Phuket Dive Trips

There is a choice of five main scuba diving trips from Phuket. Generally most destinations are suitable for any level of certified diver. Scroll further down to read an overview of each dive trip and what level of scuba diver it is suitabe for. For more detailed info on the individual dive sites and what they offer, check out our dive sites sections as follows:

Read on to determine which dive trips are suitable for your experience level.

Racha Yai Island, Phuket

About 1 ½ hours by boat from the mainland, there are a number of different dive sites that can be visited around this island. The water is generally very clear and dives are made in sheltered bay areas. This allows the dive boats to tie up onto a mooring making entry and exit very simple. Because of this it makes Racha Yai island the perfect place for beginner divers to try diving for the first time. It is also a great place for certified divers of all levels offering a lovely selection of hard corals and marine life. Deep diving is also possible and there is even a wreck!

The choice of which particular dive sites we visit is very dependent on the direction of the waves as we are looking for the calmest places but without compromising on the quality of the dives. Be aware that Racha Yai island can get very busy as it is popular for tours from Phuket including snorkelling, sailing and fishing as well as scuba diving. However, underwater there is always lots of space for everyone.

Racha Noi Island, Phuket

About 2 ½ hours by boat from Phuket island, the diving here is very similar to Racha Yai island although the corals here are in much better condition. This is due to two main factors: less visitors and nobody living on the island. Also, there is the added attraction of large underwater rock formations of all shapes and sizes, some of which look like they have been sculptured by hand!

As with Racha Yai island, the boats are tied up before entry and dives are in sheltered bays so also perfect for both beginner and experienced divers. There is also the possibility to see some larger marine species like turtles or rays. Although rare, the occasional manta ray or whaleshark can be seen cruising by.

Phi Phi Islands, Krabi

Located 2 ½ to 3 hours from Phuket, the national marine park of Phi Phi Islands offer world class diving. A mix of hard corals and colourful soft corals, together with a variety of sea fans, make the dive sites here visually stunning and give them the WOW factor. There is also a large variety of marine life with a good chance of larger species such as sharks or turtles, plus amazing schools of fishes such as snappers and trevallies. The water here is generally not as clear as at the islands of Racha Noi and Yai but that doesn't really matter as there are so many fish everywhere.

The dives here are more challenging than the Racha islands of Phuket for two reasons. Firstly, it is not possible to tie up the dive boat so entry and exits can be more challenging. Secondly, the dive sites are generally more open so can be exposed to both waves and underwater currents. Also, due to local regulations, first time divers are not permitted to go diving at the Phi Phi islands dive sites we visit. This is to minimise any accidental damage caused to the reef by inexperienced divers. However, students completing their final open water dives and all certified divers are welcome to dive here.

Anemone Reef, King Cruiser Wreck, Koh Doc Mai, Shark Point

These four dive sites are situated between Phuket and Phi Phi islands with journey times of between 1 ½ to 2 hours each way. Each of the four sites is unique in its own way and all are visually stunning with incredible amounts of marine life.

Anemone Reef is an incredibly beautiful underwater limestone pinnacle covered in anemones, soft corals and sea fans. The King Cruiser wreck is an 85 metre long car ferry. However, it is so much more than just a wreck with so many large schools of fishes you sometimes can't even see where you are going! Koh Doc Mai is a small island with a wall dropping underwater to depths of 20+ metres and renowned for macro as well as the occasional turtle. Shark Point is a series of underwater limestone formations known for its pure beauty and the chance of a leopard shark.

The water clarity is variable at these sites ranging on any day from 8 to 25 metres. It is impossible to predict in advance as so many things affect the underwater visibility such as currents and plankton. However, no matter what the visibility the sites are always full of exciting marine life. These sites are the most challenging from a scuba diving day tour from Phuket as they are situated in the open sea. This means no shelter so entry and exits can be challenging when waves are high. Also, the sites can all be prone to strong currents. For that reason, these sites are not available for non-certified divers.

Any certified diver is welcome to visit these sites (with the exception of the King Cruiser wreck). However, we do recommend being particularly comfortable in water especially if you are only recently certified or haven't dived for a while. For the King Cruiser wreck, as safety is always our first priority, we recommend being an Advanced Open Water diver or having a minimum of 15 dives (including a recent dive). The wreck is deep (18 metres on the top) and is particularly vulnerable to currents.

Similans Islands

Situated over 100 km north of Phuket, the Similans islands (plus Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock) are world renowned as having some of the best dive sites you can ever experience. Also, they are frequently visited by large pelagic marine life such as manta rays and whalesharks especially between the months of January and April. The water clarity is usually very good although it can also vary considerably depending on various factors.

Although a fantastic area to dive, only the Similans Islands and Koh Bon are currently accessible for scuba diving day trips from Phuket due to the travel distance. To explore the full area you would need to take a Similans liveaboard trip with a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights required if you wished to visit Richelieu Rock, the most famous of all the sites. Because Similans and Koh Bon islands are really out in the open sea they can be very challenging. This is because they can get very strong ocean currents (as opposed to tidal currents). For that reason these dive areas are only open to certified divers who have dived recently and preferrably have the Advanced Open water certification (or similar).

Although there are scuba diving day trips from Phuket to the Similans Islands we do not recommend them. This is because it is a long way to travel - minimum 2 hours by minibus and over 1 hour by speedboat each way. The day trips only offer 2 dives due to time constraints and it cannot be predicted which sites you will be visiting as that depends on both the general weather and conditions at sea. Therefore, you will almost certainly not get to experience the best of what the Similans Islands has to offer. A minimum of 2 days/1 night or more would be a much better option. However, if you are restricted by time to only doing a day trip to the Similans Islands then we can arrange on request.