Anyone Been to Phuket?

[mollyrose]

Hi...I'm going on a cruise in March with a bunch of non-divers. One of our stops is Phuket where I'm hoping to get in the water. I am a PADI Master Diver with over 30 years of diving experience.

I doubt that the cruise line has an 'excursion' I'd be interested in. I'm thinking a local dive shop offers a two tank boat dive and can provide the gear.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Many thanx!
Andy

 

[Wingy]

There are several Phuket operators who advertise here and will respond to your post - I would recommend StevenL - it will depend on how long you have in phuket but you may be able to squeeze in the ''superday 3 dive day - king cruiser wreck, anenome reef or koh doc mai and shark point" but there are many other options with two tanks and yes all gear is available for rent.

 

[Todd Lakes]

Andy,

If your on a cruise you will most likely be in Patong Bay which is not far from the best dive operator in Phuket. Contact Looking For The Best Phuket Scuba Diving Experience? Scuba Dive In Kata Karon Patong Beach With Sea Fun Divers Phuket!

After living in Phuket for 15 years this would be my recommendation, there is no better operator on the island.

You can look for information on the local dive sites of Phuket here:

Dive Sites Phuket Island Thailand - Phuket Day Trip Scuba Diving Sites in Thailand


Have a great trip, Phuket is fantastic!!

Todd

 

[ElGaucho]

I am no expert in cruise ship diving from Phuket. But let me tell you Phuket is one of the worst places on earth to dive. The sites and the dives are nothing to write home about, and the sheer logistics of diving from Phuket are just ... the worst. Im going to get some flack from local operators, but truth be told, this is the way it is. Dive sites are far. And I mean, FAR. Mainly close to Koh Phi Phi. You end up crammed in a very BIG boat; think more than 50 divers. Out of those 50, half are brand new divers, a quarter are new divers, and what's left is probably going to be nothing to write home about in terms of diving experience. Dive times are severely shortened, because the big boat operator (not so much the individual guides you might get with whatever dive shop you choose) wants to run a schedule (of more than 50 divers, so 40 minutes is 40 minutes dive time). Again, no operators really manage their own boat (ScubaCat does I believe, but then again, it aint no fast machine either). They will all sublet space on one of the big boats. So your dive shop "experience" will only be regarding your particular guide/instructor that dives with you. But they have no say on the dive site, or the times, or any other stuff.

Really, diving in Phuket for an experienced diver is a waste of money and time. That's what I think.

 

[ramoss]

I just spent 2 weeks in Phuket, did 21 dives & they mostly sucked. Not much to see. Liver board is apparently the only way to dive decently in Thailand.

 

[Aquavelvet]

I don't know how one would work diving around Phuket into a typical cruise ship schedule. Timing would be challenging to be sure. The day trips depart from the main island around 8:30 to 9:00am and take anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours to reach islands in the southern Adaman Sea. The diving depends on the location, but there are plenty of good places around the Phi Phi Islands, including Koh Bida Nai and Koh Bida Nok. Warm water and lots of pretty fish, plus turtles and the occasional reef shark.

It's a bit disingenuous to state that all the diving is terrible and conducted exclusively from cattle boats. The are a number of smaller operators that make trips to fun places to dive. It just might be difficult to schedule a good trip from a cruise liner. I've been to Phuket three years in a row for diving, and am returning in March. I stay at a modest hotel and schedule trips and training classes over the course of a couple weeks.


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