Where to Take a Padi Open Water Scuba Diving Course in Thailand

Where to Take a Padi Open Water Scuba Diving Course in Thailand

Ever wonder what it would be like to jump into the water and look around 40m below the surface? The underwater world is mysterious and yet inviting, the experience of diving it provides and addictive sense of zen. There’s no better place to have your first dive experience than Thailand – with good conditions year round.

Most dive shops in Thailand offer PADI certification but it’s also possible to find a few offering NAUI and SSI certifications. Beginners may be more comfortable diving in the calmer and shallower waters off the east coast of Thailand, with destinations such as Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Koh Samet or Koh Chang being the most popular on that side.

More advanced divers and those beginners who are confident in their abilities will have a better time diving around Phuket and the Similan Islands. Hotspots for diving around here include Phuket, Phi Phi and Khao Lak.

Phuket has the most upscale dive operations but if you are watching your budget, you might be more comfortable taking a course at Phi Phi or Khao Lak. Phi Phi is quite popular among the younger crowd but there are hotels catering to older couples and families, which also offer scuba diving courses. Khao Lak offers an excellent choice of dive shops and also has a good range of accommodation to suit most tastes. It is also the closest jumping off point to the Similan Islands.

The Similan Islands, technically located in Phang Nga province, provide some of the best dive sites in the world. Protected within a marine national park, the nine islands are still pristine and rich with wildlife above and below the water. Most dive operators will take you ashore at one of the islands, where you can enjoy the powder-white beaches and see exotic birds and monkeys.

Under the waves, the colourful reefs and boulder formations are teeming with coral and a variety of marine life. Sometimes whale sharks are even spotted in the waters, as well as rays and other sharks. Visibility is good, varying from 30-50m. The best way to see the Similans is by liveaboard, and most dive operators will allow you to do your Open Water dives from the boat if you’ve completed the paper and pool work ashore beforehand.

Much like Phi Phi, Koh Tao is a fun place for backpackers to learn how to scuba dive. This may well be the most affordable place in Thailand to take a PADI Open Water course and to build up your dive log. Unfortunately it’s not the best diving in Thailand – but it’s not yet the worst either. Koh Tao used to offer frequent whale shark sightings but they are relatively rare these days. It’s also conveniently close (2 hours by speed boat) to Samui. In fact you can do diving courses on Samui too.

The number of dive boats on a site is not restricted, so you may find there is too much company around peak dive times. You may find yourself surrounded by 50 to 100 divers at a time, with most of them being Open Water students or day trippers from Samui.

Needless to say, Koh Tao might be great for learning and for progressing to instructor – but it’s not all that great for just recreational diving. Many people come here specifically to advance through courses and proceed with PADI Advanced, Rescue Diver, Dive Master/Master Scuba Diver and Instructor courses.

There are so many choices on Koh Tao that you should look carefully at each dive shop and make sure they offer you the best value for money.

Not all dive instructors are the same, and some are downright scary. Likewise, equipment standards can vary, and you’ll want to make sure any shop you choose has quality equipment and maintains it properly and hygienically. You should also check into the insurance policy of the dive shop and enquire as to if you should purchase your own dive insurance for the hyperbaric chamber if you have an accident.

Most the dive operations in Thailand are run by foreigners, which is just as well since Thais have a rather different approach to safety and responsibility, but you’ll find yourself diving with plenty of Thai staff who are their usual friendly easy-going selves.

Thailand Scuba Diving Vacation

Thailand Scuba Diving Vacation

Thailand is sandwiched between The Gulf of Thailand on its eastern coastline and the vast expanse of the Andaman Sea on its western coast. It is in these body of waters that scuba divers can explore the marine life of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean without having to cross continents.

The waters in Thailand have one of the richest and diverse marine life in the world because conditions here for coral growth is almost perfect with an average temperature of 28C all year round and fantastic underwater visibility.

Because of these almost ideal scuba diving conditions and attractions, the scuba diving industry in Thailand is thriving robustly with the proliferation of first class scuba diving facilities, services and diving schools.

When you throw in what the tourist industry has to offer in Thailand such as fantastic entertainment, a spread of accommodations, hotels and resorts for every budget and Thailand's renowned delightful cuisines, you can be assured of an enjoyable scuba diving vacation.

The Gulf of Thailand has hundreds of islands on its 1,840km (1,143 miles) long coast. The gulf is a shallow bowl shaped body of water separated from the South China Sea by a pair of underwater ridges that extend from Vietnam on one side and Malaysia to the other.

The sea bed bottom here is mostly mud mixed with sand and shells. Corals are usually found around the fringes of the gulf islands. There are several rivers in the north bringing enough sediment and freshwater to inhibit coral growth until to the south or the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand.

The underwater scenery in the gulf is perhaps not as visually appealing as those of the Andaman Sea as it has slightly less variety of marine life. Marine parks such as the Ang Thong Marine Park include spectacularly formed limestone islands with lush rainforest covering them and many of these islands are actually uninhabited.

World famous resorts of Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui offer excellent scuba diving facilities as well as other reacreations and entertaiment.

The Andaman Sea was already thriving thousands of years ago with Chinese, European, Thai and Indian trading vessels plying its waters. Today, the Andaman Sea is more of a playground for dive boats and sailing yachts rather than for trading vessels.

One of the better known playgrounds for divers in the Andaman and is often rated amongst the top scuba diving destinations in the world are the Similan Islands. Divers can explore Similan, the Surin Islands and the Mergui Archipelago in liveaboard diving cruises.

Thailand's Andaman Sea stretches 870km (541 miles) from Tarutao National Park on the border of Malaysia to the Surin Islands on the border of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). It is part of the Indian Ocean and is separated from the Bay of Bengal by the Andaman-Nicobar Ridge. Quaint formations of granite outcrops can be senn in the Surin and Similan Islands.

Other island groups such as Koh Phi Phi are shaped by massive limestone and calcium carbonates since prehistoric time.

The only problem when you travel to Thailand for scuba diving is where to start your diving vacation since there are so many excellent dive spots to choose from and you will be spoilt for choice.

Scuba Diving South East Asia

Scuba Diving South East Asia

This article describes some of the better dive sites in South East Asia. As a scuba diver, you will probably know that scuba diving in South East Asia has always been very popular because of its vast species of marine life and rich diversity of colorful corals.

As a matter of fact, there are many world class dive sites in this region and with its excellent underwater visibility, South East Asia is indeed a scuba diver's haven. So, here are some of the top dive sites in South East Asia many of which I have dived in several times.

We shall start with Indonesia and of course, the island of Bali cannot be left out. Perhaps the most dived site in Bali is the Liberty wreck. The wreck was a US army logistic ship sunk by Japanese submarine torpedoes during the last world war.

Liberty wreck lies in the depth of about 10m (32ft) to 30m (100ft) over 120m (385ft) of the sea bed. Divers can see guns, toilets, ship anchor chain among other things of a typical shipwreck. The wreck is heavily encrusted with corals and brightly decorated with gorgonian sea fans and sea anemones.

Scuba divers will also encounter large schools of trevally and more than 400 species of marine fishes and even exotic colonies of elusive garden eels.

Similan island in Thailand is another interesting dive site. Similan is located off the coast of Khao Lak which was hit badly by a Tsunami 2006. Nine granite islands made up the Similan islands. These islands are covered by luxuriant tropical rainforests surrounded by pristine white beaches and turquoise blue water.

This area is a protected national park. Below the water lie a sprawling underwater garden of deep canyons, coral gardens, huge granite boulders, caves and walls. Liveaboard scuba diving is the norm here.

Sipadan Island in Malaysia was made famous by Jacques Cousteau's documentary entitled Ghost Of The Sea Turtles. This is an oceanic island which is not connected to any continental shelf that rises about 2000 ft on an awesome limestone pinnacle and mushrooms out at the surface.

Many dive magazines have named Sipadan as one of the best dive sites in the world and reported to have the largest variety of soft corals in the world. At Sipadan, scuba divers will encounter exciting drift dives, fascinating coral formations, turtles, lobsters, barracudas and even various species of sharks.

Manado, northen Sulawesi, Indonesia is the gateway to world class dive spots in the Bunaken National Park. Muck diving, meaning diving for little critters on the seabed in Manado bay is the norm here. In this part of Indonesia, you will encounter exhilarating wall dives, drop offs, huge napoleon wrasse, reef sharks and also another shipwreck.

Layang Layang in Malaysia is a breathtaking atoll. It is part of a shoal group in the South China Sea known as the Spratly islands. Here, massive numbers of barracuda roams the water, large pelagic fishes and sharks make this place home. Do not be surprised if you are investigated by a school of hammerhead sharks.

Southern Thailand: the Andaman Coast

Southern Thailand: the Andaman Coast

As Highway 4 switches from the east flank of the Thailand peninsula to the Andaman coast it enters a markedly different country : nourished by rain nearly all the year round, the vegetation down here is lushly tropical, with forests replacing up to 80m in height, and massive rubber and coconut plantations replacing the rice and sugar-cane fields of central Thailand. In this region’s heartland the drama of the landscape is enhanced by sheer limestone crags, topographical hallmarks that spike every horizon and make for stunning views from the road. Even more spectacular and the main crowd-puller – is the Andaman Sea itself : translucent turquoise and so clear in some places that you can see to a depth of 30m, it harbors the country’s largest coral reefs and is far and away the top diving area in Thailand.

Unlike the Gulf coast, the Andaman coast is hit by the southwest monsoon form May to October, when the rain and high seas render some of the outer islands inaccessible. However, conditions aren’t generally severe enough to ruin a holiday on the other islands, while the occasional mainland cloudburst is offset by the advantage of notably less expensive and crowded accommodation. Although some bungalows at the smaller resorts shut down entirely during low season.

Eager to hit the high-profile beaches of Phuket and Krabi, most people either fly over the first three-hundred-kilometer stretch of the west coast or ass through it on an overnight bus, thereby missing out on the lushly forested hills of Ranong province and bypassing several gems: the tiny and still idyllic island of Ko Chang (not to be confused with its larger, more famous namesake off the east coast); the Ko Surin and Ko Similan island chains, whose reefs rate alongside the Maldives and the Great Barrier Reef; the enjoyable Khao Sok National Park, where you can stay in a tree-house beneath the shadows of looming limestone outcrops; and the mid-market resort of Khao Lak, which hugs the rugged mainland coast on the edge of Khao Lak National Park. Tourism begins in earnest on Phuket, Thailand’s largest island and the best place to learn to dive. The high-rises and consumerist gloss that characterize much of Phuket don’t appeal to everyone, however, and many travelers opt instead for the slightly less mainstream but very popular beaches around the former fishing village of Krabi. Nearby the stunningly beautiful Ko Phi Phi attracts a lot of attention considering its size, and is beginning to crack under the strain, so many travelers have moved on again, searching out hideaways on Ko Lanta and bringing custom to the tiny retreats of Ko Jum and Ko Bubu.

Getting to Andaman coast destinations is made easy by Highway 4, also known as the Phetkasem Highway - and usually called Thanon Phetkasem when it passes through towns. The road runs from Bangkok to the Malaysian border, and frequent air-con and ordinary busses ply this route, connecting all major – and most minor – mainland tourist destinations. There is no rail line down the Andaman coast by bus before preceding southwards. Ferries to the most popular islands usually leave several times a day (with reduced services during the monsoon season), but for more remote destinations you may have to charter your own or wait for islanders’ trading boats to pick you up. Alternatively, you fly direct to the Andaman coast: there’s a busy international airport on Phuket, plus useful local ones in Krabi and Ranong.

The Secret Of Choosing A Nice Hotel In Phuket

The Secret Of Choosing A Nice Hotel In Phuket

Phuket is Thailand's biggest island. The water itself may not be as breathtaking as Phi Phi or Similan island, but it's still beautiful. My suggestion is you stay at Phuket and then take a boat to Phi Phi, Similan or other smaller nearby islands for a snorkeling or diving trip.

Phuket Thailand becomes lively during the night -- with all the pubs, bars and restaurants opening until midnight or later. You can choose to stay at your Phuket hotel and have romantic dinner there. Or you can choose to take a stroll at Phuket's popular Patong beach for some night scene. Phuket has dozens of beaches. Each has tens, if not hundreds, of hotels. If you don't like a crowded beach with hundreds of restaurants and bars, stay away from Patong beach.

Looking to find a nice Phuket Thailand hotel that's just perfect for your budget? No problem. I'll recommend some nice hotels for you. Well, if you don't mind a very huge lagoon next to the beach and a very big resort hotel, then stay at the Laguna Phuket. Actually at the Laguna Phuket, there are five hotels (yes, it's that BIG -- Allamanda, Banyan Tree, Dusit Laguna, Laguna Beach, and Sheraton Grande Laguna). They're all beautiful and luxurious. So, expect to spend from $100 to over $300 a night, depending on the resort you choose.

And there's this secluded private hotel that I really --really-- love... The Chedi Phuket. For me, the price is just right too. It's a little over $100. But you'd be glad to pay a lot more than that for a hotel room this cozy. And let me tell you, the private beach right in front of the Chedi is a lot more beautiful than other beaches in Phuket too.

Most foreigners (especially Westerners) I know like to stay at Mom Tri's Boat House. I don't know why. I haven't stayed there, so I can't tell you. But I just know for a fact they 'really' like to stay there. The price is around $70. This Phuket resort hotel is designed by a well-known architect of Thailand. So 70 bucks a night is a steal.

Now if you're willing to stay off Phuket island, then I suggest you stay at the Racha on Racha island. It's only 20 minutes away from Phuket. It's a private and totally gorgeous resort island. The beach is white, sandy and just beautiful. The resort itself is beyond explanation. Plus, the price is just a few bucks over $100.

Diving the Similan National Park - Thailand

Diving the Similan National Park - Thailand

Similan Scuba Adventures is an international diving school located in Khao Lak, Thailand. We specialize in daytrips and live-aboard cruises to the world-famous Similan Islands as well as to the neighboring sites, Koh Tachai and Koh Bon.

Additionally we offer a full range of SSI and PADI certification courses. Our team of professional scuba diving instructors can take you from beginner to Pro while you dive the Similan Islands. Our team of professional scuba diving instructors can take you from beginner to Pro while you dive the Similan Islands. Our team of professional scuba diving instructors can take you from beginner to Pro while you dive the Similan Islands.

Our staff is always willing to give you the best in regards to comfort, quality, safety and flexibility. Diving the Similans in small groups allows our dedicated dive staff to provide you with a personal experience. Our unique concept features a top quality, full service, fun filled dive adventure – all for a surprisingly low cost. If diving is what your after, then diving the Similan Islands with Similan Scuba Adventures is a sure bet to an unforgettable dive vacation.

Our range of services also includes the opportunity to have your diving adventures with us recorded in digital format. Professional videographers from Pelagic Magic Productions are available to accompany you during your dives and present the best dive holiday souvenir adiver can think of: Your own diving video. We are also the authorized supplier for Mares in the Khao Lak area. For more info on scuba equipment, simply click the logo.

Our five dive shops are located about 90 kilometers north of Phuket, in the picturesque holiday destination Khao Lak. Due to the geographical location of Khao Lak being the closest to the Similan Islands and other fascinating dive sites such as Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and the whale shark magnet Richelieu Rock, our guests enjoy the freedom of short transportation times, providing ample time to relax and enjoy the tropical scenery.

Our fleet of new dive boats is waiting to take you there in style: The “Angel One”, is a very large and spacious boat which operates permanently around the Similan Islands. The transports to and from all dive sites are done by speed boat.

Apart from diving, the area around Khao Lak offers everything the demandingtraveler may dream of: National parks, waterfalls, pristine sandy beaches, dense tropical rain forest and – according to the Loose Travel Guide Book – the most beautiful sunsets in Thailand!

On this website we would like to introduce our exciting dive sites to you including the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, and Richelieu Rock and invite you to dive with us here in Thailand soon. Your diving adventure has already started…

The Similan Islands

The Similan Islands

Ko Similan is by far the most beautiful group of dive sites that we have in Thailand and one of the best areas for diving in the entire world. Many people comment that the most fantastic thing about the Similans is that we have two radically different types of environments all rolled together into one destination. Nowhere else in the world will a diver find such diverse topography in such a small area.

The Similan Islands, located about one hundred kilometers northwest of Phuket, are composed of nine granite islands covered in tropical jungle, washed by a clear blue tropical ocean and blessed with some of the world's finest beaches. Similan comes from Malay fisherman who named it "The Nine Islands" (Sembilan is "nine" in Malay) and now the islands are identified by a name–in Thai–and a number; for example, Ko Huyong (Island #1), located at the southern end of the chain or Ko Miang (Island #4) located in the middle. The islands have achieved national park status and thus are fully protected under Thai law. The National Park Authority maintains their presence on two of the islands: Ko Similan (Island #8) the largest, and Ko Miang (Island #4). Recently, the islands have come to the special attention of the Thai Royal Family which further protects them from possible abuse. Currently there is limited accommodation available on the island, but hopefully soon this will be stopped as the island doesn't have the resources to support land-based tourism. There are no resorts on any of the islands and hopefully it will stay this way.

By drawing an imaginary line from north to south, we divide the area into our two separate types of environments. The East Coast with its powdery beaches features hard coral gardens which slope dramatically from the surface down to approximately 30-40 meters, where sand takes over as the water depth increases. On this side, the most popular activity is drift diving along healthy coral gardens while watching the reef inhabitants go about their business. In several sites, large coral bommies rise from the bottom and are covered with soft corals, sea fans, and an enormous amount of critters and unusual fish. Here the diving is easy and navigation simple, allowing each buddy pair to explore at his or her own pace.

The West Coast, just a short boat ride away, can offer faster paced, more exhilarating diving as currents swirl around the huge granite boulders-some larger than the largest of houses. These smooth, rounded boulders make dramatic formations, holes, and overhangs ("swim-throughs") underwater where divers can enjoy swimming with the current through the openings. The drama of just looking up through the clear water at these huge rocks is satisfaction enough for some divers, as there are very few places like this on earth. Growing on these boulders are some of the most colorful soft corals imaginable, in many places so thick that the rock is no longer visible. In the larger passages or channels between the boulders, the fans grow to a size sometimes three meters across, and are often so tightly bunched together that it makes it impossible to swim through the passages. Most of the dive sites on the West Coast are best seen with a guide, since navigation can be tricky.

If you enjoy watching and photographing small fish, the Similans are hard to beat for the sheer numbers and varieties of tropicals especially lionfish and anemone fish (clown fish, among others). Large fish, however, are a different story and the Similans are not well known for consistent big fish action-stories about which fill all the popular diving magazines. For this kind of diving, you must travel further to the Mergui Archipelago in Burma (Myanmar). Luckily, we often do get an occasional whale shark, while large cow tail rays are fairly common. And, of course the most famous aquatic resident of Thailand–the leopard shark–makes his appearance on a regular basis. We'll also see white tip and black tip sharks once in awhile, and a few times over the years we've seen schools of pseudo orcas or false killer whales. The point is, like all diving areas, enjoy the Similans for what they are famous for; wild, unspoiled beaches, magnificent coral growth, prolific fish life, crystalline blue water and sensational underwater rock formations.

Trip lengths vary from three to five days; often longer if the boat is including the Similans as just one stop on the itinerary. One day trips are possible at certain times of the year but in general are not recommended as it is impossible to fully appreciate the beauty of the islands without spending a few days diving around them. Also, two-stroke outboard engines are extremely polluting, and most of the boats offering one-day trips still use this type of engine. Trip prices vary dramatically depending on where you go and how comfortable you want to be.

High season in the Similans is from October until May, but diving is possible all year-round. The water tends to be clearest in the summer and in the fall, but then again, the visibility is almost always good in the Similans, averaging approximately 18-25 meters and at times exceeding 40 meters! There are well over 30 charted dive sites in the Similan chain, and the following short descriptions of a few of our favorites should give you an idea of what to expect.