Tells us about your most memorable Thailand dive

Please register or login

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

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

mmmbelows

Contributor
Messages
1,031
Reaction score
575
Love to hear about your most memorable Thailand dive(s) what did you see, what made it memorable for you?
 
Mine - Getting buzzed by a pod of around 20 playful and curious pilot whales at Richelieu and getting into a massive brawl with a Titan trigger fish attached to my fin for almost the entire dive.

Best Living the Dream DM in Paradise quote - "I woke up naked and sunburnt with two sea sick lady boys floating in a long tail off Tao, I knew it was time to leave Thailand" - not me.
 
Following Wingy -again at Richelieu Rock. Massive eagle ray upon descent, following by small whirlwinds of snappers, barracuda, trevalley, and fusiliers. It’s a wonderful site, in particular when sting currents preclude divers from the other dozen or so boats. Also, whale sharks are not uncommon.
 
Diving with my 10 year old daughter and watching her zig zag to the Christmas tree worms. Great fun. Great memory.
GJS
 
I've dived Richelieu Rock a number of times and found it to be underwhelming, but then it all depends on your relative experience on other sites and areas (We have local sites which are much better and have whalesharks and Mola's regularly) But that's not to say other people have a different outlook

For me, I enjoyed the Surins (so much so we changed our arrangements to have another trip) While the sites weren't spectacular, we loved the scenery (anywhere green and hilly is a change from Dubai - rain is even welcomed) it really was teh boat crew and teh group of divers that made teh trips.

I don't remember the sites, I do remember the people, and the times spent with them...
 
Let's see... was it when my rented first stage blew an o-ring at nearly 100 fsw off Chumphon Pinnacle and we had to surface to get a replacement, causing me to miss seeing a whale shark; or was it when the DM misread the tide chart and we were blown off the King Cruiser wreck into visibility so poor we couldn't see where the wreck was (but I got us back safely). Horrible rental gear from the first dive ops (could barely find the arm holes in the BCD because it was so shredded. Did I enjoy diving in Thailand? Yes, indeed!
 
Last edited:
Champhon Pinnacle for me too. Down the chute - exit at about 80 feet. Swim around the Pinnacle and get back in the boat. Fun as it was something different. Healthy. Big Grouper. etc.
 
While I haven't inside the chute itself the big groupers were amazing and that is the dive I learned how to make underwater circles so it will remain most memorable forever. But, the visibility at Richelieu Rock for me was so good few months later that I can't help but wonder if it beats them all.
 
Richelieu — three guitar sharks, a large female and two juveniles. Presumably her baby sharks. This was in December 1997 on Genesis liveaboard.
Hin Mouang and Hin Daeng. Manta showed up on Mouang and then it folkowed our boat to HD and two more mantas showed up. We could snorkel and dive with them all day. This was on a day trip in 2006 with a shop in Lanta.
 
Unfortunately I think diving in Thailand is oversold and very often underdelivers...

I've dived Koh Chang a number of times, Koh Mak, the Similans, 3 day liveaboard to Richelieu Rock etc

Mostly VERY overcrowded now with poor viz and not too many fish... yet operators still push the 'best diving in the world' mantra, mainly it seems geared to the relatively inexperienced traveller for whom diving is just a part of their Thailand trip, not the focus.

Save your money and go to Indonesia instead... I dived Komodo in 2016 which blows the Similans out of the water!
I'm heading to Raja Ampat later in 2018... can't wait!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom