When is the best time to scuba dive in Phuket?

November to April is the dry season with the calmest seas and 20–30 m visibility. Phuket day-trip sites such as Racha Yai and the King Cruiser wreck are dived year-round; the Similan and Surin Islands national parks (Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai) are open only from 15 October to 15 May.

How much does a day of diving in Phuket cost?

A two-dive day trip to the Racha Islands is about US $115 (฿3,900) including lunch and hotel pickup. Three-dive days to Phi Phi or the King Cruiser wreck run US $140–145. A four-day Similan liveaboard with 14 dives starts around US $890.

Do I need to be certified to dive in Phuket?

No. A Discover Scuba Diving day at Racha Yai (about US $135) lets uncertified divers make two supervised dives to 12 m. The PADI Open Water course takes three days and costs roughly US $420 with eLearning.

What is the water temperature in the Andaman Sea?

Water is 27–30 °C all year. Most divers wear a 2–3 mm shorty or a lycra suit; thermoclines can drop to 24 °C on deep Similan dives in March.

Which Phuket dive site is best for beginners?

Racha Yai. Sandy slopes from 5 to 25 m, mild current and sun-lit hard coral make it the training ground for most Open Water courses on the island. Koh Bida Nai and East of Eden are the gentlest options further afield.

Where can I see manta rays and whale sharks near Phuket?

Koh Bon's West Ridge is the most reliable manta site and Richelieu Rock is the whale-shark site, both reached by liveaboard from Khao Lak between October and May. Racha Noi's South Tip and Hin Daeng also see mantas from January to April.

Is the King Cruiser wreck safe to dive?

Yes for Advanced Open Water divers. The 85 m car ferry lies at 12–32 m in the Phi Phi channel; the upper decks have collapsed so it is dived as an external swim-around, not a penetration wreck. Visibility is typically 8–15 m.

Phuket · Andaman Sea · 7.82° N

DivetheAndaman

Eighteen dive sites, one interactive map, and the gear and boats to get you under. Scroll to descend.

Open the dive map →Book a dive

Descend

Zone 010 – 12 mSunlit

The Andaman iseighteen divesfrom one pier.

Racha's sand at eight in the morning. A ferry wreck full of snapper by noon. Mantas off Koh Bon on a liveaboard by the weekend. Phuket is the only place in Thailand where all of it starts from a single pier in Chalong.

This site is the map we wished we'd had: every site we've dived across more than one season, the gear that survived, and the trips you can actually book tonight.

0dive sites mapped

0metres of vis on a good day

0°C water, all year

0minutes from pier to reef

Zone 02 · 12 – 20 m · The reefOpen the interactive map →

Pick a
pinnacle.

Scroll sideways through the sites we'd dive first. Every card opens a full brief: depth, current, season, what lives there.

01Advanced

Surin Islands · 5–35 m

Zone 0318 – 25 mBig animals

Who you'llmeet down there.

MantaKoh Bon · Hin Daeng

Whale sharkRichelieu · Tachai

Leopard sharkShark Point · Hin Bida

HawksbillBida Nai · Koh Haa

Zone 03½Field footage28 November 2025 – 1 December 2025

Beneath the surface,first-hand.

Original underwater footage from Andaman dives: coral gardens, walls and open water, filmed in the field and colour-corrected only. Tap any clip for the sound of the reef. View the full collection →

Hard-coral garden with damselfishA sunlit field of staghorn and table coral, yellow damselfish holding station over every head. Classic shallow Andaman reef.

Plate corals and a sunburstTiers of leaf and plate coral stacked up a plateau, reef fish schooling through shafts of light from the surface.30 Nov 2025

Reef slope into the blueFollowing the contour of a coral slope as it drops away into open water, the kind of edge where the big animals pass.29 Nov 2025

Turtle over the reefA turtle cruising the reef flat between boulders and lifting off into the blue.29 Nov 2025

Soft-coral wall under torchlightPink and purple soft corals and encrusting sponge on a shaded wall, their colour returned by a dive torch.30 Nov 2025

Boulders and coral headsGranite boulders wrapped in hard coral, the signature Similan diver's-eye view.28 Nov 2025

Porcupinefish in open waterA porcupinefish hanging in the blue on an early-morning dive.1 Dec 2025

Moray eel on the reefA moray eel free-swimming across rubble and coral heads in the low light of late afternoon.

Zone 0430 mThe wreck

KingCruiser.

An 85-metre car ferry that hit Anemone Reef in 1997 and became the Andaman's signature wreck. Snapper fill the hull like smoke. Advanced only — and worth every one of the dives it takes to get there.

Read the wreck brief →

Zone 0540 mYour kit

Gear that'sbeen on the boat.

Four things we'd pack first for a week out of Chalong. The full catalog covers computers to carry-on rollers, with links to Suunto and Scuba.com.

Full gear catalog →

Suunto Ocean

The first dive computer we actually wear between dives. Maps, GPS on the surface, and an AMOLED screen you can read at 30 m in Similan sun.

$899Suunto ↗

Travel-light

Scubapro

Scubapro Hydros Pro BCD

A BCD that dries between dives and folds into a backpack. For the diver who lands at HKT with carry-on only.

$999Scuba.com ↗

Widest view

TUSA

TUSA Paragon Mask

Whale sharks at Richelieu Rock go past fast. The Paragon's field of view is the difference between seeing it and seeing its tail.

$229Scuba.com ↗

Most bought

GoPro

GoPro HERO13 Black + Dive Housing

The camera on every wrist at Racha Yai. Add a red filter for anything below 10 m.

$479Scuba.com ↗

BriefingBefore you bookFAQ

Diving Phuket,answered.

When is the best time to scuba dive in Phuket?: November to April is the dry season with the calmest seas and 20–30 m visibility. Phuket day-trip sites such as Racha Yai and the King Cruiser wreck are dived year-round; the Similan and Surin Islands national parks (Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai) are open only from 15 October to 15 May.
How much does a day of diving in Phuket cost?: A two-dive day trip to the Racha Islands is about US $115 (฿3,900) including lunch and hotel pickup. Three-dive days to Phi Phi or the King Cruiser wreck run US $140–145. A four-day Similan liveaboard with 14 dives starts around US $890.
Do I need to be certified to dive in Phuket?: No. A Discover Scuba Diving day at Racha Yai (about US $135) lets uncertified divers make two supervised dives to 12 m. The PADI Open Water course takes three days and costs roughly US $420 with eLearning.
What is the water temperature in the Andaman Sea?: Water is 27–30 °C all year. Most divers wear a 2–3 mm shorty or a lycra suit; thermoclines can drop to 24 °C on deep Similan dives in March.
Which Phuket dive site is best for beginners?: Racha Yai. Sandy slopes from 5 to 25 m, mild current and sun-lit hard coral make it the training ground for most Open Water courses on the island. Koh Bida Nai and East of Eden are the gentlest options further afield.
Where can I see manta rays and whale sharks near Phuket?: Koh Bon's West Ridge is the most reliable manta site and Richelieu Rock is the whale-shark site, both reached by liveaboard from Khao Lak between October and May. Racha Noi's South Tip and Hin Daeng also see mantas from January to April.
Is the King Cruiser wreck safe to dive?: Yes for Advanced Open Water divers. The 85 m car ferry lies at 12–32 m in the Phi Phi channel; the upper decks have collapsed so it is dived as an external swim-around, not a penetration wreck. Visibility is typically 8–15 m.