Best Diving Sites in Thailand

Across the globe there are a wealth of sites for diving that are bursting at the seams with everything from colourful corals, to ship wrecks and a vast variety of marine life. Voted among some of the best diving sites in various magazines and polls, Thailand’s dive sites offer plenty to suit all kinds of diver. Let’s take a look at some of the best.

Top Rated Dive Sites In The World

Established divers among you may already have a favourite if you are frequent visitors to Thailand, but if you’ve never dived there before, or you’re new to diving and would love to visit a dive site there, then you’ll be interested in this.  Several sites in Thailand have made it into the CNN world’s best poll. They are Elephant Head Rock, Similans, Thailand, and Japanese Gardens in Koh Tao.

Elephant Head Rock has a stunning cave backdrop, arches, and swim-throughs, with a depth of 35-40 metres, and visibility of 20-40 metres. The area is 10 minutes from the Southwest point of Koh Similan and offers the chance to see yellow goat fish, blue ringed angel fish, and 3 species of shark.

By contrast, the Japanese Gardens in Koh Tao offer shallow and easily accessible diving that’s great whatever your ability. Giant pufferfish and turtles favour this spot, and you’ll spot a real mix of other marine life from colourful Christmas tree worms and yellow butterfly fish, to red breasted wrasses. There’s also a mini wreck of a former dive boat, a recent addition to a stunning dive site.

Want to find out more about any of these dive sites mentioned, or specifically diving in Thailand? Then your first port of call should be The Professional Association Of Diving Instructors (PADI), a world leader in diving instructor training. There are plenty great PADI courses in Thailand and you can check the details of courses, dive vacations, and different dive locations across the world online before you book.

Resort Overview

Thailand is well-known not just for the opportunities it offers, but also its distinct dive seasons. If you travel between November to April you’ll find calm seas around the Similan Islands, with great conditions there and in the Andaman Sea. If you’re looking for a resort with good access to this dive area then head to Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, or Khao Lak. Expect vibrant reefs, whale sharks, cuttlefish, and soft corals, and you can even head to a special place and dive with the elephants that swim from island to island.

Another option is to head to the Gulf and dive off the islands of Ko Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. The best time to travel to this area is February to May, where you’ll have the chance to see lots of colourful marine life. Black tip reef sharks are common, and if you head to Sail Rock or Shark Island look out for fusiliers, leopard sharks, and blue spotted lagoon rays. You’ll find several areas with caverns and dramatic swim-throughs to add to the unforgettable experience.

All in all, you could book manta dives, shark dives, drift dives, reef or wall dives, night dives and more! There’s even the opportunity to choose a live-aboard vacation, where you’ll stay on ship out at sea to truly make the most of every dive opportunity that comes up during your stay.

General or dive specific travel sites are also well worth checking out for overviews of the different dive locations, and further information about resorts and accommodation. There’s plenty to see and do under the water in Thailand, so we hope this has given you a good snapshot of what’s on offer in this Asian diving mecca.

Jeffrey Glenn (@goproasia) is the founder Go Pro Asia, of one of Thailand’s most sort after professional dive training resorts. Jeffrey is a PADI Course Director and Technical Diving Instructor Trainer with over 20 years’ experience in the dive industry.