What A Dive!

Thailand is renowned the world over for its breathtaking coastline, exotic palm tree lined beaches and pristine oceans. And as anyone who has ever taken a look beneath the waves with the aid of a diver’s mask will tell you, its coastal waters are absolutely teeming with life. Colourful tropical fish of all shapes and sizes, spectacular coral reefs and even sharks, including the huge, but harmless whale shark species (sightings of which tend to be particularly prized by recreational divers), can be found in abundance. It should not come as any great surprise, then, that it is somewhat of a mecca for scuba diving enthusiasts from around the globe.

Here, just off the coast of the Eastern Seaboard, the Gulf of Thailand is positively peppered with small islands, which provide innumerable sheltered and scenic dive sites. Moreover, in part due to the Royal Thai Navy’s home being located in nearby Sattahip, the vast majority of the diver friendly shipwrecks that are to be found in Thai waters lie in close proximity to Pattaya Bay, providing a real incentive for experienced divers to try scuba diving Pattaya style.

Any glance out to sea from a beach in or around Pattaya will immediately tell you that there are islands nearby. However, it will not necessarily reveal quite how many are out there for the simple reason that the horizon is dominated by the large and attractively named Coral Island (Koh Larn). Nevertheless, close to Koh Larn are two much smaller islands known locally as Koh Sak and Koh Khrok, and together this group of three, which lie between five and seven kilometres from Pattaya Beach, is usually referred to as “the Near Islands”. Then, a further eight or nine kilometres beyond them is another group of three islands, namely Koh Luarn, Koh Phai and Koh Man Wichai, which are collectively known, albeit rather unimaginatively, as “the Far Islands”. In amongst these islands are several popular dive sites.

Further south from these two groups, moving towards Sattahip, are Koh Rin, Koh Kram Noi and Koh Kram Yai. Further still, and off the headland area in the vicinity of Samae San village (which can be found just a little way past Sattahip) there is another group of islands, including Koh Samae San, Koh Raet, Koh Chuang and Koh Chan. Both these sets of islands are also home to a number of interesting dive sites. The Samae San chain, in particular, can offer some of the best diving to be found in this part of Thailand and tends to be extremely popular with local dive enthusiasts. Ordinarily, scuba diving day trips departing from Pattaya, whether for pure recreational or educational diving, will head for either the Near Islands or the Far Islands. The precise locations where your dives will take place depend upon a number of factors, including which diving company you have chosen to dive with, the day of the week and the prevailing conditions. Taking the time and speaking to more than one operator before booking your trip is the best way to ensure that you end up going where you want.

So far as the Near Islands are concerned, at Koh Sak you will usually expect to see at least one sea turtle during a dive, whereas at Laem Thong (also known as Golden Bay) off Koh Larn, there are some beautiful hard and soft corals and fish wise you have excellent prospects of seeing both Tawny Nurse Sharks and Spotted Rays. Meanwhile, Koh Larn Vak is another great place to view the coral and can boast some interesting, small underwater caves. Shark Point, also off Koh Larn, offers a pleasant reef with a variety of corals, sea fans and the various sea creatures that live amongst them. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the name of the area, nurse sharks are spotted on virtually every dive.

Due to their convenience, the Near Islands are somewhat prone to crowds and that is just one reason why many divers seem to prefer the Far Islands. In addition, from a pure diving perspective, visibility tends to be a little better the farther out you venture and there are also some great spots to explore amongst the more distant chain. Possibly foremost amongst them is the HTMS Khram shipwreck, which can be found about 300 metres from Koh Phai in about 30 metres of water. Formerly a United States Navy landing craft from the Second World War, it was scuttled by the Thai Navy in February 2003 in order to form an artificial reef to benefit both marine life and recreational divers. It has proven to be a huge success and is a fantastic location to see a wide variety of species, including huge schools of barracuda. The other main dive location at the Far Islands is off Koh Man Wichai, which is an excellent spot to see a wide array of sea life, including angel, butterfly and pipe fish as well as sea turtles.

Most dive operators in Pattaya and Jomtien will have no difficulty in arranging trips to the various dive sites further south, although because these are rarely scheduled it is possible you may have to provide them with a little more notice than to go diving at one of the more standard destinations. However, there is no doubt that there are a few sites that are well worth the effort, particularly for those individuals who have already dived at the various sites closer to Pattaya. Within the Samae San chain, Shark Fin Rock and the Hardeep shipwreck are excellent options. At Shark Fin Rock you will find a rocky ridge that is home to an attractive selection of hard corals, barrel sponges and gorgonian sea fans and amongst other marine life you can expect to see large rays and turtles. The Hardeep is an interesting wreck in that it was sunk by French air force bombs during the Second World War, a fact that perhaps suggests it can’t have been the luckiest of ships. In all honesty, I don’t think I have ever before heard of anything at all being destroyed by the French armed forces during that particular conflict. However, this particular testament to French military might can be found close to Koh Chuang, lying in around 25 metres of water where it provides a safe penetration dive due to the existence of large open cargo holds. Further north, close to Koh Kram Yai and lying in around 20 metres of water, you can find the Petchburi Bremen shipwreck, an old steamship that was first launched in 1901 out of Germany.
However, it was confiscated by the Thai Government during the First World War and then sank three years or so later after a fire in the engine room. Although Thai Navy underwater demolition team exercises have caused considerable damage to the hull, it remains an interesting dive.

Within the pages of this book, you will find listings for two of Pattaya’s premier dive operators. Each of them is PADI registered and caters to every standard of diver, from complete beginner to expert. A huge variety of courses are offered, typically starting with an introduction to scuba diving and moving up through Open Water and Advanced Open Water certification courses right up to programs that will lead to you achieving Master Scuba Diver and Instructor qualifications.

Over in Jomtien Beach, you will find Mermaids Dive Centre (Tel: 038 232 219 and web: www.mermaiddive.com), which is located on the Soi that leads up to the White House Resort, directly off Beach Road. Mermaids friendly team is the only one locally to have achieved PADI’s 5 Star Career Development Centre rating, which enables them to offer courses to prepare you for a career as a Dive Instructor. They also provide technical training, for example how to use nitrox, trimix and rebreathers and educate diving professionals on matters such as advanced search and rescue techniques. Having two dedicated and high specification dive boats, they are able to offer regular overnight trips to the Samae San area. Of course they also offer the usual day trips and courses, the prices for which include being picked up from your hotel and a hot lunch.

Dive South East Asia (Tel: 038 362 300 and web: www.dive-sea.com) is conveniently located at the corner of Beach Road and Central Pattaya Road, with the main office being in the grounds of the Nova Lodge Hotel and a booking kiosk being out on Beach Road next to the mini golf. Their diving boat, which they tell me is the fastest in town, departs from its mooring directly opposite the booking kiosk and takes in the Far Islands and the Khram shipwreck every day before returning at between 3 and 4 pm. Moreover, on board you can expect to receive a free breakfast, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Experienced divers will no doubt be pleased to hear that they have nitrox, which provides longer and safer bottom times, on board every day.
Both of these operators are fully insured and operate to high safety standards. Moreover, they will all do everything in their power to provide you with the ultimate diving experience. I am not sure how you should decide between them, although a few of the factors you might take into account are the quality and speed of their diving boat, cost, the sites at which they dive on the day you choose to go, their school room facilities and training pool and the friendliness of the reception you receive when you pay them a visit. On the question of cost, however, you must be careful to ensure you are comparing like for like. On certification courses, for example, some prices will include the cost for manuals and log books, while others will not. These costs are not insignificant and so must always be taken into account.
All in all, Pattaya has a great deal to offer both to prospective scuba divers and those who already have plenty of experience. There are interesting dive sites, clear blue seas, fascinating marine life and plenty of shipwrecks. The dive operators are well organized, highly professional and can offer the kind of value for money that you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere. So, what with one thing and another, there is every reason to give it a go. Happy diving.