Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand, offered me a fabulous diving experience, contrary to the belief of finding "more divers than fish in Thailand". The Andaman Sea lives upto its expectation for fantastic marine life even from this side. Ranging from the tiny nudibranchs to huge leopard sharks, the dive sites around Phuket is home to rich diversity of marine life. I had got AQUADDICTED after I tried Scuba Diving in Lakshadweep for the first time when I had gone island hopping in Lakshadweep on a cruise. I took this newly found passion to another level by getting myself certified as an Open Water Diver in Gili Islands, Indonesia and Advanced Open Water Diver in Havelock Island, Andaman. After being certified, each time I went Fun Diving at any other destination I visited, they raised eyebrows when I said I've dived in the Andaman Islands. I agree I'm spoilt. But, to my surprise, I ended up falling in love with some dive sites in Phuket while working on my buoyancy by shedding away those extra weights on my belt.
Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Fun Diving in Phuket, Thailand
For the certified divers, Fun Diving in Phuket is actually fun. Well-equipped comfortable diving boats are available for day trips to different dive sites around Phuket to Raja Islands and Phi Phi Islands. The dive boats are equipped with compressors so that you don't need to change your tank after every dive.
Diving boat - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
A typical diving day in Phuket looks like:
- Wake up early in the morning with lot of excitement to board the diving boat.
- Sit back and enjoy the boat ride through the Andaman Sea admiring the marvellous limestone cliffs on the way to the first dive site.
- Check your equipment, gear up and take a Giant Stride in the sea.
Giant Stride - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
- Check the current, plan your dive, release the air from your BCD, equalise while descending and enjoy some of the best moments of your life underwater.
- Come back on the boat, remove the gear, take a hot fresh water shower, let your hair down, restore your energy with food on the boat and get ready for the next dive.
- And by the time you have repeated the procedure for your third and the last dive, believe me, you don't want to come out of the ocean.
Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
- The long journey back to Phuket gives sensational sunset views. I bet you would be so deeply lost in thoughts, you would be so connected to yourself and nature, that going back to the island life would feel alien to you.
- Unwind with a "Chang" beer and some lip smacking Thai food at one of the bars to savour the everlasting nightlife of Phuket town, as you look forward to diving the next morning.
Gorgeous sunset views while returning from Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Best Dive Sites for Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Koh Bida Nok, Phi Phi Islands
Koh Bida Nok, one of the uninhabited Phi Phi Islands, is for advanced divers as currents can be really strong at times. It has been my all-time favourite dive site in Phuket. A lime stone rock forms a wall underwater and multiple dives can be planned around the wall. I had dived here thrice in different directions and was amazed to spot black tip reef sharks all the three times the moment I descended to the dive site. The wall is covered with vivid soft corals, fan corals and sponge corals. Some of the remarkable sightings I got lucky with - squat shrimp, feather star fish, crocodile needle fish, white spotted Boxfish, blue spotted Sting Rays, huge schools of thousands of yellow snappers, school of Barracudas.
School of yellow snappers at Koh Bida Nok, Phi Phi Islands - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
I had got so comfortable diving in Phuket that by the time I went for my 13th Fun Dive here, the oceans had become my playground. I was chasing the sting rays and playing with them in circles, I was purposely getting lost in the schools of yellow snappers and I was peacefully admiring the sleeping sharks for minutes near them!
School of barracuda at Koh Bida Nok - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
On my last dive here, my dive guide took me to a cave for the 3 minute safety stop at 5 metres before ascending up on the surface. This was my first experience of cave diving.
Limestone cliffs that make dive sites Koh Bida Nai & Koh Bida Nok - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Koh Dok Mai, on way to Phi Phi Islands
Koh Doc Mai is again a limestone cliff on way to Phi Phi Islands from Phuket. It is a beautiful wall dive for advanced divers. This dive site is deep and can be difficult in times of current. During my 3 dives at this dive site, I spotted some banded shrimps, a juvenile clown triggerfish, ghost pipefish, various nudibranchs, moray-eels of all shades (white eyed, yellow edged) popping out of this wall.
On my second dive, my dive guide took me deep to spot 4 Bamboo Sharks sleeping under a sheltered coral. They looked so pretty and it was the closest I've been to sharks. I had my "Walter Mitty" moment there - "Sometimes if I like a moment, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it." My dive guide was worried about my air consumption as I stopped there next to the bamboo sharks admiring them for few minutes.
On my second dive, my dive guide took me deep to spot 4 Bamboo Sharks sleeping under a sheltered coral. They looked so pretty and it was the closest I've been to sharks. I had my "Walter Mitty" moment there - "Sometimes if I like a moment, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it." My dive guide was worried about my air consumption as I stopped there next to the bamboo sharks admiring them for few minutes.
Anemone Reef
Anemone Reef is the most pretty dive site in this region suited to beginners as well as advanced divers. The entire dive site looks spectacular with zillions of budding sea anemones and Nemos playing with them. I spotted anemone crab in carpet of anemones, devil scorpion fish, porcupine fish, bearded scorpion fish, clearfin Lion Fish, spot fin lion fish, various nudibranchs. I also spotted crown of thorns - the marine creature responsible for bleaching corals, the creature that is causing threat to the Great Barrier Reef.
Colourful Anemone Reef - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Clownfish at Anemone Reef - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Hin Bida
Hin Bida is another charming dive site for beginners as well as advanced divers. When I was gearing up to dive into this site, my guide Timos came to me and said - "Be ready, I want to go the first to spot the sharks before anyone enters the site". He had helped me spot bamboo sharks in my earlier dive and I trusted him the most when it came to spotting sharks! As per his instructions, he jumped off the boat first and I followed. Before anyone could make his way, Timos tried to look around for the sharks and was disappointed to mot find them at their regular spot. He navigated a little ahead to progress the dive, and there he pointed at a huge Leopard Shark, lying peacefully on a sandy patch. I was so excited to see it, I went quite close to the shark from the behind so that I don't wake it up. Being up, close and personal with a leopard shark for several minutes was so exhilarating that me and Timos almost signalled eachother to end the dive after this. We navigated around a little to spot some more fish as the visibility was really great.
Leopard shark at Hinbida - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Koh Racha Yai, Racha Islands
Racha Islands are famous for beautiful dives because of the great visibility all the time at the bays. It is a very good dive site for beginners because of huge sand bed, good visibility, low current. There are quite a few dive sites around Racha Islands. Diving at these dive sites can turn out to be fortunate if you are lucky to find some iphones, cameras, gold jewellery on the sand beds, mostly lost by the snorkelers! Jokes apart, the dive site at Bay1 is going to be very special to me as it was my first dive through a wreck! When I saw the werck for the first time, I stood still next to it, admiring it. My dive guide, Klaus, held my hand and insisted me to dive through the wreck and I'm so glad he did that!
Wreck diving at Koh Racha Yai - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Bungalow Bay and Banana Bay are other dive sites where you find man made ice blocks to protect the reefs. I spotted different varieties of shrimps - dancing shrimps, banded boxer shrimp, white banded cleaner shrimp, banded mantis shrimp, sting rays, flounder, giant moray eels, black spotted pufferfish and many other fish radiating in the clean waters.
Great visibility at Koh Racha Yai - Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Day trips for Scuba Diving in Thailand can be planned over 3 days to different locations:
1. Phi Phi Islands
2. Shark Point / Anemone Reef / King Cruiser Wreck
3. Raja Yai & Raja Noi Islands
However, you wouldn't regret diving at the same location again as there are different dive sites at the same location. You can go exploring as much as you want without any limits.
1. Phi Phi Islands
2. Shark Point / Anemone Reef / King Cruiser Wreck
3. Raja Yai & Raja Noi Islands
However, you wouldn't regret diving at the same location again as there are different dive sites at the same location. You can go exploring as much as you want without any limits.
Dive sites for Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
I returned home completely content with the varied experiences I added on to my scuba diving profile - wreck diving, cave diving, chasing sting rays, my "Walter Mitty" moment with the bamboo sharks, flooding next to leopard sharks and getting lost in the school of yellow snappers, I had it to the fullest!
Needless to mention, I turn speechless for few days after every diving trip. I always come back as a calmer person than before. The oceans greatly influence my inner peace and I'm AQUADDICTED!
Best time for Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
Diving season in the Andaman Sea is from October - May.
Best time to dive in Phuket - February & March
Best time to dive in Phuket - February & March
P.S. I was on a Scuba Diving trip to Phuket with Trip360
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