YOU ARE LOOKING AT DIVING IN PHUKET, THAILAND. THESE ARE THE REPORTS THAT DIVERS OF THIS AREA HAVE SENT TO US

1 Three dive day trip from a day boat

A typical day of diving from Phuket begins with being picked up from your hotel around 7:30-8:00 pm and taken to Chalong pier where you transfer to the large day boats. Our trip included Shark point, King Cruiser wreck and Koc Doc Mai. The trip to King Cruiser takes around an hour an half and we had breakfast on the way out. Tea, coffee and water were provided free. King Cruiser is an impressive size and we descended the line an quickly reached the bottom at 30 meters. Lots of lion fish and shoals of fish which find security around the wreck as it snags the fisherman’s nets. After a safety stop on the line, we had over an hour surface interval during which a Thai lunch was served. Our second dive site was Shark point although we didn’t see the harmless Leopard sharks it was still an excellent dive with coral,barrel sponges and barracuda.

Returning to the boat we then moved off to Koc Doc Mai which is half way back to Chalong. This was my favourite dive site! The soft coral is magnificent and it is a wall dive and can be deep, but as our third dive of the day, we had to watch our depth and keep it above 18 meters. We arrived back at Chalong around 4:30 to be taken back to our hotels. This trip can be done with Anemone Reef instead of Shark Point although they are very similar sites, except Shark Point has a rocky outcrop showing above the surface. This is a good trip but it does take all day although the dive sites are not that far away and this trip wasn’t really suitable for snorkellers if your partner doesn’t dive.

2  Local longtail dive from Kata

We decided upon a dive at Karon Rocks and found a shop that would do it! That was Phuket Scuab Club in Kata  that runs these trips and shore diving every day, within the season. Getting on, in, and out of a Thai long tail just has to be experienced! Anyway we met at the shop and walked a little way to the beach to climb into the longtail with all the gear. Karon Rocks is reached within a few noisy minutes and there is a buoy line that takes you down to the bottom at around 18 meters. You wouldn’t dive this site for the coral, but the fish life is wonderful! Huge schools of fish, big morays and Lion fish. The huge rocks almost reach to the surface, in fact our safety stop was on top of the largest rock at 5 meters.  Excellent dive and doesn’t take all day, so I can recommend it especially as you wave to your non diving partner lazing on beach

3.  Racha Yai

Racha Yai has several dive sites and during the low season the boats make for Southern part of the island. Although the trip out there was a little bit rough, (I think a couple of people were seas sick), once in the lee of the island it is lovely and calm.

Our first dive was Staghorn Reef, which, as you can guess, was all staghorn coral. Lots of small reef fish and the occasional big Trigger fish, I was lucky enough to see a barracuda. An easy dive along the reef, and after using a little less than half our air, we turned around and heading back at a shallow depth. A good easy dive with great visibility, which surprised me as the weather was rough on our trip out.

Our second dive was ‘Home Run’ and very similar to our first dive, no big stuff, but an easy dive with great vis.

John D

4.  Kata Reef

What a great little dive! Walking in from the beach and after about a 50 yard snorkel we were down at the reefs edge. Outstanding coral for being so near to the shore and with a maximum depth of only 10 meters you could stay there most of the day! Parrot fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, occasional morays and many smaller fish it is a worth while dive.

WHAT DIVES SAY ABOUT DIVING IN PHUKET

1.  Three Dive day.

2.  Local longtail boat dive

3.  Racha Yai

4.  Kata Reef