Even though a handful of the larger southern divingdestinations come complete with their own Internationalairport, the capital Bangkok serves as a useful jumping-off point. For those stopping off here for a day or twobefore or after heading south, the rewards are many
and apart from scouring the city in search of bargains, there’s amyriad of other sights, sounds and food to experience!
It’s the islands and beaches of southern Thailand that bringfresh appeal. The best time to visit is between October andMay and, whether you’re looking for solitude or sophisticatednightlife, relaxation or adventure, there’s plenty of locations tochoose from. The largest and best-known holiday islanddestination is Phuket and its international airport is directlyaccessed from a number of neighbouring countries. The westerncoastline is punctuated with beach resorts – each one beingdifferent, both in style and character to suit all budgets andcomfort levels.
The island’s diving services are very comprehensive and rangefrom small independently-owned centres to fully equipped dive
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> OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES,NUMEROUS BEACH AND ISLANDDESTINATIONS AROUND THE ANDAMAN SEAOFF THE WESTERN SHORELINE OF SOUTHERNTHAILAND HAVE FIRMLY ESTABLISHEDTHEMSELVES ON THE INTERNATIONAL DIVINGMAP. MANY OF THESE ARE FAVOURED BYFAMILIES AND ARE GEARED UP WITH ALL THENECESSARY AMENITIES AND SERVICES TOSATISFY THE STEADY INCREASE IN DEMAND.AND WHY NOT, THERE’S LOADS MORE TODO AND SEE ABOVE THE SURFACE.
Main - Lohdalum Bay on Phi PhiDon, the larger and onlyinhabited, of the Phi Phi IslandsBottom left to right:One of the many different speciesof colourful sea slugs or'nudibranch' foraging on thewreck of the Boonsong wreck justoff the shore around Khao Lak;East of Eden, just one of the manysplendid reefs to be explored inthe Similans;Yellow-margin moray eel atRichelieu Rock
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international airport is only a 45 minutedrive away. Though accommodation andresort facilities are plentiful they are morediscreetly and spaciously laid out here,and it’s a great place to relax.
Aside from offering liveaboard anddaytrip diving to the Similans, Surin andRichelieu Rock, Khao Lak has a couple ofvery dive-worthy wrecks just off the coast,these once tin mining dredgers are a realtreat to explore. All manner of marine lifecan be encountered and, on the oddoccasion, even whale sharks.
South of Phuket, the island of Phi Phi iseasily accessed from either Phuket orKrabi International airports and is apopular diver and snorkellers paradise.Services on the island are good withplenty of restaurants, accommodation andtourist amenities all within a short walk of
resorts complete with state-of-the-arttraining facilities. There are two types ofdive trips: multi-day liveaboard excursionsto the Similans and beyond, and dailyservices to local sites with an access timeof no more than two hours.
The visibility is perfectly adequate forenjoying the high representation anddiversity of marine life. Shark Pointconsists of a series of hard and soft coralcovered pinnacles. Leopard sharks resthere and many a diver has had thewonderful experience of observing theseharmless bottom feeders at close hand.There are also numerous cleaning stationswith a multitude of cleaning fish andshrimps with regular customers includinga variety of snappers, jacks, mackereland barracuda. The shallowest part ofAnemone Reef is just seven metres belowthe surface and is somewhatblanketed by sea anemoneshosting numerous species ofclownfish, anemone crabs andcleaner shrimps. Soft coralsprovide the backdrop for Indianlionfish, wrasse, parrotfish andfusiliers. The King Cruiser carferry wreck acts as a haven forschools of juvenile reef fish. Butbeware – there is a number ofcollapsed areas that should notbe entered. The east wall of KohDok Mai has healthy seafans,barrel and encrusting spongesand seawhips kept company bymorays, sea kraits, groupers andangelfish. The deeper waters
around Koh Racha Noi island offer gooddiving for more experienced divers andthe shallows lapping Koh Racha Yai areideal for novices and those wishing to getacclimatised.
The two Marine National parks of theSimilan and Surin Islands are a series ofgranitic outcrops with reefs descending to25-30m and beyond. Also included in thelatter is the now legendary whale sharkmagnet, Richelieu Rock. The underwaterscenery and diverse marine life haveearned these destinations a considerablereputation in the international divingcommunity and, given their proximity toPhuket and Khao Lak, it’s not surprisingthat these are among the country’s mostpopular destinations for both daytrips andliveaboard excursions.
The Similans rightfully lay claim to beingone of the Asia-Pacific’s top divedestinations. The dramatic underwaterterrain of flourishing reefs and abundantsoft corals, attracts larger visitors such asbarracuda, giant trevally, rainbow runnersand reef sharks. There’s also a selectionof rays including eagle, marbled and themajestic manta. In general, the east-facingreefs and dropoffs feature lovely gardensof sea anemones, flourishing hard andsoft corals with a high presence of reeffish. These are suitable for virtually alllevels of diver, and many sites are alsoenjoyed by snorkellers. The western sitesare the opposite - giant boulders tumbleto the seabed in depths of 40m+ givingexciting swimthrough adventures.
Khao Lak’s casuarina and palm fringedcoastline is a complete contrast to itssouthern neighbour Phuket, but its
PHUKET
Karon
RACHA YAI
RACHA NOI
HAEKAEW NOI
KAEW YAI
Promthep Cape
RawaiRaiwai Beach
BONWAEO
MAI THON
DOKMAI
LONEPhanwa
Cape
Karon Beach
TAPHAO YAI
TAPHAO NOI
Patong
KHAI NOK
KHAI NAINga Cape
MAPHRAO YAI
Sampam Bay
Surin Beach
KathuSampam
The Rua
ThalongNAKA NOI
NAKA YAIPo Bay
RAET
NGAM
LAWA NOI
LAWA YAI
PAYU
Nai Yang Beach
Mai Khao Beach
SarasinBridge
Patong Beach
CHALONGBAY
Phi PhiIslands
KohLanta
PHUKETISLAND
PakMeng
Khao Lak
Krabi
PhuketChalong
each other. As elsewhere in the area, thelocal waters have great visibility and arerich in varied corals and marine life.Phuket’s dive sites are also visited daily asare those to the south of Koh Lanta.
Heading east, and back on the mainland,the beaches around Krabi are nowplanted on the tourist map and, again,though not as established as Phuket, itdoes have its own International airportand a more than adequate selection oftourist amenities. Krabi Province featuressome of the most stunning landscapesand beaches in the country and thebackdrop of limestone karsts are a primevenue for adventurous rock climbers. Thesurrounding waters are relatively shallow,but do feature a rich diversity of marinelife and are an excellent place for novicedivers and diver training. Local divingconcentrates around the rocky outcrops in
Main: Snorkelling in the SimilansAbove: Picture perfect – clownfish andmagnificent sea anemones are verycommon in the Andaman Sea and area great subject for photographersOpposite:The beady eye of a parrotfish;Palm Garden Resort;MV Excalibur II off the coast of KohRacha Yai
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Ao Nang Bay along with trips to the localsites around Phuket and Phi Phi.
The most southerly established dive sitesare in the Koh Lanta Marine NationalPark which boasts pristine corals reefs inpotentially excellent visibility. Here aresome of the finest dive sites in thecountry, such as Hin Mouang and HinDaeng, both in the few remaining divesites where both manta rays and whalesharks are regularly encountered andcontrasted with a wealth of macroopportunities. Koh Ha Yai group with itsvariety of walls, fringing reefs, and acouple of caves, is also worth a day out.All these are regularly visited as daytripexcursions from the dive centres on KohLanta Yai or the Sea Bees Diving centre in
the Amari Resort in Pak Meng. Sea Beesalso have a dive centre on Phi Phi, aswell as their own dive resorts on Phuket inChalong Bay and in Khao Lak – both thePalm Garden Resorts have swimmingpools custom built for diver training,airconditioned bungalows and the all-important bar and restaurant in lushtropical gardens!
Top: Two of the Sea Bees fleet ofdaytrip boats rendezvous forlunchCentre: The spacious lounge onMV Stingray, the Sea Beesdaytrip boat operating out ofKhao LakBottom: Bright 'n breezy overnightcabins on MV Aragon
