Advice for a Christmas dive trip to Thailand

[divemaster86]

My husband and I are looking into going to Thailand this Christmas for ~2 weeks. We are looking at diving the majority of time and also visiting Bangkok and Chang Mai while we are there. We are not really "resort" or "tour" people; we prefer to do our own thing and immerse ourselves in local culture. Problem is: neither of us have been to Asia nor speak the language. So here are the main questions I have:

1. Where is the best diving? Many have told me Phuket, but others say that it is too touristy and the islands are better. We are both advanced divers.

2. As far as organizing a couple day trips to Bangkok/Chang Mai, what are the best/cheapest ways to travel? Anyone have a good routine?

3. Any tricks on getting cheap flights? I am located in Illinois about 3 hours south of Chicago. We have looked at layovers in Europe. Not sure the best way to get there, but I like to break up long plane rides.

4. What are some affordable places to stay and dive? I have been told good rental equipment is cheap to rent. Do you bring your own gear? We like to travel very light.

Thanks a bunch for all your help!!

 

[stevenl]

1. Best diving is in the Andaman Sea, so Khao Lajk-Phuket-Krabi-Phi Phi-Lanta areas. Best divesites: Similans (from Khao Lak and Phuket) and Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, from Phi Phi, Krabi and Lanta, also by liveaboard from Phuket. Other very nice diving: Shark Point area and Bida Islands, both from Phuket, Krabi and Phi Phi, sometimes also from Koh Lanta.

2. I would recommend to fly into Bangkok, first go to Chaing Mai, and after that do some diving. Bangkok and Chiang Mai are quite far from the diving areas.

3. Check China Airlines, good quality for money.

4. In general rental equipment is good quality, and it will be less than 20 US$ per day to rent a full set.
Lots of places to stay, also depends of course on your final choice. If on Phuket, I would recommend staying in Kata. Lovely beach, not overly crowded, good choice of bars and restaurants and close to the departure point of the daytrip boats.

 

[Bowmouth]

I agree with Steven.

I highly recommend you book a Liveaboard Cruise (on a nice boat) and dive the Similans and Surin Islands. It's THE best way to get to see some of Thailand's finest dive-sites and to be away from the crowds at the same time.

 

[katdiver]

That time of year, it has to be the west coast. It will be peak season though, but plenty of choice in the region to avoid the really busy spots.
Air Asia do some good deals, so always worth checking them out.

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

If you are into wreck diving, then stop in Pattaya while you're in the Bangkok area. It's only 2 hours from downtown and Pattaya has 3 wrecks between 26-31 meters. We offer combined accommodations / diving packages for your convenience at AquanautsDive.com

 

[jkaterenchuk]

Given you only have two weeks it will be difficult to do everything you want. However, here are the answers I can provide.

You need to fly to ChaingMai. Train and Bus will get you more into the local culture but takes too long. I did not check the schedules but Air Asia, Bangkok Air, Nok Air and Thai Airways are some sites you should check for Bangkok to ChaigMai or Phulet Flights. There are some far wars going on at the moment so you might take notice of those. And be aware that often in the fares you are quoted on the website end up being much higher when you get to the final screen to pay for the tickets. Often 2x because of fees and taxes. Your not in the USA so be clear of what your doing and careful or you will be surprized.

Flights from USA to Bangkok are very cheap now. You just need to check around on the websites from the Chicago and surrounding airports. Do check on multiple days as they often change from day to day. For example I just returned from a trip in which I departed out of the Harrisburg PA regional airport to Washington DC to Tokyo to Bangkok and my ticket was $950 return. The same people on that got on the flight in Washington paid $300 more than I did.

John

 

[orangiraffe]

hi...i just recently came back from koh tao and koh phangan. We went diving of the coast of koh tao. A boat recently wrecked itself there. The place is really really peaceful. bbq by the beach at night; perfect for couples. We saw stingrays and box fishes and scorpion fishes. You can get to Shark Bay to see some sharks too

 

[Reefers Diving]

First of all I would like to say that you're planning a lot for a short time - 2 weeks to cover about 2500 km might be pushing it. So if you want to include Chang Mai I would recommend you to fly there from Bangkok and fly out to the next destination - keep a few days at the end of your trip to spend in Bangkok - Domestic flights can be cheap but be aware of lugage allowance, some only 15 kg.
For diving in this time of year you have full options - conditions should be good.
Diving from Koh Phangan the last 6 years we've done some of our best dives in this time of the year - because it's after our rainy season the dive sites (like Sail Rock) are filled with fish and we've seen many Whale Sharks as well.
Koh Phangan is a nice island with lots to offer but it's not very touristy - local people still living the "island life style", lots of waterfalls, untouched jungle, beautiful beaches but there are also plenty of nice resorts with all facilities around the island.
Reefers Diving is a new PADI Dive Resort located in Haad Yao - west coast Koh Phangan and we offer perfect diving holidays. We have all new equipment, a newly refurbished fully equipped dive boat, experienced staff, resort with Thai style bungalows, swimming pool with jaccuzi and restaurant/bar.
We offer daily dive trips to the best sites in the Gulf of Thailand: Sail Rock, Ang Thong Marine Park, Chumpon Pinnacles, South West Pinnacles, Shark Island and Koh Ma. We plan our trips so we don't end up with many other dive boats on the sites and divers will see more fish then divers.

 

[surinboy]

Flights. Get them booked asap. I have been booking flights for friends over last week or so and it is very difficult to get any good prices before the 8th Dec now. (If anyone can then please PM me)

Agreed you will have a hard time getting the things you want done in the 2 weeks available. You may have to make some choices as to what's important.

If you like traditional Thai culture then Phuket is the worst place you could go.

Koh Pha Ngan is a beautiful island, but if quality of diving is really important to you then Andaman Coast....Similans, Surins and Richelieu Rock. Better done by liveaboard although daytrips available.

Good Luck

 

[divemaster86]

Thanks everyone for your fantastic advice!! I really appreciate it!! We decided we are not opposed to increasing our time in Thailand to 3 weeks. My next question is what would you recommend to see the best sites on the Andaman Coast (as that seems to be the consensus on best sites). Do you recommend staying in one location for the dive portion of the trip or hopping around? Where should I look for affordable accommodations (It doesn't have to be super fancy)? Are my dives something I want to arrange ahead of time or is it better to figure out there? Similarly, what are some good liveabords tours and where would they nicely fit into the trip?