Hello all,

From mid July to late August I will be traveling throughout Thailand. Though I've read up as much as possible, I am wondering about the weather in Phuket. Can anyone tell me what to expect in Phuket from July through August?

Also, how's the diving in Ko Chang, and how would the weather in Ko Chang compare to Phuket? Are the dive profiles significantly different between Phuket and Ko Chang?

Your first hand experience is much appreciated, as I would like to have an idea of how much time to spend in these places.

Regards,

B

My first hand experience of diving in Phuket and Ko Chang is minimal I'm afraid... I took a plane from Phuket airport once and spent a few days on Chang a month or two after the Tsunami....the snorkelling there was OK but nothing really special. I've a feeling that was the time when the very overcrowded snorkelling trip boat we were on broke down started spewing black oil into the sea...we had to hang around some rather dull atoll for an hour or two trying to avoid the oil slick till they sent a much bigger and better replacement boat. All the snorkelling sites were pretty shallow if I remember right, no idea what the diving sites are like.

At the time of year Ko Chang might be wet ....I'd head to Ko Tao instead myself.... the island's main draw is diving and snorkelling and sometimes there are sightings of whale sharks around there. Loads of dive shops. Getting more and more of a party island these days though, lots of spillover from Ko Phangnan.

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“Not all those who wander are lost.” Tolkien.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Thanks for the info. I'm sure a rainy Thailand is better than where I'll be anyway.

If you coming around June, I think Koh Chang's still rain. I myself didn't make a dive in the last four years. If you interst in ship wreck Pattaya city might be achoice for you to visit couple of days.

have dove from phuket and phi phi. from phuket it's an all day affair, slow boat, lunch, 2 dives, begin 8 or 9 am, return 3 or 4 pm. 3 popular sites, king's cruiser wreck, anemone reef and shark point were all nice. each a little different. king cruiser is an car ferry, was in good conditon, anemone reef was just that, plenty of it and lion fish, shark point was ok, had leopard sharks, tho heard they are no more. i did those about 8 yrs ago. phi phi sites are very close, and were ok. less than half hour away, so quick day. did a couple, but no diversity at different reefs, so only dove few days. not sure if i would make thailand a 'diving vacation', far from world class, i don't care what the books and shops say, but if there and wanting to dive, they were nice. all shops seemed to have nice equipment for rent, i had my own, so if not a diving vacation, leave it home. at the time, prices were cheap compared to usa, caribbean and mexico. hope that helps, enjoy.

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LA
http://www.geocities.com/laphanphon/hp.html

La, IMO on the basis of a few dives you can not come to a conclusion about diving, where you're very much dependent on guide and marine life. Some days can be nice, some days are not that good.

Dives like Koh Doc Mai, Shark Point and Anemone Reef can be excellent, with e.g. frogfish, seahorses, leopard sharks, still plenty of them there, etc.

Other sites like the Similans (sometimes possible in the present greens eason) are truly world class.

<Other sites like the Similans (sometimes possible in the present greens eason) are truly world class.>

Think you mean green season? The Similians and the Surins are good but they are officially closed in July and August. You can't stay there but you might be able to get a dive trip if the weather's OK.

__________________
“Not all those who wander are lost.” Tolkien.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

hey Steven, i'll agree with you, that any site on any given day, will present itself different because of many factors. the 3 out of phuket i mentioned, were quite nice, good vis, decent fish, and lion fish is something special, and there were so many, along w/leopard sharks, different and interesting. those dives were fine, and phi phi were ok, for what the were, close, overdived and fished out, but vis was just ok, nice relaxing dive. depending on past experiences and dive level, you expect and want more or better. again, phuket dives were nice. i've never dove similians, or gulf, but they get extremely mixed reviews. a novice may be impressed, and i'm far from expert w/multiple certs, but experienced enough to know, i wouldn't classify anything in thai waters as world class.

i respect the opinion of dive buddy of mine, much more experienced and a bit more travelled than i. he lived in khao lak, and his best bud owns a dive operation there, and dove similians quite a few times. now, he can dive anytime for free, he doesn't bother. that tells me alot. anyone with more than 100 dives and certified higher than just the open water would probably be disappointed. i've dived at much nicer, and not even classified as world class, well, except for grand caymans, and most were better than thai waters. and i consider most of were i dove as fished out already, but more than here.

just my opinion, but if highly experience and well travelled, could be a major disappointment for many. but if novice or simply wanting to get wet, there are a few nice sites around thailand. but i wouldn't expect to do a week of diving here. maybe 2 days, take a break, and maybe 2 days more. although many sites are very far away. i would save the 'dive' vacation for another location.

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LA
http://www.geocities.com/laphanphon/hp.html

It's not strictly a dive trip. I've heard mixed reactions regarding Thailand diving. Years ago I spent a month diving in Indonesia, and that was truly some of the most spectacular diving in the world. The Similans look incredible but from what I've heard are inaccessible during July/August. Because of the poorer than usual weather during this time, I was thinking to go to Ko Chang. I haven't read much about diving there, so if anyone has any insights I'd love to hear. Thanks.

To avoid misunderstandings: Similan Islands are closed at the moment, so you can not stay on the islands. But diving trips are possible and allowed year round. Because of less tourists and less favourable weather there are far less trips, but there are some very reputable companies going to the similans at the moment.

Sorry, can't help you with Koh Chang.