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Diving and Snorkeling in Thailand
With its huge lengths of coast line, plethora of idyllic tropical islands, developed travel facilities and its reasonable costs it is no surprise that Thailand's waters are popular amongst divers and snorkelers. There is something for everyone whatever your level of experience. Whether that's swimming with sharks off Koh Tao or snorkeling in the shallow green waters of Chicken Island in Krabi watching the fast moving shoals of miniature tiger fish. The waters are mild and the marine life is plentiful. There are also plenty of places running dive courses so it's a good and inexpensive place to get international certificates.
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The biggest center for diving in terms of the sheer numbers of actual divers is Pattaya. This is because it is so conveniently close to Bangkok. Once you get away from the slightly murky waters round the beach and out to the nearby islands there are reefs. Twenty to thirty kilometers from the shore are an outer ring of islands controlled by the navy where boat traffic is limited. There is soft and hard coral. Visibility is often up to 15 meters. South of Pattaya off Sattahip there are a couple of large, intact, genuine ship wrecks.
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Better for diving and snorkeling is Phuket. In terms of actual number of dive shops and dive boats it is busier than Pattaya. People come from all over the world to dive around Phuket. Only eight degrees from the equator the waters are warm and the marine life is varied and plentiful.
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Two hours offshore is the island of Ao Phang-Nga with its limestone rock formations and clear warm waters. Four hours from Phuket are the world famous Similian islands. The nine islands are part of a national park so the marine life is protected and there is no land based tourism even on the main island. The east coast is characterized by hard coral reef around which there is an abundance of marine life to observe. On the west coast the currents are stronger. There are huge underwater boulders on which grow some of the most colorful soft coral you could imagine. This is an area visited only with an experienced guide since navigation can be difficult if you don't know the dive sites. The Similians abound in fish. Over 108 varieties of reef fish alone have been logged and there are probably many more waiting to be discovered.
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The islands off Ao Nang in Krabi have something for everyone. Twenty minutes from the beach are Koh Poda Nok and Koh Poda Nai. The calm, clear, shallow water here is a great place for beginners and children to snorkel. There are plenty of small fish close to the shore. More experienced divers can head further out to Koh Hah where the water is deeper and the dives more demanding.
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The Gulf of Thailand is catching up with Phuket as an area popular with divers and snorkelers. There are countless dive operations operations around Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Chumphon and Koh Tao.
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Chumphon Pinnacle is a group of rocks often considered one of Thailand's best dive sites. The visibility is amazing and you will often see big fish from the open ocean such as barracuda and different varieties of shark. There are some excellent swim through tunnels at Angthong National Park. It is also the spawning ground for many fish species. You can, at times, find yourself totally surrounded.
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Perhaps the most varied site in the Samui archipelago is Shark Island. It is small and uninhabited situated just to the south of Koh Tao. Although it is the leopard sharks, the whale sharks and reef sharks that give it its name there are many other varieties of fish. You can also, occasionally, see turtles and sea snakes.
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Chumphon province north of Surathani is an up-coming area in terms of diving. There are over fifty islands to choose from sporting swim through caves, abundant marine life and caves. The area is also much less commercial and less crowded than other areas.
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About The Author
Alex Smith maintains and manages the Cheap Thailand Travel website at http://www.cheapthaitravel.com - All of the materials on this site are the sole property and responsibility of Cheapthaitravel.com. This material may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission.
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