Best diving in Thailand - September

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Since you have just about enough time apparently, why don't you try both options. There's lots of good weather sites out there and they should guide you well enough to be able to decide where to go.

Here's a blog about Samui weather http://samui-weather.blogspot.com/ and there's similar stuff out and about Phuket.
 
I wonder how far in advance one can get an idea of weather
That way you can get some idea, but in general the weather is very unpredictable. I don't trust any weather forecasts, year round.
In September I would not count on liveaboards going out. There are some that have trips planned, but September is the quietest month of the year.
 
nwflyboy:
...if we're in BKK and watching the weather patterns along the Andaman side, if it looks like there will be a sunny/calm period for a few days...we could hop on a plane to Phuket, grab a last-minute spot on a liveaboard to the Similans and hope for the best (and just suck it up when the storm hits).

Watching the near-term weather forecast is not a bad plan. At least you would know if there was a cyclone coming in off the Indian Ocean and avoid the Andaman while bad weather is inescapeable. When an isolated storm kicks up during the rainy season it can make the boat ride a bit rough, but the diving is still fine.

We do have daytrip dives year round from Phuket/Phi Phi/Krabi. But as to jumping on a LOB to the Similans at the last minute, offerings during September are going to be extemely limited (not that there won't be last minute places, but you will have few options). The crossing out to the Similans may be rough, but once you get there your boat captain and tour leader will select dive sites on the sheltered sides of the islands.

There's a decent chance you can make it work. Otherwise, as you say, you can always come back at a different time of year.
 
Went to Phuket in September 2005 and got in some great diving mixed with some intermittent squalls. Had a liveaboard scheduled to the Similans but they canceled for lack of enough people so I just dove locally. Dove "Super Sunday" (4 dives) and had 3 great early dives but had to cancel the night dive because of an incoming storm and rough seas. The next day was perfect. Had mostly sunny days with just a few heavy downpours mixed in... All in all it was fantastic -- I'm going to try again for a liveaboard to the Similans this October.... Yes, travel from BKK to HKT is cheap and easy. Also did N. Sulawesi and it's been by far the best diving I've ever done. Sounds like you're going to have an awesome trip no matter what you do... Go for it and have fun!!!!
 
Hi,

If you're going to be based in Bangkok, then you're easiest option is just 2 hours away in Pattaya. No, it's not the Similans, but despite what the Westsiders like to have you believe, there IS good diving in Pattaya.

The area is Thailand's wreck diving capital, with 3 good wrecks at 27-32 meters. There are 22 different dive sites in total with great variety. We've got deep diving to 92m, exciting drift dive sites, sites where you can be guaranteed to get large sea turtles, 3 kinds of sharks, and more colors of anemone than I ever saw on Phuket's "Anemone Reef".

In September, you'll get better conditions here than in Samui and certainly Koh Tao. Being at top of the gulf, we are protected from the rain and weather inflicted down south. Last year's storms in Samui were so bad they destroyed the ferry docks.

Best of all, we're very close to you. So you can pop down for a weekend when you can and then, when you have a longer break, venture to some other further-out locations.

We dive 7 days a week with Pattaya's largest and most-modern boat and we offer discounts on purchases on multiple days of diving. See us online at www.aquanautsdive.com .
 
For Phuket Weather and plenty of links to weather sites, see my weather blog below.

Camille - glad to see someone has started a Samui weather blog - I have added a link to it on my Phuket Weather Blog.

I'll be over in "the gulf" sometime soon, hope to get a day's diving in Koh Tao.

Did you ever work in Utila? Your name seems familar.
 
Hi Mr. Batfish,

It was through your blogs I got inspired. I'll try to spice them up a bit and I'll add you to my links! Keep up your good work!

No, I've never dived or worked in Utila, although I did my PADI Open Water diver course in Roatan!

I dived Koh Tao two weeks ago and it was very pleasant with good viz (not outstanding) and a couple of whales at Chumpon Pinnacle.
 
Aquanauts Pattaya:
Hi,

If you're going to be based in Bangkok, then you're easiest option is just 2 hours away in Pattaya. No, it's not the Similans, but despite what the Westsiders like to have you believe, there IS good diving in Pattaya.

The area is Thailand's wreck diving capital, with 3 good wrecks at 27-32 meters. There are 22 different dive sites in total with great variety. We've got deep diving to 92m, exciting drift dive sites, sites where you can be guaranteed to get large sea turtles, 3 kinds of sharks, and more colors of anemone than I ever saw on Phuket's "Anemone Reef".

In September, you'll get better conditions here than in Samui and certainly Koh Tao. Being at top of the gulf, we are protected from the rain and weather inflicted down south. Last year's storms in Samui were so bad they destroyed the ferry docks.

Best of all, we're very close to you. So you can pop down for a weekend when you can and then, when you have a longer break, venture to some other further-out locations.

We dive 7 days a week with Pattaya's largest and most-modern boat and we offer discounts on purchases on multiple days of diving. See us online at www.aquanautsdive.com .

Aquanauts promo machine in full throttle.

Maybe you care to back up some of your quotes here.

Since when is September 'bad' for Samui. August being one of our top months, weather and dive wise, these conditions spill over to September easily and often.

What bad storms are you talking about and what ferry docks got damaged, any proof of that? Last 'winter' in Samui was very mild, the storms you are referring to happened over a year ago and besides of a lot of very bad flash flooding, no docks got damaged, definately not the concrete ones around Nathon. Any proof of that?

I respect you trying to promote your business around here, unfortunately that seems to be about the only thing you do on this board, why not add some of your knowledge on other /threads/forums than just the Thailand one and share some indepth or valuable information you may have outside of your commercial interest in this Thailand forum.

However, once you try to talk down other areas, stick to the facts. With your comments about Samui (and Koh Tao) it seems that you've never or hardly ever been here and these comments aren't true. I can deal with criticism as long as it is constructive and sticks to the facts.

I've got my personal thoughts about pretty much all dive sites/areas in Thailand, since I've dived them personally, but I rather promote Thailand as a whole, than try to downtalk other parts of Thailand and I do realise that some areas are better than Samui but up north is not really where I'd personally be looking, with all due respect.

Maybe stick to what you can offer rather than trying to downtalk other areas, wether they're Samui or Phuket and maybe add some more content other than promoting your business. That'd be highly appreciated and welcomed.
 
I'm not down on the other areas of Thailand. In fact, I rarely dive in Pattaya anymore (work toooo much) and when I do dive its somewhere else.

On the storms, my apologies, it was December when the remains of Typhoon Durian smashed the ferry docks. I'm sure you couldn't forget that. We had some guys try to get down there and had a heck of time. Wasn't the power out for a while as well?

As for the seasons, I think I'm not alone in my evaluation:
http://www.divetheworldthailand.com/samui-diving-sites.htm

You can dive all the Koh Samui and Koh Tao diving spots year round, but the very best conditions exist from May to August, which is when the Andaman coast has low season.
September to November brings the Northeast monsoon winds and surface swells to the islands, reducing visibility by about 30%. It's pretty rare that diving trips are cancelled due to bad weather, but speedboat rides can be somewhat bouncy. It can also be windy and wet from November to February so it may be better to go diving in Phuket, Phi Phi or the Similan Islands then.

My point is simply we get less severe weather here in in Samui or Koh Tao in September.
 
limbo:
Aquanauts promo machine in full throttle.

Maybe you care to back up some of your quotes here.

Since when is September 'bad' for Samui. August being one of our top months, weather and dive wise, these conditions spill over to September easily and often.

What bad storms are you talking about and what ferry docks got damaged, any proof of that? Last 'winter' in Samui was very mild, the storms you are referring to happened over a year ago and besides of a lot of very bad flash flooding, no docks got damaged, definately not the concrete ones around Nathon. Any proof of that?

I respect you trying to promote your business around here, unfortunately that seems to be about the only thing you do on this board, why not add some of your knowledge on other /threads/forums than just the Thailand one and share some indepth or valuable information you may have outside of your commercial interest in this Thailand forum.

However, once you try to talk down other areas, stick to the facts. With your comments about Samui (and Koh Tao) it seems that you've never or hardly ever been here and these comments aren't true. I can deal with criticism as long as it is constructive and sticks to the facts.

I've got my personal thoughts about pretty much all dive sites/areas in Thailand, since I've dived them personally, but I rather promote Thailand as a whole, than try to downtalk other parts of Thailand and I do realise that some areas are better than Samui but up north is not really where I'd personally be looking, with all due respect.

Maybe stick to what you can offer rather than trying to downtalk other areas, wether they're Samui or Phuket and maybe add some more content other than promoting your business. That'd be highly appreciated and welcomed.

i second all this. im tired of seeing so many people promoting their businesses on these forums. not to mention trying to deceive someone to dive in pattaya. id take a choppy bad vis day in the similans over the greatest day in history in pattaya any day of the week. there will always be marine life in the similans.
 
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