Best Phuket daytrips?

[dogatecat]

So, we'll be in Phuket for 6 or 7 days prior to boarding our liveaboard. The liveaboard will be spending it's time in and around the Similian and Surin Islands so, we won't need any day trip recommendations in that area.

I just read someones post about a dive experience on a boat with something around 45 divers on board . Hopefully, not all Phuket daytrips are going to be like this?

Any Dive Center recommendations are greatly appreciated (with smaller more personalized services—no herding).

And any Dive Site recommendations are also greatly appreciated.

Also, is there any decent shore diving in the area?


Thanks.

 

[Bowmouth]

I just read someones post about a dive experience on a boat with something around 45 divers on board . Hopefully, not all Phuket daytrips are going to be like this?

Any Dive Center recommendations are greatly appreciated (with smaller more personalized services—no herding).

And any Dive Site recommendations are also greatly appreciated.

Also, is there any decent shore diving in the area?

Phuket's BEST daytrip is the 3-dive trip to the King Cruiser Wreck, SharkPoint (Hin Musang) and Ko Doc Mai. Some boats may dive the Anemone Reef instead of either Ko Doc Mai or the King Cruiser Wreck. I've done this daytrip day after day after day and never be bored or disappointed with the marinelife.

Another great daytrip is the daytrip to Racha Noi's Ray Ban Reef. Ray Ban Reef is a completely submerged pinnacle covered in soft corals and gorgonian fans with often GREAT fishlife and chances manta's Unfortunately it's not much done by Phuket's dive operators because it's quite far out and conditions are often tough (current, lots of current).

There's good shore diving at both Kata and Karon Beach. It's a great place to brush up on one's skills if one hasn't been diving for a while or has new and unfamiliair equipment. Both Kata and Karon also are very good training dive area's for student divers and I can recommend you to visit Phuket Scuba Club at Kata Beach (opposite The Boathouse) for more info on shore and daytrip diving.

Both daytrip divesites and Liveaboard destinations can be fairly crowded this time of year. The diving is still excellent though and it shouldn't too much affect your dive pleasure / marinelife sightings while underwater.

If you really do not like to be on a boat with many other divers you can also consider hiring your own (speed)boat and making your own itinerary.

Enjoy!

 

[Traminer]

Thumbs up for Koh Doc Mai... amazing just how much you can see off those walls.

King Cruiser has s**t loads of fish too. Descending onto the wreck is always a hoot as the first thing you see at the wreck are the toliet bowls. You are also advised not to use them because of the resident moray eels.

I'm a huge fan of the Sea Fan boat too. Efficient, nice layout and friendly DMs.

 

[divingguru]

I have been living and working in Thailand for almost 8 years, and in my opinion the best Phuket day trip is a speedboat trip to Phi Phi. The 3 dive king cruiser trip is nice, but poor visibility and crowded boats more often that not make for a disappointing day out.
I would recommend a 2 dive trip on the boat Offspray, they offer a fantastic service, with excellent guides and tour leaders. The trip is a 2 dive trip usually at the two Bida Islands, which are home to an abundance of marine life, including Leopard Sharks, turtles, rays, octopus, morays etc etc. What also makes the trip special is that because you are on a speedboat you get to do some sight seeing at these magnificent islands also. For lunch the staff prepare a full on picnic on a secluded beach, with a great buffet including smoked salmon, parma ham, feta cheese salad's, and pasta.

All in all a great day out and well worth the slightly higher price than the larger, slower, and more crowded Phuket day boats.

If you would like any more info on the trip then please get in touch with me and I'll let you know.

 

[Bowmouth]

... in my opinion the best Phuket day trip is a speedboat trip to Phi Phi. The 3 dive king cruiser trip is nice, but poor visibility and crowded boats more often that not make for a disappointing day out...

Hmmm, maybe visibility at SharkPoint, Ko Doc Mai, Anemone Reef and the King Cruiser wreck isn't always tops but then again; where is it? Environmental conditions change from day to day and from site to site as I'm sure you know. SharkPoint's (3) reefs offer some of the best soft corals, fans and fishlife close to Phuket and Ko Doc Mai makes for a great wall (drift) dive with lots of creatures and colorful fans and corals.

The Bida Islands south from Phi-Phi offer indeed very good diving and make for a great day out. However it's also a long haul from Phuket to get there and if the sea is rough travelling by speedboat isn't always that much fun. Exhaust fumes, noise, cramped toilet and poor gearing up/entry-exit area's are also not all that comfertable (or safe).
Diving by speedboat can be a good option if one rents one for him/herself or for small groups of divers. For me; I'd rather go a bit slower and join a larger and more comfertable vessel.

 

[CompuDude]

I just got back from Phuket, and can heartily recommend Dive Asia's operation for trip to Koh Doc Mai. Great dives on Koh Doc Mai.

I also very much enjoyed diving with Marina Diver's group, on their boat, although I was not thrilled by the slightly shorter dive times allowed. Shark Point (note this is a misnomer... rarely are sharks seen there) and Anemone Reef were both stunningly beautiful.

Both boats had about 30 people on board (the boats could hold more, but perhaps I was just lucky? Late January is certainly in the high season, however.), but with the exception of Anemone Reef, which is a very small site and which is popular with a number of dive ops, I very seldom saw other divers during my dives.

Koh Bida Nok and Koh Bida Noi (in the Phi-Phi chain) were also very nice dives, although you do pay for it with a much longer drive time to get there (about 3 hours from the Charon Bay harbor, as to about half that for the others).

 

[stevenl]

note this is a misnomer... rarely are sharks seen there

You were a bit unlucky I guess, on about 50% of the dives we do see the docile leopard sharks there.

Regarding the number of divers on a boat: there are also a number of operators that will limit the number of divers on a trip to 20, and with quite big boats, that gives you plenty of space on the boat, and less divers under water.

 

[CompuDude]

You were a bit unlucky I guess, on about 50% of the dives we do see the docile leopard sharks there.

Regarding the number of divers on a boat: there are also a number of operators that will limit the number of divers on a trip to 20, and with quite big boats, that gives you plenty of space on the boat, and less divers under water.

Perhaps, but the DMs on the boat did say the same thing. Sometimes you get lucky, but more often you don't see sharks there. You'd expect them to be a lot more common given the name Shark Point.

 

[stevenl]

Sometimes you get lucky, but more often you don't see sharks there.

Sorry, but that is simply not true. Most of the time you will see sharks there, and if you do not: find a DM who knows where they normally are.

 

[Ringo]

The dive site is called Sharkpoint because it is very common to see Leopard sharks there. However we tend to see more sharks during the low season months due to the less amount of divers then.