Thailand
Similan Island
Just northwest of of Phuket’s lies a gateway to another world.
Koh Similan is one of the best known island groups in the Andaman Sea.
The Similan Islands national marine park is widely recognized as the
best diving in Thailand, and most would agree that the reefs are some
of the healthiest in Asia. The Similan Islands are open ocean, so most
of the more famous sites are best done by experienced divers.The dive
sites vary from gentle sloping hard coral reefs to wild current swept rocky landscapes.
The Similans are characterised by gigantic boulders above and below
the water line, creating awesome underwater scenery and exciting swim
throughs for divers to explore. Beautiful soft coral gardens hide between
the rocks, and the sand rubble bottom is great for critters like nudibranchs
and ribbon eels. White tip sharks are often seen in deeper sandy areas.
Scuba trips run from October through to May, with the very best conditions
existing from November to April. Outside of these months, surface swells
can adversely affect conditions. From May to August, the weather is often
better in the Gulf of Thailand, so you might consider diving in Koh Tao.
Live-A-Board
Click on this link for Similand Live-A-Board: http://www.divemaster.net/cms/
Burma Islands
We have listed Burma Islands under the Thailand section because
all quality live-a-boards operate out of Thailand.
For the more advanced and adventurous diver this is the place to go.
You will visit dive sites few divers been to and you will probably
be alone at every dive site. On our latest trip we saw no other dive boats,
no other divers. In fact, we saw hardly any other boats at all.
Thailand has some excellent diving, but many places are quite crowded. Burma
Islands are an experience very different from Thailand diving. You will
also find completely different spicies and different versions of the sealife
around the other dive sites in Thailand.
Around High Rock we saw many Scorpion fish and Lion fish.
Shark Cave has a nice swim-through cavern.
Burma Islands has the largest Scorpion fish I ever seen. Plenty of Lion fish as well.
Black Rock is covered with white and blue soft coral, all very healthy.
We also saw many new version of Moray eels, shrimp and cray fish.
On many dives we saw both Octopus and Cuttle fish on the same dive.
The islands we were diving on were a mixture of lime stone and granite stone. Some pinnacles
are completely submerged, like Sea Fan Pinnacle.
A gentle recommendation is to get your diving skills up to date before you go
on a trip to Burma.
Colona Liveaboard
For great diving in the Burma Islands click : http://www.diving-thailand-phuket.com/
Koh Tao
Imagine a tropical island with incredible snorkelling and scuba diving, a
dense jungle in the centre and surrounded by remarkably quiet, palm tree
laced beaches. Open your eyes, you are seeing Koh Tao.
Not many decades ago, the island was not inhabited, only the occasional
fisherman from the neighbouring islands made short stays.
The island has also been used as a political prison. Once the prisoners
left, the backpackers started to arrive.
Because of the proximity of the reefs, boat rides to the sites range from
only 5 min. to max 35 min. for the furtherst away dive spot.
Because of its underwater topography, very mild currents and tranquil bays,
diving around Koh Tao is suitable for beginners. For more experienced divers
Koh Tao has a lot to offer in form of continued training (Dive Speciality,
Dive Master, Dive Instructor).
Koh Tao is an amazing place. White sandy beaches sheltered by steep hills
and sunny days invite you to long lazy afternoons of lounging, sea kayaking
and diving.
It’s a popular destination, especially the week after the Full Moon Party
on Koh Pangang .
Dive training at Crystal
For all your diving needs on Koh Tao click: http://www.crystaldive.com/
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