Diving in Thailand

Thailand is an excellent place for divers who want to experience unique aquatic experiences while also enjoying their holiday above sea level as well.  Thailand has a strong tourism industry and generally low living and holiday costs making it the perfect place to choose for a diving trip.

The best locations for diving in Thailand are to the west of Thailand in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand which is found to the east of the country.  For those who are experienced divers the best diving treasures are found over in the Andaman Sea side on the west.

Since Thailand has a long rainy season that begins in May and ends in September the best time to visit if you plan to dive in Thailand is between October and April.

The water is generally clear in Thailand which makes for excellent visibility and the sea water is high most of the time making it possible to dive in a shortie or drysuit with an average temperature of 28C.

Two of the most prominent dive locations in Thailand are located in the Southern region of the country: Hin Daeng and Hin Mouang.  Both of these locations have plenty of pelagic fish and allow divers to feed the fish which makes for a unique diving experience.

In particular, Hin Mouang also has many fish shoals, carpets of anemone, plenty of coral reef sections, and underwater pinnacles.

On the other hand, at Hin Daeng you can get to dive in amidst rocks, plateaus, and walls.  A perk of travelling here to dive is the amount of diverse water life including shrimps, barracuda, crayfish, grey reef sharks, leopard sharks, octopus, and morays.  You can reach both locations via a liveaboard boat or by taking a dive trip from Koh Ngai.

Another prominent dive location in Thailand is the Hin Nok which is made of gullies that surround five pinnacles.  It takes about an hour to complete a dive at this location during which you can see many animals including the exotic Ghost Pipefish, moray eels, barracuda, butterfly fish, whip corals, and angel fish.

The most prominent wreck to view while diving in Thailand is the Koh Kraden Wreck which is the remains of a Japanese destroyer that hosts many animals.  Although visibility is not great around the wreck with a thermocline that measures 15-20m, you can possibly see seahorse, giant morays, lionfish, and soft corals.  Large schools of fish also surround the area so there is plenty to see even if you cannot see that far in front of yourself.

For beginners or those who want to go diving in Thailand when the weather is not clear, the Koh Rock Nai dive is ideal as there is only a small current and plenty of animals to view such as angel fish, lobsters, hard corals, nudibranches, butterfly fish, and large basket sponges.