Phuket's
sea water averages 29ºC (84ºF) November - April, drifting down to 26ºC (79ºF) May -
October. The best time for diving and snorkeling is between November - April, however, between
May - October it is still fun to dive and snorkel too, with the exception of a few days, when
the weather can be very rough.
The brilliant colours and forms of corals and fish in the
Phuket area attracts both scuba divers as well as snorkellers. The island's scuba facilities
are advanced and varied, catering to the various needs: from discovering scuba, to 3 days open
water diver course, providing you with the diving equivalent of your international driving
license; daily day trips to the various dive sites off Phuket like the Phi Phi islands, Racha
islands and Shark Point, to 3-7 day liveaboard cruises to the Similan
and Surin islands, Hin Daeng and Hin Mouang (Red and Purple Rock) and/or even Burma. Both,
snorkellers and non divers can also tag along in these adventures. ritregistratiesysteem
Visibility can reach 30m at Racha and Phi Phi, and more at the
magnificent Similan and Surin islands where there is a fair chance of seeing manta rays, whale
sharks, giant turtles, and dramatic underwater rocks capes.
Equipments and gears for diving can be rented from most of the
established scuba dive operators.
Snorkeling
The sea off Phuket's
west coast headlands offering limited corals, and a small marine populations can be fun to
snorkel in. Over fishing, beach discharge, and longtail boat anchors have taken their toll.
Twenty years ago there were frequent sightings of leatherback turtles off Patong. Now, this is
not the case.
Nevertheless, between November and April snorkellers can enjoy
around the headlands at Relax Bay (Le Meridien), north Kata opposite Koh Pu, north and south of
Singh and Surin beaches, and at Nai Harn between the Yacht Club and Jungle Beach Resort.
Mask, snorkel and fins can be rented from any of the beach
front scuba dive operators.
SCUBA
course The
PADI open water diver course usually takes three days, combining classroom theory, swimming
pool or beachside practical training, and the four qualifying open water dives. In this course,
you will learn all about the equipment, underwater signals, and how to calculate your permitted
dive time and depth. After you have completed your first two open water dives, and comfortable
underwater, you will begin to enjoy the beautiful underwater sights. The final two dives
usually take place at Racha Yai, or Shark Point west of Phi Phi. We asked anthropology papers and College essay help, read more...
SCUBA
day trips Once
you are a certified open water diver, you can sign up for any number of day trips. These
typically involve two dives of about 40 minutes duration each. Anemone Reef (plus ship wreck),
Shark Point, Koh Dok Mai near Phi Phi, Racha Yai and Racha Noi are some of the popular
dive sites. Visibility ranges 4-30m, depending on the time of the year at these sites. Shark
Point is so named as the placid leopard sharks which nestle on its sandy sea floor, make it
their home.
Liveaboard
safaris These are longer diving trips to
distant islands of the Andaman Sea. The operators of these liveaboard trips ensures that your
are provided with most of the basic comfort needs onboard. Allowing you to travel as well
having more dives per day and at night to. World class dive sites at the Similans, Surin
islands, and Burma's Mergui archipelago are all within reach. Liveaboard
trips, which are available between November to May, last between 3-7 days.
It
is an undisputable fact that Phuket and it's surrounding or nearby islands offers some first
class world diving sites. Yearly, Phuket play host to thousands of divers and would be divers
from all over the world, wanting to explore or begin their basic diving skills. Dive centers
and dive shops populates the main beaches of the island and with far sightedness, there
are even
hyper baric chambers in Phuket, the latest count is 3 centre offering this
service. which is a reassuring fact for divers safety.
