Diving in Koh Chang?

[sugarhuny]

Hi,

My friend & I were originally planning to go to Koh Tao this weekend to dive. I haven't dived since I got my open water 2 years ago. So was going to get Advanced Open Water. She is only certified 12m open water. And so the plan for her was to be certified 18 m open water & do some adventure dives. This is what a Koh Tao dive operator suggested based on our timeline.

But after hearing about the flooding going on at Koh Samui/Tao, it looks like it might not be a good time to go this weekend. So after some research, I learned about Koh Chang might be a nice place to go for a relaxation, beach vacation. And there is some diving there.

So I wanted to ask how does Koh Chang diving compare to Koh Tao. Is it worth it to dive in Koh Chang, even at only 18 m Open Water? Is there stuff to see to be worthwhile to get my Advanced Open Water?

Are there any recommendations for dive operators at Koh Chang?

I don't know anything about good dive sites in general, so thank you in advanced for your suggestions! Hope to be able to go diving with these changes of plans.

Thanks!

 

[mgmonk]

Koh Chang will most likely be similar weather, i think. The W Coast is absolutely rubbish right now from Phuket to Ranong. The Gulf side (Tao, Samui) is rocked from the north to south.

I'm assuming you mean the Chang on the gulf side (we have one on the Andaman side, too... a little Chang). I've never jumped in those waters, but many of my ex-students who did OW/AOW with me when I lived on Tao have reported back mid to poor diving there. Now, I realize I'm passing on someone else's opinion only, but I just wanted you to be aware that such things have been said. Add that to the probability of poor weather.....

dunno, either brave Tao anyway, chance it in Chang, or make this a non-diving holiday?
let us know how it turns out

 

[lord khram]

Was in Koh Chang recently and the weather was ok. The diving and weather in Koh Chang is usually ok during April, but having said that, the weather seems to be all messed up this year. We are getting regular rain and it is not as hot as usual in Pattaya, this time of year is usually predominantly dry and hot.
If you do decide on koh Chang the diving there varies from ok shallow (5-10m) sites to some that are quite good dives, but dont expect similan standards. Apart from the diving the island itself is a gret place, one of my favourite spots in Thailand. Only problem at weekends the island and ferries can become very busy with day / weekend visitors, as it now seems to be attracting lots of Thai tourists.

 

[mgmonk]

Was in Koh Chang recently and the weather was ok. The diving and weather in Koh Chang is usually ok during April, but having said that, the weather seems to be all messed up this year.

yeah, not promising, but then again... the weather report is always right 50% of the time.

 

[AleG]

I haven't dived in or around Koh Chang, but I've snorkeled a bit in the area and I would say that the small archipelago of Mu Koh Rang (more or less between Koh Chang and Koh Kood) seems to have a few nice places to dive in. Nothing beyond 15 meters or so though.

Some photos from 3 or 4 years ago...

This small islands in the Rang Archipelago shoot out of the bottom so they are like small pinnacles.

I don't remember the details of this photo, but I probably took it 5 or 6 meters down while freediving around one of those islets.

From what I remember you can see lots of table corals, some seafans and sponges. Not too many fish though but my memory is fuzzy. If you go on a good day the visibility is great, but from what I can recall more often that not there's a strong thermocline and not that great visibility either on the cold or warm side... can't remember. :confused6:

 

[lord khram]

Quite right, most of the dive sites in the area are in the depth range of 5-10m, below that only sand. But there are some deeper reef dives that go to over 20m, such as Hin Luk Bat to the west side of koh Chang, this is Quite a good dive. As anywhere the visibility varies, never clear but I have found 10-15m is quite normal. From the end of May through to September forget it. Lots of rain diving conditions can be poor, indeed many things on the island close down during this period.

 

[Buadhai]

I just got back from Koh Chang. Dove yesterday and the day before. It was fine. The weather was cool and the skies mostly overcast and there was some rain, but no problem diving. The visibility ranged from excellent (20M+) to fair. We dove Blueberry, Hin Rap, Hin Luk and "Secret" Reef which is near Hin Rap. All of these dive sites are off the southern coast of Koh Chang about 40 minutes out of Bang Bao harbor. The current was strong at times, but not problematic.

My dive log shows depths in the 15-20 meter range. There were plenty of fish, lots of white eyed Moray eels, a couple of turtles, plenty of nudibranchs and other sea life. Coral bleaching is minor and the reefs are healthy and lively. The depth means that you can easily get interesting hour-long dives.

I dove with Scuba Zone. Their boat, the MV Evolution is a good one. A converted fishing boat, but nicely configured for diving. Easy in and out and plenty of room for donning your gear. Great food, good crew. I'd use them again.

I'll get some photos posted when I get my act together...