Shore dives in Thailand

[_marin]

Hi everyone,
I'm planning a trip to Thailand this August and I was wondering if some of you good people might help me with the choice of dive sites. I've read a lot here on Scubaboard and I know I cannot dive the best sites in August because of the weather. My first plan was to go on a liveaboard with Manta Queen IV and dive best of south Andaman, but since my fiancee is prone to sea sickness that might not be a best thing if she ends up having sea sickness for 3 days. I tried researching what are best shore dives but I can't find anything, it seems there are no highly recommended shore-dives. I understand most of the great south Andaman and Phuket dive sites can be reached by day-trips but I would appreciate if anyone could advise me if there are any places where we can stay for a few days and enjoy nice, relaxed shore-dives?
Thank you!

 

[Quero]

Yes, you can stay on Koh Racha Yai (in Phuket province) and do some shore dives on the leeward side, which in August is the east side.

 

[Wingy]

Also a nice enough little dive site known as the nursery around Kata Beach in Phuket worth a look.

 

[Quero]

Also a nice enough little dive site known as the nursery around Kata Beach in Phuket worth a look.

It can be nice, yes, but not so much in August when the wind is blowing from the west, producing dangerous rips and very poor visibility.....

 

[_marin]

Thanks everyone for the info. We'll check Koh Racha Yai, but it seems we'll have to stop by Koh Tao for a week or so and dive there properly.

 

[stevenl]

Thanks everyone for the info. We'll check Koh Racha Yai, but it seems we'll have to stop by Koh Tao for a week or so and dive there properly.

Yes, divesites are closer to shore there, but it will be boat diving to the best sites there.
Andaman Sea does offer (far) better diving.

 

[Quero]

Thanks everyone for the info. We'll check Koh Racha Yai, but it seems we'll have to stop by Koh Tao for a week or so and dive there properly.

Hate to burst your bubble, marin, but shore dives near Tao (stay at Nang Yuan island for the best shore diving at Tao), are no more "proper" than the shore dives at Racha. You're a bit confused somehow, unless by "properly" you mean "boat dives."

 

[_marin]

Quero, yeah, by "properly" I meant usual boat dives. I read a lot about difference between Gulf of Thailand dive sites and South/North Andaman (reachable from Phuket or Lanta for instance) and it seems that a lot of divers prefer Andaman, so we'll probably try to do at least few dives from Phuket or Lanta. But it seems reasonable to go to Koh Tao and do a bit more diving (maybe 20 dives) since we cannot schedule our trip to come some other time when we could dive Similans for instance. That's a shame but I guess we'll have to come to Thailand at least twice Thank you all for advice!

 

[ozzydamo]

Quero, yeah, by "properly" I meant usual boat dives. I read a lot about difference between Gulf of Thailand dive sites and South/North Andaman (reachable from Phuket or Lanta for instance) and it seems that a lot of divers prefer Andaman, so we'll probably try to do at least few dives from Phuket or Lanta. But it seems reasonable to go to Koh Tao and do a bit more diving (maybe 20 dives) since we cannot schedule our trip to come some other time when we could dive Similans for instance. That's a shame but I guess we'll have to come to Thailand at least twice Thank you all for advice!

Try the headland at surin beach, and the close to shore island off kata beach(north side headland) good skin-diving at times of good viz (feb-march)- wear a full exposure suit as you'll get burnt and marine stingers.

 

[MikkelBC]

Also, be advised that the Manta Queen IV has sunk since your original post, see http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6715071

I have gone on Manta Queen I twice, and been very happy with it, but it worries me that Khao Lak Scuba Adventures apparently are trying to hush up the fact that one of their boats sank. There has not been any mention of it on their website or Facebook. MQIV just suddenly disappeared from the website. But I guess it makes sense that most of their customers are newcomers who don't follow Thai news.