Diving in Phuket

Phuket is globally renowned for its very high quality diving and has been officially ranked as one of the world’s top ten diving destinations.  The Andaman Sea’s crystal clear waters, hundreds of small accessible islands, spectacular coral reefs and abundance of colourful marine life, make Phuket a diver’s paradise.

There are literally dozens of fully accredited dive companies in Phuket that cater for all levels of competence, from complete beginners to the most accomplished of divers seeking new and exciting experiences and challenges.  Competition between the dive companies has helped to ensure that not only are the standards of safety, training, equipment and facilities of the very highest quality, prices are also very reasonable.

Numerous diving courses are available from easy introductory dives to PADI certified open water dives, spread out over three to four days, to ‘liveaboards’ and full dive master courses.  As long as experienced divers have their paperwork in order most companies will accept a referral upon booking of a deep water or high proficiency dive.

The best time to dive in Phuket is during the dry season, from November until around May.  At this time of year the water is crystal clear and even the most remote dive sites are fully accessible.  It is possible to dive during the rainy season but visibility can be reduced and not all sites will be available.Some of the best quality dive sites are listed below:

Similan Islands

At around 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket, the Similan Islands are not only one of the most exceptional diving locations but also the most remote.  This group of nine small islands is a designated National Park and is widely recognised as being one of the world’s most beautiful diving destinations, offering some amazing reefs and a spectacular variety of marine life.

Diving tours range from short two day ‘liveaboards’ to four or five day trips, allowing divers to experience the corals off the east coast of the islands and the spectacular underwater granite formations off the west coast.

If you would like to visit these remarkable islands you will have to book a tour in the dry season, as the national park is closed to dive tours from the beginning of May until the end of October

King Cruiser Wreck

The best wreck dive in the area, the King Cruiser was a large 85 metre steel car and passenger ferry that sank in 1997 while making a regular trip from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi.  The area was so in need of a decent wreck dive, it was joked at the time that the captain was paid to run the vessel into a reef.  The vessel sank in calm waters with no loss of life.

Lying upright and intact in shallow waters, around 90 minutes sail from Phuket, the wreck offers divers an excellent opportunity to explore the wide passage ways and passenger decks, although due to strong currents and gradual degradation of the wrecks interior, some sections of the wreck are more suitable for experienced divers.

An added bonus is that it is not uncommon to see Barracudas and Whale Sharks patrolling around the wreck.

Coral Island

An excellent choice for beginners, Coral Island is a very popular destination all year round, with both divers and snorkelers and also non diving day trippers.

The island is located only nine kilometres off the south coast of Phuket and is known to the locals as Koh Hae.  The island is very sheltered and offers a large variety of marine life and hard coral reefs in an easy diving environment.

Day trips are readily available from all dive operators.

 

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