Diving in Phuket
Dive the Pearl of the South
Phuket is the gateway to the best diving in Thailand. The island is the place from which you can either take a liveaboard trip up Thailand's west coast to the best dive sites of the Andaman Sea or you can stay in one of the many resorts and take shorter day trips instead to enjoy some of the great nearby Phuket scuba diving.
For families, experienced divers and backpackers, Phuket has long been the Number 1 diving destination in Thailand and the island provides a great base for doing PADI courses, diving the local sites via daytrips or setting out on a liveaboard adventure to the Similans or beyond into Myanmar - Burma.
Diving Phuket offers something for everyone, from deluxe secluded beach resorts to cheap and cheerful accommodation further away from the beach, from quiet classy restaurants to the exciting nightlife of Bangla Road at Patong Beach.
Highlights
From Phuket Island, you can take day trips to the Similans and Koh Phi Phi, but here are some of its own great dive sites:
Racha Noi - For many, Racha Noi represents the best of the local Phuket dive sites. Here you can get a taste of the Similans with large submerged granite boulders providing an impressive and ever-changing topography as you progress through your dive. Racha Noi is great not only for the health of its hard coral formations but also for the list of entertaining fish including highlights such as manta rays, jacks and tuna and if you are very lucky maybe even a passing whale!
Shark Point - This excellent site is a little misleadingly named for although you are likely to encounter several leopard sharks here and maybe the occasional bamboo shark, it is for its spectacular pristine coral that Shark Point is best loved. Pufferfish, boxfish and angelfish all abound here and there are normally schools of tiny glassfish being terrorised by the marauding jacks. Shark Point is a beautiful, healthy dive site providing an abundance of entertainment for you.
Kingcruiser Wreck - Lying in around 32 metres this passenger ferry, which sank in 1997 without loss of life, has been an unexpected bonus for the local Phuket diving industry. Providing a large shelter for literally thousands of fish, the wreck is now enjoyed by divers keen to see the abundant life that calls the wreck home. The depth, currents and fragile state of the wreck make it inappropriate for absolute beginners but anyone with more than a few logged dives can really enjoy all the resident trevally, mackerel, barracuda and much more.
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How to Dive Phuket Island
The best way to plan your local daily diving is to book your Phuket day trips with us and to arrange to stay in one of the popular resort hotels. Local divemasters are always provided but private dive guides are also available if you prefer more personal attention.
If you're interested in exploring the sites further offshore from here, then a Thailand liveaboard trip will be your best bet.
Got a question?
Have a look through our Frequently asked questions
Diving Season
Scuba diving in Phuket continues year round with the best conditions being in the high season of November to April, with the absolute peak conditions being towards the end of this period. In low season the weather is less predictable generally, featuring more rain and choppier seas. However, schedules for trips to local sites are only rarely interrupted by weather conditions.
Phuket liveaboards run from October to mid May. Outside of this period there are only a very limited number of liveaboards running to the Phi Phi Islands and the Similans.
Reef Summary
Good for: Small animals, reef life and health, beginner divers, diving value-for-money, snorkelling and non-diving activities
Not so good for:
Depth: 5 - 40m
Visibility: 5 - 40m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface conditions: Calm to moderate
Water temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: ~30
Access: Liveaboard cruises and day tours
Recommended length of stay: 1 week, or 2 - 3 weeks to dive all destinations accessible from here
Dive Site Descriptions
Read our detailed descriptions of the Phuket diving sites:
• Koh Phuket travel information
View a map of:
• Phuket Island - Thailand
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