Ko Phi Phi or Ko Lanta for a LOB to the South

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thorbiorg

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Location
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Hello everyone,
I going to Thailand for 3 weeks in february/march,
i have already booked some days in a resort and starting from the 16 to the 22 a liveaboard from Khao Lak to the Similans/Richelieu,
after that i will have to decide where to go, basically from February 23 to March 3.
Since i am really interested in Hin Muang/Hin Daeng,
I have found a couple options,
The first one is to go to Phi Phi island and do mostly daytrips,
I have read there is a lot of beautiful diving sites close to the island and with powerboat you can reach Hin Muang in a little more then 1 hour.
The second option is that i found a possible LOB from Koh Lanta that would be perfect for me, a 2 days/1 night with Lanta Safaris
the main problem with this is that it starts the February 23 and since i will be back to Khao Lak february 22 at 2 pm i have no idea if i can get there in time.

Anyone could help me with my dilemma?
Is my first time in Thailand and i really would like to see everything i can.
I think that for me the best would be a 2D/1N or a 3D/2N LOB from either Phi Phi or Ko lanta (possibly not the day after i finish the similans LOB)
Any information would be really appreciated.

P.S. I heard that, for a solo traveller, should not be an issue to find hotels or dives, thats why i booked only few days and the similans LOB, anyone can confirm this?

Thanks for reading and sorry for my bad english
Andrea
 
Hi Andrea, and welcome to ScubaBoard! In reply to your questions, while it's possible to reach Hin Daeng from Phi Phi, it's a very long way away, and the trips are not guaranteed unless there are enough passengers to make it happen. So it's hard to say with much certainty that you'll get to Hin Daeng just by showing up at Phi Phi and asking for a trip, though other daytrips will definitely be possible. For daytrips to Hin Daeng, I recommend staying on Koh Lanta as it's closer, and the operators there are more likely to be able to gather enough customers to make the trip. Of course that may mean skipping Phi Phi, but Lanta ops also go up to Phi Phi for diving.

For the Flying Seahorse liveaboard, it might be possible for you to make the trip the day after you get off your Similans LOB, but you will have to get overland transfer from Khao Lak to Krabi, and probably spend the night, and then get over to Koh Lanta in the very early morning. Lanta Diving Safaris will be able to tell you what time they leave the dock, and I'm sure they can facilitate your transfer from mainland Krabi. If you're lucky, you might even make it down there on the night of the 22nd. It will be a bit of a rush, but it may be possible.

As a matter of fact, though, I've just checked one Phuket-based liveaboard that has a scheduled departure from, and a return to, Phi Phi for an 3d/2n trip to Hin Daeng that might work for you. Departure is Feb 27 and return Mar 1. The only problem is that there are no bookings yet for that trip, and all boats require a minimum number to confirm a trip....

Oh, and your English is just fine!
 
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No problem at all, you can show up and find daytrips and diving without any problems.

For Hin Daeng and Hin Muang I would say Koh Lanta bis the best place to go to, although you can also reach these sites from Phi Phi quite easiliy. Don't forget to dive Koh Haa while you're in that area.

Also from Koh Lanta you can dive in the Phi Phi area, but you could also choose to stay on Phi Phi for that, which would also make places like King Cruiser, Shark Pojnt and Koh Doc Mai much better reachable.

So all in all I would recommend to stay on Koh Lanta for a few days and on Koh Phi Phi for a few days.
 
I stayed on Koh Lanta and day tripped......did Hin Daeng/Muang. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The diving was great. I would personally recommend against a LOB unless you are guaranteed sites you would not be able to reach by day trip (which with a 2 day 1 night I would be suspect of). I loved Koh Lanta and have recommended it to many. Great people, great outings and I really enjoyed the diving.

To me....Phi Phi was over rated in every way. I did not dive it but did a day trip and snorkeled......Koh Rock was far superior IMO. YMMV
 
Khao lak scuba adventures has a new livaboard that does Hin Daeng, Hin Muang
Manta Queen IV Liveaboards | Thailand - Khao Lak Scuba Adventures
Yes, that's one of a few boats leaving from Phuket that have southern itineraries. But the dates don't match up for the OP's schedule.

---------- Post added January 24th, 2013 at 08:43 PM ----------

I stayed on Koh Lanta and day tripped......did Hin Daeng/Muang. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The diving was great. I would personally recommend against a LOB unless you are guaranteed sites you would not be able to reach by day trip (which with a 2 day 1 night I would be suspect of).
There's something to what you say, but daytrips typically offer fewer dives than liveaboards, so for those of us who prefer to spend time diving rather than spending time ashore, it's most often the case that a liveaboard fits our objectives better, even for 2d/1n trips and even when dive sites can be reached by daytrips .
 
Thanks Everyone for the really fast replies :)
As a matter of fact, though, I've just checked one Phuket-based liveaboard that has a scheduled departure from, and a return to, Phi Phi for an 3d/2n trip to Hin Daeng that might work for you. Departure is Feb 27 and return Mar 1. The only problem is that there are no bookings yet for that trip, and this boat requires four people to confirm a trip....
Do you have any link i can check to see more informations about this? or is something i will have to check when i get there?
A 3D/2N LOB like that would fit perfectly for me, so i could get a couple day rest before departing

As quero said the main reason i prefer LOB to daytrips (that i will do anyway probably) is that they offer more dives per day and, in my opinion, they can get you to the diving sites in the early morning before daytrips, since they are already in the sea (but you can correct me if i am wrong on this, i am not an expert).

Right now i am actually trying to understand how to plan my movements there, being alone, bringing with me the equipment and being my first time there is a bit scary :facepalm:
That means i would prefer to stay in just one place (Ko Phi Phi or Ko Lanta) after i get back from my LOB to the similans, and just do a short LOB from there to see the dive sites to the south (and a couple daytrips if something is not covered by LOB).
Any indication of good diving centers in both phi phi or ko lanta will be most welcome

p.s. My LOB to the similans will be with the M/V similan explorer (Diving Similan Islands and Mergui Archipelago,Myanmar(Burma)), anyone used their services recently, i have seen good reviews on this forum but they are all pretty old now


Thanks again everyone for the help
Andrea
 
Andrea, your Similans LOB is a new offering, which is why you can't find reviews! Look for reviews of their other boat, Dolphin Queen, to get an idea of the operation. They'll run both boats in a similar fashion, and that's more important than things that might be different between the two boats, like the layout.
 
I was on both islands back in 2001 and preferred Koh Phi Phi over Koh Lanta. However, things may have changed since then and my experience on Koh Lanta was much more limited than on Koh Phi Phi due to the location I stayed in.
 
We have done the Ko Lanta Similans combination twice and it's wonderful. We stayed in Kantiang Bay and did day trips to Hin Muang with Scubafish , who are superb. Ko Lanta is a beautiful island.

The day trips are long but they are great fun and hey I personally cannot think of a better way to spend a day than cruising aaround the Thai islands.

Have a great time
 

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