“Ancient sites or civilization
Crowded attractions or peaceful cities
High mountains or large sea
Great diversity comes as Thailand”
With appropriate equipment supporting tourists to gain such wonderful experience, scuba diving has become an alternative activity which most tourists dream to accomplish when visiting Thailand. Also, there are many beaches with blue-sea and clear water, causing scuba diving to be a more preferable venture in the south of Thailand, which is connected to two main waters, Andaman Sea and Thai Bay. In this article. We’ll let you virtually experience how scuba diving in Thailand is like as if you were actually diving under the sea.
Exploring Undersea World with Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is one of the most thrilling activities in Thailand, which allows tourists to travel under the sea for a short period of time but gain exclusive experience they might not expect from anywhere else. The recommended spots to scuba dive in Thailand are mostly located in the south, especially in the Andaman sea, including Phuket, the Similan Peninsula, the Surin Peninsula, and the Phi Phi Peninsula. Regarding the weather, those sites are highly suggestive to scuba dive during December to April, when the maritime diversity best appears fantastic. To scuba dive, it requires special equipment which supports divers and provides safety while they are beneath the water surface. This mainly consists of a mask, fins and a wetsuit, which tourists can personally afford or rent at the agency for scuba diving. The other scuba apparatuses include a regulator, BCD (Buoyancy Compensator Device), tank and weight belt, and the diving agency serves them for the divers for free.
Once tourists scuba dive into the sea of wonder, their vision is surrounded by various species of mysterious but gorgeous maritime creatures. In addition to having blue, clear water, under the Andaman Sea lives a very peaceful and charming colony so that there is a saying it is “the paradise of divers”, where those from all over the world must visit. There also lies a variety of rare species such as whale sharks, sleepy sharks, Moray eels, Manta rays and sea turtles, who are waiting for scuba divers to play with them.
Non-virtual Scuba Diving Experience
One of our agents went scuba diving a month ago and was impressed with an undersea experience which she said was one of her best moments in her life. To join a scuba diving tour, divers stay on a cruise called, “Liveboard”, for 3-4 days, eating, diving, sleeping, and enjoying nature in the vast, blue sea. “It feels like I have let go of everything in the real world and entered into a new world of living, the underwater,” she said after returning to work. “And scuba diving is a very exciting thing to do! I’ve never felt this much fun before.”
During the tour, the cruise took divers to many scuba diving spots, and the divers spent some time diving under the sea and watching the maritime animals gliding lively around them, or even playing with them. With the trip, there was a dive leader who is expert in scuba diving and acknowledged the features of the water at the diving spots. Before striking into the sea, this diving leader informed the divers about how deep the spot was and what current was like so as to have them prepared and warned in case they were not ready for deep or heavy-current water. After diving down to the appropriate depth, scuba divers would see colorful corals and clown fishes cleaning their bodies inside those corals, and if they were lucky enough, they might meet some rare maritime species such as manta ray, Moray eel, and even whale. Equipped with waterproof apparatuses, scuba divers were allowed to take photos with those adorable creatures. “I dove down at about 30 meters deep. The ecosystem there was really fantastic! Lively clown fishes were swimming around me and the corals and others were dancing cheerfully,” added our agent with an exciting tone of voice. Scuba diving provides divers with non-virtual maritime experience which will never disappoint them.
Recommended Sites for Scuba Diving
If you are a scuba diver who is looking for a nice place to spend your holiday diving, Thailand is one of the best choices you should take into account. There are many recommended spots for scuba diving in Thailand, mostly located in the south due to its topography of sealocked areas.
First, it is the Similan Peninsula, winning the first rank for the most beautiful scuba diving spot located in Phang Nga. There are totally nine islands gathering in the peninsular waiting divers to visit, and Koh Paed is most highly recommended among all.
Second, the Phi Phi Peninsula is trusted to scuba dive among divers due to its various wonderful diving spots in many waters such as Pilae bay, Maya bay, Loh Sama bay, and Viking cave. Located 40 kilometers from the center of Krabi, there are six beautiful islands with white and delicate seashores, and the most recommended one goes to the Phi Phi Leh Island as its waters are completely transparent and beaches are smooth to lay down your body.
Third, it is the Tarutao Island, well-known for possessing rainbow corals which fascinatingly attract scuba divers and a rare creature living in shallow water. Divers are suggested to wear life suits to the best safety as the current is pretty high and dangerous.
Fourth, the Tao Island is only a small reef which is settled independently in the Thai Bay. Despite being a subtle island, the Tao Island is known to be one of the most abundant maritime diversities and ranked in the first places of the most attractive tourist attractions in the world. There are 10 reefs and 11 capes gathered in the island, and it provides both snorkelling and scuba diving spots, which are claimed to be never-miss-it for divers.
Last, it is the Mu Ko Chumphon National Park, located in Chumphon province and a little closer to Bangkok. There are totally 40 islands in the national park, and the most recommended for scuba diving are Koh Ngam Noi and Koh Ngam Yai, where both snorkelers and scuba divers are able to see very colorful and gorgeous corals at both shallow and deep levels of water, as well as sea anemones, clown fish, angelfish, butterfly fish, and rabbitfish.
Safety Issues for Scuba Diving
Even though scuba diving appears to be a very fascinating activity to everyone, its safety regards must be first priority. To scuba dive, it requires divers to have the certificate of diving, indicating that they have been trained and are capable of scuba diving, in order to prevent dangers or injuries while diving. Here in Thailand, there are a lot of diving agencies providing training courses which take only a week to get the certificate.Therefore, if you can’t swim or dive, you are allowed to get training here before jumping down into the deep blue sea and spending time with those lovely maritime creatures.
To make sure you are safely scuba diving, there are certain things you are required to do before and while under the water.
- Do not hold your breath.
As you’re breathing using the mask and oxygen tank, holding breath underwater can cause severe damage to your lungs, possibly resulting in death. - Practice for safe rush ups.
Ascents with too fast or slow pace could negatively affect your blood pressure. To dodge this, make sure your ascents should be 30 feet per minute at pace. - Check up your gear.
Equipment is your only essential dependence under water, so make sure they are all safely prepared before diving. - Never overextend your limits while diving.
Knowing your limits is one of the rules when scuba diving. Since you’re under the water, risking your life by overestimating your limits could end up with severe injuries or even death. - Draw your diving scheme and follow it.
A diving plan is never time-consuming, and following it is never viewed as traditional. Before going scuba diving, make a plan and do the plan. - Dive with buddies.
Buddies can assist or even save your life in case you are in danger, so diving with one or two buddies should be safer and more fun. - Practice surviving skills.
Sometimes something you never expect can happen. Then vital skills should be practiced and used in that case. - Establish effective buoyancy at the surface.
Before diving down, make sure that you are united with water and having positive and steady buoyancy at the surface.
Scuba diving is one of the thrilling activities tourists will find worth trying and visiting Thailand. There are more and more ventures which can establish endless fun and entertainment to those who are fond of traveling and exploring the world, including hiking, parachuting, paragliding, and more. Thailand could be best trusted for tourists to spend and enjoy their holidays and get the most memorable and unforgettable experience.
