Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea, with the Similan Islands, Hin Daeng and Burma as liveaboard centre pieces, offers the best diving in Thailand by far.
Excellent visibility, superb underwater scenery, great marine diversity - fish life and corals, big drop-offs, swim-throughs, wall dives, caves and caverns. All set around stunningly beautiful tropical islands. You name it, all this makes Phuket or Ao Nang Beach - Krabi the best resort areas for a Thailand diving holiday.
The picturesque Similan Islands with clear aquamarine waters and powdery white sands, has huge deep water boulder formations, creating daring swim-throughs as well dramatic back-drops to its vibrant coral gardens and reef slopes. Choose to dive by liveaboard or diving day tours.
Richelieu Rock rates as one of the best places in the world for diving with whale sharks.
Koh Bon and Koh Tachai are great for manta rays and white tip reef shark encounters.
Hin Daeng - Hin Muang is your best chance to see grey reef sharks, patrolling the walls. Besides that, it's also the second home in Andaman Sea for whale sharks and mantas. Dive Hin Daeng and you'll experience the thrill of diving this destination's highest vertical wall.
Diving Season
You can dive Thailand all year round. The best diving conditions exist from November to April, with whale sharks visiting from February to May, and manta rays all year round.
Late May to October brings monsoon winds and surface swells to the Andaman Sea, making some remote sites inaccessible, such as Richelieu Rock and Hin Daeng, and reducing visibility in general by about 30% at the open dive sites. October can also see heavy rains in the Andaman Sea.
The Phuket liveaboard season runs from early October to mid May, but there are a limited number of liveaboards to Similan Islands and Phi Phi Islands all year round.
Reef Basics
Great for: Small animals, underwater photography, dive value-for-money, advanced divers, beginner divers, snorkelling, non-diving activities
Not so great for:
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 5 - 40m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 26 - 31°C
Experience Level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: >250
Access: Liveaboards and Phuket and Krabi diving day tours - Thailand
Recommended length of stay: 1 - 3 weeks
Dive Sites
For more detailed information on Thailand dive sites, click on the links below:
Dive The World Recommendations: Similan Islands - Christmas Point and Elephant Head Rock, Koh Tachai, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang.
Other sites that can be visited as part of a liveaboard safari in Phuket:
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