It had been a while since I last went diving, 15 months, in fact, during my trip to Turkey. You can read more about it here: Diving in Kaş and kayaking in Kekova. So, how about scuba diving in Phuket? While spending time on the island, there was no better place to organise another diving trip. From Koh Racha Noi and Shark Point to the King Cruiser Wreck, there were several locations to choose from, depending on your experience and the weather.
Together with the Aloha Diving team, three other divers and I set off for Koh Mai Thon.
The small diving boat could accommodate a maximum of 12 divers per trip. Perfect for me! Remember, I wasn’t a big fan of the large commercial diving boat I experienced in Egypt. So, let’s go scuba diving!
Koh Mai Thon is around 17 km from Chalong Pier, approximately a one-hour boat ride away. The area offers several diving sites, with depths ranging from 2 to 25 metres. With plenty of locations to choose from when diving in Phuket, Koh Mai Thon is particularly popular with beginners. Like me! So, if you are planning diving in Phuket, this might be a good start.
Apparently, it is also a relatively safe location during bad weather, and we all know how unpredictable the ocean can be. What looked like a calm and peaceful morning at Chalong Pier soon turned into a bumpy and choppy boat ride to Koh Mai Thon. Did you say one hour?
Nevertheless, everybody was fine. Apparently it was worse a few days ago. So I have been told. Luckily!
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Diving in Koh Mai Thon
As soon as we arrived at Koh Mai Thon, it was pretty much ready, set, go. Hang on. I had to calm my nerves first!
To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was super nervous! But I always am before a big activity. Once I was fully dressed, with my diving instructor waiting, I was ready to jump in and begin my first experience of diving in Phuket.
After all, I needed someone to tell me where to go!
…
I had two dives. One in the morning and another in the afternoon. Although the coral wasn’t particularly colourful, I saw lots of bright fish, both large and small. Life underwater is truly stunning and beautiful to observe. It was just a shame that I couldn’t take any photos.
My favourite sighting, however, was the crown-of-thorns starfish! Click here if you would like to see a picture. It was awesome!
Diving in Phuket is certainly a fun experience, although it would have been nice if the water had been a little clearer. Visibility was limited because of the tidal nature of the area, but the marine life more than made up for it.
And so…
And so, after two 45min dives I was quite happy to be back above waters again. I am not an experienced diver and so it takes a lot of concentration for me to be under water. But I had a great and experienced team around me.
So, I can now tick off scuba diving in Thailand. Who knows where and when I go next! But never say never.
Personally, I think Koh Mai Thon was a good site for me to dive at. Especially since I could dive around the island shore and still see plenty of fish. And the best! I have finally a photo of me under water. Thank you Aloha Diving!
(post 154)
