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Diving in Thailand

• Chumphon

  Chumphon province offers the visitor an astonishing array of natural attractions and it is a good place to stop and enjoy the healthy diversity of marine life and fringing reefs. One can also do some night diving.

  Ko Lak Ngam located just 15km north-east of Chumphon, is one of 40 islands which belong to the Chumphon Marine National Park. There is plenty of hard and soft corals and hosts home to a large amount of sea life such as bat fish, trevally, fusiliers, turtle and seasonal whale sharks.

• Pattaya

  Just 90 minutes from the capital, this coastal shoreline is ideal for those in Bangkok who wish to do some diving on their day off.

  Undoubtedly, the most popular destination in Pattaya for diving buffs is the Hardeep Wreck which was sunk by the allies in the Second World War. The wreck lies on its starboard side at a maximum depth of 26 meters.

• Ko Chang Marine National Park

  Ko Chang has seen an explosion in the amount of visitors over the past few years. It is just one of a total 52 islands in the Marine National Park. Even though the area has previously been victim to man-made wrongs, there is still the chance to enjoy fringing reefs, marine life, a wreck, giant clams and snorkeling.

  Hin Kuak Maa offers the diver a huge variety of solid and soft corals which are home to the likes of moray eels, blue spotted sting rays, sea turtles, starfish, stonefish and puffer fish.

  Hin Luk Bath has turned into one of the most favored dive sites around with its boulder formations which appear from a sandy seabed 15 meters down The way they jut out allows a vast array of corals and barrel sponges. It is also possible to spot angel fish and barracuda.

  Hin Rap South is a 18 meter rock pinnacle which can be dived by anyone of every level. It is covered with staghorn corals, barrel sponges and delicate corals. Experienced divers can also venture out 200 meters to admire a group of rocks known as Blue Mountains which often glow from the sun.

  Hin Run Tek with an average depth of 12 meters, is a huge rock formation site with a diversity of colorful marine life such as parrotfish, wrasse and angelfish.

When to dive in Thailand

The best time to dive in the Andaman Sea is from October to April, and in the Gulf of Thailand from May to September. However though, it is okay to dive all year round.

Diving Courses and Types Available

There are four diving companies operating in Thailand offering diving certification, they are:

• PADI - The Professional Association of Diving Instructors
• NAUI - The National Association of Underwater Instructors
• SSI - Scuba Schools International
• BSAC - The British Sub-Aqua Club

Instruction Location

Of all the above companies PADI is certainly the most famous. PADI, NAUI and SSI offer diving instruction at every major diving site in Thailand, they are:

• Phuket
• Ko Tao
• Krabi
• Similan Islands
• Ko Samui
• Ko Chang

The BSAC - The British Sub-Aqua only offers instruction on Phuket. Out of the entire above diving course location, Ko Tao has turned into the major destination for taking a diving course in Thailand.

Types of Instruction Courses Available

PADI, NAUI and SSI offer the following courses in Thailand:

1. Scuba Diver
2. Skin Diver
3. Open Water Diver
4. Adventure Diver
5. Advanced Open Water Diver
6. Emergency First Response
7. Rescue Diver
8. Dive Master
9. Search & Recovery Diver
10. Training Assistant
11. Underwater Archeologist
12. Master Scuba Diver
13. Instructor Course
14. Advanced Scuba Diver
15. Deep Diver
16. Dry Suit Diver
17. Enriched Air Nitrox Diver

Out of all these courses offered by in Thailand, the basic Scuba Diver course is the most popular.

Types of Instruction Courses Available

1. Snorkeling
2. Free diving
3. Scuba diving
4. Eco diving
5. Wreck diving
6. Night diving
7. Rescue diving
8. Cave Diving
9. Cave Diving

All of the above types of diving can be experienced in Thailand at all major diving sites except number 5. Wreck Diving can be found at The Similans, Ko Phi Phi and Pattaya.

Of all the types of diving available in Thailand snorkeling and scuba diving are the most popular. Since people are becoming more and more aware of man-made destruction of natural coral etc. The popularity of Eco-diving has been soaring over the past few years.

Diving Vacation in Thailand

Day Trips

Usually, day trips itinerary and timetable are designed to allow the diver access to select his favorite local dive sites. With 2 or 3 dive options, he can choose the trip best suitable to him. The trips usually include hotel transfers, a dive master or instructor, tanks, weights, and belts, lunch, and three to four dives--depending on the day, the destination, and the boat.

Two-day trips are also available which usually include 7-dives, hotel accommodation, and meals. They are similar to mini-liveaboards

Liveaboard

Liveaboard dive boats offer the opportunity to visit various locations for 3 - 10 days at a time. They usually require overnight travel before arriving at their destinations. All trips usually include dive masters.

These boats travel to the following locations:

• The Similan Islands
• Ko Bon, Ko Tachai, and Richelieu Rock
• Hin Daeng
• The Mergui Archipelago
• The Andaman Islands