Diving in Phuket as beginners

[opaque]

Hi everyone! My girlfriend and I are planning on diving in the Phuket area at end of November. I've read that the Similan island area seems to have been heavily affected by coral bleaching and the tsunamis. Because of this, I'm looking to dive in Koh bon, koh tachai, richelieu rock area. We've only done 10 dives each. Is this advisable?

 

[Hintermann]

I first went to Phuket in 2006 having done just 18 dives and coped quite well on a 7-day liveaboard. As long as you are aware of your limitations, dive with a reputable outfit and follow the guide's instructions, I cannot see a problem.

 

[opaque]

Okay that's great to know! The firsthand experience is reassuring.

 

[decompression]

We dove Phuket and Koh Lak in 2010. Both were great. Lots of life and color. The Tsunamis had an effect on many reefs but the sites used now are still very good. We also did a livaboard to the Similans and they we awesome. Phuket has everything close and more of a city vibe. Kohlak is more laid back but great food, scenery and diving. We used Sea Bees diving and they were fantastic.


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[stevenl]

It really depends on your timing. If coming at a time of year with strong currents (full and new moon), the currents will be strong and I would advise you not to do that.

Similans are more relaxed than the other sites you mention, and very much worth diving, the stories you heard about coral bleaching are over the top. You won't notice anything ontowards there.

 

[Scuba Cat Diving]

Similans are easier dives than the ones further north, so depends a little. The dive sites that are used are not damaged by the tsunami and the liveaboards go to sites that were not badly affected by the bleaching.

Agree with stevenl depends on what moon phase you are here as to the strength of current and the ease of diving the places. Follow the guide as they always take the easiest routes.....

 

[Ting Tong]

Hi Opaque

I dived the Similans in January.

The overwhelming majority of the divers had less experience than myself (AOW - 70 dives). A lot of the customers decided to do their AOW onboard the vessel, and at least one customer had come directly from Koh Tao having just completed his OW and had 6 dives to his name. The crew of the boat did a great job, defining the dive groups abilities and matching them with the guides. The guides ranged from DM to Instructors. Everyone had a great time and safety was the number one priority on the vessel I was on. Therefore it can be done.

It really depends on your timing. If coming at a time of year with strong currents (full and new moon), the currents will be strong and I would advise you not to do that.

Totally agree! TBH I was a little underprepared for some of the current I dived in. It was real learning experience for me, as I previously had very little experience diving in fairly strong current. Opaque I am not sure how much current you and your girlfriend have been exposed to in your career but the sites you mention can be exposed to currents that can be quite stressful for some. It was at times, an eye opening experience for myself. YMMV.

Similans are more relaxed than the other sites you mention, and very much worth diving,

Agreed. If you decide to skip the Similans, in favour of the sites you mentioned I think you will be missing out on some great sites, whilst also losing out on the experience you would gain, before getting to Richelieu Rock.

the stories you heard about coral bleaching are over the top. You won't notice anything ontowards there.

I am sorry, but I can't agree with this. I guess it depends on which specific sites that you dive. Some of the sites that I dived the coral bleaching was obvious, unless you dive with your eyes closed.

Opaque, my own experience from what I saw on the liveaboard I was on, was yes it can be done. My advice would be there are a few months between now and November, get as much diving experience as you can from now until then. Don't skip the Similans in favour of the "big 3". There is still plenty to see at the Similan Islands and I think it would be beneficial to ease you into the local conditions before diving your favoured sites.

 

[opaque]

I'll plan on going from November 21st to November 24th, which will be right in between the first quarter and the full moon. I guess I'll have progressively stronger currents as each day goes in. That is something I'll definitely keep in mind when I'm diving.

I can't make it out to Thailand very often to dive, so I did want to maximize my time there in seeing the "big 3". Such difficult decisions...

 

[stevenl]

I guess it depends on which specific sites that you dive. Some of the sites that I dived the coral bleaching was obvious, unless you dive with your eyes closed.

Agree with much of your post. Regarding the quote above, yes it does depend on the sites you dive. The better operators will only dive at sites that have hardly been affected, and remember the bleaching has only affected shallow corals. Some sites have been damaged these last years by over activity though, mainly from snorkelers and some operators conducting open water courses in an area where they really should not be doing that.

Unfortunately a lot of the diveguides/instructors were not around during the tsunami and coral bleaching, and are attributing damage to certain divesites to events that had nothing to do with it and some operators are refusing to take there responsibilities.

---------- Post added April 2nd, 2015 at 09:56 AM ----------

I'll plan on going from November 21st to November 24th, which will be right in between the first quarter and the full moon. I guess I'll have progressively stronger currents as each day goes in. That is something I'll definitely keep in mind when I'm diving.

I can't make it out to Thailand very often to dive, so I did want to maximize my time there in seeing the "big 3". Such difficult decisions...

November is not the best time for manta rays or whalesharks. Last years in November the best chances of an encounter have been the southern sites like Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, not Similans and Koh Bon. And while we're at that subject anyway, Richelieu Rock is often mentioned as a whaleshark site, which is a real mistake. People should see it as a lovely divesites with an incredible amount of life including much macro life. Special encounters do happen there but are relatively rare.

 

[Ting Tong]

Unfortunately a lot of the diveguides/instructors were not around during the tsunami and coral bleaching, and are attributing damage to certain divesites to events that had nothing to do with it and some operators are refusing to take there responsibilities.

Fair point

All things considered the Similans still has some great dive sites and well worth the visit.