not the ride that'll get you but the surface interval on the bouncing smallish speedboat for one hour between your dives. It can get rougher out there around the pinnacles as they are in the open seas.
...
Whomever you choose to dive with, make sure you go to the pinnacles on a speed boat... The regular boat would take FOREVER.

Personally, I don't find the travel time on the bigger boats excessive. In my opinion the extra comfort during the trip and the surface interval far outweighs the extra time it takes. Usually they will do a third dive at Koh Haa on the way back, which means that you cover about half of the distance during your second surface interval.

 

[Pearlman]

I did Kon-Tiki too a few years back, on the big boat - I thought it was a well managed affair.

P

 

[Ankit Mahindru]

I was planning to go Scuba in Koh Lanta so I did some research for it. I eventually ended up going to Similan Islands instead.

Though I don't have any first hand experience with diving in Koh Lanta - I found that quite a few people had recommended Go Dive Lanta & Dive and Relax (Source - https://www.ithaka.travel/blog/scuba-diving-thailand-complete-guide-beginners)

 

[neevo]

I dived with Go Dive in Koh Lanta a few months back. Great boat (I prefer the comfort and day out on a bigger boat), very professional outfit and very pleasant staff.

Highly recommend them.

 

[UFOrb]

I dived with Lanta Diver 3 years ago and were happy with them. Very professional with 3 boats (incl 1 speedboat) and a daily dive schedule so you can plan your diving Diving Thailand, diving centre Koh Lanta. We were lucky enough to see a whale shark at Koh Haa and mantas at Hin Daeng/Muang.
I did a lot of research and visited a few shops and I reckon there are a few good operators on Lanta, some of which are mentioned above. We chose Lanta Divers cos they fit in with the sites we wanted to dive and when (and because we liked them!).
The speedboat for Hin Daeng/Muang was fine btw, although it was very calm when we were there (March), but you have to be a contortionist to use the toilet unless you're under 5ft tall. Better to wait till you're in the water
We used the bigger boat for Koh Haa, and the Koh Bidas trips.

 

[Bubble Junky]

I would recommend either Lanta Diver or Hidden Depths - both very professional and well run...