Question West coast of Thailand for new divers - one week recommendation?

[Shasteca]

Hello! My partner and I are currently in Cambodia with plans to go to Thailand in mid-March and get OW certified somewhere in the Andaman Sea. Our plan was to island hop, but due to some Covid/visa issues we’ll have less time than expected - about a week and a half - so it seems like we should stick to one area and I don’t have a ton of time to research, so I’d love recommendations.

Would love a low-key vibe (not into nightlife scene), with nice beaches and snorkeling spots/shore diving if possible? and of course, beginner friendly! Looking at Koh Lipe or Khao Lak right now, but am totally open. Spot with more pelagics would be ideal, my dream is to see mantas and understand you can day trip to Koh Bon from Khao Lak which is why it’s a thought, but I’d kind of prefer an island too…spent the last few months in the USVI, and miss that island life, but also get that it’s a longer journey!

Thanks for any help

 

[Centrals]

I imagine the life on an island in Thailand is vastly different from Virgin Island.
Most of the well known islands in the Kingdom were small fishing villages until mass tourism arrived over last 20-30 yrs.
You can add Koh Phi Phi to your list.
Mid March is probably too early for Koh Tao in the East Coast. There are a lot of diving factories on the island so chose the operator very carefully ie. what you paid is what you get. Master Divers is recommended.
Have a nice trip.

 

[Barmaglot]

The west side tends to get currents, being more open - Koh Tao really is more beginner friendly. Visibility on Tao in March can be hit or miss, but it doesn't matter as much for getting certified. Second the recommendation for Master Divers there; Elaine runs a great shop.

I don't think there is a specific spot for large pelagics; they can show up all over, but the chances are fairly slim. I did a bunch of dives on Koh Tao and never saw anything bigger than a turtle, but I know people who saw a whale shark there on their open water course. Personally, I have only seen whale sharks at Richelieu Rock up north and Eight Mile Rock down south (ir's named for being 8 miles away from Koh Lipe), while my only manta encounter thus far had been at Hin Daeng. I met a diver who had seen a whale shark at Stonehenge, which is a really shallow (6-8m) dive site near Koh Lipe - one would think that a place where a whale shark's tail can brush the bottom while its mouth pops out of the water would be the last place to encounter one, but there it was.

One possible option you may want to look at, depending on your time constraints and how much you end up liking diving, is a course at Koh Tao followed by a liveaboard in Andaman Sea. My last trip out (January 22-27) we had a lady onboard who had just completed open water on Koh Tao, and she had the time of her life at Richelieu Rock, although she did have some trouble at first with the more challenging diving conditions there. You can find her review at TripAdvisor here.

 

[stevenl]

For what you mention and looking at your time constraints, Phi Phi or Koh Lipe.

 

[Shasteca]

The west side tends to get currents, being more open - Koh Tao really is more beginner friendly. Visibility on Tao in March can be hit or miss, but it doesn't matter as much for getting certified. Second the recommendation for Master Divers there; Elaine runs a great shop.

I don't think there is a specific spot for large pelagics; they can show up all over, but the chances are fairly slim. I did a bunch of dives on Koh Tao and never saw anything bigger than a turtle, but I know people who saw a whale shark there on their open water course. Personally, I have only seen whale sharks at Richelieu Rock up north and Eight Mile Rock down south (ir's named for being 8 miles away from Koh Lipe), while my only manta encounter thus far had been at Hin Daeng. I met a diver who had seen a whale shark at Stonehenge, which is a really shallow (6-8m) dive site near Koh Lipe - one would think that a place where a whale shark's tail can brush the bottom while its mouth pops out of the water would be the last place to encounter one, but there it was.

One possible option you may want to look at, depending on your time constraints and how much you end up liking diving, is a course at Koh Tao followed by a liveaboard in Andaman Sea. My last trip out (January 22-27) we had a lady onboard who had just completed open water on Koh Tao, and she had the time of her life at Richelieu Rock, although she did have some trouble at first with the more challenging diving conditions there. You can find her review at TripAdvisor here.

My understanding is that the big guys, especially mantas are much more common in the west and a liveaboard
in the Similan islands would be the dream, but I think I’ll have to work up to that. Stonehenge looks gorgeous, good to know. Think Koh Lipe is the way to go, thanks for the help!

 

[Shasteca]

For what you mention and looking at your time constraints, Phi Phi or Koh Lipe.

Glad to see a vote for Koh Lipe, I think that’ll be the spot. Thanks!

 

[Barmaglot]

My understanding is that the big guys, especially mantas are much more common in the west and a liveaboard
in the Similan islands would be the dream, but I think I’ll have to work up to that. Stonehenge looks gorgeous, good to know. Think Koh Lipe is the way to go, thanks for the help!

'More common' is a relative thing - I've done ~250 dives in Thailand, and I have seen a whale shark twice (Richelieu Rock in 2018, Eight Mile Rock in 2021) and a manta once (Hin Daeng in 2019). I saw a zebra shark a couple times (once at Koh Haa, another at Richelieu Rock), blacktip reef shark once at Phi Phi, tiger shark once at Koh Tachai, although the latter two encounters lasted all of a few seconds each. If you want the big stuff, I believe Maldives is a better destination, although I haven't been there myself.

 

[Shasteca]

After some more research I’m

'More common' is a relative thing - I've done ~250 dives in Thailand, and I have seen a whale shark twice (Richelieu Rock in 2018, Eight Mile Rock in 2021) and a manta once (Hin Daeng in 2019). I saw a zebra shark a couple times (once at Koh Haa, another at Richelieu Rock), blacktip reef shark once at Phi Phi, tiger shark once at Koh Tachai, although the latter two encounters lasted all of a few seconds each. If you want the big stuff, I believe Maldives is a better destination, although I haven't been there myself.

Wow, guess I shouldn’t count on seeing any of the big guys then. I’d love to do the Maldives eventually (pricey!) and my dream destination is Yap, but with all the restrictions now, that will have to wait…

 

[Shasteca]

After further research, I’m getting some mixed reviews on how crowded/big of a party scene Koh Lipe is…also looks more expensive than some of the other islands I’ve looked into and a lot is sold out even now. Any other low-key recs?

 

[Centrals]

Koh Lanta, Lipe, Phi Phi, Tao and not counting Phuket. Where else(island wise)?
All the sites in Lanta are very far(day trip is relative expensive same as Phuket) but pretty good. There is party scene in some places but can be easily avoided. The ongoing trouble in Ukraine has probably deterred at lot of tourists from coming to Asia.
One step at a time if budget is important: Koh Tao.