New to Diving and ScubaBoard - and travelling to Thailand soon

[HSakata]

Hi fellow divers. First off, please forgive my obvious 'nom de plume', but I will run with it until I over come a little shyness. I'm new to scuba world have just completed my O/W in St. Thomas. I'm fairly hooked on the scuba thing, but don't have any urges to deeper and deeper. So far, everything that I have really enjoyed seeing has been between 30 to 50 feet.

I have a trip to Thailand plan for the middle of April and would like to spend 4 or 5 days diving. I suspect I am too much of novice for a liveaboard, so I'm leaning towards taking a room or small "beach accommodation" and do some resort or boat dives (say 2 tanks a day).

Can anyone give some suggestions as to location, ve operators, accommodations, etc.

A lot to ask for a first post...any suggestions are most appreciated

 

[DENLASCUBA]

Phuket is an ideal place to start as it offers many dive locations for divers of all levels. If you are staying in Phuket you can take day trip boats out to Racha Noi and Racha Yai which are the best sites for beginner divers and plenty to see, you can also take a day trip boat out towards Phi Phi Islands where you will normally do 2 dives in that area and one on the way back this last dive would depend on the operator and day. The trips are 3 tank dive trips that depart around 0800-0830 and return 1900-1930, there are a few operators who have 2 tank dives but I would go for the 3 tank dives. The best spots are out near Phi Phi, Shark Point and Anemone Reef these two are located between Phi Phi and Phuket. You can also stay at Phi Phi and take a boat out from there to the near by dive sites. There are some shops that offer beach dives but you will have do do a little digging for that.

If you are looking for more of a relaxed area to stay then stay away from Patong area the main party area, the best southern Beaches are Nai Harn Beach, Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Karon Beach is nice, there are some very nice beaches in the northern part of the island but a bit far away from Chalong where the dive boats depart from and involve a bit of a drive everyday and normally include an extra charge because of the distance.

Also you say middle of April- from the 13th - 15th will be the Thai New year Songkran which in certain areas involves a big water festival which has now grown into more of a huge water fight. So I would recommend to start booking now as the better hotels/ resorts may be full, this may also be the same for the dive boats. Also be careful during this time especially if you rent a motor bike Thais and foreigners involved think its funny to splash or squirt you with water while your driving or others so you could crash or have someone crash into you.

 

[Aquavelvet]

Phuket in the middle of April will be HOT! As in daytime temperatures in the mid to upper 30s *C. Don't bother bringing a jacket. The ocean will be like bath water. A shortie wetsuit will be fine.


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[HSakata]

Thanks DENLASCUBA, I do want a laid back stay so it looks like the southern beaches will be the best bet. As my travel plans firm up (looks like after Songkran might be a better idea), I'll throw out a post.
Good call on the shortie...thanks Aquavelvet!

 

[daz88]

If you want quiet and relaxing you can also stay at Ao nang beach in Krabi. Very quiet at night, beautiful beaches, and a lot of the same dive spots as Phuket.