Scuba Diving in Phuket – The Pearl of the Andaman by Marie Jethi
Located on the west coast of the Thailand Peninsula, with coastlines on the warm waters of the Andaman Sea lies the beautiful island of Phuket . The largest island off the coast of Thailand, the island of Phuket covers an area of ââjust over 300 square kilometers and is connected to mainland Thailand via a bridge in the north of the island.
During the past 25 years, the island of Phuket has treated a large number of tourists from around the world, a large percentage of whom are divers looking to dive some of Asia's best diving sites. Today, scuba diving in Phuket is a big business, and the island has a large number of excellent dive centers that offers a range of diving services ranging from leisure dives through more advanced courses.
Racha Islands located in the far south of Thailand is one of the dive sites of Phuket, and the two islands offer superb diving in crystal clear waters, and the possibility of encounters with large animals. In particular, the smallest island, Racha Noi, offers a stunning underwater scenery, and is famous for whale sharks and Manta Ray encounters both.
The dive sites of Ao Phang-Nga, including the famous Shark Point and King Cruiser wreck, are widely recognized as the best dive sites in the region of Phuket. The surrounding waters in and around Ao Phang-Nga are characterized by the abundance of marine life, to allow divers access to a wide range of marine life and coral that is unmatched in other parts of Bangkok.
Phuket is also home to one of the worlds most developed liveaboard industries with a large number of cruise offers diving destinations such as the Similan Islands, the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks. For divers who want to dive these remote destinations, a liveaboard Phuket is the only realistic option for access. As such, the liveaboard industry in Phuket is a prosperous and competitive, with an increasing number of cruise ships operating from Phuket.
Further east are the islands of Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Lae, a region characterized by the impressive topography of the amazing limestone cliffs. These islands are surrounded by a series of hard coral gardens and some fine examples of soft corals, sea fans, orange, sea whips and black corals.
Phuket is well deserving of its title as the 'Pearl of the Andaman Islands, and indeed, the region has some of the dive sites in Thailand. Since environmental issues such as conservation of the marine environment slowly make their way to Thailand's political agenda, the future for diving in Phuket looks healthy.
