Racha-Yai vs pattaya dive site

[Diver_City Boys]

I have dived in racha yai twice only, what was your experiance with pattaya dive sites?
Thanks

 

[stevenl]

My opinion: Near Islands: not worth it, Far Islands: better. I personally like the wrecks there, but: normally quite deep, strong currents and bad vis. The rest of the diving I find mediocre at best.

 

[Diver_City Boys]

Thanks steven, which of these two area offers more excitment for a first time diver?

The reason i am asking this question is, because i realy got impressed by racha- yai under-water world beauty, so if pattaya compares to same level, i don't see reasons why people don't go dive in pattaya (considering easy access from cosmopolitan bangkok), despite south offering much better dive sites like similian, richi L..

 

[stevenl]

Racha Yai.

 

[whitehead]

dcb. there is no comparision whatsoever between those two locations. At any level.

 

[Diver_City Boys]

Is Racha-yai in in top5 or top10 ranking? what about Phiphi and samui..

-Similans
-Richelieu Rock
-Hin muang
-Japanese Gardens, Koh Tao, Thailand
-????????
-?????

 

[whitehead]

comparision is subjective cos it depends on conditions and what you want to see. my personal (completely personal and limited 100% to what my pers' priority is in diving i.e. photography and species diversity and colour) opinion re thailand is:

#1 northern andaman (burma) [bang for buck rating v high]
#2 outer andaman (sims/surin/rich) [bang for buck rating vv high]
#3 inner andaman (deang, muang, ha, et al) [bang for buck rating vv high]
#4 west gulf [bang for buck rating med]
#5 east gulf [bang for buck rating low]

my "bang per buck" rating is on dive prices compared to my pers prefs of photog/diversity/colour but not incl travel

for many sims would be b4 burma but i chose it first because i pref small creatures over big which is a pers pref not shared by many

 

[orangelemon]

Racha Yai is a beautiful site and good for all levels of divers but especially good for instructors to take their students for their first open water dive as it offers some shallow almost current free, high vis sites.
Worth noting that Racha Yai is only one of about 10 sites reachable from Phuket (Chalong) within 2 hours by boat

 

[Diver_City Boys]

for many sims would be b4 burma but i chose it first because i pref small creatures over big which is a pers pref not shared by many

Thanks for listing, i think i too prefer smaller creatures with more colorful corals..
So i am convinced why they are called pattaya night divers

 

[Diver_City Boys]

Worth noting that Racha Yai is only one of about 10 sites reachable from Phuket (Chalong) within 2 hours by boat

I don't understand well, isn't racha-yai just half hour from chalong bay, while similan
is 1.50 hour by speed boat, then again going to getting of at similan peirs?

Is similan realy beyond compare to racha-yai aside from whaleshark and manta rays, what else?