AHHHHH Face To Face With A Hammer Head Shark.... (Diving in Thailand in general)

Member Name: mythdata

Product:	Diving in Thailand in general
Date:	25/11/08 (366 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A once in a lifetime experience that i will have to repeat one day.

Disadvantages: Nothing,...This is something i will never forget,

INTRODUCTION

A few years ago while me and my husband were visiting Phuket Thailand, We took a four night trip over to Phi Phi island. This is the place when the film The Beach with Leonardo Decaprio was filmed. I have to say this island is just at beautiful in real life as it was on the film.

Anyway while we visited the island we decided to take in some diving as this is something we had experience in but I would not say we were experts in anyway, so I made sure we did it all correctly and signed up with a reputable dive company to take us on the actual trips. I was really apprehensive about going out alone, so the dive company was a must and I would not have even entertained the idea of going out alone.

DIVING IN PHI PHI THAILAND

Thailand is one of the best diving areas in the world and many professional divers from across the globe regularly visit to take in some of the fantastic diving sights that certain areas of Thailand a renowned for.

I have only ever dived in the Phuket area, but on this occasion me and my husband opted for the Phi Phi Island as this was also very close to Phuket and we had never visited before, so we thought we would kill two birds with one stone.

Phi Phi island is actually built up of six islands, each of them are named differently Bamboo Island, Phi Phi don, Phi Phi ley, Mosquito island, Koh Yung and Bida Nok. These are some of the most beautiful islands in the world, not only do they look very appealing but under the water they are also very stunning, which is why they are so appealing to divers.

What makes this island so special is the fact that it is surrounded by limestone rock faces which are lined with some stunning trees and greenery, and the Andaman sea just makes this island as it offers crystal clear waters and some amazing reefs, that I ideal for any novice or experienced diver.

Here you can be up close and personal with clown fish, leopard sharks, black tip reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, octopus, moray eels, barracudas, sea horses, gorgonian sea fans and barrel sponges.

What makes this much better is the fact that if you visit between January and April, you will catch a look at some whale sharks as they pass by on their way to Australia.

On all dive trips you must hold a current dive certificate to go straight into the day dive trips, but if you don't hold a dive qualification it will not matter as the dive companies do offer training and a dive trip for anyone who is interested in diving.

We found that many of the dive operators like you to book at least one day in advance but you can just turn up and hope for the best, we did this on two occasions and still got on the dive for that day.

DIVE QUALIFICATION COURSE

If you have never dived before you need to undertake a PADI diving course, this will allow any novice to enjoy diving and do it safely.

The course is done over eight hours and all activities and training are undertaken in a class room and swimming pool, once you and your dive instructor are confident with your capabilities you will then be taken out on two shallow dives to get you used to the equipment.

Once you have completed the course you can do any dive you want to, you will also be recognised as dive qualified for five years, so you can use it again if need be. We got our qualification four years before this trip so we were lucky that we didn't have to do it again.

This costs 3.400 Thai Baht, which was the equivalent to 65.00 when we did it, so it was very reasonably priced in my opinion.

I would recommend this course for anyone who has never dived, if you have had some experience but you are a bit rusty then I would also recommend this course.

DAY DIVES

The day dive trips are started from various locations and times around Phi Phi, if you book a three dive trip you can expect to be picked up early in the morning, if you book a two dive trip you will join the boat at mid morning and if you only book a one dive trip you will be collected in the afternoon.

With every trip you get an experienced instructor who is an expert in every aspect of diving as well as being familiar with all of the dive sites you may visit, the instructors do not accompany you in the water while you are diving but if you need them they are there for you. If you don't feel confident enough to dive alone they can join you if you wish, this is all included in the dive trips cost.

If you opt of a two dive trip you have more time to explore Phi Phi, you can head into the secluded bays to relax alone or you can venture ashore to grab a bite to eat. During this free time I spent an hour of so soaking up the sunshine on the white sandy beaches while my husband did a spot of snorkeling.

I feel that the one dive trips are too short and the three dive trips are very exhausting, I would highly recommend the two dive trip this way you get to dives and some free time to do as you please.

LIVE ABOARD BOAT DIVES

This is the crème de la crème for any diver, on this trip you live aboard an eighty five foot boat with unlimited diving. To hire this boat you have to be very experienced as you will be on it alone and no instructors will be there to give you guidance, so you have to be confident within your diving skills.

On board the luxury boat you will have everything you need to have a diving break of a life time, oxygen tanks, first aid kit, life jackets, ship to shore radio and mobile phones are included to ensure your safety.

The boat has eight double cabins, five toilets and a massive sun deck, it is very expensive to hire you unless you win the lottery this is probably a pipe dream. However you can live aboard this with other divers at a much cheaper rate.

A two day dive and one night on the boat will take you around all six islands in Phi Phi, This will also consist of seven dives which will include wreck and night dives. You can experience this for the bargain price of 9.000 Thai Baht which is 160.00 in British money.

If you did decide to take part in the onboard dive, you would need to book this in advance as they will only run it when the boat has other bookings.

PHI PHI DIVE SITES

Phi Phi islands are famous for their local dive sites this is down to the unique rock formations and the huge amount of stunning fish and coral reefs. Here are some of the dive sites I have had the chance to see, each of them are different and offer you something different from previous dive sites that are located nearby.

Anemone Reef, this is a reef that stretches over twenty five meters down and across the sea bed. Here you will be surrounded by Anemones, which house fish, shrimp and crabs but the deep you dive you may also come across Leopard sharks.

The sharks are completely harmless but you are still scared stiff at the sight of them, even though they are more afraid of you.

This is an ideal dive sight for those who are diving for the first time, but I feel it is a little bit boring for the more advanced diver.

Phuket Shark Point also known as Hin Musang, is a dive sight that is known for Leopard sharks the sharks congregate and swim around you freely, here you will not only come face to face with the Leopard shark but also Hammer heads and whale sharks can also be seen, along with other marine life like Jacks, snappers, Barracudas and goat fish.

This was the best dive site I have ever done, the idea of all of those sharks nearly made me bottle it and not enter the water, but as this was a once in a lifetime experience I bit the bullet and I have to say I am now so glad I did it.

Hin Daeng or daubed Red Rock because of the huge span of red anemone that cover the seas bed, This dive sight is very well know to divers as it is one of the world's deepest drop offs that is nearly eighty meters deep.

The only way I can describe this is like the Nemo movie, the bit where nemo touches the butt and swims out into the open sea from the reef, this dive sight is very similar to that.

On this dive you will see Grey reef sharks and Leopard sharks as well as many other smaller marine life that are living in the anemone.

Koh Ha is a dive sight that is recommended for the experienced diver, instructors will not let you dive if they feel you are not up to it. This site is made up of five under water islands that a separated by very deep gullies, I personally felt I was way out of my depth on this dive so I returned to the boat and my husband complete the dive without me.

When he returned he was beaming, he informed me that the largest of the five islands had a cave that could be entered from under the water using one of two entry points, after he had swum the narrow passage leading into the cave he then swam up and surfaced inside the cave to see huge rock icicles hanging from the ceiling. He said he was amazed at how much light was inside the cave, it was coming in through cracks and holes at the top of the cave, this illuminated the whole thing making it a magical experience for him.

I was so upset that I missed this but I was not at all confident and I think if I had carried on with the dive I would have panicked, so I am sure I made the right decision. I do have some stunning photographs of this cave, my husband made sure that I got so see it from every direction.

There are a few other dive sites located around the Phi Phi islands but I can't comment as these are the only sites that we actually did, although I am assured the others are equally as magical.

OTHER INFORMATION

The best time to visit Thailand is from October to April because May to September is the monsoon season and this limits the visibility at the dive sights, making it really hard to spot marine life.

If you go in season then the water is crystal clear and warm at twenty eight degrees in temperature.

PRICES

The prices are very reasonable, if you have your own dive equipment it is slightly cheaper but even if you have to hire the equipment you still get a very good deal.

A one dive trip costs 1.500 Thai Baht if you have your own dive gear or 1.700 Thai Baht if you have to hire equipment, which is roughly 25.00 - 30.00 British pounds.

A two dive trip costs 2.000 Thai Baht if you have your own dive gear or 2.500 Thai Baht if you have to hire equipment, which is roughly 35.00 - 40.00 British pounds.

A three day six dive trip costs 5.400 Thai Baht if you have your own dive gear or 6.750 Thai Baht if you have to hire equipment, which is roughly 90.00 - 115.00 British pounds. Which this trip the boat will pick you up and drop you off every day.

As you can see the prices are very good and all trips are complete with expert instructors, you can expect to pay the higher prices if you need to hire equipment.

Remember you can only do these dives if you have the divers qualification, otherwise you will need to complete the days training course before doing any of these dives.

CONTACTS

There are a few diving centers around the Phi Phi islands, but we went to the biggest one as it looked more professional and safety seemed to be high on the priority list for them, so this worked for me.

We went with the Mosquito Diving Center, they were the first ever dive shop on the island and it first opened in 1987, in the center they have pictures of what the shop was like when it first opened and I have to say that it has expanded considerably since they first opened.

Here they can offer training courses, day trips, live a aboard trips and they even fix equipment if needed. They are fully equipped to help new starters and experienced divers, all staff and instructors spoke good English so this also helped.

Moskito Diving Center
111 Mo7 Ao Nang
Phi Phi Island
Krabi 81000
Thailand
Tel: +66 (0)75 612092

MY OPINION

Whether you are a professional or novice diver Phi Phi Island has something for everyone, you can have a nice relaxing dive or one that is a lot more strenuous in one of these many dives sites located around the island.

I personally loved the shark point dive, although I was a little bit scared at first I soon got my confidence the longer I was in the water. This is not a site that would suit everyone but I would recommend you give it a go if you ever get the chance.

I was gutted that I didn't see the cave in the Koh Ha dive, but this was just too much for me. Yes I dive but not to the excess that I will dive way down into the middle of nowhere, with this I had to draw the line.

If you do go diving or even snorkeling then you must take a water proof camera, if you didn't this would be one thing you would truly regret.

Not only is the diving a once in a lifetime experience, but the Phi Phi islands themselves are worth a visit they are stunning, surrounded my crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches and coves. This is a place you can just go to relax if the diving of rock climbing does not appeal.

The only criticism I have about Phi Phi is the fact that you get eaten alive by mosquitoes so insect repellant is a must in your suit case, although I would not let this stop me getting another visit in the near future.

Summary: Fantastic diving experience for novices or professionals.