Ko Lipe in tang provice of Thailand!!

[iphiclides]

it sounds lke the diving isnt too amazing in koh lipe? some friends of mine did a 3 day trip in the similans in april this years and saw mantas, dolphins, reefsharks and a couple of whale sharks. they went to koh tao and saw another whale shark there!

 

[Cal71]

I dove at Ko Lipe in Nov last year. Went with both Starfish and Forra--both good competent ops. I did this as a sort of a side trip on my way back to Singapore after a liveaboard to the Similans--so didn't go hardcore on the diving. I'm not sure when the tourist season really starts, but it seemed fairly quiet when I was there. Beautiful beach on the south side of the island with pretty good snorkelling...

I didn't have great viz when I was there--especially after the Similans. The local sites were okay, but there seemed to be an awful lot of fishing going on--ran across lots of traps. Ko Rawi and the surrounding islands are part of the Ko Tarutao National Park and are nominally protected--but it seemed a lot looser in practice. There seemed to be a kind of uneasy truce between the dive ops and the sea gypsies, but Ko Lipe probably doesn't generate the kind of diving $s that the Similan/Surin's do and I didn't really see any evidence of any protection.

8 Mile Rock was a great dive site, but I had horrible viz--it was like being back in the Northwest, ~10 ft max. I do remember having a phlanx of batfish follow us around, and I remember dropping down almost right on top of a leopard shark. The site probably would've rivaled the Similans if it hadn't been for the viz, but it was a full moon so it probably gets better. Dramatic pinnacle--with a big scar from an encounter with a passing fishing trawler. Kind of a long ride to the dive site by longtail though...

The dive shops were doing some exploratory dives when I was there. Prices seemed about average compared with the rest of Thailand. A nice getaway and a little off the beaten path--but maybe not the place for a hardcore scuba-intesive trip... Seemed mostly like lots of couples there for a romantic getaway. More europeans, less americans.

 

[Peter Lim]

iphiclides once bubbled...
it sounds lke the diving isnt too amazing in koh lipe? some friends of mine did a 3 day trip in the similans in april this years and saw mantas, dolphins, reefsharks and a couple of whale sharks. they went to koh tao and saw another whale shark there!

Depending on what you want to see. When I was there, the visibility was bad for the fist two days, but it started to clear up after. The coral reefs were so beautiful and healthy. One of the dive we did at max depth of 5m, you can move in and out of the table coral, lots of them. It was so amazing, just holds your breath and checks them out, the beautiful corals and the colourful small ikan.

No wall dive, marine life supposed to be the same as Similan as they are in the same sea. I love the quietness and the peaceful life there but the travel, kind of long.

If you like big stuffs, you should dive in Layang Layang and Sipadan. Great wall, big and fat fishes everywhere.

 

[jarllie fich]

I went to Koh Lipe last Dec and stayed at Lipe Resort. The service wasn't very gd and I'm told the prices are more expensive than the rest of the resort. My friend's room was filled with rats who started chewing her bag.

For diving, we went diving with Sabye. The operation was ok. The diving wasn't great though. Effects of overfishing and the corals were only so-so. Viz was quite bad most of the time. Think diving in Malaysian waters Redang and Perhentian is even nicer than Lipe. And I don't think the waters there can be even compared to Similans. :wacko: The trekking across the island to the diveshop wasn't v nice though... It wasn't a far walk but imagine carrying all your gears and walking in total darkness in the jungle... (Bring a TORCH)

As we stayed in Lipe Resort, we did check out Starfish (the dive op at Lipe Resort). And yes - the owner looked quite dazed most of the time. He also very 'helpfully' volunteered drug information. He told us he was from Australia???

The food in Lipe is quite good though. The BBQ seafood and grilled fish was fantastic (located right at the end of the beach left from Lipe - near Daya Resort). Don't bother eating at Lipe Resort - food is not extremely nice and service is slow. There's a restaurant across the island called Pooh Bar - their green curry is v gd n the ambience is v nice.

Aside from that - the beach at Lipe is beautiful. The lunch stops during dives at the nearby islands are also v nice. While snorkeling at the beach, you can see sea snake, pipefishes and seahorses.

It's quite a nice place to check out if you wanna avoid the crowd and just find somewhere rugged to chill / explore. But not good enough to satisfy hardcore divers.

 

[iphiclides]

thanks for the straight info. it doesnt surprise me that ko lipe like a lot of places in thailand is fished out and have dying corals due to fishing practices and coral bleaching...if i want to pay a load of money for big fish I know where to go...but it would be nice to think that cheap diving exists in a cool place that hasnt been ****ted up...