Diving in Thailand has many rewards for Recreational diver, and world-class
dive sites in Phuket and Similan Surin Islands is recognized for its
vibrant marine life, nutrient-rich coral reefs and clear blue, warm water.
Adventure tourists flock to Thailand in search of the Golden Palm beaches,
luxury accommodations on the beach, endless water sports and numerous family
activities, value for money frills that few tourists Asia could withstand. End
of December 2004 was an event that would scar the lives of so many people and my
account of this tragedy is based on what happened on the Andaman coast of
Thailand, though I fully understand that other countries and continents were
also affected.
In Thailand, more than 8,000 people slain in the disaster, or have never been
reunited with their families. This also included more than 2,000 foreign
tourists, most people took holidays in and around Phuket. This southern province
contributed about 40 percent of Thailand’s annual tourism income. The Indian
Ocean tsunami triggered by an undersea earthquake off the cable on the
Indonesian island of Sumatra, and the huge waves hit the Andaman waters tumble
beaches, Phuket and its surrounding regions affected raw nature at its worst.
Phuket Scuba Divers who were actually under water at the time, remembers a wave
of water pushed and pulled with all his strength. Boats were smashed,
snorkelling were dragged along the beach, and sunbathers were completely
overwhelmed by a wall of water crashing overhead.
As you would expect, tourism in this region have suffered enormously, and has
not fully recovered. Scuba Divers in Thailand are other destinations to try and
dive in the last five years has given Pattaya Diving in a positive increase in
the number of divers to make a trip to dive in the Gulf of Thailand. The Diving
Pattaya community are united in their efforts to attract more tourists and also
for its growing number of expats living standards. Island near Pattaya offers
divers and snorkelers a mixture of shallow sheltered bays sheltered from strong
currents, to deep dives around the second world war the U.S. Landing craft that
have been intentionally sunk by the Thai Navy, and creating artificial reefs.
Most of Pattaya Dive Sites can be reached by a dive boat in two hours and there
are many PADI Dive Center offering daily scuba courses for beginners, Fun Diving
Daytrips for certified divers and snorkeling tours for a relaxing day off to
Pattaya Islands.
Information, tips and advice on diving in Pattaya
Most of Pattaya dive sites have year-round diving and a variety of different
dive sites. From shallow reef dives to the wreck diving, deep diving and the
diving operation, there are many scuba activities that can entertain both
beginners and even the most experienced diver diving. The Pattaya near the
Islands including Koh Sak, Koh and Koh Larne Khrok. Koh Larn means “Coral
Island” in Thai and Thai’s feel Koh Sak and Koh Khrok resemble a mortar and
pestle, so they named them after the kitchen tools that they use to crush the
peppers. The Far Pattaya islands Koh Rin, Koh Phai and Koh Man Wichai. Because
these islands dive sites are about 15 km from Pattaya, they tend to be less
populated with boats and water sports activities. The boat trip takes about 90
minutes to get there, but clearer visibility and the vibrant marine life makes
these Pattaya dive sites worth visiting.
Pattaya “near” islands,
Koh Sak – a sheltered, shallow bay, which makes an
ideal dive site for beginner, novice divers and snorkeling in Pattaya. The
maximium depth is around 11 meters, with lots of hard coral formations provide a
home for rabbitfish, Butterfly Fish, octopus, moray eels, rays, wrasse,
Angelfish and Damselfish.
Koh Larn – The Golden Bay on the western side of
Koh Larn contains a number of dive sites for divers of all levels. The hard and
soft corals extending to 20 meters, this dive site is known for spotting Tawny
Nurse Sharks and blue eye beams.
Koh Khrok – A finger-shaped island that is
suitable for diving operations. Maximum depth reaches about 12 feet, with an
abundance of sea anemones, clown fish, nudibranchs and turtles.
Pattaya ‘far’ islands
Koh Rin – Koh Rin has many diving areas, including
two small satellite islands, called Northern Rock, and South Rock. With an
abundance of hard and soft corals, coral whips and feather stars, the divers
will not be disappointed with the aquatic creatures on display around the dive
sites. Dive do not have to be deep here to see the naked snails, sharks,
Razorfish, pipe fish and Moray.
Koh Man Wichai – Dive around this dive in
Pattaya could go down to 25 meters. There are two main dive sites, one being the
“Wall Dive” and the other was the ‘Fingers’. Both areas offer a variety of
corals, including rods horn coral table corals, and here is where you are most
likely to see bigger fish Baraccuda, while in Pattaya scuba diving.
Koh Phai
– The beaches of this island are limited, because it is controlled by the Royal
Thai Navy. The South of the island offers the best diving in the small sheltered
bay offers ideal conditions for beginner divers and swim their skills. Close to
Koh Phai is the wreck of the HTMS Khram, a WW II landing craft that sank in 2003
to create an artificial reef and dive site for wreck diving.
Information about Wreck Diving in Pattaya
HTMS Khram Wreck – In early 2003, the Thai navy sank a former U.S. War ship
between Koh Phai and Koh Larne island about 15 km from Pattaya. The ship lies in
30 meters depth in the Gulf of Thailand, and was sunk on purpose to provide a
breeding ground for fish, and a wreck dive for divers. The Royal Thai Navy was
preparing the ship as a dive site, and it is free of weapons, oil and most other
hazards to divers. The large holes were made in many areas allows penetration
dives through the ships passengers while they are still natural daylight. The
wreck dive is a dive gift for fish lovers, “with Baraccuda, Trevallys, Jacks,
Sovjetfusseliersdivisie, batfish, turtles, stonefish, Hedgehog Fish, Unicorn
fish and sharks just to name a few.
HTMS Kood Wreck – Thailand dive sites are
diving gifts for all divers, but the wreck diving in Pattaya is ‘nautical’ miles
ahead! In September 2006, the Royal Thai Navy sank the HTMS Kood a short 45
minute boat ride from Pattaya Beach. The Kood World War II the U.S. Landing
craft were the closest wreck to Pattaya, available to recreational divers dive
with a certification above the entrance. A sister ship of the HTMS Kood Khram is
another fine example of a thriving artificial reefs which offer another great
dive sites in Pattaya. Just northeast of Koh Sak, bottom of the wreck lies in 30
meters and the top of the tower of 12m.
Hardeep Wreck – originally an
Indonesian-registered freighter, the Hardeep was sunk in 1943. More than sixty
years of growth, given the soft corals and sponge gardens tube anchor itself,
and the wreck provides a safe home for the older and larger fish families. Fish
life on the Hardeep Wreck covers Baraccuda, Angelfish, Jacks Trevellys, bat fish
and Butterfly Fish. Laying on its starboard side in 27 meters depth, the wreck
is only 42 meters long and contains some very large openings to allow divers
view of the engine and the crankshaft.
Bremen Wreck – The Bremen is a
88-meter-long Thai cargo ship which sank in the 1930s after an engine room
explosion. The wreck now lies on the sandy bottom in 22 meters between Sattahip
and Koh Khram. Although the wreck is badly broken, the bow and stern sections
are relatively intact, but the middle is usually deformed steel. Wreck coverage
is generally not recommended on this dive. The currents can be strong here, if
you plan your diving appropriate, is the pinnacle of wreck diving in Bremen,
trying to place large Eagle Rays that thrive in these waters. Bremen The wreck
lies in open water and experiences strong currents for much of the year. The
best time to dive in Bremen from December to March.
Pattaya, as a diving destination, can not realistically compete with the
natural underwater beauty of pristine coral reefs in Phuket, but its purpose in
the near future is to attract divers by hosting a special wreck diving region up
to five new wreck in Pattaya diving area and help maintain and improve its
marine environment. These artificial reefs provide a home for new coral
formations and aquatic life, with the added advantage of being “off limits” to
the local fishermen to encourage larger fish that inhabit the wreck. As Thailand
continues to recover from the tragedy five years on, there is little physical
evidence of one of history’s worst natural disasters, other than a random
Tsunami “Hazard Zone” sign. Phuket is one of Asia’s premier resort islands, and
although tourism is down, few people blame the tsunami.
