Diving ThailandIn the Andaman Sea, part of the Indian Ocean, warm clear waters are filled with tropical marine life, set around stunningly beautiful tropical islands. It is defined by India's Andaman & Nicobar Islands forming a western limit, by Myanmar and the Mergui Archipelago to the north, Malaysia & the island of Sumatra to the south and to the east by a long stretch of Thai coastline. Thailand's slice of the Andaman Sea contains the very best diving Thailand has to offer.
Diving Thailand's Andaman Sea offers something for both experienced and new divers alike. Phuket Island, or Koh Phuket, is the gateway for visiting divers. Most of Phuket's local dives are south of the island from Ao Chalong (Bay). On the southerly limits of the day boats & overnight mini safaris are the reefs of Koh Phi Phi & the Koh Lanta National Marine Park. One hour north from Phuket, on the mainland coast, is the quiet retreat of Khao Lak. Khao Lak's local dives are still being discovered while from the pier at Tab Lamu day boats can reach the granatic outcrop of the Similan Islands National Marine Park previously only accessible to overnight liveaboard safaris. Above the Similans the Surin Islands National Marine Park and Richelieu Rock are on the northern most reaches of Thailand's Andaman Sea and still the preserve of liveaboard divers. Generally coral reefs thrive on the protected eastern sides of the islands while on the more exposed western slopes tend to be more rocky with steeper, deeper slopes.
Diving conditions are dominated by two monsoon seasons, which come alternately from the south-west in summer, and from the north-east in winter. The winter (November-April) brings the most stable diving conditions with whale sharks most frequently seen between February to May (Manta Rays can be found year round). Late May to October brings stronger winds and surface swell making remote sites, like Richelieu Rock and Hin Daeng, inaccessible and reducing visibility in general. The Marine Parks of the Similan & Surin islands are closed from May through October.
Dive Holidays in Thailand's Andaman Sea:
Dive Holidays in Thailand's Andaman Sea
Liveaboard in Thailand's Andaman Sea
Shorebased Diving Phuket, Thailand
Shorebased Diving Khao Lak, Thailand
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