Convince me it shouldn't be missed!

[watboy]

Variety? Some people might like to change up the schedule instead of spending 4 days at in one location. Others like to stay put, it was suggested as an alternative with its own pros and cons. I've done 4 hour trips to and back from dive sites that I didn't particularly enjoy, so I'd rather do day trips out of phi phi/krabi/lanta over phuket if i couldn't do a similan live aboard, mostly because I prefer other places over phuket, but to each their own. Or we not allowed to offer alternatives on this board for someone to consider?

Watboy, what would a day travel to Lanta or Phi Phi add for the op? They can dive Similans etc. from Khao Lak, and all the other sites mentioned here (like Shark point area, Hin Daeng, etc.) on daytrips from Phuket. It makes much more sense to accept the slightly longer travel time to a divesite from Phuket over a days travel first to save maybe 2 hours travel time the next day. Plus they'd also have to come back.

 

[stevenl]

Anybody is allowed to offer any kind of advice here on the board, at least as far as I know.

It is just that your suggestion to have 2 travel days in order to save maybe 2 hours of travel time in total a day to/from a divesite does not make much sens to me, so i wondered why you gave that suggestion. Now you come up with different reasons, like you don't like Phuket and variety. I don't agree with that, but fair enough, that is your opinion.

 

[lord khram]

Or we not allowed to offer alternatives on this board for someone to consider?

Too many people would appear to think so if your opinion should differ from theirs.

 

[watboy]

Not to get into an argument. But its not 2 days to travel to and back from phuket to phi phi. You can take the morning ferry phuket to phi phi, get 2 dives in after lunch and maybe even a night dive in, spend one night there, get in a pair of dives the next day and take the late ferry back to phuket the next day or stay another night on phi phi and so some more dives. The OP did not seem to like the idea of a 4 hour speed boat and the $300 dive cost to do similians as a day trip. I am merely offering alternatives that offer 1) $100 day trips that are 2) under two hours away. I think that for someone who enjoys diving and traveling, that that is not out of the range of being sensible. Again, just an alternative.

Apologies for any negative tones, honestly don't mean to be so defensive

 

[lord khram]

Not to get into an argument. But its not 2 days to travel to and back from phuket to phi phi. You can take the morning ferry phuket to phi phi, get 2 dives in after lunch and maybe even a night dive in, spend one night there, get in a pair of dives the next day and take the late ferry back to phuket the next day or stay another night on phi phi and so some more dives. The OP did not seem to like the idea of a 4 hour speed boat and the $300 dive cost to do similians as a day trip. I am merely offering alternatives that offer 1) $100 day trips that are 2) under two hours away. I don't think that for someone who enjoys diving and traveling, that that is not out of the range of being sensible. Again, just an alternative.

Apologies for any negative tones, honestly don't mean to be so defensive

Yes, what you are saying here sounds like excellent advice to me.
But some that subscribe to these forums, for what ever reason seem unable to deal with opinions that differ from their own.

 

[littleguppie]

I agree with stevenl...we considered staying on Phi Phi initially to be closer to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, but in the end we realized it was too much moving around with only 1 week.

I agree...we HAVE to do some diving! To clarify the $600 is for both my husband and I for both Richeleiu and Similians with all fees, gear, etc. I guess it's a good price, but just way more than I'm used to paying.

We have dove mostly the Caribbean, but last August we did a liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef!!! Incredible, amazing trip. Want to go back and dive with the Minke whales.

so, if you had to pick one or the other, would you do Richelieu over Similians?

And did someone say a daytrip out of Phuket would be more like $100pp? I haven't researched those sites at all...is Shark Point the place to go? What dive op do you rec'd out of Phuket?

Or is Similian so much better that I just suck it up?!

 

[stevenl]

I would do a daytrip Richelieu Rock from Khao Lak, and a 3 dive daytrip Shark Point area from Phuket. Count on (including equipment rental) 4000 Baht pp for the latter trip, so about 121 US$.

Richelieu Rock (or Similans for that matter) will be more expensive because of the distance to be covered. Plus the travel will be done by fast boat, and fast boats use more gasoline than slow boats, and gasoline are a major expense for boat operators.

 

[watboy]

Friend of mine saw a whale shark at shark point a few weeks ago whilst I was diving Pattaya....

 

[Arizona]

But we had so much fun! I am convinced I will never see a whale shark. Did you see one while you did your DMT?

 

[littleguppie]

I would do a daytrip Richelieu Rock from Khao Lak, and a 3 dive daytrip Shark Point area from Phuket. Count on (including equipment rental) 4000 Baht pp for the latter trip, so about 121 US$.

Richelieu Rock (or Similans for that matter) will be more expensive because of the distance to be covered. Plus the travel will be done by fast boat, and fast boats use more gasoline than slow boats, and gasoline are a major expense for boat operators.

I do like this plan...who would you rec'd for the 3 dive daytrip to Shark Point?