The quality of Thai dive shops is generally high, as is the quality of rental equipment. Of course, like everywhere else, there are rotten apples, but if you stick with larger dive shops, you have nothing to worry about. For a small and by no means comprehensive list of quality diveshops, visit my Links page.

This is not to say that you can not find good diving outside the seasons, just that you should adjust your expectations, and your attitude - accordingly.

Another benefit of diving in the Andaman Sea in the off-season is that you frequently get to see things that you will rarely, if at all, see in the high season. Certain animals, especially large pelagics like sharks and manta rays, are much more frequently sighted when there are not too many tourists around.

Pattaya is, however, the base for the best (in fact, with the exception of the King Cruiser in Phuket, the only) wreck diving in Thailand, the "HARDEEP", the "BREMEN", the "KOHO MARU #3", and a selection of other, more rarely dived wrecks. The "HARDEEP" was an 80-meter freighter, pressed into inter-coastal transport service by the occupying Japanese, and sunk towards the end of WW2. It is fully penetrable, and a great site for getting your Wreck Diver specialty certification.

Scene from the HARDEEP, at 25 meters

The "BREMEN" was another old freighter, approximately 100 meters long, which sank around 1950, after a fire in the engine room. The "BREMEN" should NOT be penetrated, as she has been used extensively by the Royal Thai Navy for underwater demolition exercises, and is therefore relatively unstable. She is, however, a spectacular artificial reef, with much more marine life than the rather lifeless "HARDEEP".

Buddy Robert Harper on the BREMEN

Both wrecks lie in 25-27 meters of water. The Season in Pattaya is really year-round, but best in November-April.

If you find yourself in Pattaya, try to dive the 2 wrecks (cannot be done in a single day), as well as Koh Rin, Koh Man Wichai, Hin Chalarm, and Shark Fin Rock.

In the last year or two, several new wrecks have been discovered, but due to their remote locations, they are neither day trips nor dived as often as the "HARDEEP" and the "BREMEN". One is a Japanese chemicals tanker, the other 3 are phased-out Thai warships sunk for target practice in the early 70's. The warship wrecks lie deep (30 meters + at the top), so bottom time is severely limited unless you are into decompression diving.

Details of the wrecks:

The Nong Salai – A 50 meter long Minesweeper built in Italy in the 1930’s and intentionally sunk in the 1970’s after it had become outdated. We traveled the entire length of the wreck, finding schools of batfish and snapper. The depth is30 meters with 5 meters visibility. There appeared to be possible penetration points for further exploration.

The Pattani – This was a 70 meter long Torpedo Ship built at the same time in Italy, and sunk in the 1970’s. It was the least interesting of the 3 ships, since it was almost completely encrusted in shells and the visibility was very low.

The Paree – An Anti Submarine Warfare ship built in the U.S.A. in 1944, and also sunk in the 1970’s. This 50 meter long ship has numerous openings, some of which we have penetrated. There are many passages extending throughout the wreck. Definitely something we need to explore in the future. The penetration was challenging, as the spaces inside are extremely narrow and there is a thick layer of silt everywhere. No go without reels, lights, buddy and wreck diving training!

Morning on the HARDEEP

Koh Samui/Koh Tao:

Koh Samui itself is nothing to write home about diving-wise, but is a beautiful island to use as a base. It is accessible by plane from Bangkok, or train/ferry via Surat Thani. Close to Samui, you find the Ang Thong Marine National Park, which offers fairly good, if shallow, coral diving, and generally the same visibility as in Pattaya/Samae San.

While dive shops abound on Samui, it does not offer particularly fantastic diving. It is a great place to get certified, and also features reasonably good nightlife, beautiful beaches, and accommodation from extreme budget to extreme luxury.

On Samui, you are within 2 hours' boat ride of Sail Rock, a pinnacle that offers some of the best diving in the Gulf of Thailand. Sail Rock is actually mid-way between Koh Samui and Koh Tao. The highlight of Sail Rock is a "chimney" that starts in 20+ meters and spits you out in about 8 meters. Also, several reports are going around about bull sharks periodically visiting the site.

Koh Tao is located 2 hours' speedboat ride north of Samui. It is one of those tiny little islands where time seems to have been standing still since the 60's, and several of the people living there appear to have had their development (and pesonal hygiene routine) arrested round about that time, too! It is a diving-Klondike, with more than 15 dive shops to service a growing number of divers from all over the world. If you do not dive or snorkel, there is no reason to go to this island, apart, perhaps, from indulging in controlled but illegal substances. Your choice (and one which I personally detest), just know that penalties in Thailand are quite unplesant.

Diving instruction in Koh Tao is probably cheaper than anywhere in Thailand, but you'd do well to remember that in diving, as with everything else, you get what you pay for. Use only the large shops there, and establish how long they have been in business. Dive shops on Koh Tao open and fold faster than a nervous poker player.

The visibility is generally good (10-30 meters), there are no currents to speak of, and there is great marine life. You can take overnight trips from Samui, or you can stay in one of the bungalow resorts on the island. The season goes from April to October, then the rain starts. But you can dive there anytime, as some of the best sites are very well protected. If you go to Koh Tao, you had better be prepared for very basic lifestyle (as in "electricity not necessarily available 24 hours a day" and "extremely basic accommodation". There are no 5-star restaurants, no jewelry shops and not a lot to do other than watching the dopeheads.

Apart from Sail Rock, visitors to Koh Tao should try to dive Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle, White Rock (home of Trevor the Trigger, the world's most screwed up titan triggerfish), and Shark Island/Coral Gardens.

Phuket/Andaman Sea:

There is no question that this area is Thailand's diving Mecca. Around Phuket itself, there are plenty of great sites for day-trips. The visibility is good to great, and there are plenty of interesting marine animals. Anything is possible, from pipefish to whalesharks, and everything in between.

I am biased towards Phuket. It was where I learned to dive, and it is quite developed. I am a slave to comfort and modest luxury (an oxymoron if ever there was one!), and it is a fact that the best land-based diving in Thailand is found here. Even in the rainy season, Phuket on a bad day is better than Tao or Pattaya on a good one.

There are plenty of things to do in Phuket if you want to take a break from diving. The island is big and offers spectacular scenery, and there are many golf courses, shopping malls, 5-star resorts and other diversions to explore. The island's main tourist centers are on Patong Beach, Karon Beach and Kata Beach, as well as up on the northern cost at Laguna Resort. The crowds that these respective areas attract are quite defined, with Patong attracting the single and package tour set, Karon the families and honey-mooners and Karon the least demanding (although Club Med is there to attract families with children). Laguna Resort features luxury accommodation, but the beach is quite forgettable.

If you are in Phuket and do not have time to go on a live-aboard trip, try to dive Shark Point (loads of leopard sharks), Anemone Reef (never seen so many morays, scorpionfish and lionfish in my life!), Racha Noi and Racha Yai, the wreck of the "KING CRUISER", and Koh Dok Mai. You may also want to get yourself over to adjacent Phi Phi Island, minimum a day-trip.

So what does this all cost ? Good question! The Asian crisis, which caused most Asian currencies to plunge compared to the Dollar, has made diving in Thailand more expensive than it was a couple of years ago, but it is still very competitive. Because dive shops pay a lot of their expenses in Dollars (spares, equipment, teaching materials, insurance and partial salaries to their staff), a lot now charge in Dollars, either greenbacks or Baht at the prevailing exchange rate. To convert the indicative prices below to Dollars, use the average exchange rate of 38 Baht = $1 .

I can only give indications, as the prices for live-aboards fluctuate wildly with the quality of the boat and the dstination. A typical 4-day live-aboard to the Andaman Sea (Similans or Hin Daeng/Muang) should cost in the region of 20,000 Baht. A Burma trip runs up to 40,000 Baht.

Day trips from Phuket are about 2,000 Baht for 2 tanks, weights and lunch, with another 700-800 Baht for equipment rental. In Pattaya and Samui, you can expect to pay the same, whereas Koh Tao may be cheaper by up to 25%. Out of Pattaya, trips to the Vertical Wreck (KOHO MARU #3)cost approximately 8,000 Baht for a two-day trip with tanks and weights.

Diving education has also gone up with the Dollar's strength, but the quality is high. Expect to pay between 8,000 and 12,000 Baht for an Open Water course, depending on the location and on what is included. At the low end, don't expect to get to keep manuals and dive tables. If you are on a live-aboard, it is often posssible to strike a good deal on continuing education such as Advanced and specialty courses.

Flights from Bangkok to Phuket cost 4,000 Baht, and to Samui 5,000. Trains are really cheap (500 Baht Bangkok-Surat Thani, and the cost of the ferry is negligible. Accommodation is impossible to price accurately, but ranges from 300 Baht a day for a decidedly no-frills hut in Koh Tao, to 10,000 Baht per night for top luxury hotels in Phuket in the season. A good average resort at the time of writing should cost 3-5,000 Baht per night if you are a walk-in customer, but will be a lot chaper if you buy a package tour from home.