1. SCUBA DIVING IN THAILAND
• Introduction & Climate
• GULF OF THAILAND, HOME THE WHALE SHARK
• ANDAMAN SEA, DIVING IN JUNGLE BEAUTIES
• DIVE OPERATORS LISTED IN THAILAND
• About the Author
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2. SCUBA DIVING IN THAILAND: dive
with the whale shark. Divers’ Reviews
Thailand is a wonderful country for divers.
The southern part of the country is basically a thin strip of land between the
Andaman Sea to the west (part of the Indian Ocean ecosystem), and the Gulf of
Thailand to the east (part of the Pacific Ocean ecosystem) where you are
almost sure to go scuba diving with whale sharks whereas in Phuket, Koh Samui
or Koh Phi Phi.
CLIMATE
Diving in Thailand is possible year around, the average daily air temperature is
77 °F to 89.6°F (25°C to 32°C), but the diving season is affected by the
southwest and northwest monsoons, rainy season goes from June to October,
cool and dry weather from November to February. Between monsoons, March
to May, is the hottest time of the year. The best time to dive is from November
to March. Water temperatures range from 78°F to 82.4°F (26°C to 28°C) year
around.
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4. GULF OF THAILAND, HOME THE
WHALE SHARK
The Gulf of Thailand is the place to see the largest fish in the world, the
impressive whale sharks. The gulf hosts a dense population of soft and hard
corals too and the best time for dives is between May and August.
Koh Samui is a quiet island in the western part of the gulf. It´s Thailand´s
second largest island and, together with six smaller islands, it forms the Ang
Thong Marine National Park. It includes tourist destinations such as Ko
Phangan and Ko Tao. Forty islets provide you with a lot of soft coral; the
rare black coral can be observed here. There are 13 different dive sites, with
Koh Wao and Hin Yippon leading the visit counter for divers.
Hin Bai (Sail Rock) is the hotspot for whale sharks. You can wall dive and
deep dive, it has massive boulders and impressive underwater scenery
populated by pelagics, barracudas, moray eels and shrimp.
Koh Samui offers plenty non-diving options, some of the Buddhist temples
have not only sacred value, but amazing views and jungles. The pristine and
secluded beaches of the national parks are the idyllic.
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5. Ko Tao´s economy is based on tourism, specially diving, it has 17
different dive sites. This is an important breeding ground for hawksbill and
green sea turtles. The Southwest Pinnacles stands out in pelagic life and shark
population.
There are two wrecks specially recommended for scuba diving:
• The Unicorn, around 12 miles off Mango Bay, is a 192 ft. (60 m.) cargo
vessel sunk in 1989 that is completely intact.
• The Torpedo was a 224 ft. (70 m.) Japanese cargo vessel that sank in the
mid ’70s, it stands upright about 180 ft. (55 m.) deep.
Ko Tao was ranked #2 as the island that issued the most diving certificates
(after Cairns, Australia) but there´s plenty of nature walks and trails to hike as
well as a thriving yoga community
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6. ANDAMAN SEA, DIVING IN JUNGLE
BEAUTIES
On the west coast of Thailand, the Phuket province has access to a lot of
the dives sites, including the Phi Phi Islands and the Racha Island. Kaho Lak is
the place to stay to explore the northern part of the Andaman Sea and it´s the
point of departure for many liveaboards en route to the Similan Islands.
Phuket has dive sites for day trips:
• Shark Point, one of the most interesting, has pinnacles with healthy
corals, a variety of scorpionfish and moray eels as well as leopard sharks.
• Racha Island is another day trip option worth exploring. It has 12
different dive sites and it´s very good for snorkeling too. The Home
Run Reef is one of the best rated, although there is some coral bleaching,
you can dive to 72 ft. (22 m.), you can see the wreck of the Andaman
Explorer and admire the impressive marine life.
Ko Lanta Marine National Park has dive sites suitable for all level divers. Hing
Daeng and Hing Muang are the stand outs, these sites are good for drift dives,
wall dives and big pelagic. It´s the best place for spotting gray reef
sharks too.
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7. The Phi Phi islands are where scenes from the movie The Beach were filmed.
They are 45 km east of Phuket and Phi Phi Don is the biggest one, the only one
with hotel accommodations. Hin Dot is a good dive site with abundant sea life,
yellow-line snappers and sweepers specially. Koh Bida Noc is a really
nice dive site with a cave, a wall with sea fans and there good chances to
spot sharks.
Similand Islands, in the Similan Marine National Park are nine islands ranked as
some of the best dive sites in the world. There are no dive centers here, most of
the diving operations are based on Phuket. A liveaboard is a good option to
scuba dive the more than 20 dive sites around the islands. Elephant Head is a
great site, good for deep dives, caves and sharks. The coral is in very
good conditions too.
Christmas Point is northwest of the Koh Bangu Islands, it´s a great site with big
drop offs and you may easily spot sharks and large pelagics among the attractive
field of sea fans. Strong currents can happen here so you need to check with your
operator before diving at this site.
Kaho Lak is a less populated location, with great jungle treks on elephant backs
and sea canoeing.
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8. DIVE OPERATORS LISTED IN THAILAND
Andaman Scuba / Andy’s Scuba Diving / BB Divers / BB Divers Koh
Kood / Blue Label Diving / Diva Marine / Eden Divers / Hippo Divers
/ KiwiDiver/ Krabi Noi Marine Dive / Lanta Diving Safaris / Master
divers / Merlin Divers Phuket / Pattaya Dive Center / Pattaya
Safari / Planet Scuba / Poseidon Dive Center / Prapaht Sea Sports
Club / Rainbow Divers Vietnam / Real Divers / Santana Diving / Sea & Sun
Divers / Shell Diving / Smiling Sea Horses / Thailand Dive & Sail /
Read more: http://www.ediving.com/dives-divers-scuba-diving-in-asia-and-indonesia/diving-in-
thailand/#ixzz2LS1dz4Um
To find & Book an hotel recommended by our Dive Operators:
http://www.ediving.com/hotels-for-scuba-divers/
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9. About the Author
Thomas SACCONE is a former
financial manager who discovered
scuba diving in Costa Rica in 2007.
Since then, he is only satisfied
when underwater.
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