Koh Phi Phi & Koh Lanta
Diving around Koh Phi Phi & Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta & Koh PhiPhi are both island in the South Andaman Sea. Right in between Phuket in the north and Koh Lipe in the south. Therefor, this is a great location to spend some days diving while coming from or going to Phuket or Koh Lipe.
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Diving can be done year round, but a lot of dive centers stop operating in the rainy season. usually they will start operating again in the end of September.
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Rain and wind can cause conditions to be sub-optimal to say the least. Especially Koh lanta is subject to the weather as most dive sites are quite far away from the island.
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Koh PhiPhi is part of a group of smaller islands, offering more shelter and therefor can operate year round.
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In short: I would recommend avoiding Koh Lanta during the rainy season (June - September).
Koh Phi Phi
Koh PhiPhi is famous for one of the most gorgeous beaches in Thailand and perhaps the world: Maya Beach. This beach was featured in the movie: The Beach which made this a very popular destination for travelers.
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Nowadays, you can book day trips to Maya beach from Koh PhiPhi. However, we scuba divers can enjoy this location from the best possible place: The ocean. While boats have to dock on the other side of the island, diving trips just spend their surface intervals in the bay, overlooking the beautiful beach, away from the masses.
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Koh PhiPhi is and has been known for its parties and vibrant nightlife. While this is still the case, many divers seek out different scenes at Phuket or Koh Lanta, where it's easier to escape the crowds.
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However, diving is cheap with trips leaving every day around the island. Expect to pay around 2500 baht (75$) for 2 dives and lunch in between dives.
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"Visit the world-famous Maya Beach at Koh Phi Phi and join the tourists, or seek a more quiet stay in Koh Lanta!"
Koh Lanta
Where to stay?
Koh Lanta is a relatively big island with multiple dive centers operating and servicing many dive sites from Koh PhiPhi to Koh Haa in the south. The best place to stay is in the north-western part of the island. There is 1 main road following the coastline with hotels, restaurants, and dive centers to choose from.
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Diving in Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta doesn't have dive sites worthwhile close by. You will head out on bigger boats or speedboats visiting Koh Haa, Koh PhiPhi, or Hin Duang for example. These trips usually take 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of the boat and group.
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Because of the travel time and distance, diving is a bit more expensive. Expect to pay 3500 - 4500 baht (100-130$) (park fees may apply) per day (2 dives, lunch, and transport).
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The upside to this is, that you will be able to visit a greater variety of dive sites within your perhaps short and precious time, compared to Koh PhiPhi, so choose wisely.
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How to get there?
Koh PhiPhi:
Koh PhiPhi is the island between Phuket and Koh Lanta. Because of the enormous interest from tourists to visit this island, transfers are plenty and easy to arrange. You can use the transfer links I provided on this page to book your trip in advance.
Some examples of destinations you can reach Koh PhiPhi directly from are: Phuket - Krabi - Koh Lipe - Koh Lanta.
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Koh Lanta:
Koh Lanta is connected in a way to the mainland with a small car ferry and a bridge after that. You can arrive at Koh Lanta from Krabi or Surathani (if you come from Koh Tao/ Samui etc.) or by boat from Phuket, Koh Lipe, and Koh PhiPhi.
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I highly recommend using the links I provided to book your trip as they're usually the cheapest and easiest to book.
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Koh Phi Phi
Koh Tao is a diving paradise for those who want to learn this amazing hobby/ sport. All sorts of diving are offered, from easy to tech diving the Unicorn wreck at 50 meters deep. I have made a map with the most important dive sites you can visit. There are more, but they are just not worth it because others are way better!
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Diving sites, more in depth:
Below I will go more in-depth (pun intended) into these dive sites. The history is very often interesting! I will not note currents here, since there are almost none in the area.
"Kled Gaeow Wreck"
A beautiful shipwreck close to Koh PhiPhi, this ship sits at around 25 meters deep, so advanced divers only. The visibility is usually not that good. Not because of debris or particles, but because of the 1000s of fish making it almost impossible to see the shipwreck!​
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Depth: 15 - 26 meters
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"Maya Corner"
Maya corner is the dive site closest to Maya Beach, the world-famous beach from the movie. The landscape is very interesting with caverns going quite deep into the island, air pockets included! You can see sharks patrolling the coast and schools of parrotfish playing in the surge.​
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Depth: 8 - 25 meters
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"Bida Nok & Nai"
Probably the best dive the PhiPhi islands have to offer. This islands offer beginner and intermediate level diving. With dramatic cliffs, overhangs, caverns and swimthrough, this is every type of divers' paradise! If you're not into landscapes, you can find ornate ghost pipefish, nudibranchs, seahorses, and sharks here!​
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Maximum depth: 30 meters.
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Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta is an interesting place to stay regarding scuba diving. While Koh Lanta doesn't have much diving close to the island, the dive operators organize day trips to pretty much every island around. You can visit the beautiful Koh Haa, Phi Phi, Koh Rok, and even Hin Deag & Muang.
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If you're strapped for time, you can visit the most noteworthy dive sites quite easily from quite Koh Lanta as can be seen on the map here.
Diving sites, more in depth:
Below I will go more in-depth (pun intended) into these dive sites. The history is very often interesting! I will not note currents here, since there are almost none in the area.
"Koh Haa"
Koh Haa is actually a group of islands (5 total) about 1 hour away by speedboat from Koh Lanta. The islands offer lots of shelters, shallow, but also deeper dives with currents, swim-throughs, caverns, and all that cool stuff.​
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Snorkeling is possible here as well, as is relaxing on the beach between dives.
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Maximum depth: 30 meters.
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"Hin Daeg & Muang"
One of the better dive sites in Thailand, far away from civilization! These deep dive sites are home to many pelagics and schooling fish passing by. Strong currents and deeper diving make this dive site accessible for advanced divers only. Well worth the boat trip!​
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Maximum depth: 40+ meters.
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