Sports / Diving
The warm waters and colorful coral reefs of the Gulf of Thailand challenge and attract underwater explorers. Curving in a sweeping arc from Trat in the Southeast to the estuary of the Chao Phaya River in the North and from there down the Kra Isthmus to Songkhla in the Southwest, the Gulf coastline has many dive sites yet to be discovered. Furthermore, the Andaman Sea east of Thailand has a large number of dive sites rated as among the best in the world.
Visitors from all corners of the globe have discovered that the country's long coastline offers some of the finest diving opportunities not only in Asia but anywhere in the world. Indeed, many have compared it to the Maldives, the Red Sea and Australia's east coast, all recognized as world class dive destinations.
What's more, the tropical climate keeps the seas warm all year round, allowing divers to participate in this challenging pastime from January to December. And for most divers, there's never any need for a wetsuit, so balmy are the waters.
At present, Thailand has two principal centers for diving: Pattaya just two hours from the capital Bangkok, and the Island of Phuket, in the southwestern corner of the country.
While Bangkok is served by many of the world's major airlines, Phuket is linked to both Bangkok and Singapore by regular air services.
From Pattaya and Phuket, all sorts of diving tours and excursions are organized - some to nearby islands, others to dive sites many hours away by boat.
All, however, offer a fantastic undersea world of tropical fish including groupers, marlin, barracuda, porpoises, lion fish, stingrays, moray eels and seahorses as well as turtles and a large variety of sharks. Among the shark species that can be spotted are bull sharks, leopard sharks, whale sharks, hammer head sharks, white tip and black tip sharks, nurse sharks and shovel nose sharks. But the most beautiful underwater sights are the fabulous coral formations.
For experienced divers, there's a number of wrecks to be explored, along with steep drop-offs and undersea caves where it is possible to explore spectacular natural chambers.
Thailand is also an excellent place to take up the sport of scuba diving [scuba, s(elf)-c(ontained) u(nderwater) b(reathing) a(pparatus)]. Many training facilities exist in both Pattaya and Phuket, managed by properly qualified instructors who are members of two highly respected and internationally recognized instructors' associations: PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors).
Qualification by either body ensures instruction of the highest professional level. Visitors should always ask for proof that instructors are members to these associations before agreeing to take lessons or joining a tour.
Normally, the schools start training outright beginners in local swimming pools, but then quickly proceed to the open sea where the newcomer faces, under guidance, the real challenges of scuba diving.
Thereafter, divers can participate in courses designed to either improve their proficiency or to teach them special skills, such as night diving, underwater photography, rescue work, wreck diving, as well as search and recovery just to name a few. For those who want to become instructors themselves, appropriate courses are available, ending with internationally recognized certifications.
For those who simply want to enjoy the pleasures of diving, the choice of tours and excursions in Thailand is staggering. These include fully inclusive package holidays, with five-star hotel accommodation for a week or more, excursions to outlying islands that may last up to two weeks, and a host of shorter trips of a day or two.
At most Thai diving centers, the latest equipment is available for rent. However, for those divers who prefer to bring their own gear, facilities are usually on hand for maintenance and repair work, according to the strict regulations laid down by PADI. Some shops also have equipment for sale.
The aim of all properly registered and qualified dive schools and centers is to provide well organized, safe and worry-free scuba diving for every level, from the enthusiastic beginner to the experienced underwater photographer.
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