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Diving |
Diving
Amphibian Dive Club (Srithanu)
Phangan Fun Factory Diving (Thongsala)
Haad Yao Divers (Haad Chao Phao)
Haad Yao Divers (Haad Yao)
Reefers Diving (Haad Yao)
Blue Horizon Diving (Haad Yao)
Pirate Divers (Haad Salad)
Fish and Ships Divers (Haad Salad)
Freedive Koh Phangan (Haad Salad)
The Dive Inn (Chaloklum)
Chaloklum Diving
Lotus Diving (Chaloklum)
Sail Rock
Chumphon Pinnacle
Ang Thong Marine Park
Diving in West Koh Phangan
The west coast of Koh Phangan has the largest stretch of coral reefs. There are several dive shops located along the western coast and in Thongsala, the main town. They offer similar prices and diving options. If you have a PADI diving licence (or from another qualifying body) you can sign up for fun dives. The other option is to do a dive course. You can do day introduction courses, 3 day starter courses or longer and more advanced courses, leading up to Dive Master and Dive Instructor.
Despite the abundance of marine life locally, the dive shops generally all have boats leaving from either Thongsala, Chaloklum or Haad Rin. These boats go to the best dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand such as Sail Rock, Chumphon Pinnacles and Ang Thong Marine Park. Sometimes they will also visit dive sites near Koh Tao. Much depends on the weather, visibility and the season.
Highlights of diving in the Gulf of Thailand include seeing whale sharks and sting rays and doing a vertical tunnel swim-through.
Prices for learning to dive in Koh Phangan are comparable with prices in Koh Tao. There is sometimes room for negotiation if you are doing a longer course. There is also the potential for getting a room discount.
Since there is plenty of supply and only a moderate demand (especially outside of Full Moon Party period) there is no need to pay a deposit. You can generally reserve a (theoretical) spot online or just turn up at the dive shop in Koh Phangan, fill out the waiver, pay a fee and start the next morning.
If you want to dive local dive sites such as Koh Ma, Haad Yao, Haad Salad, Haad Chao Phao and Koh Tae Nok you will have to ask at a dive shop and depending on numbers and conditions they might be able to put together a package for you.
Typical prices for dive shops in Koh Phangan are:
These prices vary slightly from one dive shop to another. They should include free transfers to and from dive boat, free equipment hire, free lunch on boat (ask about vegetarian options in advance) and free paperwork to allow you to get proper accreditation.
Below are brief details of the dive shops located in west Koh Phangan or shops that can be quickly reached by car from the west coast. We haven't includued the dive shops in Baan Tai and Haad Rin.
You can also see where the dive shops are to be found using the map in the left column.
Dive courses, fun dives (starting at 2,200 THB for 2 dives) and discover scuba diving trips are available at Amphibian Dive Club. The shop has access to a 12-metre long dive boat. It is also claimed on their website that they will meet customers at Koh Samui Airport. This is the only dive shop in Srithanu.
Website: amphibiandiveclub.com
This shop is located in Haad Salad, just north of Haad Yao. They are experts in free diving. This is diving without scuba equipment. Freedive Koh Phangan offers instruction on how to hold your breath and achieve 10 metre depths for the day course and 20 metre depths for the 2 day course. The school is based at Salad Hut and they have an accommodation option for those booking online.
Website: www.freedivekohphangan.com
Phangan Fun Factory is located in the centre of Thongsala. It follows SSI (Scuba Schools International) protocol. They offer a full range of dive courses as well as fun dives. Equipment rental is included in the price. They don't have any affiliations with resorts or hotels so accommodation cannot be part of the deal.
Website: www.phanganfunfactory.com
Haad Yao Divers is one of the longest running and most highy rated diving schools on Koh Phangan. Their main office is in Haad Yao but they also have a shop in Haad Chao Phao. Those signing up in Haad Chao Phao will be taken in taxi to join others who have signed up in Haad Yao.
Haad Yao Divers offers a full range of dive courses as well as the option for beach dives and local dives. They also have nitrox tanks for rent.
Website: haadyaodivers.com
Reefers Diving in Haad Yao bills itself as Koh Phangan's 'first fully inclusive PADI 5 star instructor development dive resort'. They do fun dives as well as the full range of PADI courses. They have 9 bungalows available for rent. They are a mix of cold and hot water bungalows with fan.
Website: www.reefersdiving.com
This dive shop is located at Haad Yao Villa, near the beach. They do PADI dive courses that include nitrox diver. Blue Horizon is unique in offering fluorescent diving and snorkelling with UV lights. This allows for a different view of the corals. If you book with Blue Horizon they can offer a 10% discount on accommodation at both Haad Yao Villa and Haad Yao Bayview Resort.
Website: www.bluehorizonphangan.com
Pirate Divers in Haad Salad has a full range of PADI courses and does fun dives. This is another dive shop that claims to be '5 star'. The website and blog were set up by Swedish students on work experience. The blog hasn't been updated since they left it seems.
Website: piratediversthailand.com
Fish and Ships Divers is found at Haad Salad. They offer PADI dive courses as well as tuition in freediving. The popular Open Water Course is only 10,000 Thai Baht (if their website is up-to-date).
Website: www.fishandshipsdivers.com
Freedive Koh Phangan is found in Haad Salad. They offer expert tuition in free diving - that is diving without scuba equipment, just holding your breath. They have a range of courses leading up to intructor qualifications. A 3 day course can lead to 'freefall' diving that goes to impressive depths. They also have accommmdation options with their prices.
Website: www.freedivekohphangan.com
The Dive Inn is one of a number of dive shops in Chaloklum. This northern beach has a deep water port that is ideal for dive boats. Chaloklum is easily reached from the western beaches. The have PADI courses, fun dives, local dives, nitrox dives and beach night dives.
Website: www.the-diveinn.com
Chaloklum Diving is a long-running dive shop with great reviews. This is a 5 star PADI centre. They offer fun dives and dive courses. A 2-dive trip to Sail Rock costs 2,700 Thai Baht. They have a wide range of courses including dive photography and underwater naturalist. They have free pick ups for people staying on the west coast. The website has a blog with regular entries.
Website: www.chaloklum-diving.com
Lotus Diving is in Chaloklum. It is a 5 star IDDR centre. They offer PADI courses and fun dives. The centre is over 15 years old. They have a collection of nice bungalows for rent. There is a choice of fan and air-con bungalow. Those who book courses get a discount of 50% off the nights spent on courses.
Website: www.lotusdiving.com
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More Koh Phangan Beach Guides |
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Thong Nai Pan |
Haad Yao |
Haad Salad |
Mae Haad |
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Thong Nai Pan is famous for its stunning white sand beaches and luxury hotels. |
Haad Yao is considered to have a 'perfect beach' as well as several great places to stay. |
Haad Salad is an old pirate hangout that now caters for discerning beach lovers. |
Mae Haad is a hidden gem that offers 3 beaches, snorkelling and stunning natural scenery. |
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Haad Rin |
Bottle Beach |
Baan Tai |
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Haad Rin is a sleepy village with 2 beaches that once a month become the scene of the legendary Full Moon Party |
Bottle Beach is one of Thailand's best beaches. Its remote location inspired the novel and movie 'The Beach'. |
Sea, sand, sun and lots and lots of parties. Baan Tai is the home to many of the best parties on the island. |
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