Freediving in Thailand

[frox]

Hi, I'm going on vacation to Thailand from beggining of August for a month, now, I know it's a bad season for diving due to monsoons but the times cannot be changed (damn). Anyways, any recomendations about 'good' freediving/scuba spots in that season? (Please, please I hope there are any, it would be such a bore to be in Thailand and not have an opportunity to dive...)

Thanks.

[portinfer]

Hi
I was in Thailand a loooooong time ago so things will have changed but I went snorkelling (blissfully ignorant of freediving then) at Ko Tao for a week or so - very nice, alot of fish, barracudas and a sighting of a whale shark from what I remember (not by me, by some scuba folk).

They had a small scuba shop there too offering PADI. It is a small island past Ko Samui and back then was pretty unspoilt - probably a golf course now.... You will want to check this halfinfo no doubt but it was and possibly still is a very nice place.
Ed

[jvoets]

If you have found some nice places during your vacaction, would you mind adding them to the database at www.freedivingspots.net ?

[island_sands]

try Krabbi - apparently that's not bad either.. and also the Phi Phi islands. (pronounced pee-pee).

[tylerz]

That is where it all began (unknowingly) for me...

I dove at every stop we made along the unbeaten path. The best diving I experienced was at Koh Lipe in the Taratao National Marine Park (West Coast, southern end of Thailand) right a the border of Malaysia almost (where we also did a visa run).

Anywhere I dove off the shore of an island, brought interesting things such as trumpet fish, octopus, rays, eels, huge tiger clams(name?), corals, etc... Not always abundant and some reefs previously destroyed by hurricanes/storms. But there was always something interesting.

That being said, we did not target any specific area for its diving. But definately once we got out to Koh Lipe and then took a snorkelling boat tour around the area, we were greeted with spectactular sites of corals and its denizens. Even snorkelling on the shores of Koh Lipe we had lots of corals and formations to explore.

However, along the way you will meet lots of people in guest houses, and many will have experiences to share, just start asking about where they have been. Your bound to have a few that are divers. It all opens up from there...

[frox]

Thanks all for your replies, however my biggest concern is the fact that I'm going on August, afaik the wet season and an off season for diving (at least that's what I heard). So if any of you has exp. diving at around that season in Thailand your info would be very much apreciated.

P.S. Most of the location mentioned here I already heard about, again my biggest worry is the season...