To dive or not to dive Thailand???

[1fmauichef]

Aloha All,

My girlfriend and I will be in your part of the world around the third week of Oct. We are both avid divers here on Maui. Given our current flexible itinerary we anticipate possible having 2-3 extra days in our schedule. Our anticipated last stop will be Siem Reap (Angor Wat), Cambodia. Were contemplating heading to the cost of Thailand and doing some dives.

We hear the diving in Thailand is fantastic. After checking some of the websites and reading some posts I'm still not sure where the prime areas are, it seems like there are quite a few. We are only bringing our C-cards and no gear.

I thought this would be a great avenue to pick the brains of the locals....

All that being said I have a few questions if ya don't mind:

1.Where's the best diving with the best dog and pony show? (my girl loves sharks)
2.Best dive Operations?
3.Oct. a good time of year yes or no?
4.To dive or not to dive Thailand?

Mahalo in advance for your help....

 

[Code Monkey]

We dove with SeaBees in Phuket. They were a great dive op with the most comfortable day boats (and some of the best food) I've dived, anywhere. The diving was pretty good but I hear that Kao Lak (sp?) is better and that the live aboards that go out to Richelieu rock are better still.

I'd definitely back the 'dive Thailand' choice. In addition to the diving quality, the people are wonderful, the culture is interesting, and the food is pretty good.

Good luck!

 

[zahgurim]

lol... you're on a dive site, asking if you should dive?

Answer: definately yes.
Phuket, like mentioned above, has great diving, and a plethora of choices as to boats and shops.

Have fun!

 

[wedivebc]

If you have time a 3 day liveaboard in the Similans would be an unforgetable experience. I would recommend Sea Dragon out of Khao Lak as a very well run professional business.

 

[1fmauichef]

LOL!!! Me and my stupid question's... A diver asking divers if I should dive... hahaha

N E who... Much Mahaloo's for the input folks!!!!

3 day live aboard in the Similans??? Eyeballing it pretty hard... Sent out an e-mail for availability aboard the Sea Dragon.

Aloha...

 

[wedivebc]

LOL!!! Me and my stupid question's... A diver asking divers if I should dive... hahaha

N E who... Much Mahaloo's for the input folks!!!!

3 day live aboard in the Similans??? Eyeballing it pretty hard... Sent out an e-mail for availability aboard the Sea Dragon.

Aloha...

Post some pics when you get back

 

[katdiver]

Try Sanuk divers out of Khao Lak, they have a brand new live aboard and do 3 day 2 night packages. Sanuk Divers: Scuba Liveaboards & Wreck Diving at Bangniang, Khao Lak - Thailand

 

[mase]

Similan diving on a live aboard is far and away the best diving in Thailand. However, October may be a bit to early. Check with the various operators. If too early, try Koh Tao. The diving is not as good but the Island can be a lot of fun.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi 1fmauichef

1.Where's the best diving with the best dog and pony show? (my girl loves sharks)
Thailand offers pretty spectacular diving with plenty of diversity under water. Here's a few highlights: Similans, Hin Daeng for leopard sharks, whale sharks and mantas, Phi Phi for swim throughs, seahorses and turtles, Ao Nang for schools of barracuda, squid and more leopard sharks.

2.Best dive Operations?
Check out Dive The World's one-stop shop on Patong Beach in Phuket. Gear, day-trips, liveaboards, you name it.

3.Oct. a good time of year yes or no?
Yes.

4.To dive or not to dive Thailand?
Yes. Very very yes.

Check out this diving guide to Thailand for everything else you might need to know.

 

[mikkylad]

Hey,

lots of Similan talk, but at the moment the Similans is officially not open until the 15th November, though with an operators meeting soon that 'may' change to the 1st. Anyone offering trips before this cannot guarantee the booking no matter what they say. Talk is that operators can have their licence suspended for breaking the rule this year. So with that in mind

1.Where's the best diving with the best dog and pony show? (my girl loves sharks)
Shark Point, Anemone Reef, and Phi Phi for leopards (all) and black tips (only Phi Phi). At the moment there are whale sharks around, but as with most places it's blind luck at the best of times.
2.Best dive Operations?
Biased opinion anyone? Try Aquamarine Dive Center as we operate our own luxury boats and so can guarantee the standards and quality of service
3.Oct. a good time of year yes or no?
Nothing wrong with October. As with any time close to the change in monsoon the weather can be a little unpredictable but last year October was fantastic. Diving is high standard year round.
4.To dive or not to dive Thailand?
Do it do it do it. Have a look at our liveaboard MV Philkade, we are offering a pre-season non-similan trip for people in just your situation.

Whatever you decide enjoy the trip and spread the word!