Thailand Diving Trip

[Arsalan]

Hi all!

I'm very new to this forum, and I'm fairly new to diving in general.
I've been a few times in the US Caribbean and I've gotten the PADI open water cert, so I'm not completely new to the sport but I know there is so much for me to learn.

I have planned a solo trip to Thailand this coming February (2/8 - 2/26) and I was hoping to get some insight on some of the do's and don'ts when it comes to this awesome country. It'll be my first time there and as of right now I have no firm plans. The main purpose for this trip is to dive, so I'm hoping to be able to explore as many sites as possible during my stay. I know the Andaman Sea is said to be the best region, but that is pretty vague to me so I'm hoping to narrow it down.

I was hoping folks on this forum could share their experiences with best sites to visit, places to stay, and ideally help me plan my vacation to cover as much sites as possible.

Any info will help!
thanks

 

[Random Dude]

Thailand is generally a very tourist friendly place, with low expenses, friendly people, and great diving, so I guess you're pretty well set up already.

Which part of Thailand are you going to be at? Or are you undecided for now, and am looking for recommendations to better decide on that?

 

[Arsalan]

I haven't decided a single thing yet. I basically just bought round trip tickets and hoped I could get the time off of work (which I did). I'd like to find some time for exploring the country and the culture, but my main motive for this trip is diving. I was thinking of starting from the north of the west coast on the Andaman sea, and work my way down that coast and then work my way up the east coast in the Gulf of Thailand from North of Malaysia and end near Bangkok or even past it. But then again this is just me looking at a map. Considering I only want to dive on this trip, I'm okay with diving everyday (or almost everyday) that I'm out there, so I figured I can cover a significant number of sites in my time there.
I aim to stay at hostels or hotels anywhere close enough to the shore to make diving easily accessible. Luxury is the least of my concerns.

If anyone has had any sort of similar experience, I'd love to hear your story and I'm open to any suggestions on lodging, transportation, dive shops and dive tours!

 

[outofofficebrb]

Welcome!

I have read on this forum that the best of the Andaman is best had by liveaboard. While it is possible to dive the best sites by dayboats, it is a very long journey by boat, a few hours each way, and makes for a very long and exhausting day. If you're looking to do back to back diving, this gets old quickly! If a liveaboard sounds right up your alley, a great place to look at prices, schedules, and vessels are diviac.com and liveaboard.com. Both are excellent places to book if you decide to move forward with it. There will probably be a price premium for the convenience of a liveaboard, but having to move only 50m max at a time to food, bed, shower, diving is amazing. If you get seasick easily, this is also a better solution.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[Arsalan]

Welcome!

I have read on this forum that the best of the Andaman is best had by liveaboard. While it is possible to dive the best sites by dayboats, it is a very long journey by boat, a few hours each way, and makes for a very long and exhausting day. If you're looking to do back to back diving, this gets old quickly! If a liveaboard sounds right up your alley, a great place to look at prices, schedules, and vessels are diviac.com and liveaboard.com. Both are excellent places to book if you decide to move forward with it. There will probably be a price premium for the convenience of a liveaboard, but having to move only 50m max at a time to food, bed, shower, diving is amazing. If you get seasick easily, this is also a better solution.

Let us know what you decide!

thanks for this info, very helpful!
I actually came across the liveaboard tours in my research and found it interesting. Wasn't sure if this is a feasible option for my type of trip but it sounds like it's right up my alley. The prices seem pretty decent compared to US standards, but I wasn't sure if this is more targeted towards tourists and local shops would offer similar experiences at a much lower rate. Regardless, I'll keep this at the top of my list as I explore other potential options before pulling the trigger.
You make a good point with reducing the time of transport to the sites as I'm there for a limited time so these tours sound quite appealing.

I noticed quite quite a few different tours offered by liveaboard. Any suggestions on which covers best sites / best bang for the buck?

thanks!

 

[LiveaboardCom]

thanks for this info, very helpful!
I actually came across the liveaboard tours in my research and found it interesting. Wasn't sure if this is a feasible option for my type of trip but it sounds like it's right up my alley. The prices seem pretty decent compared to US standards, but I wasn't sure if this is more targeted towards tourists and local shops would offer similar experiences at a much lower rate. Regardless, I'll keep this at the top of my list as I explore other potential options before pulling the trigger.
You make a good point with reducing the time of transport to the sites as I'm there for a limited time so these tours sound quite appealing.

I noticed quite quite a few different tours offered by liveaboard. Any suggestions on which covers best sites / best bang for the buck?

thanks!

Hi there,

Thanks for the thumbs up @outofofficebrb! You're right, the best way to experience Andaman is by liveaboard.

@Arsalan there is some great information about Thailand liveaboard diving on our website, including dive highlights, dive sites in different regions, and tips for travelers. To give you a summary to narrow it down:

The Gulf of Thailand peak season is May to September and includes diving: Koh Tao, Koh Samui
The Gulf of Andaman peak season is when you're visiting and includes diving: Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Phuket pinnacles.

If you're looking for stunning diving, check out the Similan Islands in Andaman. There are day trip, short and long Similar Island liveaboards and a wide variety of dive sites to choose from. The east coast sites are calmer and with clear water, whereas the west coast sites can be more challenging.

To give you an idea, the Genesis I liveaboard departs on 9th February and is a 2 night Similan Islands liveaboard. There are also longer liveaboards available during February.

Enjoy planning your trip and let me know if I can help answer any questions