Phuket Scuba Diving
The Andaman Sea around Phuket is one of the major scuba diving destinations in Thailand. The many islands, tropical coral reefs, shipwrecks and great variety of corals and fish make the Andaman Sea a great place to explore the underwater world. The underwater scenery is beautiful with colorful corals and tropical marine animals in all shapes and sizes like seahorses, whale sharks and manta rays.
Beginner & experienced divers
Thanks to its clear waters, mild currents, warm climate, abundant marine life and good facilities, the dive sites around Phuket are an ideal place for both beginner and experienced divers.
Marine life
Marine life around Phuket is abundant.
Coral reefs
Coral reefs in the Andaman Sea consist of hard corals like branching, brain, pore and staghorn corals as well as soft corals like sea fans and sea whips. Another beautiful sight is the colorful barrel sponges and anemones.
Colorful fish
Among the marine life highlights are blacktip reef shark, leopard shark, eagle ray, manta ray, hawksbill turtle, common dolphin and sailfish. Reef fish like parrotfish, grouper, angelfish, butterflyfish, anemonefish and basslets are common. Often there are big schools of barracudas, snappers, fusiliers, trevally and tuna.
Whale sharks
During the summer months between May and August, whale sharks are sometimes spotted in the waters around Phuket.
Dive sites in Phuket
Most sites around Phuket are easy to get to by either speedboat or dive boat. The most popular destinations like the Racha Islands and the Phi Phi Islands are between two and three hours away from the pier in Chalong. Some sites can be reached by longtail boat, a few are right off the beach.
The underwater landscapes are varied and consist of coral reefs, pinnacles, caves, shipwrecks, granite walls and spectacular drop-offs.
Some of the best dive sites are:
Kata Beach
One of the easiest dive sites to get to is the north end of Kata Beach. Divers can walk into the water right from the beach. It takes a bit of a swim to get to the reef of hard and soft corals. Around the reef are fish as triggerfish, surgeonfish, scorpionfish, lionfish, seahorses, turtles, anglerfish, ghost pipefish, shrimpfish, humphead parrotfish, stingrays and cuttlefish. Divers can often see schools of glass fish, snapper, fusiliers, trevally, barracuda and tuna.
With its shallow water and mild current, it’s an easy dive well suited for beginners. Visibility is better during high tide. Kata north is best in the dry season. Because of its proximity to the beach, the site makes for a good morning or afternoon dive.
Koh Pu Island
A little further out from Kata Beach is a small island named Koh Pu. An artificial reef created by dumping concrete cubes into the sea has attracted new coral growth. Divers can see giant morays, cleaner shrimps, cuttlefish, sweetlips, morays, anemonefish and stingrays.
Best time to dive in Phuket
Phuket is an all-year scuba diving destination. The water is always warm, varying between 27°C and 30°C.
The best time to dive is during the dry season, which lasts from late November until early April, when visibility is good and currents are mild. As the wind direction is east, the water on the west coast is calm with good visibility.
Scuba diving during the rainy season
The monsoon season in Phuket lasts from May until October with September and October being the wettest months. During these months there is more rain and wind, and the waves are higher.
Even during the monsoon season, there are plenty of good scuba dive sites. Among the favorite monsoon season dive sites is the Racha Islands, particularly the sites on the east coast sheltered from the westerly winds.
Boat trips can be uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe in the monsoon season. The moving of the boat can cause people to feel seasick. Getting divers off and on the boat can be dangerous when the waves are big. Trips to dive sites in open sea not sheltered by land are the first to be canceled when waves are too high.