Phuket's diving is great fun
Regardless of whether you have never dived, or are highly experienced I would strongly recommend Phuket's diving. Phuket has some of the the best diving I have ever experienced – I have dived in close to a dozen countries and Thailand is by far and away my favourite. There are many reasons for this, some of which include
- the variety of dive experiences available
- the high level of service
- the warm water temperature
- the proliferation of sea life
- the Similian Islands are ranked in the top 10 dive sites in the world.
Of course I must admit that I do hold a certain bias in favour of Thailand over most countries.
I have dived with most dive operators in Thailand – but mostly I worked and dived with Sea Bees. I can say without hesitation that Sea Bees are the best operator I have ever dived with. Again, there are several reasons for this:
- The operation owns their own dive boats – 6 in total. 2 for liveaboards and 4 for day trips.
- The boats store the equipment on board
- great food - dedicated and permanent staff
- The operation has their own compressor
- The service and attention to detail is fantastic
- the staff have both a genuine love for what they do
- a deep commitment to service, safety and making sure that everyone is relaxed and feels confident and safe at all times.
- Their boats are state of art. New boats added regularly
- The latest in comfort, technology and safety.
While working in Thailand, I have worked and dived on most of the Sea Bees dive boats including the new Excalibur 2. The Boat had its dive deck, Two inner decks and two sundecks, one open and one shaded . The food on board consisted of breakfast, lunch, fruits and snacks and was very, very good and the staff were attentive and fun. The dive team there will go through your requirements answer any concerns and help you on your way to making happy bubbles!
If you have not dived for a while you should take a refresher dive first before tackling some of the more challenging Phuket dive sites. You will find the dive instructors patient and thorough, being equally dedicated to safety and enjoyable diving. The instructors know the dive sites very well, and therefore know where the Leopard Sharks, Mantra Rays and all the really interesting sights are likely to be. During my dives we were lucky enough to see several sharks, Many Rays, a seahorse, and my first ever sighting of an Andaman Walkman fish. These sights alone are enough to make a dive trip special– but each dive was unique, and a lifetime experience. All details were taken care of such as having extra equipment on Board should any equipment get damaged or anyone forgets anything. As there is nothing worse than having to sit out a dive due to a broken mask strap or a damaged fin strap. Thailand has a high and low season, luckily it has two sides (east coast and west coast) so you can choose the best time to dive in Thailand
What else can I do in Thailand?
Explore Bangkok. Walk the Markets and enjoy the hustle, bustle and excitement – Visit the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha,. Have a romantic Dinner Cruise on the Chao Phraya River (the River of Kings). Then retire to your hotel in Bangkok for fine dinning and service. Be pampered in the spas and enjoy the comforts of the worlds leading hotels. Then Head for the hills of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai – Take an elephant trek, go white water rafting, take a trip through the golden triangle and through the forests and Jungle. Then head for the islands and beaches to relax, soak in the sun and island hop. Explore, or do nothing. Whether you head to Phuket, Krabi, Had Yai, Hua Hin, Si Kao or Samui, or indeed take a side trip to Bali.
