Diving and Snorkelling

Posted by Andaman Sam on May 25th, 2010 filed in Activities, Diving

Phuket is one the world’s best place for diving. The water is warm, so you don’t need to wear a wetsuit. Phuket has a very good under water visibility and there are a variety of corals, species of reef fish, not to mention tens of thousands of species of other reef creatures. Phuket has dozens of scenic island destinations with range of day trips and live- aboard cruises.

Snorkeling First, you don’t need to have or take PADI (diving) license or take expensive diving trips to discover the underwater beauty of Andaman Sea. Snorkeling is a great experience and is recommended to beginners and normal tourists. Near Islands The best places for snorkeling close to Phuket are the Freedom beach, the North and South end of Kata Beach, Phi Phi and Racha islands.

You can reach Freedom beach by long-tail boat which will cost you approximately 200Baht per person (round trip). Racha Island is a diving site for divers but snorkelers are also welcome too and it costs approximately 1050Baht per person with a day trip boat and breakfast and lunch are also included.

Racha Island is also accessible by speed boats from Patong and Rawai beach. Diving Day Trips There are many diving sites around Phuket and it takes between 60 to 90 minutes, but you can take a ferry to Phi Phi and stay overnight, then you can dive from boats out Phi Phi’s harbor for one or more days.

Generally, one day boat dive tours from Phuket leave 7.00am and return late afternoon with at least two or tree dives. The boats depart from Chalong Bay harbor which is located on the east side of Phuket Island, around 30 minutes from Patong beach.

Phuket Diving Destination include The Shark Point (Hin Mu Sang):- This is a beautiful and colorful place. You have the possibility to spot sharks, mainly leopards.

King Cruiser Wreck ;- The king cruiser wreck was a catamaran-hull type of passenger ferry, 85 meters in length and 25 meters in width. She sank a few meters off shark pint.

Anemone Reef: – This dive site id found less than a mile north of shark point and it is a single submerged rock covered in sea anemones.

Tacha Island: – This Island offers easy diving with clear water and a good variety of tropical marine life, suitable for beginners and snorkelers.

Phi Phi Island (Hin Bida):- A big variety of tropical fish and leopard sharks and turtles are spotted easily.

Live Aboard The diving sites west of Phuket are only accessible live aboard and are one of the world’s best diving sites. These sites include, Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock, Koh Surin, Burma Banks and Mergui Archipelago.