Is April a good time to dive in thailand?

[zanoscuba]

I'm planning to go to Thailand on the 4th April and hope to go on a liveaboard around the 18th April. Is this a good time of year to dive in the Andaman sea? Read some articles on the web that say it's best till march and the monsoons in May, but nothing is said about April.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Bowmouth]

Don't worry; April is a fine month for diving the Andaman Sea.

You'll also be here for the Songkran Festival on April 13th. It's probably the BEST festival in the whole Kingdom.

 

[Quero]

If you're planning to come in April, see if you can switch your itinerary around to go diving earlier and do your other touring later in the month. Like November, the April sea conditions and the weather can be a little changeable as the winds shift direction from northeast to southwest, and every once in a while certain dive sites, or even a whole trip, can be canceled because of conditions--not often, but it can happen, and when it does, the canceled trips tend to be late-April ones. What also can happen is that a trip may end up being canceled because of an insufficient number of bookings--in fact, this actually happens more often than weather-related cancellations. The earlier the trip, the smaller the chance of a cancellation.

I personally am planning to go dive up in the Surins and northern Similans in April

 

[aquamarin]

What Quero said.........the earlier in April, the better. Last year the weather was hot and sunny with flat seas through end May, but there's no guarantee. Mid April appears to get very busy this year because of the Easter holidays, so it's a good idea to book as early as possible.....

Karin

 

[limbo]

April is as good as it gets in the Gulf, Sail Rock and Chumporn Pinnacle have usually peak conditions with up to 30 meters viz and whale shark sightings.

Deffo no cancellations of trips during April on Samui, Phangan and Tao! Let the good times roll!

 

[zanoscuba]

If you're planning to come in April, see if you can switch your itinerary around to go diving earlier and do your other touring later in the month. Like November, the April sea conditions and the weather can be a little changeable as the winds shift direction from northeast to southwest, and every once in a while certain dive sites, or even a whole trip, can be canceled because of conditions--not often, but it can happen, and when it does, the canceled trips tend to be late-April ones. What also can happen is that a trip may end up being canceled because of an insufficient number of bookings--in fact, this actually happens more often than weather-related cancellations. The earlier the trip, the smaller the chance of a cancellation.

I personally am planning to go dive up in the Surins and northern Similans in April

Firstly, I wanna say thanks to everyone who has posted, your advice is really apriciated.

Unfortunatly I can only go at the end of my holiday as the friend I'm traveling with is not a scuba diver and I plan to dive after she's headed back home.

Do you have any recommendations on low to mid buget liveaboards?

Thanks

 

[zanoscuba]

April is as good as it gets in the Gulf, Sail Rock and Chumporn Pinnacle have usually peak conditions with up to 30 meters viz and whale shark sightings.

Deffo no cancellations of trips during April on Samui, Phangan and Tao! Let the good times roll!

Thanks Limbo- I haven't really looked into diving in the gulf, as I was gonna be nearer to the Andaman sea, but I will look into it.

 

[zanoscuba]

Don't worry; April is a fine month for diving the Andaman Sea.

You'll also be here for the Songkran Festival on April 13th. It's probably the BEST festival in the whole Kingdom.

Where is the Songkran Festival? And what kind of festival is it?

Thanks

 

[Bowmouth]

Where is the Songkran Festival? And what kind of festival is it?

The Songkran (water) Festival is the traditional Thai New Year Festival and celebrated throughout the Kingdom.
It is celebrated for days on end in the Northern Provinces (especially in and around Chieng Mai) but also a massive celebration in all other parts of Thailand.

Here's a bit more about the festival:

Thailand's most celebrated festival is the Songkran Festival. It starts April 13 and lasts between 3 and 10 days, depending on where you are in Thailand. The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit meaning the beginning of a new Solar Year, but nowadays Thailand celebrates the New Year on 31 December.

The Thai people celebrate this festival with water. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing. Songkran is a Public Spring Cleaning Day, supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner.

During the afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing of the older people. In ancient days, old people were actually given a bath and clothed in new apparel presented by the young folks as a token of respect for the New Year.

Until recently Thailand was almost entirely an agricultural society and this has been a perfect time to take break from the business of earning a living. The rice harvest is in, and replanting has to await the coming of the rains.

It is an old belief that the Nagas or mythical serpents brought on rain by spouting water from the seas. The more they spouted, the more rain there would be. So, one might believe that the Songkran customs of throwing water is actually a rain-making idea, but it seems that the Thais don't really bother about way they celebrate Songkran - they just do it for having a great time!

 

[Batfish]

Some Songkran pics..

2008: Songkran Festival | Jamie's Phuket Blog

2009: Songkran Fun - Patong Beach | Jamie's Phuket Blog

Last year I did not carry a camera, was holding beer in one hand, throwing water with the other. It's a laugh but I am happy that in Phuket it's just for a day.