Andaman Diving June/July

[Owl]

Hi all,

I was planning on coming next year in June or July to Thailand (probably 2 months for the whole vacation, about a month in the south) and am probably going to spend most of my time on the Andaman side I think (I hear Tao and Phangan have relatively poor diving). I did a good bit of research on the monsoon in general and have read all of the blogs regarding the weather, but I still have a series of questions, so it would be best to number them I suppose:

1. Ideally I'd like to dive in the Similans, but I understand that it is low season and that the islands are not protected from the monsoon weather. I think I saw that there were a few liveaboards leaving for the Similans though, but I am not sure how pleasant of an experience this would be. I read on one website that visibility was even higher in June than in peak season. Is this true?

2. I understand that the weather is fairly random and that it is possible to have a stretch of rain or sunshine, etc. However, I have a bit of trouble picking out what sides of the island/what beaches (say on Phuket or Phi Phi) are safe to swim in even in relatively high winds. If the wind is blowing to the southwest, I'd think that the western coast should be calm, but pictures I see from a Karon webcam show otherwise.

3. Is Phi Phi protected from the winds more so than Phuket or Krabi? I'd like to ideally do some diving around Phi Phi as well as Phuket, but I have no idea what the condition of the seas could be around ends of the islands.

I know this is a bit premature to plan for a vacation, but I always plan early. Sorry for the length of the questions and thanks for reading.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Well, June and July are indeed a bit hit and miss with the weather. Normally you won't expect really bad weather, and you won't expect a solid month of sun. You can expect some winds and waves, but not every day.

The Similan Islands are reachable, but personally I advise caution. I have been there in August and had some good dives, even in most of them were at the same few dive sites as the waves were too big to move around much. Vis will be OK all year round really. There are always a few boats with schedules, but none of those are big steel hulled boats. I'd rather stick to day trips, but if the weather looks great and you have lots of time, see what's on for Similan, as there is bound to be space available.

All the main beaches of Phuket are on the west coast and the wind generally blows from the southwest, so the beaches can be a little rough at times. That Karon web cam shows it very well - Karon can often be the roughest beach, as it's less sheltered than others. Phi Phi may be better, as Tonsai bay is facing SE and tends to be calm, or you have some hotels such as the Phi Phi Island Village which are on the east coast of Phi Phi.

With your length of stay I'm sure you may want to move around a bit. In general Phuket is the best base. You can dive Phi Phi from Phuket on day or overnight trips, though doing local dives at Phi Phi is nicer when based there due to the distance involved in coming from Phuket.

No need to book dives ahead at that time of year. Keep flexible with regards location and schedule so you can take advantage of good weather.

Dive Sites

 

[Owl]

So am I to understand that most eastern beaches during the southwestern monsoon should be calm? It seems like if the winds are coming from the southwest then it should actually help to smooth out the waves. Is this intuition correct?

 

[OnTheSpot]

Winds do not smooth out the waves. Wind creates waves. Any beach on the east coast of islands in the Andaman Sea will be sheltered and seas will be calm. Phuket doesn't really have any decent beaches on the east coast, as it's mostly mangroves, although a place like Koh Rang would be good - except you can't stay on Koh Rang. Also the beach on the east side of Koh Yao, and Tonsai Bay in Phi Phi are sheltered from SW winds.

Some of these places:

Koh Rang

Koh Yao

Phi Phi

But are you coming to dive or lie on the beach?

 

[Owl]

Thanks again for the advice. I am coming to do a bit of both, since I can't afford to dive every day :14: What I meant in my previous post was that the winds coming from the SW would make waves on western beaches but smooth waves in the eastern beaches. I guess this intuition is wrong (I don't really know anything about this kind of thing). Is visibility around Phi Phi and Phuket affected by coastal run-off?

 

[stevenl]

Is visibility around Phi Phi and Phuket affected by coastal run-off?

Hardly, vis is mainly affected by the current, also rain has just a bit of effect.

 

[Quero]

So am I to understand that most eastern beaches during the southwestern monsoon should be calm? It seems like if the winds are coming from the southwest then it should actually help to smooth out the waves. Is this intuition correct?

Yes, the sheltered beaches are quieter. Most of the Phuket boats (both tourist boats and private pleasure craft) are anchored on the eastern side of the island for that reason. The principal dive boat pier is in Ao Chalong, a big bay on the sheltered side of the island. However, on Phuket the sandy swimming beaches are all on the west (windward in monsoon season) side of the island. The waves at Karon these past few days have been especially dramatic because of the exceptionally windy weather we've had over the past week. Phi Phi will be a good option for you as it has an eastern-facing beach. Plus, from Phi Phi you can also more easily visit some dive sites further south such as Hin Daeng and Hin Muang that are out of range for Phuket-based dayboats.

 

[Owl]

Is it recommended to get a AOW certification before diving in the Similans and Hin Muang/Hin Daeng (I know that some of the dives are as deep as 30m)? I have been deeper than 18m before, but I'm not sure what the general policy is on this as far as the dive shops in Thailand are concerned. I know that in the Caribbean they didn't really care what the depth was so long as I was certified.

A bit off-topic, but do the same rules about the eastern and western beaches, with respect to the SW monsoon season, apply to the beaches in the Gulf of Thailand as well? I understand that the effect of the monsoon on Koh Samui and Koh Tao is less, but are the eastern beaches recommended for those locations as well?

 

[mase]

The Diving in Koh Tao is not as good as going to the Similan however in June or July due to the Monsoons it would probably be a better choice and a lot safer. Koh Tao is a very cool Island and I'm certain you would enjoy the diving.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Well, Koh Tao and Koh Samui are ON the east coast of Thailand. The weather comes from the SW and does not affect the east coast much during that time. Unfortunately the diving is not as good, though there are some good dive sites to be had. If you leave your options open you can fly Phuket-Samui every day. So if the weather is too bad for you, just fly...