Thailand - Phi-Phi Islands

 

Phi-Phi has so many dive shops all competing for your business that it can be daunting when making a choice.  As there is a price fixing agreement between the shops a choice must be made on merit.  We worked for two of the leading dive operators-  Barakuda Diving Center used to have a good reputation but hit the headlines a couple of years ago when one of their customers died in an underwater cave. The centre now has new owners. Island Divers, managed by a Jo & Kenny is a very professional centre and is a good choice if you can ignore their hard sell tactics.  Safety is always first with customer satisfaction a very close second.  Island divers are highly recommended.

 

Most operators follow the same schedule for day trips, starting at approx. 7.30 when you meet at the shop.  The tanks (12 litre aluminium) are already loaded on the boat and filled to 200 bar, international yoke valves are the norm but din converters are usually available for hire.  2 dives at different sites around The Bida Islands or Phi-Phi Ley with an hour surface interval for lunch & snorkelling.  Returning to Ton Sai at approx. 2.30pm.  Night dives are available by request.   Visibility is an average 15-20 meters but can vary from 5-30 meters.  Water temperature is aprox. 30 degrees C.  Most dives are a maximum of 22 meters but 30+ meters is possible at some sites.

 

Stegostoma fasciatum - Leopard Shark or Zebra Shark?  Juveniles have stripes resembling a Zebra whilst adults have the spots of a Leopard resulting in two common names.  In Asia they are  leopard but whatever you call them they are beautiful, harmless creatures most active at night.

The Bida Islands offer the best of the local diving trips but are not always accessible during the low season (May - October) when rough seas are common. During high season these dive sites can become uncomfortably crowded with not only the many local dive operators but also boats from nearby Phuket, Krabi and Koh Lanta!!  On the days when everything falls just right, these are superb dives.  An unforgettable dive was at Bid Nai...15 Leopard Sharks (we watched 1 pair actually mating), Whale Shark, Blacktip Reef shark, Bamboo shark, Seashores, Ornate Ghost Pipe fish,  6 types of Moray eel.......the list goes on. Caren Haeng situated in open water is also a rewarding local dive but is subject to strong currents.  Phi-Phi Ley has various dive sites including walls, coral gardens and swim-thrus.  There are only a couple of recognised dive sites around Phi Phi Don and they seldom deliver memorable day dives but are used regularly for night diving. Docile Leopard Sharks (aka Zebra Shark) are spotted on most dives at the Bidas & Careng Haeng.  Whale Sharks & Mantas are only very occasional visitors to these waters.

 

The King Cruiser wreck, Phuket Shark Point and Anemone Reef are offered as day trips with an option for a 3rd dive.  Certainly worth the extra expense.  The King Cruiser was the ferry from Phuket to Phi-Phi but collided with Anemone Reef and sank with no loss of life.  She now sits on a sandy bottom at 30 meters and is a very well developed artificial reef teeming with life.  Anemone Reef and Phuket Shark Point are amazing macro dives with an untold number of critters to spot in the profusion of soft corals.  Rainbow Runners, Mackerel, Tuna and the occasional shark can be spotted out in the blue, Leopard Sharks are common on the sandy bottom.  Beware however these are advanced dives and strong currents are common, best avoided around a full moon.  Again these sites are very popular and often become overcrowded with divers. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang (red rock & purple rock) are sometimes offered as a day trip but they are a long, uncomfortable journey by speed boat from Phi-Phi.  It is much easier to dive these excellent sites from the neighbouring island of  Ko Lanta.

OTHER POINTS..... Ferries to Phi-Phi are available from Krabi and Phuket. The nearest recompression chamber is in Phuket There are facilities for charging torches, cameras etc. in the hotel rooms & dive shops There are fresh water dip tanks and a drying area at all dive shops Some guests have their own equipment but every shop offers hire equipment.  Cameras and dive computers are also available for hire. PADI dive courses are offered everywhere.

ISLAND DIVERS - HOME PAGE