Currently, Thailand is one of the best places for diving: colorful coral reefs, a large selection of courses and diving centers, and most importantly - warm water. No need to wear a huge wetsuit, as you can always dive even in a swimsuit. And one of the most popular places for diving is Pattaya, in which the conditions are most favorable for this activity.
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This city offers underwater activities for both beginners and experienced divers who have seen a lot. Thailand is surrounded by two life-rich waters - the Gulf of Siam (Thai), belonging to the Andaman Sea, part of the Indian Ocean, in its southwest.
There is a full range of entertainment under water along 3,220 km of the coast: wrecks of the Second World War, complex cave systems, rocky cliffs, hundreds of islands with characteristic continental and oceanic features.
Here, a surprisingly diverse underwater world - diving in Pattaya - the best place that offers some of the most exciting dives in the world. There is excellent infrastructure for tourists, which means that many departments have been prepared specifically for the needs of divers. Hundreds of companies providing such conditions are forced to compete at the same time in terms of price, quality and specialization in diving: from training non-professionals to diving safaris to service professional dives.
Pattaya. Dive Features
Understanding how much diving is in Pattaya, it is worth considering that the price will vary greatly from the chosen company and location. The city itself is located about 150 km south of Bangkok and is famous for its activities and sex tourism. But even in such a place you can find interesting places to visit, and some of them are under the surface of the water.
It is worth paying attention to the vicinity of the city: they are famous for sunken ships, of which there are several. In addition to them, there are two groups of islands: near and far. Diving, as a rule, is shallow (with the exception of sunken ships) and is a wonderful place to start your acquaintance with the world of diving. For example, taking part in special programs. According to reviews of diving in Pattaya, there are many of them. They are intended for people who have never had anything to do with diving.
Pattaya is not an ideal place to get the first experience, but despite some drawbacks, you can experience great moments here, proof of which can be the growing number of tourists who visit this place every year, and their number has already exceeded 6 million. The city is less than a 2-hour drive from Bangkok, which makes some come to diving centers in Pattaya to dive, and at the end of the day return to their hotel in the Thai capital.
Main areas
Diving in Thailand is organized in several main areas:
- Koh Tao is a kind of mecca for training in diving in the southern islands of the Gulf of Thailand.
- Pattaya, near Bangkok - the best dive to sunken objects in Thailand.
- Phuket, the west coast - the best place for beginners in the Andaman Islands, the Similan Islands are popular, as well as such a place for diving, like Burma.
Where is the best place to dive?
To begin with, one of the most popular diving sites is Ko Phi Phi. Very often, tourists in between activities go diving in Pattaya. In this regard, many of the places have become almost white from dying reefs. Unfortunately, a lot of tourists get on corals and take away its fragments, and the Thais care about protecting coral reefs is quite small, and local guides do not pay tourists attention to such a problem. In addition, liters of sunblock lying on the surface of the water do not help restore coral reefs at all.
Mecca for those who want to dive into the waters in Thailand - Koh Tao - is cheap there because there is a lot of competition. 800 baht, not 3.5-4 thousand, as in other regions. Of course, the service does not always go hand in hand with high quality. A big plus is the fact that many diving shops in this region offer overnight stays for free for their customers - a very attractive hostel.
How does this happen?
As a rule, in a diving course in Pattaya there can be up to 8 people in a group - now it’s worth introducing a group of 8 people who have never dived equipment in the sea, and spent 2 hours a day in the shallow pool, training. Now suddenly they have to go down to a depth of 10 meters and stay there for a while. Such people can easily panic underwater (and there is a risk that the fin fish will rip the tube out of the mouth or the mask will tear off the face). However, the worst thing a novice diver can then do is to instantly emerge onto the surface of the water, as this can lead, in particular, to bruises and ruptures of the lungs and decompression (from which you can die in extreme cases). It is worth considering whether the newcomer will feel safe?
Diving Safety
According to reviews, in Pattaya in the Park Beach diving diving sessions, for example, are very short. Now I understand why? At the same time, the dive lasts at least 20 minutes. In this regard, to save time and money, many instructors give their students enough time to prepare. This condition will be different in different centers, and it is worth clarifying this point in advance. And due to its location, the season in this city lasts almost the whole year.
Why go diving in Pattaya?
Currently, in Thailand you can find a whole range of sea creatures: from tiny seahorses, which are often less than one centimeter, to huge whale sharks that grow to 12-14 meters. Of course, the chances of an underwater encounter with a dream fish depend on the place and time of the dive. Of course, among big fish there are chances to see reef sharks, they are great, especially on the west coast of Thailand. Whale sharks sometimes appear both on the western side and in the Koh Tao area, and a meeting with them means that the person smiled a lot of luck. As a rule, these large sharks are not dangerous, they feed exclusively on plankton, and their peaceful nature and curiosity for divers allow very often to admire them from close range.
Best season
In addition, temperature fluctuations and the development of plankton in the months of January-May cause, on the one hand, a decrease in visibility, but on the other, increase the chances of meeting other interesting creatures. This is the most favorable season for diving. So, from a photo of diving in Pattaya, it can be seen that a person can see octopus, cuttlefish and seahorses from a close distance. Such small creatures as: sea horses, snails, can be found in the largest assortment on Richelieu Rock. You can watch octopuses, cuttlefish, sea snakes and schools of barracudas and tuna almost everywhere. Regardless of the fish themselves, another reason attracting divers in Thailand is the underwater scenery.
Unusual huge granite blocks of rocks form underwater mazes that attract dozens of marine creatures. In conjunction with the wrecks in the Pattaya area, the sight is truly impressive, judging by the reviews. But do not forget that an interesting place for diving is the Siam Ocean World aquarium in Bangkok at the Siam Paragon shopping center, where you can swim with sharks.
Reviews
Reviews, as a rule, about diving in the water in this city are the most positive. According to tourists, the underwater excursion in Pattaya and the surrounding area is unforgettable, there is a beautiful view. Those involved in diving noted interesting boat cruises, foot massages, temples, a market on rails, and the death railway. All this perfectly complemented immersion in water, so if you want everything at once - Pattaya is the perfect choice for a vacation.
Two ships that the Thai Navy had once sunk, have overgrown with a new life. Diving on the reef is wonderful, and with them beautiful views of the living creatures floating above the corals. Tourists lost track of the number of turtles they saw there. Someone was also impressed with how the coach managed the novice divers - super attentive, with clear instructions and safety concerns. Diving equipment was also in great shape, according to reviews. And this, basically, is the biggest point of criticism for many companies providing diving services, but this equipment in Pattaya was in the best condition.
At the same time, a number of tourists noted that the underwater scene of Pattaya was not more exciting than they expected, and yet, it was a very good experience. It was an immersion in the unknown. Also, someone noted that there were too many newcomers to one coach, and this was a little scary, however, everything went well.