What are the Best Dive Sites in Phuket?

Here is a blog with what the Aussie Divers staff think what are the best dive sites in Phuket.

Aussie Divers Phuket Staff – Top 5 Phuket Dive Spots

Between the dive sites in the day trip region of Phuket, the Southern Andaman and the Northern Andaman dive areas of the Similan and Surin Islands there are more than 100 different dive sites.

Here are some of the Aussie Divers Phuket staff with their views on what their favorite dive sites are.

Darren Gaspari

• 1. Koh Bida Nok – Phi Phi: Just for the marine life. There is too much there to see.
• 2. Bay 1 & 2 – Racha Yai: OK, Call me crazy. I learnt to dive in these bays and they have a special place in my heart. It is a bit like my first girl friend, she doesn’t look like she used to but I still love her.
• 3. Anemone Reef: On a clear visibility day with not many divers it is stunning. Great Marine life. Falls out of the top when the vis is not good.
• 4. Banana Bay – Racha Noi: Just great visibility and tranquil. Always the expectation of a Manta Ray.
• 5. Elephant Head Rock – Similan Islands: Awesome swim throughs and rock formations. All though they are deep and it needs to be with divers

Bida Islands Phi Phi Scuba Diving Aussie Divers

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Simon Creed

• 1. Banana Bay – Racha Noi: Lovely dive site with clear water and just a nice relaxing place to be.
• 2. Bida Nok – Koh Phi Phi: This place I could dive everyday due to the incredible marine life and the abundance of yellow snapper.
• 3. King Cruiser: Just descending and then it starts to emerge is a great start to a dive. Plus it is covered in marine life.
• 4. North Point – Similan Islands: Granted it is a bit deep for some divers but with good visibility. Its a great dive site with numerous swim throughs.
• 5. Marina Bay – Racha Noi: When swimming out of the bay, heading south just cruising along seeing these huge boulders drop down can make a fantastic dive. Plus you get the chance for the Manta at certain times.

Sunrise Similan Islands Scuba Diving Phuket Liveaboard

Martin Ruhoff

• 1. Richelieu Rock: The best place in Thailand, where you can find both fantastic macro life, and see some of the big pelagic creatures. A must in Thailand.
• 2. Elephant Head Rock – Similan Islands: Fantastic scenery, with great swim throughs. In the morning, you will see all the hunting fish try to catch there breakfast. If that’s not enough, you might see the reefsharks on the bottom, and there is a very good macro life as well.
• 3. Koh Bon: Mantas, mantas and mantas. Also one of the only places where you can almost guarantee octopuses. Who don’t like octopuses.
• 4. King Cruiser Wreck: Love wrecks, and love the life on it. Bring a torch, and go slowly.
• 5. Koh Bida Nok – Phi Phi. A mini Richelieu. Fantastic reef with a lot of life. Chance to see both sharks and turtles. And then you have the big eye snappers.

Day Trip Koh Koc Mai Aussie Divers Phuket

Andre Engstrom

• 1. Anemone Reef: Just because it is beautiful when it is having a good day.
• 2. Richelieu Rock: Mostly because I had 4 whale sharks on there one day
• 3. Hin Daeng: Great vis, nice clean dive site and healthy corals
• 4. Kata Beach: I love looking for the small macro hidden there.
• 5. Koh Bida Nok – Phi Phi: Just a lot of marine life and rarely a morning dive there.

Two Koh Haa Islands Aussie Divers

Emily Hallam

• 1. Koh Bida Nok – Phi Phi: The huge schools of fish at this colorful dive site impress the most well-travelled and experienced divers.
• 2. Anemone Reef: The name says it all. Clown fish galore and loads of other critters to look for around this pinnacle. If you’re lucky enough, you may even spot a leopard shark or two out in the sand.
• 3. Koh Bon: Definitely one of my favorites because I love big pelagic creatures. Visit this dive site at the right time of year and you have a great chance of encounters with giant oceanic manta rays!
• 4. Elephant Head Rock – Similan Islands: This dive site is a huge labyrinth of swim throughs and tunnels to explore. No matter how many times you dive here, there are always new routes and cut throughs to explore! Also a chance to see white tip sharks swimming out in the blue.
• 5. Banana Bay – Racha Noi: Fun dive site which everyone can enjoy, perfect for new divers and certified divers who love crystal clear water and easy conditions. Throughout this year we’ve had he chance of seeing turtles, eagle rays, sea moths and a heap of other fun stuff at this Racha Noi site.

Bay 2 Racha Yai Phuket Scuba Diving Best

Nina Morris

Top 5 dive sites in no order:

• 1. Anemone Reef: Amazing colour, diverse amount of life.
• 2. Koh Bon: On a good vis day seeing the whole of the west ridge with all the soft yellow corals and of course the mantas, had 1 of my best ever dives there with lots of mantas and a black manta.
• 3. Koh Doc Mai: When no current cam spend ages on east side wall looking for lots of macro, and going into the sir pocket in the chimeny in one of the caves
• 4. Richelieu Rock: can dive there all day and still not see everything, everydive is different with different marine life to see
• 5. Hin Daeng: Amazing colours and healthy corals

Koh Bon Similan Islands Scuba Diving Phuket Thailand Best

Tom Domville

• 1. Koh Tachai: Beautiful corals and a vast range of pelagic marine life. It is where I saw my first manta ray.
• 2. Hin Daeng: Big marble rays and turtles
• 3. King Cruiser: Lots of marine life and bamboo sharks
• 4. Koh Bida Nok – Phi Phi: Massive schools of fish
• 5. Banana Bay – Racha Noi: Some nice small and rare creatures such as sea moths, nudis and frog fish.

Koh Tachai Best Scuba Diving Liveaboard Thailand Phuket

By Darren Gaspari

Proud owner and active PADI Gold Course Director of Aussie Divers Phuket, a professional and awarded PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Scuba Diving Centre. Member of the PADI Advisory Board for the eLearning modules 2019 and 2020.

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Posted in Helpful Diving Info on May 27, 2016.